$3000 budget for scarlet (canon mount) cinema lenses- what would you choose?

[Benjamin May]

For documentary and independent feature work.

I am considering

Tokina 11-16mm $700
Canon 17-35mm $800
Canon 24-70mm $1300

but I really haven't a clue. Zeiss?

If you had $3000 for cinema lenses for documentary and independent productions, what would you buy?

 

[Kyle Gentz]

If you go all zooms do yourself a favor and pick up at least 1 prime like the Canon 1.4 50mm. that way when your in a place with low light, you have an option.

 

[Michael Dalton]

Canon 16-35 and 24-70 f2.8 L-Series. Might be a bit over though. I had the 12-24 Tokina when I owned a 7d, and it was a great lens. EPS too if you plan to shoot any 2k.

 

[Will Wernick]

I am selling a set of canon Ef mount addapted Nikon primes. Very sharp and fast, especially for the price. Great lens set on a budget.

 

[George Su]

Here's what I would do with 3000:

Tokina 11-16 $700
Canon 24-70L $1199 <-now at B&H
Canon 70-200 2.8L (NON IS) $950-1000 used

 

[Mike P.]

I think I'd do what George recommends; I hate having to overlap from 17-35, especially when you make due with 16 and 24. ALSO, splurge for IS on the longer lenses, which are a blessing when you're running... and gunning. It'll still be less than $3000.

First lens should be the 24-70; it'll cover most of what you'd need and then you can hold off on he other lenses until you find them at the right price on ebay/craigslist or whatever.

 

[Steve Das]

For documentary and independent feature work.

I am considering

Tokina 11-16mm $700
Canon 17-35mm $800
Canon 24-70mm $1300

....what would you buy?

Think you hit the bullseye..for people documentary
those wide zooms will be perfect. If you wanted to do
nature documentary then you might need a long 70-200 zoom.
Just buy one of the zooms..try it..and if the speed is sufficient
for you then buy the others. If you need more speed just supplement
some primes. Check out this test of the 24-70 pulling focus

This in one of eight clips which display focus breathing / image shift on three lenses. The Canon EF 35mm f1.4L, EF 50mm f1.4, and EF 24-70mm f2.8L. Surprisingly the 24-70mm zoom lens exhibited far less breathing / image shift during focus compared to the two primes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMhawbI7O4Q&feature=related

 

[Michael Patterson]

Here's what I would do with 3000:

Tokina 11-16 $700
Canon 24-70L $1199 <-now at B&H
Canon 70-200 2.8L (NON IS) $950-1000 used

This is exactly what I did. The only thing i added was a 50mm 1.8 just cause it's so cheap and I needed at least one prime...

 

[Mike McNeese]

Here's what I would do with 3000:

Tokina 11-16 $700
Canon 24-70L $1199 <-now at B&H
Canon 70-200 2.8L (NON IS) $950-1000 used

+1

Although I would probably spring for the IS version of the 70-200. Even if I just use it on my 7D for stills, the IS is worth it.

 

[Caden Nash]

Here's what I would do with 3000:

Tokina 11-16 $700
Canon 24-70L $1199 <-now at B&H
Canon 70-200 2.8L (NON IS) $950-1000 used

I recommend this too

 

[david_winters]

I just got back from a multiple country commercial shoot in Asia, these are the three lenses I traveled with, and I used all three every day.

Tokina 11-16
Canon 24-70L
Canon 70-200 2.8L (NON IS)

Get the 11-16 or 16-35, not both.

 

[Lee Saxon]

17-35 is weak.

I'd say the 11-16, 24-70, 70-200 trio would be the one to go with.

 

[Paramon Ivanovich]

Here's what I would do with 3000:

Tokina 11-16 $700
Canon 24-70L $1199 <-now at B&H
Canon 70-200 2.8L (NON IS) $950-1000 used

I would too

 

[Eric J Kosinski]

Focusing the Canon lenses manually stinks in my opinion. They are meant for still operation and just isn't great with follow focus gears or hand focusing. My recommendation is Nikon AIS lenses or Zeiss ZE in this range of price.

