Steve Gibby
Red Savant
I own and use the following long lenses regularly for various genres of production, including sports, nature, commercials, stock footage, etc,:
PL mount:
RED 300 f/2.8
Canon FD 150-600 f/5.6L with Century PL mount conversion
I also have an Optex 2x and a Century 2x that I use with those lenses at times
Nikon Mount:
Nikon 400 f/3.5 AIS
Nikon 50-300 f/4.5 AIS
Nikon 180 f/2.8 AIS (with 2x)
I also have Nikon 1.4x and 2x extenders to use with these lenses when I need them
All of the above RED, Canon, and Nikon lenses have given me excellent long lens results.
I've also used a rented Optimo 24-290 for sports productions, but it is too bulky, heavy, and immobile for most of my long lens work, plus the focal length is quite often too short for what I need. The Optimo 12x weighs 25 pounds, the Canon 150-600 weighs about 9 pounds, the RED 300 about 6 pounds, the Nikon 400 about 4.5 pounds, the Nikon 50-300 weighs about 4 pounds, and the Nikon 180 weighs about 2.5 pounds (with the 2x extender attached).
BTW - I bought my Canon 150-600 from a veteran 35mm film commercial DP/cinematographer who specializes in international and national automotive commercials.
I love working with long lenses for certain genres of work and types of shots. They're a challenge to transport, but the rewards are well worth it.
The tripod I use for all of the lenses above is a Miller Arrow 55 head, with the two different sets of legs I own for it: for real mobile work I use my Miller SOLO 1505 VJ carbon fiber legs, and for more stationary work I often use my Miller alloy single stage legs. For long treks, the Miller 55/Miller SOLO 1505 CF combo weighs just 13.8 pounds and can be carried long distances easily with a shoulder strap.
For mobility and weight considerations, I don't use a matte box or follow focus with any of the above listed lenses (except the Optimo), and all filters I use are screw-in.
Due to the frequent need for mobility with long lenses in their primary uses, IMO the trick is to get lenses with a combination of good optics, reasonable weight, and the option to use screw-in filters. All of my long lenses listed above satisfy those needs.
PL mount:
RED 300 f/2.8
Canon FD 150-600 f/5.6L with Century PL mount conversion
I also have an Optex 2x and a Century 2x that I use with those lenses at times
Nikon Mount:
Nikon 400 f/3.5 AIS
Nikon 50-300 f/4.5 AIS
Nikon 180 f/2.8 AIS (with 2x)
I also have Nikon 1.4x and 2x extenders to use with these lenses when I need them
All of the above RED, Canon, and Nikon lenses have given me excellent long lens results.
I've also used a rented Optimo 24-290 for sports productions, but it is too bulky, heavy, and immobile for most of my long lens work, plus the focal length is quite often too short for what I need. The Optimo 12x weighs 25 pounds, the Canon 150-600 weighs about 9 pounds, the RED 300 about 6 pounds, the Nikon 400 about 4.5 pounds, the Nikon 50-300 weighs about 4 pounds, and the Nikon 180 weighs about 2.5 pounds (with the 2x extender attached).
BTW - I bought my Canon 150-600 from a veteran 35mm film commercial DP/cinematographer who specializes in international and national automotive commercials.
I love working with long lenses for certain genres of work and types of shots. They're a challenge to transport, but the rewards are well worth it.
The tripod I use for all of the lenses above is a Miller Arrow 55 head, with the two different sets of legs I own for it: for real mobile work I use my Miller SOLO 1505 VJ carbon fiber legs, and for more stationary work I often use my Miller alloy single stage legs. For long treks, the Miller 55/Miller SOLO 1505 CF combo weighs just 13.8 pounds and can be carried long distances easily with a shoulder strap.
For mobility and weight considerations, I don't use a matte box or follow focus with any of the above listed lenses (except the Optimo), and all filters I use are screw-in.
Due to the frequent need for mobility with long lenses in their primary uses, IMO the trick is to get lenses with a combination of good optics, reasonable weight, and the option to use screw-in filters. All of my long lenses listed above satisfy those needs.
