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Best sub-3k Doc lenses for Red

K

Kris Tait

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Hello all!
I do a lot of documentary shooting on my Epic and have been stuck with my Canon f4 24-105 as the workhorse in my kit for (I hate this term) run & gun shooting, as my CP.2's often end up with me missing the moment during lens changes. Although versatile, the 24-105 leaves a hell of a lot to be desired. At f4(actually rated at T5) it's slow and is also notoriously soft. But the range and IS make it the one that many doc shooters go back to in a pinch. It's also undeniably light and compact in spite of its shortcomings.
But man this lens is a bad match for a Red camera. I thought I'd hear if any others have found a good doc lens in the sub-3000 dollar range as a better alternative (aside from the 24-70 L).

What are other people's findings for a lens in this category that both matches the potential of the sensor while having the versatility of the 24-105?

Best,
Kris
 
There is a Tamron 28-105 F2.8. It works with RED (iris only- focus is erratic as it is an older lens). It is pretty sharp ( own one) and very inexpensive...
 
If you're shooting S35 modes the 17-55mm 2.8 EF-S is great...very sharp and cheap. On the higher end I believe there is a new 18-80 t4 (?) that's fully manual and cine style. I'm also looking for a good all around workhorse run and gun lens and I ended up going with a contax 35-70...something different from the other lenses but the image character is just too good
 
When I shoot doc style, I use the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 probably 99% of the time. Maybe 100%. It's really fast and extremely sharp, even wide open. But I love shooting wide lenses so it works for me. Obviously if you need a longer range you'd have to pair this with something else, like the Sigma 50-100 f1.8. With two zooms you have the full range with extremely fast f-stop. I know that in doc shooting you don't always have time to change a lens, but I'd rather have that 30 second impediment and know that I can now shoot with 1/6th the amount of light as the Canon 24-105. It's hugely liberating.
 
Doesnt the sigma 18-35 look too clean and boring on Red though?
 
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