Which…lenses to buy?

DSLR Gear DSLRs featured Lenses

This has become THE number one question asked to me. “I have xxx amount of dollars or I have xxx camera, which lenses should I buy”? It’s a question that is very difficult to answer, not least because it gets asked 20 times a day. Hopefully this will cut down on those emails! Try not to ask which lenses to buy in the comments. This blog gives you all the information you need. Read it, decide what is important to you and go from there! 🙂

What follows is not the definitive list of lenses to buy. It’s my opinion. Please treat it like that. Many will disagree and may well be quite right too! All I can do is base this post on my own experience, with the plethora of lenses I own and have used.

I want to cover other makes of cameras with this evolving blog post but for now it will be purely for Canon lenses. I will cover the GH1, Nikon, Sony at some point later. My most experience is with Canon Lenses.

First let us cover the fundamentals of what you need to know about sensor sizes and how your camera will affect which lenses you buy.

Currently there is just one solitary Canon that has a full frame sensor for Video and that is the 5DmkII. The 1dMkiv is an APS-H sensor and a 1.3x crop. All the others are a 1.6x crop called an APS-C. The full frame sensor is massive compared to the APS-C. It’s easy to forget just how much bigger it is. Look at this image below and you will see what I mean.

So the above image is shot with a 14mm L series lens. Designed for full frame and is as wide as you can get without going all fisheye on the Canons. It’s an amazing lens and one of my favourites…problem it is expensive and as you can see only wide when used on the 5Dmkii, on the other sensors it is cropped, making it not so wide. It’s still a 14mm on any camera, it’s just the equivalent field of view (EFOV) that has changed. On the APS-C sensor it has the EFOV of 14mm x 1.6 which equals 22.4mm, still wide-ish but as you can see above, nothing like the spectacular wideness of the lens on a full frame body.

This is the most important factor you need to think about when buying lenses. Is it worth spending over $2000 on a wide angle lens that is no longer wide for your crop sensor camera? Personally I think no. For full frame users, there is nothing like it, it’s amazing. But for the rest, don’t get this lens unless you are planning to upgrade to a full frame sensor very soon.

That is the biggest issue really. Do you buy lenses designed especially for your 1.6x crop (called EF-S by Canon) or do you get lenses which are future proof if you decide to move up to a full frame camera (called EF by Canon)? All the EF lenses are compatible with all the Canon cameras. It does not work the other way around. Some lenses by third party manufactures will work on the 5Dmkii despite being designed for the crop but will vignette heavily, unless they are zooms so you can zoom in slightly to avoid this…more on that later.

5Dmk2/7D lens comparison test from Mike Collins on Vimeo.

Canon’s premiere line of lenses are the L series. They are magnificent, expensive but worth the price. Build quality is almost uniformly excellent and the range of glass they have is enormous. These lenses are completely compatible across the whole range of cameras….There is one caveat. These lenses are getting sharper and sharper. I have the above mentioned 14mm II and the new 70-200mm F2.8II and they are actually too sharp in my opinion for video, for stills they are amazing, but in video they can accentuate some of the main issues we have with the camera, mainly moire and aliasing. I recently shot a project in Italy. A lot of it with the 14mm and the new 70-200 and I have had more moire issues than I have experienced before and I am certain it is down to them being simply tack sharp and this means all the detail can be seen and that is when we have moire issues. I am not saying don’t buy these lenses. If you do, make sure that your sharpness is turned all the way off (as it should be all the time) and look out for it. Below is a section of a shot where you can see the issues on the water…

Am i bothered? Yes and no. I can easily use a filter to knock back the sharpness of the 70-200mm version 2 (not on the 14mm though and it wont take filters). My old 70-200 was more forgiving, but these lenses are investments for me and I know that Canon will improve these cameras. It shows you just how incredible these lenses are for the money, their sharpness is almost too good for the video function of the cameras!…and this guys is the key thing you need to know when buying lenses.

It is the glass that is your investment, NOT the camera.

Your lenses should last you for years, through many bodies, so always take that into account when buying lenses.

Zooms or Primes?

Tough one this…prime lenses are generally of higher optical quality and are generally faster (as in can let in more light so better in low light and better for shallow depth of field) but are of course a fixed focal length so it’s harder to shoot with them. Zooms are great flexible lenses but PLEASE avoid those kit lenses. A zoom must have a constant aperture to be useful in video. Constant aperture means it maintains it’s F-Stop no matter how much you zoom in or out. Without this the iris stops down making the shot unusable. Of course constant aperture lenses cost more, but like everything in life, you get what you pay for. Canon’s L series of zooms are amazing. Although some like the 24-70mm could really do with updating to give them IS. IS is image stabilisation and I believe is absolutely essential for video work as it reduces the rolling shutter artefacts that we can get. Canon also do a very nice zoom for the EF-s with IS, it’s the 17-55mm F2.8 IS. Great lens, the crop sensor equivalent of the 24-70 but with IS, not an L series though. No EF-S lenses are L series. One of my favourite L series zoom lenses is the 24-105 f4 IS. Nice range and IS although a little on the slow side. It’s one of my favourite interview lenses.

So Zooms are easier to shoot with as you can vary your focal length, are not as good in low light and the good ones cost money! There are some third party zooms out there which are very good. I haven’t used most of them but Sigma and Tamron make good lenses and the Tokina 11-16mm is easily my favourite crop wide angle lens. An absolutely essential purchase for 7D and T2i users. Yes, if you are a T2i user expect to spend a lot more than your camera on lenses and accessories. The downside of owning a dirt cheap camera! 🙂

Right…let’s get down to what to buy and why. We can cover more of the type of stuff above as we go along. First off I am going to break it down into type of sensors assuming money is not an issue and then after that into budget.

Zeiss lenses

I love the Zeiss ZE (The ZF’s are Nikon mount). They have excellent image quality, amazing build quality. Have hard focus stops unlike the Canon lenses and lovely long focus rotation for more accurate rack focusing. In a way I prefer the ZF lenses as they have manual apertures which can be modified to make them cine lens smooth but they focus in the opposite direction to Canon lenses so it may do your head in!

The Zeiss lenses are probably the best there are for video. They don’t have the bells and whistles that the L series have…no auto focus, no IS but they do have amazing metal build quality, incredible optics and wonderful focus control. Not ideal for stills though as they don’t have that amazing L series autofocus. It’s a shame the longest non macro they do is 85mm…I would love to see a 135mm F2 from them. The 100mm macro is good but focus, like any macro is tough and worse still the barrel moves in and out as you focus, it does not have internal focusing, no using with a matte box is tough, using a follow focus is practically impossible. I prefer the Canon one over this due it’s closer focus and the excellent IS.

Zeiss also has the CP.2 PL lens (positive lock) lenses for all the Canons. These are essentially re-housed ZE lenses. They have the same filter size and length and have pinpoint accurate focus marks. Great it you have the budget…They also have EF switchable mounts for these lenses so nice and flexible. PL mounts are always permanent mods to your cameras so do this only if you have no plans to ever use stills glass again…

Lenses for full frame cameras

Well the 14mm F2.8 II is the most amazing wide angle lens I have ever seen. Yes it is super sharp and can cause the moire to be visible especially on deep DOF shots but it really is in a class of it’s own.

Alternatively look at the 16-35mm F2.8L. A constant aperture zoom lens with a nice range and nice and wide, although quite distorted at the wide end and a little soft.

