Noob first Canon: For first video prime, 85mm 1.8?

[cayenne]

Hello all,

I'm getting very close to pulling the trigger on getting my first HDSLR, the 5D mkIII.
I'm going to get the kit lens with it, and I can also afford one prime.

I'm trying to make my prime dollars count here, and from my research have been thinking that the 85mm 1.8 would do the trick. Fast enough for doing some good videos (most at home to start with, cooking shows, etc)...but also as a good walk around lens for video and stills.

From what I've read, it has much faster focus than the 85mm 1.2, good for stills...and was thinking that not going for some razor thin DOF of the 1.2, that the 1.8 would be better for video too?

As an aside, I also have an OLD lens that I was going to experiment with. I found my old, old and very unused from decades back...Nikon FA camera...with its 50mm 1.4 (I think?) lens on it. I was reading that these old Nikon lenses can work decently for video, just have to get an adapter. So, figured I'd experiment with that too...especially for video since it is a manual lens.

Anyway, just wanted to sound off on my thoughts I'd put together from reading these forums and lots of research and demos I'd seen on Youtube.....and hoping for input.

OH...one last thing.

Right now, I would only have iMovie to work with on my Mac...can I use the footage off my new 5D Mkiii directly into iMove for post work on it?

Thanks in advance,

cayenne

 

[KreutzerPhotography]

I dont do video at all but a friend of mine is an addict to the 85 1.8 for video. It does great with stills. My only reservation is many videographers use f/4 or smaller apertures due to focus difficulties. But the 85 is great!

 

[theuserjohnny]

I would avoid getting the kit. Just buy the body and get a 50mm and an 85mm and then down the line get a 35mm. For video you honestly just need those 3 lens to do most of the work

I mainly do video with my Mark II and I rarely use anything other than primes.

Also you're going to want to invest in Premiere Pro and Magic Bullet looks because you'll need the tools to color correct and add sharpening back into your image. Remember to shoot flat and to download the "cine-style" picture profile so that you can retain your dynamic range. I'm sure w/ the Mark III they'll come out with some new flat picture styles but for now just stick to this one.

 

[dr croubie]

The 85/1.8 is a great lens, very useable wide op (ok, i only do stills, but a great lens is a great lens).
But is 85mm the length you want? Even on a FF body, it's going to be head+shoulders only unless you can step back far enough.
You said 'cooking show', i'm envisaging a kitchen table setup on a sort of static shot, with you (/the chef) running between the far left and right of the frame cooking and cutting and talking etc. For that kind of shot i'm thinking wider angle would be more useful, 35-45mm FF. You'll probably have to stop down a fair bit unless your focus-puller has really fast hands too.
But hey, if it's the length you want, you can't get much better than the 85/1.8 for the price.

Also, I have a lot of manual lenses, no nikons though, but i've heard good things about the nikon 50/1.4. also consider Asahi Pentax Takumar lenses, zeissy-smooth focus, you can de-click apertures easily, $100-150 or so for a 50/1.4 and 35/2, up to $2-300 for their 85/1.9, down to $50 for a 35/3.5 or 28/2.8. Not a dog in the bunch, as long as they're well taken care of.

 

[thewallbanger]

My $0.02? Keep the kit. It's my most used lens for journalistic/documentary assignments. F/4 is a good aperture for focusing, and the new ISO capabilities of the mkIII should allow pretty good images indoors as well.

As for the prime, I'd suggest the 50 1.4. The 85mm is a bit long which will require you stabilization to avoid jello. If you do go 85, invest in a Manfrotto 561BHDV-1 for sure.

 

[cayenne]

Also you're going to want to invest in Premiere Pro and Magic Bullet looks because you'll need the tools to color correct and add sharpening back into your image. Remember to shoot flat and to download the "cine-style" picture profile so that you can retain your dynamic range. I'm sure w/ the Mark III they'll come out with some new flat picture styles but for now just stick to this one.

