Which +/- 30mm lens to buy?

[Renier]

I'm looking for a 30mm (or something close) prime for my 550D/T2i. I use my camera mostly for filming and expect this lens to be on the body most of the time.

So what lens would you recommend? I'm open to non canon lenses (even with adapters) as well.

 

[zsolex]

I thing the cheapest solution is the manual Pentacon(Zeiss) 29/2.8 with M42 adapter..

 

[te4o]

http://www.adorama.com/ZI3514ZE.html
You can give it to your grandchildren when they become involved in photography...

 

[CocoRobicheaux]

I have a yearning for the 35mm 1.4 of course but for my 50d I have the 28mm 1.8 Canon.

Gets mixed reviews but on crop at least as a 'normal' I love it. I mainly use it for low DOF field shots fairly close up to things (i have the excellent 85mm 1.8 for tele stuff).........the 28mm is a nice 'indoor' low light general purpose lens also obviously....

I think the negative points in reviews can be the price (£400 in the UK) and that is is soft wide open in the corners on FF. For the camera I use it with and the style of shots this isnt an issue - i dont consider it a landscape lense....

Oh and it focuses pretty fast and accurately too!

Hope that helps

 

[MK5GTI]

i am surprise the Sigma 30 1.4 is not listed here yet, if also support AF, just incase if you are not filming, you got AF for photos too. and it cost far less than the 35L

 

[jhanken]

I recently had a chance to borrow a Zeiss Distagon 28mm f/2.0 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/655186-REG/Zeiss_1762_849_28mm_f_2_0_Distagon_T.html on my Canon 5D, and I was really really impressed with the clarity and color. It is also cheaper at $1,283 than the 35mm f/1.4, which B&H sells for about $1,800.

I don't know about the Sigma 30mm, but I have a Sigma 50MM f/1.4 and I LOVE it! Price is pretty good to at $489 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/381615-REG/Sigma_300101_30mm_f_1_4_EX_DC.html

 

[Fleetie]

I tried one example of the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 last year but I returned it almost immediately because it was awful. Even on my crop camera (7D), the CA at the edges and corners was totally unacceptable. Things were smeared out over perhaps 10 pixels.

I got the Canon 50mm f/1.4 instead. Not the same kind of lens, but I am glad I got that lens instead.


Martin

 

[87vr6]

I have the 28mm 1.8 Canon.

This would be the lens to have for the crop body, great length, as it comes in slightly below 45mm, basically normal. Good quality lens. Has USM AF and full time manual focusing which are quite nice features, especially if you know what life is like without said items.

 

[FatDaddyJones]

Is your primary purpose low light video? If so, you want a wider aperture lens. I know it's not 30mm and may be too long for what you want, but the 50mm f/1.8 is going to be the cheapest solution, and will deliver great picture quality with a wide aperture for shooting in low light. The 50mm f/1.4 for a little more is a great lens also.

More in the range you asked about... If price is not an issue, the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L is an awesome lens. I've rented / borrowed but don't own one myself because price is an issue, and this is a very expensive prime lens. Some more affordable lenses in that range you might consider are the EF 24mm f/2.8 and the EF 28 1.8 USM.

It all comes down to your basic uses, personal preference and your price range. Just remember that the old saying, "you get what you pay for" isn't always true. Ten times the price doesn't always equal ten times the lens, and there are some great lenses out there (especially primes) that you can get for cheap.

 

[AJ]

Canon 17-55/2.8 IS. It's stabilized, which helps a lot with video. I've used this lens for indoor video shooting and it works great. f/2.8 helps in low light yet has forgiving dof.

 

[franky03]

Hi Renier,

I was looking for the same thing...

First I bought a 35mm f2.8 Tokina manual focus lens in m42 format... looks good, long focus throw BUT not fast enough to my liking...

So I was hesitating between the outdated Canon 35mm f2 and the very fast Sigma 30mm f1.4... I went with the Sigma. The first copy was not very good (front focus!!!) but the second one is very nice and I didn't look back

ps: it has about 90 degrees of focus throw in manual focus which is ok with me for filming... could be slightly longer, but still ok.

My 0,02$

Frank

 

[Renier]

First of all: thanks for all the advice!

A lot of different suggestions are coming my way. To narrow it down a bit some more background info:

I use my 550D mainly for low light video. I have a Sigma 50mm 1.4 and am satisfied with it videowise (AF is not that fast with stills). But 50mm is often too much tele on a crop body, so I want to buy a 30 or so mm as 'normal' lens.

If it was for the budget I am opting between the Sigma 30mm 1.4 and the Sigma 28mm 1.8. The Canon 28mm 1.8 was interesting until I saw this comparison. Way more CA and softness on the Canon 28 than the Sigma 30.
But what about the Sigma 28mm 1.8. How does it compare to the Sigma 30mm?

Furthermore I'm kind of starting to earn some money now with filmmaking so I'm heavily doubting if I should invest in lenses no matter the budget or stay on the amateur budget. Also considered that I will go full frame this or maybe next year. Can someone convince me to pay 5 or 6 times more for Zeiss or L-glass?

 

[whatta]

I am interested in the same lens area but I do not own any of these (yet). For me the comparison you refer to is suspicious. The difference is too significant.
And what about the lens flare on sigma? Is it realistic?

have a look here:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=405&Camera=396&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=2&LensComp=253&CameraComp=396&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=1

other sources to consider.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/canonef28mmf18usm/

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/28mm-f18.htm

good luck

 

[te4o]

Also considered that I will go full frame this or maybe next year. Can someone convince me to pay 5 or 6 times more for Zeiss or L-glass?
[/quote]

No one can convince you until you try out yourself. You can't spend huge budgets without testing the gear you're buying. I can recommend you to rent a FF and a Zeiss like these I use, for several days if you can. And if you don't like them, you saved a lot of money. (I was not so lucky ... :

 

[Renier]

No one can convince you until you try out yourself. You can't spend huge budgets without testing the gear you're buying. I can recommend you to rent a FF and a Zeiss like these I use, for several days if you can. And if you don't like them, you saved a lot of money. (I was not so lucky ... :

Good advice. I'm gonna shoot a musicvideo soon for which I'll rent a 5D and a set of Zeiss lenses. I'll judge after that.