Next up would be either the 24mm F1.4 or the 35mm F1.4, although the 35mm is due an update and is not as sharp as I would like. The 24mm F1.4 is stunning and your best wide angle low light lens out there. An essential purchase. The Zeiss ZE is a lovely 35mm lens but slower at F2

From here we go to the Canon 50mm F1.4 or even better if you can afford it the F1.2. The F1.2 is an L lens and one of my favourite lenses. Amazing for stills and video. Is it worth the price difference. If you can afford it yes, otherwise get the F1.4.

I am not a fan of the 85mm F1.2. I hate the focus ring on it, too loose and too inaccurate. I much prefer the Zeiss 85mm F1.4. An amazing lens.

If you have the cash I adore the Canon 100mm Macro F2.8 IS. Make sure it is the L series version. Amazing lens, great IS and wonderful image. I just think the build quality is not quite as good as some of the other L series lenses. Feels plasticky. But I never travel without it…below are two short films, one shot entirely with the 100mm macro the other a lot…

As the water… from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Clock from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Next up is the other essential lens for your collection…the 70-200mm IS. MAKE SURE IT HAS IS…long lenses need it. You have two options here. The much cheaper and much lighter F4 version of the more expensive and very sharp F2.8 II. If you want one with more low light capability then go with the F2.8. If you are shooting daylight mostly get the F4. It’s much much lighter and a heck of a lot cheaper. For more flexibility get the F2.8.

Well those are the essential lenses for the full frame camera!

Lenses for crop cameras

First and foremost get the Tokina 11-16mm, it’s better than the Canon 10-22mm as it’s constant aperture even though the range on the Canon is better. Get it. This one of the only EF-S lenses I recommend getting. It is the best wide angle for the 1Dmkiv too, zoom in slightly to lose the vignetter and it’s the widest lens you can get for that camera. Same trick works for 5dmkII but only at the full zoom…16mm making the zoom part of it and for me the lens too, pointless for this camera. Save up and buy the 16-35mm much more use…BUT, $700 for a 16mm F2.8 prime ain’t bad! See…am full of contradictions!

Next up is your 50mm equivalent for the crop…Take a look at the Sigma 30mm F1.4 (EF-S) only or the Canon 35mm F1.4 (universal). The Sigma is WAY cheaper and I hear good things, although never shot with it myself…Just remember, it won’t work on a 5DmkII!

The 17-55mm F2.8 IS is a great flexible zoom…worth the cash, trust me!

Then I would look at the Canon 50mm F1.4 or the F1.2…you 85mm equivalent…

The Macro 100mm will be great here too…especially as it becomes an EFOV of 160mm!

Then the same as the full frame…the 70-200…

I recommend getting as few EF-S lenses as possible, make yourself future proof!

Nikon lenses

Great lenses if you are on a budget. There are loads of old ones on ebay and you can get some bloody good bargains. Also they are generally not as sharp and therefore quite forgiving! Get a Fotodiox Pro adaptor and away you go! I bought a 20 years old F1.2 50mm for $250 from ebay. It’s awesome!
This is the way to go if you are really on a budget…

I am on a real budget!

Well if you are REALLY on a tight budget then get one lens. You can shoot everything you want with a standard lens. That’s a 50mm on a full frame, 3omm on the crop sensor. So if you have a T2i, 7D get the Sigma, it’s a great price and has great image. For the 5Dmkii get a 50mm. The below film was shot entirely on a Zeiss 50mm F1.4 and the music video below was shot on a 50mm F1.2


Sofia’s People: Canon 5dmk2 24p from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Monarchs “Miles away” from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Telephoto lenses are really important too, so on the T2i/ 7D look for an 85mm F1.4 and for those really wide shots the Tokina as mentioned earlier.

Full frame users have to pay more as EF lenses are generally more. So if you are on that budget then it’s Nikon all the way for now!

Canon FD lenses

Avoid the Canon FD lenses. You need an adaptor with glass in it to make it work with the EOS cameras and they simply do not work well. Soft am afraid! A real shame as there are lots of affordable FD lenses out there…

Special effect lenses

Samyang do a nice 8mm fish eye for the crop sensor and it’s pretty cheap if you can source them…

I love the Canon Tilt Shift lenses although these are not cheap. They are designed primarily for architecture photography and you can alter keystone lines so they are straight when looking up at buildings but can also be used to make things look really nice and miniature. Also check out the Lensbaby Composer lens, again, special effect but a lot of fun. Check out the pool shot in the below film shot on the 24mm F2.8 TS lens.

Sky from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

As with all special effect lenses use sparingly. But great fun to use.

This is the end of the first draft of the lens blog. This will be continually updated, so keep an eye on it!

507 comments

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  2. Great article Philip. I agree with you on all your recommendations. I’m debating selling my Zeiss ZF kit and going all Canon and picking up the Viewfactor Impero HDSLR Controller. I wouldn’t mind keeping the Zeiss glass and getting the Redrock microRemote, but I do like the small footprint the Impero would give me.

              1. No, I was considering getting my 7D PL converted but since I’m not looking to get any other cine lenses at the moment I thought I’d just stick to the EF mount. I was really wondering if there’s any particular advantage to the PL mount over EF mounts on these CP.2 primes?

                Also, I can only afford three of the lenses; out of the range of focal lengths/apertures they have, what would be your ideal three?

                Thanks for the advice Philip. Absolutely love your work and will def. try to make your next London meet up.

                Rich

                1. The PL mount is much sturdier than EF but then you lose the mirror box when you get camera modded making stills not really feasible and you HAVE to use PL lenses only. an expensive prospect!

  3. Thanks Phillip, great blog post.
    As a cinematography student on a major budget I cannot afford L-series but cannot wait to get my hands on the Tokina 11-16 for my 7D, now if I can just find it in South-Africa or wait for B&H to get some more in stock. Regards, Duran

  4. Great blog Mr.B love the pragmatism over your choices and not the predominant shiny kit syndrome that seems to come from most sources. To add my two-penneth as an owner of a 5D I would say the canon 100mm f2 is a loverly small body telephoto lens, well built and does not draw attention to itself because of it’s size and is fantastic for stills as well

  5. Mr Bloom,

    What will happen to my canon lenses when newer panasonic af-100 or sony’s cinema camera is released ? I know that red has plans to come with canon mounts but what about panasonic af-100 ?

    Is there some way to mount the canon lenses on these cameras ? I think for videographer, investing in manual lenses is better, so that they wont have to stick to canon cameras only.

    I know that you are a big time sony fan,and you will definitely be getting that sony cinema camera when it’s released. But you are already prepared for that because you have those nice zeiss manual primes 🙂

        1. First off great post Phil, thank you, answered lots of questions.

          I’ve read Birger is doing something with an EOS adaptor. Hope it’s not the price of the RED adaptor! I’d have to start selling myself on the street already 😛

          Also thoughts plz, I’m about to invest in a Canon 70mm – 200mm L IS USM II for a Canon 7D I’m getting. Considering an adaptor is created, any idea if the Image Stablilization of the Canon lens would work on the Panasonic AF-100? I’m not totally up on the tech of how it works you see, soz if a n00b question, still learning. I wouldn’t want spend about £1600 on a lens that might be a dead end in the future. I take your note about the lenses being your main investment so I wouldn’t like to make an expensive mistake when considering an AF-100.