I"ve been reading up on color correction, etc...saw things about Magic Bullet.<P>
I've just been looking at Adobe site..and am quite confused as to what products there I need?!?! Photoshop ? After Effects? Lightroom....it seems most of them overlap in function...etc. Not sure what to get and WOW....they are very $$$.<P>
I'm wondering if I can do the same things with open source software like GIMP and Cinelarra.....?<P>
I"m gonna be pretty much tapped buying the new 5D and a prime lens...

 

[bluegreenturtle]

Are you planning on shooting video handheld at all? If so, nix the 85. There's a rule of thumb in cinema that anything past about 75 ff equiv is very difficult to hand hold, and it's true for the most part. On the other hand, if you're planning to use a tripod, the 85 is a perfect interview lens. I shoot interviews for a living, and on a 7D mostly use a 50 1.4 (and, by the way, it's an old manual lens), which would be about 80mm FF. I never ever handhold ANYTHING though (you just can't, if you're working professionally, with these cmos cameras). A 50 will work on a FF, but you will need to get the camera a bit close to the subject, sometimes that's uncomfortable. Anyway, 90% of the work I do, I shoot with either a 50mm prime or the 17-55mm zoom (b roll) which is about equivilant to the 24-70 on full frame.

Consider also the 28-135 ff IS, which is very underrated lens for the money. A little slow but on a FF you're gonna want to be at f4 or so anyway.

 

[peederj]

With the 5D3 I can, and now have, just carried the 24-105L and the Rokinon 14mm to shoot with and feel fine about it. On FF the DOF is already quite narrow either up close or in tele, so f/4 is fine. The IS is terrific for video. And what you'll miss in the kit is ultra wide establishing shots when you can't move back. And the 14mm is quite excellent for the money.

Worry about absolute quality and DOF after you have pressing needs met.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Do some reasearch on your specific Nikkor lens. About half of the really old ones will not fit on a Canon DSLR with Adaptor I have three 50mm ones, none of them work with my Nikon to Canon Adapter and would need trimming on the rear of the lens to fit.

The newer ones tend to fit better. The "D" series seem to work for me, but they are expensive compared to the old MF lenses.

I've also found that the old Hasselblad lenses work very well with a adaptor. The silky smooth long throw focus ring is really nice, and, since they are medium format, you use the center part of the image and get less vigenetting. They are not super sharp, but more than adequate, and nice Distagon T* ones can be found for under $500. They will hold their value well.

 

[cayenne]

The 85/1.8 is a great lens, very useable wide op (ok, i only do stills, but a great lens is a great lens).
But is 85mm the length you want? Even on a FF body, it's going to be head+shoulders only unless you can step back far enough.
You said 'cooking show', i'm envisaging a kitchen table setup on a sort of static shot, with you (/the chef) running between the far left and right of the frame cooking and cutting and talking etc. For that kind of shot i'm thinking wider angle would be more useful, 35-45mm FF. You'll probably have to stop down a fair bit unless your focus-puller has really fast hands too.
But hey, if it's the length you want, you can't get much better than the 85/1.8 for the price.

Also, I have a lot of manual lenses, no nikons though, but i've heard good things about the nikon 50/1.4. also consider Asahi Pentax Takumar lenses, zeissy-smooth focus, you can de-click apertures easily, $100-150 or so for a 50/1.4 and 35/2, up to $2-300 for their 85/1.9, down to $50 for a 35/3.5 or 28/2.8. Not a dog in the bunch, as long as they're well taken care of.

Well, with the cooking show idea, I'd be wanting to do some shots distant, but I'll be wanting to do some close up shots, like cut aways showing the gas flame turn on under the pots, close ups chopping..etc.

I was hoping the kit lens and my old Nikon 50MM with adapter, would allow me to do that.

I can really only afford one prime to buy...and from what I'd read, it seemed the 85mm would be best bang for the buck. I thought I read where it could focus at nearly 3ft at closest...was hoping with tripod that would even work for some shots....

