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Best Lenses for Nikon DSLR Filmmaking
I’m looking around for a good prime lens for DSLR filmmaking. Currently I have a Nikon D3100, but I’d like to get some good “glass” that will be able to be compatible with any camera upgrades.
I’m interested if anyone has any ideas on what would make the best prime lens. I’m thinking mainly 50mm. It doesn’t have to be Nikkor, but that would be preferable. Oh, and it has to be kinda cheap (>€100)
Thanks!
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5 Replies
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Under €100 (I’m assuming you meant under and not over) won’t buy you the best 50mm prime. In fact it’ll buy you the worst. But luckily the worst one is still pretty good. This one is the only one I know of for that price. Obviously it’s not as good as more expensive 50mm primes, but it’s very sharp and should meet your needs. Biggest issue I have with it in video use is the focus ring. They have a tendency to not be very smooth if you’re doing rack focus shots. Some are better than others in that regard. (I’ve used 4 or 5 different copies of this lens) Also, this lens will work with any camera upgrade including full frame cameras.
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Thanks for the prompt reply! Yeah, I’ve seen this lens before, but it’s good to get a personal review of it. I know that the autofocus won’t work with the D3100, but that’s not really an issue, as I’d be manually focusing the video anyway.
But do you know if the aperture ring would work with the D3100? Cause if it did, that would be a big help, as the aperture is only auto in-camera.
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From the link…”Note! Autofocus is not supported by D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100, D3200, D5000, D5100, D5200 cameras–lens may be used with manual focus only. Be sure to check your camera’s lens-compatibility information before selecting a new lens.”
This means you would set up the lens as a ‘manual’ lens under the wrench icon, as a Non-CPU lens. In most conditions the lens will be racked to the highest F/stop (22) and then, the camera controls will allow setting of the aperture. I might be wrong but if you use the aperture ring otherwise, an EE (error) message appears.
The AF function however, as noted, does not work so it is a manual lens operation.
There are often used (inexpensive) 50mm f1/4 lenses out there but some require a modification to work on the newer cameras.
HTHs
Rob Manning
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Go on eBay and look for the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 E-Series lens. Make sure it’s E Series. It has a manual aperture ring. They are just as sharp as the new ones today and you can get them for around $50.
David
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Thanks! Will keep an eye out for those. A quick research online, and it looks pretty cool…
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