          Thanks.

  6. Brilliant! thank you v much, some solid information from someone who I trust with something like this. Once I have the money to upgrade my lenses, I’m hopefully going to test out some of these and see what I think.

    Thanks!

  9. All sound advice, as usual, Mr Bloom! You’re right to also recommend the Sigma 30mm lens for 550D/T2i users. It is a cracker. I’ve had it for a couple of years now on my old 350D and it is sharp, fast, and has good colour. And on the 550D, it has an additional benefit for video: a permanent manual override of the autofocus, meaning that if you do find yourself moving from shooting stills to video quite often, you don’t have to keep clicking the AF button to Manual. Doesn’t sound much, but it’s really useful. I love it!

  10. Really awesome, all-in-one post as always, Philip. After following you for a few months, I don’t see how you keep up with all you do, between your professional work, following your twitter and facebook, and writing informative blog posts. Well done, sir! Always a pleasure.

    -Andrew W.

  11. Greetings Mr. Bloom,

    Very helpful. I learned a thing or two that I did not know. Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts. Real life experience is far more helpful than speculation. Again, very appreciated.

    Cheers!

    1. I hate the nifty fifty. Piece of plastic junk with nasty focus barrel! Never used the 85mm. 135 looks good at f2. Never used it. I don’t see me getting it either as it does not have IS. I may as well stick with my zoom

      1. Nothing scientific to back this up, and it is based more on stills than video, but I would rate my 85mm f1.8 higher than my 50mm f1.4 for image quality. Certainly worth trying if you can’t afford the Zeiss

        1. I bought the 85mm f/1.8 for use with my Canon T2i, and I love it. I tested the 85mm Zeiss at a camera store, and it was of course magically fantasic, but so sharp that moire’ was very evident, more so than with the Canon to my eye. The Canon 85 is just beautiful on the T2i.

      2. If every amatuer doesn’t start out with the Canon 50mm f1.8II they are nuts.

        For it’s price, it is a fantastic lens. Yes it’s all plastic and the focus ring is awful, but the image out of it wide open, is perfectly suitable for video on the 7D or the 5DMKII. You simply won’t find better for the price.

        Of course if you can afford a 1.4 or 1.2L go for it, but don’t be discouraged if you can’t, it will do the job just fine!

              1. Sorry, I missed that. How does the image quality compare to the Nifty Fifty? Is it really that much better or does it simply resolve some of the build/ergonomic issues that the Nifty has?

          2. Hi Philip,
            Great blog. I see many Nikon lenses on ebay like the one you are recommending above (Nikon F1.4 50mm). However I see two kind. The Ai and the Ais. Will an Ais work on a T2i the same way an Ai with the nikon-canon adaptor?
            Thanks

      3. The 85 1.8 is an amazing lens for its price, and a far far more economic alternative to the 85 1.2. I use it alot for stills too and it apparently outshines the sluggish 1.2 in terms of autofocus. True USM too so no play on the focus barrel, unlike the 50 1.4 for example. A great lens to have in one’s lineup.

    2. I own the 28mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4, and the 85mm 1.8. The 28 and 85 are of identical build quality, much better than the 50mm 1.4, and leaps ahead of the 50mm 1.8. The focus on the 50mm 1.4 isn’t all that smooth. I have compared this on numerous 1.4’s and they all have the same feel. The 28mm and 85mm have a much smoother focus ring. I do recommend all three though if on a budget – I have been very happy with the results.

  13. Very helpful article, is the tokina 11-16mm the lens of choice for the night sky time lapses that you do?

    many thanks for your time and effort in helping us all become better cinematographers

      1. I was on a job and the client rented 2 of these lenses. One was awfully soft, not sure if it was inconsistent build quality or if it had been abused previously. Other than that I was happy with the lens that was sharp, agreed it is essential for the 7D.

        -Dane

  14. I’m all for vintage lenses, a bit of a lottery but really cheap and sometimes with astonishing quality

    I already have a nearly-full set of primes with zeiss jena and leica glass; I still have to buy two or three more, but, of the five lenses I have already bought, two are absolutely amazing, one is pretty good, one is mediocre, and one is an absolute lemmon; it takes lots of work to build the set this way, but I didn’t have to break the bank (mean price so far is well below $250 including the fotodiox adapters)

    my latest buys are not there yet, but you can see you all these compare with my father’s modern lenses (including the tokina 11-16, tamron 17-50 and canon 50 1.8) here:

    Testing my lenses with The One Dollar Resolution Chart
    http://www.similaar.com/lenstests/lenstestsa.html

  17. Hi Philip,

    Great article!

    You wrote “image stabilisation […] is absolutely essential for video work as it reduces the rolling shutter artefacts that we can get.”

    I thought it is generally not a good idea to have IS turned on when you’re panning the camera as the IS is fighting against the camera move?

    Also, perhaps it’s good to state that although the Tokina is a great lens, it does not work with the VariND/FaderND filters, which are so essential in DSLR shooting to maintain shallow DoF under most light circumstances. On the other hand, with wide lenses you tend to stop down much further since you mostly need to get deep focus.

      1. My experience was that you get a big cross mark in the middle of the image when you put on the VariND. That’s not vignetting, right?

        I totally agree with you on the 85mm F1.2. I have it, but have not really used it, since the focus ring is way too loose, like you said. Not a good investment…

        1. vignetteting is seeing the filter around the edge of the frame. You do not see this with the thin vai nd…you do need to be very careful with it as you can get dark patches on the image, especially on bright areas like the sky. it is after all a linear polariser and a circular polariser working together…I use it all the time…as I say just be careful with it.

  18. Hi Philip,

    One more thing – what procedure do you use for correct white balancing the DSLRs? I recently bought an ExpoDisc. Still have to see how it performs, but it promises to be a quick and workable solution.

    Perhaps you can do a posting on white balancing as well in the future?

  19. Thank you very much for this post. I really appreciate all the effort you put in this!
    Since three weeks I am searching for good and affordable lenses and you helped me a lot! I will follow your work!

    Thanks again!
    dpf

  23. Thanks a ton Phillip!
    Beginner in DSLR world and just got my 5Dmkii yesterday, so timing couldn’t be better (although I was bummed when my old EF-S 18-55 wouldn’t fit and had to look up why).
    Now just praying the mkiii doesn’t come out like next month!

  24. Great summary and reference Philip.
    I was a little surprised with your feelings on the 85/1.2. Seems to be ‘The’ magical lens to many but i realize your issue isn’t with the glass itself. I’m considering that against a 50/1.2…..or Zeiss i guess.

    “Well the 14mm F2.8 II is the most amazing wide angle lens I have ever seen.” Thats quite a statement. Have you compared the quality of the Zeiss 21 Distagon against the Canon 14/L? Most reviews i’ve read like the Zeiss 21 over the Zeiss 14. So i was wondering about that with the Canon. Cheers!

      1. I was just at the store trying the Canon 14mm II, and while even there the people working at the store were like, “That’s a great lens,” the video taken with it was very much distorted. I’d walk down an aisle of the story, shooting, and the distortion was very prominent as things moved to the edge (and then out) of the frame.

        So we tossed the 24mm f1.4 on. Still a BIT of distortion with video.

        The 35mm f1.4 had none; it was gone. And how beautiful it was! I’m still thinking about it…. and about selling my car, getting a bus pass, and going back to that store.

