Topics

1

Video & Movie / Webisodes for short film

« on: November 26, 2012, 02:59:12 AM »

I've been working on a short documentary and a lot of the leftover footage is being put into a series of webisodes - check them out and let me know what you think so far:

https://vimeo.com/54263832


https://vimeo.com/53762688

2

Lenses / Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS vs 24-105 f/4L IS

« on: August 23, 2012, 10:30:15 AM »

Hi all,

I've just upgraded to the Canon 5DmkII and sold my 550D. I'm still keeping my 60D which will now go from being my A-camera to my B-camera. I've still got some budget to spend on lenses to shoot video, and was originally planning on getting a 17-55 f/2.8 IS to replace my Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. My main reason for upgrading is to get IS. Now I'm leaning towards keeping the 17-50 and adding a Canon 24-105, for the extra reach (espescially on the 60D) and the fact that it can be used on both cameras (and any future Canon cameras). I'm not interested in the 24-70 I or II due to (a) the price; and (b) no IS.

What I'd like to know is what real-life effect it will have on the quality of my videos. Everything I've read suggests the high ISO performance of the mkII gives a 1-stop advantage over the APS-C cameras; does this mean that shooting with the f/4 on the 5dmkII will give similar IQ to shooting with f/2.8 on the 60D, if all else is equal? Can I push the ISO of the 5dmkII further than on the 60D to compentate for the 1-stop aperture loss?

3

EOS Bodies - For Video / Which cheap telezoom for video?

« on: July 22, 2012, 08:57:03 AM »

A slightly different question to the regular onslaught of "Which L-series lens should I trade my wife for?"...

I'll be going on a trip later in the year where I might be bringing my girlfriend along with me as a 2nd shooter and assistant. I'll be working on some surfing web-clips for various websites and magazines, and am planning to have my girlfiend shoot a 2nd angle of the action. What I'll need for her is a lens that is light, and has relatively good IQ (though I understand the constraints of budget tele-zooms and am not expecting miracles - just something that will cut together with my Sigma 150-500mm without instantly being noticeable). I'll basically pre-set the focus for her, and set the camera to auto-ISO (blashpemy, I know!) so all she needs to do is hit record and pan. So MF ring quality is not an issue - nor is any other build quality seeing as the lens will pretty much be thrown away after the trip. Things that are an issue are weight, size and price.

The lens will be used only outdoors in daylight, and I'll leave the aperture at about f/8-11 in order to increase the DOF and put the lens into it's sweet spot.

So basically what I'm looking for is the best optics possible in the budget 70-300mm range, regardless of all other factors such as build quality, AF speed, USM, etc.

IS is also a consideration - with a big question being whether or not any of these lenses have an IS tripod mode that can handle pans well. The lens will always be used on a fairly decent tripod (manfrotto 502HD head) but again, my girlfriend is not a trained camera operator and will need any help she can get.

With all that in mind, can anybody recommend any particular brand/lens?

Thanks in advance!