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Speedbooster or wider lens?

John Pike

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I have the Sigma 18-35 (ef /af non cine version) and I like it a lot but I would like to get a bit wider. Considering a speedbooster to make it wider and faster. Would also work well with my leica 28 mm which I love but don't really like it closer to 35 as it is with the crop. (obviously, covered by the 18-35 focal range but the leica has it's own look) If I bought a wide lens it would probably be the tokina 11-16. That's around my price range and is close to the same cost as buying a speed booster. What do you suggest- buy the lens, or put a speed booster on the lens i have? Which speed booster is recommended? I've seen the metabones and the canon one for the c70. I'm also open to other wide ideas, and don't mind a prime.
 
FWIW, you might want to try the Voigtlander M lenses. I think they have one as wide as 12mm. On S35 you'd definitely be getting the sweet spot. So, IMHO, I prefer to use a lens with a larger image circle if possible.

You'd be surprised how badly some Leica lenses perform on digital bodies. They're even worse in some cases on non-Leica bodies. But, even the worst offenders have no problem covering the S35 section of the sensor.
 
I have the Sigma 18-35 (ef /af non cine version) and I like it a lot but I would like to get a bit wider. Considering a speedbooster to make it wider and faster. Would also work well with my leica 28 mm which I love but don't really like it closer to 35 as it is with the crop. (obviously, covered by the 18-35 focal range but the leica has it's own look) If I bought a wide lens it would probably be the tokina 11-16. That's around my price range and is close to the same cost as buying a speed booster. What do you suggest- buy the lens, or put a speed booster on the lens i have? Which speed booster is recommended? I've seen the metabones and the canon one for the c70. I'm also open to other wide ideas, and don't mind a prime.

Sigma 18-35mm is not a full frame lens, using it will a speed booster will make the lens porthole and not cover 6K on Komodo for sure.

Lenses I have used and like on Komodo 6K:
- Tokina 11-20 T2.9 (honestly a really useful pairing to your 18-35)
- Laowa 9.5mm T2.9, small covers S36 and is pretty much the widest thing you can get to work.
- Laowa 12mm T2.9, the Zero D full frame lens, works great.

Haven't "loved the image" off the 11mm Irix prime, but I do adore their 15, 30, 45, and 150mm glass.

Samyang/Rockinon have a 10mm f/2.8 I have yet to use. They also have the 10mm f/3.5 for full frame, which is currently the widest rectilinear glass you can get.
 
FWIW, you might want to try the Voigtlander M lenses. I think they have one as wide as 12mm. On S35 you'd definitely be getting the sweet spot. So, IMHO, I prefer to use a lens with a larger image circle if possible.

You'd be surprised how badly some Leica lenses perform on digital bodies. They're even worse in some cases on non-Leica bodies. But, even the worst offenders have no problem covering the S35 section of the sensor.

Thanks! I may give the Voigtlander a shot, the only thing is the 5.6 aperture is a bit slow. I used my leica 28 and a 50 (both R lenses) a ton many years ago when I shot a doc on a 5D mk ii and I loved the look. However, I think I see what you mean, as I didn't get on with the lenses as much with either my Sigma FP or the Komodo. My go to remains the Sigma 18-35, though I do like the size of my 28 and I've been experimenting with a handheld set up using that, a cell phone as monitor and a gdu behringer grip.
 
Sigma 18-35mm is not a full frame lens, using it will a speed booster will make the lens porthole and not cover 6K on Komodo for sure.

Lenses I have used and like on Komodo 6K:
- Tokina 11-20 T2.9 (honestly a really useful pairing to your 18-35)
- Laowa 9.5mm T2.9, small covers S36 and is pretty much the widest thing you can get to work.
- Laowa 12mm T2.9, the Zero D full frame lens, works great.

Haven't "loved the image" off the 11mm Irix prime, but I do adore their 15, 30, 45, and 150mm glass.

Samyang/Rockinon have a 10mm f/2.8 I have yet to use. They also have the 10mm f/3.5 for full frame, which is currently the widest rectilinear glass you can get.

Thanks!

Is the Tokina 11-20 optically the same as the 11-16? Seems like for only $40 more I may as well get the extra focal length!