        Shooting on the 5d btw.

        1. All wide angles have distortion at certain angles. It’s the nature of the beast. The 14mm has least I have seen. At right height in room it can look like there is no distortion. Walk with it and of course there will be. Naturally the tighter you go the less distortion you have!

  26. I do believe you missed a few lenses,
    Not your fault Philip, I just think you may have not tried them all…

    (Please Note this is my opinion, and I’m using these lenses on the 5DMK2)

    The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM is a much better 50mm lens than canons 50MM
    in my opinion it is much sharper and has better color and contrast,
    Albeit at a higher price tag and weight, it is built like a tank.
    Another great Sigma lens is the 28MM f/1.8, I have done extensive testing on canons 5omm,and Sigma’s, I would rather spend a few extra and use Sigma for a 50MM,
    Great glass very clean and well built, not that it comes close to zeiss, but for my money it does the job!

    If I could…I would buy Zeiss ZE, or the CP2’s.
    Hopefully I will be able to next year.

    Thanks Phil

    1. oh i missed loads Greg…it’s just hard to recommend lenses I have not used, impossible to recommend any gear that I haven’t used…but thanks for the tips. Hopefully people will read these comments and get extra info!

  27. I do like for my 7D Tokina 16-50mm f2.8.
    Great manual controls nice WIDE rings unlike Canon or Sigma or Tamron.
    Still waiting for new FULL FRAME Zeiss Cine Zoom being released this IBC….lets hope it will be T2.6.

    If not,another option is change Canon mount to PL and use new RED 17-50mm T2.9 zoom for $6000.

    jiri

  28. …Hi again…

    Well, as a 550D user, who doesn’t plan on upgrading to a full frame (not for a while anyway…) I think I’m going to go with the Canon 17-55mm, the Sigma 30mm and the Tokina 11-16mm when I have the money.
    I’m on quite a tight budget (well – non existant at the moment), but I’m sure that once I get back to uni and a bar job, I should be able to raise the money.

    For now as an extremely cheap alternative – even though it is cheap and nasty! – I’m going to keep my 50mm 1.8 II until I can afford the upgrade to a 1.4 as well as everything else…

    Just as a quick question though…
    What’s your opinion on the Canon 17-40mm L f/4.0?

    I think I’m still going to go for the 17-55, but my friend suggested the 17-40 as an alternative in case i’m struggling for money… however, I think the low light capabilities and IS are definitely worth the wait/extra £200
    – though it is one less EF-S lens in case I do ever decide to go full frame.

    …I’ll probably have to start saving for that 70-200mm 2.8 L some day soon too! 😉

    Cheers for taking the time to read and write this stuff, and I hope you enjoyed your break from the internet/trolls!

    Thanks,
    Jon.

    1. Hi Jon

      I though I would just chip in here as I recently had a chance to compare the wide zooms you mentioned. I own a 17-40 and that tends to live on my 5D Mk2. Its good value for an L lens and I have pleasing results away from the extreme ends of the zoom range.

      However, I also have a 550D and I recently went on a trip where I was travelling light and could only take the 550D and a couple of lenses. I hired a 17-55 for the trip and I was very impressed with it. The only real downside compared to 17-40 was the extra weight and the lens extension (if you ever wanted to use a rails). I did appreciate the extra range, speed and especially the IS. Optically the two seemed similar.

      I didn’t give it back with much relish, but it was just too expensive to hang onto when it only fits one camera. If you are sticking with cropped sensor its a great choice.

      1. Awesome thanks!

        I guess I have time to think about it for now, but to me the 17-55mm just seems like the one to go for! The extra weight and lens extension don’t bother me for now, and I have no plan to upgrade from the cropped sensor.

        It’s great to have so many other people contributing to this blog!

        Many Thanks,
        Jon.

    2. If you can grab the EF 50mm 1.8 MKI – the old one that has the metal mount as opposed to the newer/crappier nifty, you’re golden!!! I have one, it cost roughly $135 – its razor sharp, and has a very useable focus ring – not the greatest but definitely workable.

      Only knock is that its loud as buzz saw when using autofocus for stills.

      cheers

    3. for decent video, f/4.0 is way too low. most lenses are a bit soft when used wide open, so in reality you’ll probably have to go to f/5.6 to really get the best out of it.

      for pics : yes, for video : there’s better options.

  29. “An absolutely essential purchase for 7D and T2i users. Yes, if you are a T2i user expect to spend a lot more than your camera on lenses and accessories. The downside of owning a dirt cheap camera! :)”

    sorry Phillip but I don’t like you picking on the poor T2i, well technically owning the 7D is just as much a downside on the lens side of things as it uses the same sensor.

    T2i users spend the same lens wise as a 7D user

    1. You are totally misreading what I said Shaun…I am simply highlighting that owning a T2i which costs so little money means everything you buy for it pretty much costs more than the camera…not at all implying you need more for the T2i than the 7D. Not sure who you read my sentence and came up with that! There are a number of people who grumble that they don’t want to buy xxx for their camera as it costs more than their camera did…

      1. It’s true people do grumble about lenses that cost more than the camera, I never do because I think a good lens will almost cost as much as the camera if not a lot more.

        Yeah I misunderstood what you said or was implying, I suppose that’s a problem with blogs sometimes what people try to communicate is different to what people interpret.

        Anyway Thanks for replying and all the great info on your site which is why I keep your site on my favourites:)

  30. Just what I was looking for. Thanks Philip!

    Recently got me a T2i, and was wondering what lens to buy so I can capture video with low deph of field. 5D Mark II would’ve been optimal, but I’m kinda on a budget… plus I still have a lot to learn to even understand most of your posts, so..

    After learning a bit more and reading some basic tutorials and stuff, I decided to buy some f1.2 or f1.4 prime. Should do the trick for the stuff I’m planning to do.

    I know it takes lots of time and hard work, but if you have some tips to share on budget lighting equipment for video shooting, that’d be nice to hear too! 😀

    That and/or some good online resources for learning… kinda rare to find a blog as useful, straight to the point and inspiring as yours when it comes to dSLR videography.

    o/

  32. Hi Phil,
    Does the Light Craft Workshop FADER ND mark II vignette on wide angle lenses as well? Except from the constant aperture any other reason to prefer the Tokina 11-16 over the canon 10-22? Specially because the Canon has much better focal length, its distortion control is superior and the minimum shooting distance on the canon is shorther which is very important on wide angel shots

  33. If you’re looking for a 50, but don’t have enough for the Zeiss or the 1.2 from Canon. Try the Sigma. I’ve been using it the past week and I’m blown away by the optics (as are the people I show the images too). I recently saw a test on Sigma’s 24-70 HSM lens vs Canon’s outdated, but still great, 24-70. The Sigma beat out the lens in sharpness and color accuracy, but it’s to be expected as Canon’s 24-70 is kind of in need of a refresh (which will apparently happen soon, for more $$$ of course). The Sigma retails for about 8-9 hundred so it’s already cheaper than Canon’s offering.

    With all Sigma lenses, however, your mileage may vary. If you do a lot of still shooting, like myself, you must be aware of the focusing issues Sigma lenses sometimes have on Canon bodies. The 30mm F/1.4 has been causing a bit of a shit storm in the T2i camp for it’s front and back focusing. It is very possible that you may have to do the Sigma Shuffle to get a lens that focuses correctly. However if you’re mainly doing video work/or are a manual focus nut like myself, it’s a risk worth taking because the quality of the optics are fantastic.

