Best all around lens for filming on 7D???

Hi guys i want your honest opinion's here, i want a really good lens for filming on my 7D, as iv only really used my 50mm MkII so far, but i was thinking of the 24-70mm? As i want to do some pretty low lit shots but i want something that's an all rounder also


Thanks for the input?

Chris

I've used my 70-200mm f/4 with good results, and also my 400mm 2.8 - but that thing is good in any situation. My 17-40 renders really good colour and saturation. Can't go wrong with an L I reckon. 24-70mm I do not own - but have used it, and found it to be a fantastic lens.

If you're intending to do low light shots, it would seem to me that you would want to use as large aperture as you can for the type of lens you're using, so for a zoom that would be an f/2.8. The other part of the equation is budget and focal length.

It seems like it would depend on what you want to film.

I would not advise using a 24-70 to film tigers in the wild unless you have a great insurance policy or have no desire to live.

Just as I would not advise using an 800 to film interiors in a house.

The term "All Around" is very subjective.

Clearly an 800mm lens in not an all around lens lol... i think the 24-70 would cover most of my shots to be honest but iv never used so im not sure how it would handle compared to others, also had in mind the 16-35mm MKII?

Chris

kingbob734 wrote in post #9739007
Clearly an 800mm lens in not an all around lens lol... i think the 24-70 would cover most of my shots to be honest but iv never used so im not sure how it would handle compared to others, also had in mind the 16-35mm MKII?

Chris

I dunno about you but I usually use my 1200mm for portraits. It really gives the model some room to move around and feel relaxed.

The critical components in choosing a lens for video:

1) Light - if you have the ability to bring studio lighting wherever you're shooting you can afford to get slower lenses, but if you're trying to run-n-gun in dimly lit environments you're going to want a 2.8 or faster lens.
2) IS - Stabilization makes a HUGE difference on handheld video (try a test with it on vs. off, it's night and day). If you have a stable rig this matters less, but again if you're going for handheld IS is pretty much a must.

Also keep in mind that 7D video quality is much lower than still shots, so differences in IQ that are vastly appreciable in still frames become less apparent in video.

How do you feel when using the 50mm? If you don't find yourself wanting too much more zoom then I would suggest the 17-55 IS or Tamron's 17-50 VC, depending on your budget. The 16-35 is a quality lens but probably won't offer a significant video IQ upgrade over the two options I mentioned to justify the increased cost (again, this is JUST for video, it'll obviously be a better performer when it comes to stills).

I think you'll find the 24-70 to be a little limiting on the wide end but it'd be a good idea to set a zoom at 24 and walk around with it for a little bit to see if it works with your shooting style.

Using a 400MM would not do you much good.. Primes for filming would only do you good below 100MM and maybe a bit higher than that but not much. I find that with filming lower with MM primes work better and for higher MM using zooms works better.
Example if filming people you would want a nice standard prime as you are not going to be far away in most cases
and for animals a zoom lens because they tend to move around a lot and you want the ability to do zoom outs and track them better at different focal lengths

Well if i was to buy the lens i probably wouldnt use "just for video" but im just wanting a lens that would be nice and sharp as well as doing well in low light, but i dont want a bunch of primes at the moment for now id rather go with a zoom.

What about the 17-55mm IS compared to the 24-70mm L?

Chris

sorry, but 'filming'? What's 'filming'? Ain't no film in a 7D

Defnitely a lens with IS if you shoot video hand held, it will still be a bit shaky but a lot better than without IS

any lens with IS in it.

Xcelx wrote in post #9740803
Defnitely a lens with IS if you shoot video hand held, it will still be a bit shaky but a lot better than without IS

He might need a mic, you can hear the IS working in the video using the stock mic built in. I hear it! lol

here is my test vid with a 70-200f4IS. here you can't hear the is obviously.


http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=OGh0oV_WyNg