Primes vs Zoom for Landscapes

[C Barker]

Hello,

I shot landscapes in my first documentary feature with a Canon EF 16-35mm f2.8 II and was pleased with the results (but no longer have the lens).

For this project, I would like the flexibility to shoot as late as twilight, and unlit interiors, so have been thinking about getting faster primes: Canon's EF 24mm f1.4 and 35mm f1.4 (not quite sure if the difference between MK I and II is worth it with these).

I am wondering if relying on primes for landscapes is a good strategy in practice or if a zoom is a better idea? There may be situations where moving to get the right composition isn't possible, but shifting between 5K and 4K while recording, and cropping in post would give me more options.

Using the zoom would be easier to carry around and would give more compositional options, but there is the lack of shooting at very low apertures if needed. I'm also not sure if the optics on the zoom actually would be noticeably worse in real-life situations.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[M Harvey]

Wide angle zooms are very useful precisely because a few millimeters starts to make a big difference once you get below, say, 28mm. So flexibility is definitely an advantage.

That said, if you're carrying a pretty standard set of lenses (starting with something like a 16 or 18 and including a 25 or 28, then a 32 or 35), you'll likely have enough options to get essentially what you want just by changing camera placement. So if the primes are ultimately more useful for your work, I wouldn't say you need to run out and buy a zoom as well.

As for aperture, it's pretty uncommon to shoot landscapes at f1.4. Most people want to maximize depth of field and detail, so they shoot at f4 -8. That may or may not be your style, but something to consider in your decision.

Lastly, if you're shooting on an aps-c/super 35mm-sized sensor, you might want to check out the Sigma 18-35 f1.8, which is quite fast and very sharp even wide open. I think you'll find it isn't a bad compromise over primes.

 

[Alex Zeder]

+1 for the Sigma 18-35. But if you're concerned about low light, keep in mind that an f1.4 still passes a lot more light through even when stopped down to 4.0 than an f4.0 lens fully open. Just because both lenses are used at the same aperture doesn't result in the same exposure. "Aperture on the lens impacts exposure, therefore the same f-stop = same exposure" is a conclusion I hear quite often.

 

[M Harvey]

keep in mind that an f1.4 still passes a lot more light through even when stopped down to 4.0 than an f4.0 lens fully open. Just because both lenses are used at the same aperture doesn't result in the same exposure.

Huh? I'm not sure I understand what you're saying, but the exposure differences between two lenses at the same stop should be pretty minimal. There will be small differences in light transmission due to the lens design, e.g. more elements in a more complex design typically lose a little more light (which is the reason T-stop is used on cinema lenses). I don't think it's correct to say that an f1.4 lens lets in more light at f4 than does an f4 lens.

 

[Alex Zeder]

You're totally right, theoretically they are even supposed to be identical, and I don't know what I was thinking early in the morning today when I typed this. Now let me go dig a hole somewhere...

 

[Neil Abeynayake]

Depends on what camera you plan to use. If you are to use DSMC2 Gemini, Helium, Monstro or DSMC3 series cameras, you may want to calculate what is the optimal value of exposure in a given scene. These cameras would surprise you how much of low-light gathering capabilities they have. Especially, when using appropriate OLPF. The best practice would be is to use the native full resolution of the camera sensor, leave room to, and and crop in post. We did a low-light lens test for a leading nature channel and a streaming provider, that got approved and was used on a episodic series, camera and lenses we showcased. Here is a link to the test for your convenience:

Also, you could use a Lawoa 12mm F/2.8 DO for extreme wide-angle cinematography. We love this lens.