    Anyway, I’m gonna stop hijacking Phil’s blog post now. Good stuff Phil! See you at the Canon EXPO.

    RomanM

  34. I am so glad I bought the Zeiss ZE lenses!! i kept checking on your blog about which lenses to buy and back then you were going more towards the Zf range and I had just put the order in for the ZE and felt like crap thinking what have I done!! but I find them to be amazing to use and the 85mm in comparison to the Canon 85mm 1.2 is just on another planet!! so glad you stated something similar in regards to the ZF and ZE range…i feel it was the best investment I have made.

  35. Great article, love all your stuff. You are truly an asset to our industry. And thanks for putting this all online for everyone & their opinions, sometimes people don’t realize what a pain it is to maintain a blog… Keep up the good work. PS: Just bought a 7D & EF-S 17-55IS today, thanks again.

  37. Only wish I had read it before I bought the Tamron SP AF 10-24mm F3.5-4.5 Di II. 🙁

    Oh well…I’m just learning the ropes so this article, and the one on video DSLRs, have been a great source of info for me.

    Keep up the good work.

    Hmmm, if I can only sell off my two old T90 bodies…I could put the cash towards some decent glass…not likely I know 🙂

    Cheers

  39. Great service you are giving to artists everywhere bud. Great instructional videos too (Both 5d and 7d).

    Quick question.

    For practical versatile 5d & 7d video use today — and given the accentuated moire effect — Do you recommend the 70-200mm 2.8 iiIS OR the older iIS lens?

    Gracias for all your help.

  41. Great post Philip. I agree about the “nifty fifty”, especially on the 5D Mk II. I literally couldn’t get it to focus reliably due to the horrid focus gear on it. I had better luck on the 7D. Anyhow, stepping up to the 1.4 solved that problem and it’s a much better built lens. (Image quality seems similar to the 1.8 though when the 1.8 focuses right).

    I wish there was a cheaper superwide equiv for full frame cams like the Tokina on the crop bodies. Right now my widest is 24 from my 24-105. I can’t afford to buy another lens at the moment but when I do I may spring for the 17-40 ot just a 20 prime….

    70-200 F4 IS is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever seen. I love the thing. The 2.8 was a bit big/heavy/expensive for me. Between my 50 1.8, 24-105L, and 70-200 F4 IS L I’m decently covered until I can get something wider.

        1. They’re apparently pretty good, comparable to the Canon — I’ve heard some grumbling about quality control with the sigma, but the price is right.

  43. Hey Philip,
    Just wondering, why you recommend the macro lens, and not just getting extension tubes with a 50mm 1.4? Do you lose any sharpness with tubes, or just a couple stops of light?

  44. Hi Mr Bloom,

    I have just ordered the 1DmarkIV which i am extremely excited about, especially as i have ordered the Canon 50mm f1.2 with it. I realise it won’t a true 50mm on that camera, but why haven’t Canon made any lenses specifically for the 1D? I would only buy the EF lenses anyway as i would be planning for a full frame camera in the future, but it would be nice to have the option to buy a wide designed for the APS-H.

    Did i read on a previous blog somewhere that they are developing a full frame 1D? I can understand them not designing an entire range of lens for that sensor if so, but c’mon i want it now! Well i did til i bought the mkIV, i hope they take their time now!

    1. yep, the 1dskiv is coming out soon and is full frame and will be almost twice the price..the 1dmkiv is a sports photographers camera. They are more interested in telephoto shots than wide angle shots so the crop is an advantage to them…Canon only make 1 camera with that crop so making lens designed for it makes no sense to them…you can use the Tokina 11-16 on it to get a wide angle, just zoom in slightly and you lose the vignette.

      1. Thank you for taking the time to answer each of us Phil. I will be sure to look into the Tokina 11-16.
        I have just been looking at the EF 16-35 f/2.8. Sounds very good so will be good to make the comparison.
        And just so you know i am loving the 1DmkIV with the 50 f/1.2. Yes i have to stand a little further back, but the Depth of field and the quality of shots in low light are incredible.

        You are my Camera bible and dictionary all rolled into one.

  45. Phil,
    What about buying second hand Canon 70-200 IS 2.8 L? I know the glass will last you for years but what about the IS mechanism? Is it also that reliable and usage-proof?
    Thanks, Ed.

  46. I think I’ve had at least 5 people explain to me what a tilt shift lens is, and I still don’t understand what it is. It makes the top and bottom of the picture blurry?

    1. if you look up at a building with a wide angle lens the vertical lines are not straight up, right? With a tilt shift lens you can move the lens by shifting it and tilting it and it corrects these lines until they are straight…now if you are wide open this can result in the often used, by me too, soft top and bottom or soft left and right…but stop down and it’s sharp across the image. It’s designed for taking pictures of building and making it look like you are dead flat on to it at the same level. It’s a very clever lens.

  47. Philip, and what do you think of older lenses like Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon, Sonnar or SMC Takumars ? Do you have any experience with those ?
    I’m on a budget and I’ve collected wide range of such primes (16mm – 200mm) – and they are fantastic (!) They’re great with video and total cost was comparable to cost of one expensive Canon prime 🙂

      1. Zeiss jena and zeiss zebra are incredible. They give you a cinematic feel that the modern lenses can’t do. I love also my nikkor set, they are not as good as zeiss but they are close. Thanks Phil for everything

  48. Thanks for another great post! You say that IS is essential for shooting with dslr. But as far as I know none of the Zeiss lenses have IS. Is the Zeiss glass so good that you take no IS for granted.

      1. Do you think it matters on the 17-40L from canon? I really would like to avoid getting an EF-S lens for my 550d and go with the 17-40L over the more expensive and limiting 17-55 with IS.

        I use a shoulder rig with the 550d and do find 1/2 of my shots with my 50 1.4 are still usable. If I shoot mostly at 17mm with the 17-40 without IS will I be ok?

  49. I have bought the Sigma 30mm 1.4 after seeing Mr Blooms Sofia’s people and its a great lens i hardly take it off! bit soft from 1.4 to 2.8 but depends what look your going for the best lens ive bought, be wary everyone out there this man makes you buy lots of gear his passion is very infectious! thank you another great post! James

  51. What would you say to buying old FD lenses from eBay and then getting an adapter. You can get a 28mm f/2 for around £40, which is a lot cheaper than buying a new EF. Obviously no auto-focus and have to change aperture manually aswell but thats no problem really. Do you think the quality would be the same or lacking, I’m not sure if you’ve had experience with them.

  52. My 550D shoots great images with the canon 1.8 50mm mk2. It’s cheap and fun- but can get you started if you are fresh to DSLR boot camp. Coming from a video camera background, with zoom only a finger away- a prime lens is great to get you might as a camera man and work on your framing. I recommend it to other T2i users on a budget. Be interesting to see what the Canon 70-200 is like on the forthcoming, ‘video optimised’ 60D eh Phil.