Is there a good shorter focal length, maybe wide angle prime?
For a non-prime, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Lens looks fantastic, but I just don't have about $1600+ to spend on this initial expenditure(camera + kit).

Should I go more wide angle.....or slightly longer with 85mm? I'm looking to get the most starting off with the 5D mk3, the kit lens and one prime...to get the most out of stills and video.

I appreciate all the input...trying to do my research and get as much advice from those with experience, I wanna try to jump in with both feet, but want to spend my money wisely, especially since I'm up against my limit for awhile with this one.

cayenne

 

[D.Sim]

I would avoid getting the kit. Just buy the body and get a 50mm and an 85mm and then down the line get a 35mm. For video you honestly just need those 3 lens to do most of the work

I mainly do video with my Mark II and I rarely use anything other than primes.

Also you're going to want to invest in Premiere Pro and Magic Bullet looks because you'll need the tools to color correct and add sharpening back into your image. Remember to shoot flat and to download the "cine-style" picture profile so that you can retain your dynamic range. I'm sure w/ the Mark III they'll come out with some new flat picture styles but for now just stick to this one.

And whats wrong with the kit? Its a brilliant lens, IS will help for videos too...

As to which prime, I'd consider what you want to shoot - Do you want something really cropped in, or a wider angle?

 

[skitron]

I"ve been reading up on color correction, etc...saw things about Magic Bullet.<P>
I've just been looking at Adobe site..and am quite confused as to what products there I need?!?! Photoshop ? After Effects? Lightroom....it seems most of them overlap in function...etc. Not sure what to get and WOW....they are very $$$.<P>
I'm wondering if I can do the same things with open source software like GIMP and Cinelarra.....?<P>
I"m gonna be pretty much tapped buying the new 5D and a prime lens...

You might want to go for the Premier/Photoshop Elements bundle to start out with. This way you're able to do video and stills (both RAW and JPEG).

I have Premier Pro CS5 and Magic Bullet Looks II (both for video and stills) and as much as I like MBL, I would not consider it essential for starting out.

As for Elements, since Adobe is releasing CS6 soon, you can probably find a deal on the current version if you need to save a few more $. It's a good way to get familiar with the software and really reduce the learning curve for when you eventually get Pro versions.

 

[cayenne]

I"ve been reading up on color correction, etc...saw things about Magic Bullet.<P>
I've just been looking at Adobe site..and am quite confused as to what products there I need?!?! Photoshop ? After Effects? Lightroom....it seems most of them overlap in function...etc. Not sure what to get and WOW....they are very $$$.<P>
I'm wondering if I can do the same things with open source software like GIMP and Cinelarra.....?<P>
I"m gonna be pretty much tapped buying the new 5D and a prime lens...

You might want to go for the Premier/Photoshop Elements bundle to start out with. This way you're able to do video and stills (both RAW and JPEG).

I have Premier Pro CS5 and Magic Bullet Looks II (both for video and stills) and as much as I like MBL, I would not consider it essential for starting out.

As for Elements, since Adobe is releasing CS6 soon, you can probably find a deal on the current version if you need to save a few more $. It's a good way to get familiar with the software and really reduce the learning curve for when you eventually get Pro versions.

Thank you VERY much for all the input.

After looking around a bit more, reading reviews, youtube demos...etc.

I'm not leaning towards going the mac route...with Apeture (only $80), and with Final Cut Pro X ($300).

It appears that FCPX has now added in pretty much all the items pros were complaining about it was missing (multi-camera, xml, etc). I was in touch with Red Giant, and they are rapidly working to get their plug-ins, like Colorista ported for FCPX.

From what I can tell...Apeture seems to be at least on par with the Adobe offerings, although I guess it is more like Lightroom than Photoshop.....

It seems that maybe more folks on this forum are windows users than mac users?

I use whichever one is good for the job...heck, my preference for my personal usage most of the time is a gentoo linux box....hahaha.

Anyway, thank you all for the input.....any comments on the mac offerings I mentioned?

TIA,

cayenne ;D