Both Nikon AIS metal manual lenses and Zeiss ZE glass are all metal heavy housings with very smooth operations. Google them or check B&H.

Only disadvantage (or in my opinion advantage) is you have to manually adjust the iris on the AIS. I love this but come from a film background and manually photographic background.

 

[Peter Strietmann]

Here's what I would do with 3000:

Tokina 11-16 $700
Canon 24-70L $1199 <-now at B&H
Canon 70-200 2.8L (NON IS) $950-1000 used

I recently got back from shooting a couple of weeks in europe and this is what I went with except my 70-200 was IS and I had a 24mm 1.4. And I fit it all with the epic in a F-stop backpack that I could carry on. One other lens I had was a lens baby but did not really use it.

 

[matt.alan.martin]

Hi Benjamin,

I've shot video on the 70-200mm without IS (Mark I) and with IS (Mark II), and I definitely recommend buying the lens with IS. When you are zoomed in to 200mm, every time you touch the lens to adjust focus, change the zoom, etc., even when you're on a good tripod, it's going to cause some vibration. When you're shooting without IS, that vibration is going to show up in your shots, and it's not good. When you are shooting with IS, the shot is fine (or much better). If you don't mind that "bump" in your footage, you can go with the non-IS version, but for me, I absolutely need the IS.

Consequently, I'd do the following with $3K for Canon glass:

1. Canon 24-70mm F2.8 (about $1,200 new)
2. Canon 70-200mm F2.8 with IS (but the first version with IS, not the latest one with IS, to save money) (about $1,500 on Craigslist, test it before you buy it)
3. Canon 50mm F1.4 prime (around $300 on Craigslist)

Now you've got the 24-70 and 70-200 to cover a really good range for run and gun and live events, etc., and you've got a nice fast prime for low-light and/or very shallow depth of field shots.

I own the Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 as well and love it - but it's a little more of a specialty lens for very wide shots. If I was mainly shooting documentary run and gun, and only had 3k, I'd do what I mentioned above (and I think Kyle Gentz mentioned something similar too).

 

[Scott Crawley]

If you are running and gunning and are limited to $3000, limit yourself to the 24-70L and a 70-200L IS. Go f4 if you have to in order to fit the budget, but if you can find a 2.8 IS used I would do that first.

You won't miss the 11-16.

The 17-35 is weak. I have a 16-35 which kicks the 17-35's ass, but frankly I don't use it much when running with human subjects.

I had a 50 1.4, but found both the 24-70 and the 70-200 to be sharper. Maybe I had a poor copy. In my own experience it was a better and quicker choice to leave the 50 in the bag and either deal with the noise or find a way to get just a little more light on my subject. I prefer noise over softness, but I understand that is my own personal taste. Yours may differ.

 

[Mike Garrick]

If your on a budget & like primes & manual, a good option to consider would be Samyang/ rebadged Rokinon. They have 85mm @ f1.4, a 35mm @1.4, a 14mm @ f2.8 and I think they have a 24mm coming @ f1.4. Then get the tokina 11 to 16mm & still have change from $3000. These lenses may be cheaper, but the quality is exceptional. if you have the time checkout the review by Duclos lenses of the 35mm against the zeiss 35mm makes for interesting reading.

 

[JustinC]

16-35mm + 24-70mm + 70-200mm. All f2.8 and fixed length (not focal range) lenses, which is useful for matte boxes. Either f1.4 50mm, or L series f1.2 for low light and close ups where you really want to throw the background out of focus (good for docu interviews if you do them). Just choose the order based on what cash you have available and save up for the others. Get a good lens support for the 70-200 and a follow focus for all.

 

[Scott Crawley]

16-35mm + 24-70mm + 70-200mm. All f2.8 and fixed length (not focal range) lenses, which is useful for matte boxes. Either f1.4 50mm, or L series f1.2 for low light and close ups where you really want to throw out the background (good for docu interviews if you do them). Just choose the order based on what cash you have available and save up for the others. Get a good lens support for the 70-200 and a follow focus for all.

The 24-70 is a telescoping zoom... Not particularly good with a MB, but with care they can be used together.