Thinking about it more, 15mm may be a sweet spot for me as I'm looking for that around 20mm or 21mm (FF) look that I miss with the 18. The 15mm Irix seems pretty nice to me, and it may be nice to have at least one cine lens in my collection (maybe I'd eventually build out the irix set) . IQ wise of the lenses listed is the Irix 15mm a favorite? Or is the Tokina just as good? Any other 15mm to consider? Can't spend Leitz or Cooke money rn but could go up a bit in budget.

Some other thoughts I had: back when I shot still interiors I loved the Canon L 14mm EF lens, not sure if a used one of those could be a good pick. Other thoughts I had were the Canon RF 16mm STM or the Canon RF 14-35mm or the Sigma 14mm. Sigma 14mm may match the look of my 18-35 the most, though I'm not sure how much that matters.
 
The Tokina 11-20 is optically superior and the "next version" of the 11-16. The 11-16 actually has a hell of history behind in back when there weren't many wide or zoom options. Starting with Duclos Lenses modifying the lens to PL Mount, it's popularity lead to the V2 of the 11-16 and eventually the 11-20. Tokina wised up and after a few rounds of rehousing prototypes made proper cine versions themselves, which is why you have the 11-20 today in PL Mount. That journey also is why the 16-28 full frame zoom got made as well as the eventual purpose designed Tokina Cinema Vistas.

For a while in this industry anything that wide or near that focal length was many times more expensive and in some cases optically not as good even.

15mm is a great focal length. You just lose the benefit of a zoom. The Canon 14mm CNE is a rehoused 14mm L, so that could be an option. I do not recommend the 16mm STM unless you must have something small, it has rather large amounts of distortion version things like the Laowa 12mm or any of the 15mm primes out there. RF 14-35 is very good. Sigma 14mm is even better than the Canon and likely something you should look at as it's a faster and better quality as well as vastly newer optical design.
 
The Tokina 11-20 is optically superior and the "next version" of the 11-16. The 11-16 actually has a hell of history behind in back when there weren't many wide or zoom options. Starting with Duclos Lenses modifying the lens to PL Mount, it's popularity lead to the V2 of the 11-16 and eventually the 11-20. Tokina wised up and after a few rounds of rehousing prototypes made proper cine versions themselves, which is why you have the 11-20 today in PL Mount. That journey also is why the 16-28 full frame zoom got made as well as the eventual purpose designed Tokina Cinema Vistas.

For a while in this industry anything that wide or near that focal length was many times more expensive and in some cases optically not as good even.

15mm is a great focal length. You just lose the benefit of a zoom. The Canon 14mm CNE is a rehoused 14mm L, so that could be an option. I do not recommend the 16mm STM unless you must have something small, it has rather large amounts of distortion version things like the Laowa 12mm or any of the 15mm primes out there. RF 14-35 is very good. Sigma 14mm is even better than the Canon and likely something you should look at as it's a faster and better quality as well as vastly newer optical design.

Thanks Phil. I think this narrows my decision down to the Sigma 14mm EF (autofocus non cine version, would love the cine version but my budget doesn't allow at the moment), The Tokina 11-20- (would you go cine version or AF? ) And the Irix 15mm. What would be your pick of those three? I lean towards the Sigma a bit but the irix is nice for it's cost in a cine lens and the Tokinas price is very attractive as well.
 
In terms of shear image quality the Sigma 14mm is the best performing prime out of the bunch.

The Tokina is pretty much the best zoom for the price in this range, though Tamron has one.

I have both the AF and PL versions of the Tokina. I'd say I use the PL more, but AF is useful at times.
 
For the Sigma 18-35, I would also vote for the Sigma 14mm if you go speedbooster route but the Tokina 11-16 or 11-20 would be super handy to have in the toolkit as they fit so nicely by being fairly neutral in look for whatever brand your lenses are. We used an 11-16 with our Rokinon Cine DS lenses on our first feature and the footage blends in perfectly. Still, if I needed an ultra wide lens and had a mirrorless setup like the Komodo with its RF mount, I would just go for the Laowa 12mm 2.8/2.9 Cine as it's universally reviewed as a phenomenal lens and a bit more practical than the 9mm offerings which sound more like effect lenses (although I'd like to have one of those too, personally).
 
I The Tokina is pretty much the best zoom for the price in this range . . .

Hey there, Phil. . . have you toyed at all with the Tokina 14-20 f/2.0? If so, how does it compare to the 11-20 f2.8? I have the original 11-16 f2.8 but wonder if I'd appreciate the faster aperture more (I'm not a big noise fan) than the added 11, 12, 3, and 14 focal lengths.

Thanks!
 
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