  53. Just got back from vacation with my 550D, used three lenses from the 60’s all Meyer Optik zebras, being a Lydith 30mm f3.5, a Orestor 135mm f3.5 and a Orestegon 200mm f4 and I see the moire in the sea shots just like your’s. I knew the Orestegon was sharp but man for 60’s East German lenses they are lovely for stills and distinctive bokeh. They were £30 each off ebay. 🙂

  54. That’s a great review Philip! Thanks for all the first-hand experience!

    From your review it seems that the best lenses for video use are the Zeiss ZE/ZF, unless one really needs the extra stops offered by Canons… Otherwise, the L series costs much more than the Zeiss, and not designed for video use (lack of hard stops etc).

  55. I’ve just bought a Samyang 14mm for my 7D, a pretty solid lens for $400 price tag. It would be interesting if you will make some comparison between this one and your adored Canon 14mm, Philip. For this price you can even buy it just for tests.

    By the way, for those of you guys, who interested in old (and new) Nikon glass, here is the full chart of almost every lens Nikon ever released with dates, serial numbers, specifications and pretty much all you need to know — http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.html

  56. For anyone looking for a fisheye, I agree with Philip on the Samyang 8mm. It’s also made under a few other brand names like Rokinon, Vivitar, Polar, Bower, Opteka, Falcon . Same exact lens, all those different brands. I recently purchased the Rokinon version and you can get it right now from Overstock.com for only $262. Great lens for the price, if you want a fisheye! Of course there are more expensive fisheyes out there, and if you’re shooting skate/snowboard videos for a living they might make sense. For those of us just looking to have a little fishy fun now and then, you can’t go wrong with this one.

    Overstock link: http://bit.ly/9B7BYa

  58. I’ve been lucky enough to shoot with a full set of the Zeiss ZF.2 primes for the last 6 weeks. They really are remarkable lenses. I already owned the 85, so to get to play with the rest of the set has been a blast. I’ve had a lot of fun with the 100mm macro, the 85mm, which is my favorite, the 50mm and the 35mm. The wider lenses in the series (18, 21, 28) are pretty soft on the edges with the Letus and you have to zoom in so the sweet spot fills the frame (in my case with the EX1). They’re sharp edge to edge on the 7D and on a 5D would be a dream.

    Great article Philip – thanks for taking the time.

  59. have just bought the 17-40 f4.0L

    couldnt afford the 14mm or the 16-30mm and had read poor reviews of the sigma 12-24mm

    i found it to be a great lens so far – very sharp!

    am on the lookout for a second hand 70-200 2.8 (older version)

    does anyone have any good websites for 2nd hand lenses in the uk?

    i’ve got the following lenses:
    canon 50mm 1.4
    canon 100m 2.8L is
    tamron 28-75 2.8
    canon 17-40 4.0L

    was considering getting the canon 300mm f4 is, but think i would be better off with 70-200 with possibly a 1.4x convertor

    1. I am on the fence between the 17-40L and the 17-55 EF-S with IS. I am shooting on a T2i now, but probably not sure about being locked into a cropped camera body.

      How do you like the new 17-40L for video? I shoot with a shoulder rig and thinking (hoping) that I can shoot at 17mm without IS and still get great mobile footage off the tripod and on the rig.

      Does this seem reasonable? Or at 17 does it still really benefit to have IS? f/4 is fine for me as I can’t imagine shooting any less DOF handheld.

  65. I will go for a set (28,35,50,85mm) of Zeiss CP.2 PL soon, which will cost me nearly 12.000,– EUR (tax not included). But there is still one cheap lens I can recommend to all of you. The Kiron 105mm 1:1 macro is the best lens I have ever seen. Go for it with a 5D MK II or 7D. You will need an EOS to FD mount (I know what Phil was talking about FD lenses…), but trust me: This in my opinion is the best used lens you can buy! Check out ebay and try your luck. I got mine for an incedible amount of 95,– EUR.

    Good luck guys!

  67. Thanks for doing this article Philip – I’m sure it’s frustrating answering the same e-mail questions all the time but to look at it from a newbie’s perspective, this market is just a jumble of numbers and letters and the benefits/drawbacks of X, Y or Z lenses aren’t clear unless you’ve used them.
    Two things I was wondering about;
    1. IS – I only got my DSLR a week ago (550d, kit lens for now I’m afraid!) but I’ve been shooting with this always off as the modus operandi of the people in the know (yourself) is to go manual for everything and not delegate any functions to the camera. Is there not a possibility of it fucking up a shot by compensating for something it shouldn’t?
    2. Until you’ve used a few lenses, all other things being equal (focal length, aperture etc) it’s hard to imagine the difference between the end image from two lenses, as it’s not something that can be defined in technical terms (like X megapixels, Y bitrate etc can be defined). Can it be put into words? Is it sharpness/softness? Colour reproduction? Distortion?
    Cheers for the helpful article. Best of luck with future shoots.

    1. I’m also shooting with a Canon Rebel. I think the issue with the IS switch is that if you don’t need it, turn it off, as it improves the overall sharpness of your pictures.

      I’ve recently started investing in the L-series lenses after using the kit lens for quite a while. The sharpness and detail is incredible, you just have to see it for yourself. I won’t buy anything but an L lens for the foreseeable future just because of that fact, even if it means I have to save up longer to get it.

  68. Super usefull intel Philip ! Thanks again !

    What about the all-around flexible lense you can stick with for a location when (if) you need to travel very light?

    Canon 24-70 2.8L VS Canon 24-105 4L IS
    Pretty much: Speed VS stabilization…tricky question.

    I found many pro & cons for both over the net (though unanimously very good lenses ),but if you have a first hand experience i would love to hear your opinion !

    Thanks again!

  69. Thanks for this wonderful post! I just bought the Zeiss ZF 35, 50, & 85mm and the Fotodiox Pro adaptors & I’m sending them to Duclos’s to be de-clicked. However I had a question… is there any light loss with the adaptor? I’ve heard that some adaptors have real problems and I was wondering what your experience is with Fotodiox.

  70. HI Philip,This is very informative.got my 7d a couple of weeks ago plus the sigma 50mm 1.4,such a good lens it is.i have placed my order for the tokina 11-16mm and i am glad i did.DSLRS are the new crave here in GHANA,you should see the music videos that are being shot with these camera’s here in GHANA west Africa.great write up Philip

  72. You fail to mention flange to focal distance

    A nikon lens will go on a canon, not the other way round -ever

    Could be important if Nikon get it right with a proper refined body before Canon do

    and Nikon do tend to get stuff right – eventually

    —

    Did you mention over travel on many lenses making them a pita with a FF

    Thats a big winner for Tokina the only hard stop zooms ?

    eg 16-50 for the 7d is THE lens of choice

    —

    Another consideration – nikon lenses go ‘the wrong way’ bad to have a mixed set

    1. I “fail to mention flange to focal distance”? Sam…there is so much I have not mentioned, if you read the beginning of this post you will see that this is not a definitive guide, this is my blog about using lenses on Canon cameras. There are hundreds of lenses I have not covered and an enormous amount of other info I simply have not touched on…you need to write a book to talk about everything. That is also why I don’t mention many things like using Canon lenses on other cameras.

      1. a couple of other physical attributes worth considering whith zooms are..

        doesit grow and therefore mess with a MBox

        (eg 24-105)

        and it is long 80-200 – does it have its own tripod collar

        All things I have failed to consider when purchasing lenses !

        S

  73. I know it’s not a fast lens but have you used the Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC yet Phillip? If not has anyone else?

