Advice for Lenses and Gear for the 5D for commercial production purposes.

[Michael Sacci]

[Jared Cicon] ” I am looking into the 24mm-200mm”
there has never been a lens in that range that was considered to be of any quality. Plus they are slow lenses, stay away from them.

Gear recommendations are all over this site. Jag35 gear is good quality but at the low end of the pricing scale. Zucato stuff at the high end. For handheld shoot even with a rig using lenses with IS is considered a must.

For the most part your thinking in the wrong directions, for video you need fast glass, adding a 2x extender kills the light and quality.

Spend more on quality glass, it is more important than the body.

[Jared Cicon]

Hi Michael,
Thanks for taking the time to offer your opinion. I surely understand where you are coming from. As a wedding photographer shooting medium format still photography for almost 2 decades I spent between $1,000-$2,500 apiece for several fixed focal length lenses. And this was in the early nineties mind you. So I do understand the importance of glass. What would your suggestions be knowing I need to cover the full telephoto range, since on set, I don’t always have the luxury of moving the tripod. For the last several hours I have been researching and it was suggested I look into the EF 24mm-70mm 2.8 and the EF 70mm-200mm 2.8. Would you concur with this?

Do you have any specific recommendations regarding lenses for the commercial photography director?

Regarding a shoulder mount, could you tell me what you think about the HandySLR
https://www.youtube.com/user/5DFilmSchool#p/u/8/fDiVaV1wTDw ?

Thanks again for your time.
Jared

[Uli Plank]

The 24-105 with IS is pretty nice glass, albeit slow. But I wouldn’t go any further in zoom range.

Director of the Institute of Media Research (IMF) at Braunschweig University of Arts

[Jared Cicon]

Hi Uli,
Not sure if you understand my situation. I must have telefocal ranges that exceed 105mm. There is no option. The application for the 5D is television commercial and short film production. What exactly do you mean when suggesting I shouldn’t use zoom lenses over 105mm.
Jared

[Robbie Carman]

What are the lighting environments you’ll be in? You mention weddings so its all over the place but you also mentioned commercial production which to me means controlled constant lighting. So try to get something to fit both those bills can be challenging.

I had for a number of years the 100-400 but recently sold it. And for a couple reasons I wouldn’t add it to your kit for video.

1. Variable aperture 4.5-5.6. no biggie shooting photos sans flash and no big deal in studio environments were f/4 to f/5.6 could be just fine (although limiting your DOF possibilities). But should you do any zooms while shooting video with this lens you’ll get a noticeable brightness shift. Shooting video I would if at all possible stay away from variable aperture lenses unless you know you won’t be zooming during a shot and even then keep in mind you’ll need to adjust after the zoom.

2. Push pull zoom is a pain in the ass!. Even though you can adjust the tension for it I spent half my time messing with the tension.

I think an option you should consider is the 70-200mm 2.8 IS (either the new or old one) or the 70-200 f/4 IS (slightly slower but sharper in my opinion) and couple it with a 1.4x extender (I’m not a fan of the 2x) On the 70-200 f/2.8 on a 5DMKII you’ll get 98 – 280mm f/4 and on the 70-200 f/4 same focal range but f/5.6 still doable in ok light.

My last point is just something to think about. If reach is your issue how about consider a crop image sensor like the 7D. While I won’t argue that the larger sensor on the 5DMKII allows for a slightly greater depth of field possibility, the 7D at 1.6 crop is like having the extender I mention above built in. Also if you’ll be doing any photo work with the camera I think you’ll find the 7D autofocus system superior to that of the 5D …and yes I own both cameras.

Anyway food for thought

Robbie Carman
—————-
Colorist and Author
Check out my new Books:
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[Michael Sacci]

You cannot get one lens to cover 24-200 you have to do it with 2 lenses. If you need that coverage you should not be using DSLRs. I have been looking at the 24-105 f4 IS lens. for a solid all around lens but I also have fast primes if I need faster glass. So if you had the 24-105 you could get the 70-200. The other thing you have to keep in mind is that still zoom lenses don’t work the same as video lens. If you are in focus at one end and zoom you my not be in zoom when zoomed out.

DSLR is really for film-like production, where you can move the camera or change the lens.

[Phil Balsdon]

The main reason producers go for this camera is the depth of field properties from the large chip size.
To gain the most advantage you should get the fastest lenses you can. The 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 are excellent choices. You might also consider the 50mm 1.4 which is not expensive. The 16-35 2.8 is also a good option for wide angle requirements.

The zooms that offer longer focal ranges are generally slower but the 24-105 f4 does have an image stabilizer. Phillip Bloom has an article about using this lens for shooting interviews using the mage stabilizer for additional steadiness.

Cinematographer, Steadicam Operator, Final Cut Pro Post Production.
https://www.steadi-onfilms.com.au/

[Jared Cicon]

@ Robbie: Thanks for the information Robbie. Yes, the application for the 5D will be total commercial video production. I got out of Weddings four years ago. So in a zooming in-or-out situation I assume the 70mm-200mm will stay at 2.8 (or whatever aperture I pre-set) keeping me from having any exposure problem. Am I right to assume this? If this question seems a little sophemoric, you’ll have to excuse me. I have been absorbing so many specs for so many different pieces of equipment my head is spinning.

I have read up on the 7D capabilities but something tells me that down the road I will crave the full sensor format and regret not getting it, and sense I will never be using this camera for anything but video production, I think the 5D just makes the most sense. You, of course though, brought up some very important points.

Jared

[Jared Cicon]

Hey Michael, Thanks for the input. Yeah, sometimes we are in tight shooting situations that requires us to change focal lengths, but not necessarily in the same shot. As long as I have a set of lenses that cover the entire focal length spectrum, that I can switch out depending on my need I will feel good about going into any situation with the 5D. Does this make sense? There are also the external focus adapters on some of the shoulder rigs that you can use (or an assistant director can work while I shoot) to focus through a zoom action. Though not a perfect science, I have had to do the procedure on a video camera set to manual focus and can do it if I don’t mind taking a particular scene a few extra times and then stopping to check the footage.

I am getting a lot of input from everyone and am very grateful for it.

Jared

[Jared Cicon]

@ Robbie,
Thanks for the information on the lenses. It is very helpful and will factor into my purchase decision. As you know, there is a ton of peripheralI gear I will need to purchase and I have a concern with one of them I hope you can help me with. I am currently looking into the HANDY SLR: https://www.youtube.com/user/5DFilmSchool#p/u/8/fDiVaV1wTDw My concern though, is that there is not enough room to mount the D5 when the BG-E6 battery grip is attached. How often do you think I would have to change the internal battery on the D5 during a daylong shoot if I decide to go this route?

Also, if you could turn me on to a place where I can read about the shooting day work-flow of data with the D5 and maybe suggest what kind/size of memory sticks I would need and how easy it is to dump the data, erase and re-use each card. Thanks for helping me with all of this. Kind of sucks for everyone involved when one of us rooks go off trail blazing into the wild blue yonder. I appreciate your help.

Jared