    Im shooting mostly anamorphic stuff and im using a t2i so it’s already a cropped camera so when I matte stuff to match the anamorphic footage the wider the better.

    Thanks for all your words of wisdom… I have been coming here every since I saw Rob Sheridan’s 5dmk2 footage and googled the 5dmk.

      1. Sorry guess I wasnt to clear… What I meant is that when I shoot without my anamorphic adapter I like the footage to be as wide as possible so I can then matte the non anamorphic footage it will give me a more anamorphic like wideness.

        So i take it you havent worked with the sigma yet? I would treat the Sigma like a prime and not zoom.

        Also one more question what happend to you working with anamorphic adapters? I seem to remember you getting the LA7200 but I dont remember seeing results or hearing you talk about anamorphic adapters afterwards?

        Thanks again for your thoughts and wisdom.

      1. After both using a selection of Canon primes and zooms on a couple of shoots and testing the new Zeiss ZE/ZF glass in store, I went for a set of fast manual Nikkor lenses – the 35mm f/1.4, an exotic 55mm f/1.2, the 85mm f/1.4 and a 105mm Macro f/2.8 – for my new 5d2.

        Apart from the Zeiss 35mm, which is truly stunning, I actually preferred the look of the Nikkors – particularly the 85mm, which I picked up second-hand for half the price of the equivalent Zeiss. (The same Zeiss 85mm was actually on sale second-hand at the same store for less!)

        And an extra plus with the Nikkors is they don’t breathe like the Zeiss glass – which means racking focus looks more natural.

  75. Is an investment in Canon EF lenses an absolute commitment to Canon DSLR bodies when using such glass? Or are there ways to use EF lenses on other DSLR bodies, such as Nikon’s?

    Phil, thanks for this fabulous (and highly anticipated) editorial on Canon’s choice lenses for digital video. I look forward to checking in daily for people’s contributions to the conversation!

  76. I recently got a Samyang 85mm F1.4 and I really like it! It’s very sturdy, has a nice manuel focus ring with big travel, to compered it to the ZE 85mm and build quality was a bit less, but still very good, the focus ring I found to be comparable to the Zeiss. It’s a a very good, creamy Bokeh, but has a bit CA wide-open, the Zeiss has none. The Samyang only costed me €255 brand new! It sells under different names also like Walimex, Falcon, etc, but it’s all the same lens.

  77. With Photokina in Germany coming soon, there are rumours of Canon updating some of their lenses. (I also noticed some Canon lenses being out of stock at internet retailers.)
    What are your expectations concerning these new Canon lenses?

    Also, I’m very confused about your blog. In the first couple of lines you state that IS is very important for video, but next you seem to forget all about it and mention so many prime lenses, while none of them have IS.

    Also, you fail to mention the EF 50mm 1.8II while this is one of Canon’s best selling, most affordable low light lenses with good glass. If any lens should be advised to beginning film makers, this is the one. For anybody who cannot afford to have his gear insured, the ‘nifty fifty’ won’t lead to financial meltdown when it breaks or is lost.

    1. IS is important. If there is a lens which you can buy with or without IS then buy the IS.

      You must understand this blog is not a round up of every single lens out there. Just ones I have had experience with as I said at the start of the blog.

      With regards to the 50mm 1.8…i think it is a horrible lens. it may be cheap, does not mean I should recommend it because it is cheap. I think you are far better off getting an old Nikon 50mm F1.4 than that lens. Focusing with the “nifty fifty” is awful. But as with all of these thoughts, they are just my opinion. Feel free to ignore them.

  78. I got the 50 f1.8 when I bought my 5DMK2; I sent it back immediately and got the 50 macro f2.5 until I could decide whether I really needed a f1.4 or a f1.2. Not sure the macro lens is that good for video, but it’s great for industrial stills I shoot and if you don’t need it wide open, okay with a filter as a video prime.

    Also I like very much using the Canon L 200mm f2.8 prime telephoto.

    I’m tempted lately by an old manual Nikon 55mm f1.2 sitting in a little local shop with a VERY low price.

    I’m confused, many others say to turn off IS with video, and you say leave it engaged.

    2. Agreed, IS is essential! If you are doing any sort of handheld or anything where the camera can have slight vibration it does a great job of reducing it or killing it all together. All you have to do is look through your viewfinder to see the results. The only time it can be useful to turn off IS when shooting video is when you are doing slow panning with a tripod. With some IS systems you will see an almost stutter like appearance every so often. It as if the IS is holding onto the image/pixels, trying to keep them stabile, then snap it realeases them and your images moves a few pixels to the left or right.

      -Dane
      deeprootsmedia.com

  79. A shout out for the Tamron 28-75 — it’s sharp, it’s constant f2.8, and it works on full-frame and crop bodies. I’ve compared it to a pro photographer friend’s Canon 28-105L and he was impressed. It is a budget lens (under US$500) but you might be surprised.

    The Achilles heel seems to be erratic build quality, which explains the simultaneous “superb” and “meh” reviews out there. Happy to answer questions/provide test shots if anyone’s interested.

  80. a lot of people don’t pay much attention to Sigma lenses. I love em. They’ve got cool combos like the 30mm 1.4, and they’re at GOOD prices. Their 10-20mm is amazing.

  83. Phil, you are a machine!!! The time and effort you put into giving back with info like this is both priceless and truly appreciated. Makes our homework and buying decision that much easier. Cheers

  84. Philip,
    good day my friend! Question for you regarding the lens. I currently have a full set of ZEISS primes (Nikon Mount ZF), and I think they are beautiful. I have a NOVOFLEX adapter attached to the 7D so that I may use them. The ZEISS consists of the 25mm f2, 35mm f2, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4, 50mm f2 MACRO, and 100mm f2 MACRO. The ZEISS CP.2 PL lens are they basically the same lens that I have, but just rehoused?

  85. Great post Phil…! Much appreciated –

    Interested to see what comes at photokina… You sold me on the 50mm 1.2 long ago! (sanfrans ppl!) – going to grab one in a month or so and donate my 50mm 1.8 free-in-a-cereal box lens.

    Questions about filters – Looking at a Sing_Ray vari-ND 77mm to cover the majority of lenses for general shooting – but what do you use on your 50mm?
    Just a neutral / clear protective filter?
    Any advice or thoughts on filters shooting at day/night?

    Cheers

    seb

  87. Philip I am grateful for your extensive write ups.
    I took the plunge and sold my letus and hvx for the Mark2.

    What three lenses will give me the best coverage.. budget 2-3k

    Thanks again

  88. I agree with you that your lens are for a looong time duration, but the cameras, they go fast, since manufacturers are moving fast with new models all the time.
    So I always tend to look for the best money can buy lenses for my cameras.
    Thanks for the post
    best
    AYRTON

  89. I have the Canon L 70-200mm f/4, non-IS. There have been times I wished it went down another stop or two, or had the IS option. However, at the end of the day, I’ve been glad to have it and not a lower quality lens with wider aperture or IS.

  90. Hi Philip,

    I don’t want to troll but there are mistakes in your article.

    Tokina 11-16mm and Sigma 30mm are EF lens designed for crop cameras. They are not EF-S lens. You can safely mount an EF lens on a full frame body (these 2 lens will get you dark corners on full frame, but they will work).

    If you mount an EF-S lens on a full frame camera, you will get mirror damage (the moving elements on EF-S protrudes back, inside your full frame camera, and will eventually hit the mirror).

    I could be wrong, but EF-S lenses are made only by Canon. Third party manufacturers made EF lenses that are designed for crop cameras.

  92. Hi Phil,

    Need your thoughts on this one. The 17-55mm F2.8 IS you recommend covers the focal lengths of the Tokina and Sigma. Why would I use all three especially since the canon has IS?

    Thanks,

    James

  93. philip,\

    you are like the Oprah of the dslr movie movement.
    You should get money for all the products you recommend!

    I see prices go up on ebay after you publish an article like this..

  94. Hi Philip, a bit off topic.. but your article triggered me 🙂
    I am trying to understand your explanation on the crop sensor.
    It makes sense that the lens crop causes the tele effect, there is simply less angle captured.
    However, I do not understand why the DOF is different for crop and full frame (at least according to Photozone: 1,6x less DOF).
    For compact cameras I kind of get, but not when you literally crop the sensor and ‘ignore’ the rest of the data…

  95. Thank you Philip for this important article, i really appreciate it.

    As I’m new to this field, could you please tell me when i have to use specific lens, for example: when to use 50mm1.4?, when to use 18 -135?, when to use 35mm2.8?, and so on.

    You know, i always read that PD uses different lenses in one feature film, but i never distinguish why, only i know that f1.2 is good in low light, but what about other lenses.

    Please Philip, let me know if there is any URL that teach this kind of information.

    Thank you very much for your help.

  100. Philip can you please elaborate on “Sharpness Off”?
    there is no off setting, just the notches, Also why would you want sharpness off?
    I tried it and it makes my subjects look soft, and adding sharpness back in post is not
    a good idea, since it sharpens the whole video and the subject and adds some noise.

    Sorry but can you please explain, what you mean by off, and why you want it off.

    Thank you

      1. Phillip, don’t mean to beat this into the ground but can you explain to us what standard things we should do in post if we are supposed to shoot with sharpness off and contrast & saturation down? Do you do anything or just leave it? I’m sure you can go a number of directions but I’m just wondering if you have a standard in post like you do for shooting.
        Thanks much!

  102. How do you feel about using extension tubes for macro work, say with, a 50mm lens? Is a true macro lens worth the extra cash, or will extension tubes suffice for the occasional extreme close up?

    Gem

  103. The EF 50mm f/1.4 is a varifocal. As you change focus, so does the field of view. If you’re happy with set focus for a shot, it’s no big deal, but I think it’s severely limiting. More to the point, there doesn’t seem to be any easily accessible database of which lenses are varifocal and which have set focus at any given focal length. Canon, Nikon, and Sony certainly don’t publish this information.

    I still don’t see Canon (and this applies to Nikon and Sony as well, I’d say) making a system that is compatible with PL lenses (as Phil Bloom suggested in a previous post) – when you have a lot of people locked into EOS (or Nikkor, or Alpha) lenses, you don’t see them making 4:3 mount lenses (the 4:3 system isn’t adopted by the biggest DSLR players, including Nikon and Sony; it seems to be adopted by companies that independently may not have the resources to put out a full line of glass, but they have no pathway to locking up the market with proprietary hardware). They will expect amateur filmmakers to continue to fumble around with stills-friendly lenses that use fly-by-wire focus and other stuff that simply isn’t up to film standards.

    I realize that the demands of pro video are totally different, and due to the cost you’re not going to see many directors happily buy into an expensive Canon-only system without at least adapters available for PL mount lenses (worth mentioning you can seamlessly adapt those to EOS though, as Zeiss has done with their CP.2 compact primes). So perhaps Canon will still surprise us and release Arri-compatible lenses – but I doubt it. This release cycle has come and gone without any PL-mount lenses from Nikon or Canon. There haven’t been any new DO (diffractive optics) lenses from Canon, like the apparently unifocal 70-300 DO with its unfortunate blur characteristics. Perhaps we just have to wait a while. In the DSLR-as-video-camera segment, however, cost is king and I don’t see Canon retooling everything to become video friendly when it’s mainly going to be amateurs and people working on a severely restrained budget who are going to be shooting with these.

  107. phil is right with all his comments! owning app. 50 lenses incl. most relevant nikon & canon lenses, i could write a lot of recommendations according to available budget etc. myself – but here’s probably the most sexy one with just TWO lenses that nearly let you do anything, at any distance, at any speed for canon AND nikon cameras. if you use this:
    nikon 24mm 1.4 (plus novoflex eos adapter with manual focus ring)
    nikon 85mm 1.4 (plus novoflex eos adapter with manual focus ring)
    kenko 1.4x converter

    …and you have two cameras like a 5d2 full frame and the new 60d with its 1.6x magnification, you could film with these equivalent focal lengths and speed by switching lenses and adding the converter:
    24mm 1.4
    33mm 1.8
    39mm 1.4
    54mm 1.8
    85mm 1.4
    119mm 1.8
    136mm 1.4
    190mm 1.8

    the old nikon 28mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.4 lenses with manual focus are a good alternative as well. personally, i’m currently using the canon 24mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.2 plus a 5d2 and 7d for situations when i don’t even want to carry even one camera bag with me and i need a lot of light at night. using a kenko 2x converter could extend the zoom range even more of course (canon converters don’t work on midrange primes by the way). adding a lensbaby composer, a kenko “uniplus tube dg25” and a tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom in a jacket’s pocket also give all options for effects, macro, fisheye and wide angle. i also leave the light, cheap, flexible but still high tripod “vanguard 203” attached to one of the cameras and use it as quick access monopod as well. the described setup is a lot of fun, brings great results and one person could easily carry it around a whole day!

    1. Hmmmm…

      I wouldn’t recommend using a doubler (or a 1.4x) as a standard piece of kit, it reduces your lens speed, and sharpness significantly, and it’s quite a pain to keep switching it on and off the two lenses.

      On the other hand, it is certainly the cheapest way to get this kind of range.

      jason

      1. Got it! So if I understand correctly, it’s best to turn IS off when using a tripod on static shots, and use IS mode 2 when doing tripod moves like pans and tilts.

        Again, great article, definitely helpful in my search for the perfect collection of lenses! Cheers 🙂

  113. Dear Mister Bloom,

    I’m just making sure of something…

    Under Lenses for crop cameras section.

    You said:

    “Next up is your 50mm equivalent for the crop…Take a look at the Sigma 30mm F1.4 (EF-S)”

    How is this Sigma 30mm (EF-S) equivalent of a 50mm if is actually made for the crop sensor? If it said(EF)instead, wouldn’t then be a 50mm equivalent? 30 x 1.6 = 48mm , right? That’s the only confusing part in the whole article to me. Maybe when you said 50mm equivalent you didn’t mean the Sigma 30mm (EF-S) but the next lens you talked about, the Canon EF 35mm which on a crop sensor would be a 56mm. 🙂

    Sorry if this is somehow a silly question, Is just that from what I’ve learned in this article, an(EF-S)lens, is a lens made for the crop sensor, so the Sigma 30mm would stay at 30mm on a crop camera.

    Thank you for everything you do for the community, highly appreciated.

    Cheers,

    -Tincho

  114. Hi Phillip,

    Thanks for your informative and inspiring site. This article makes plenty of well-informed and useful observations on glass.

    However, I must say that I’m not completely in agreement with you in regard to non-fixed aperture zooms. After a long period of trying out various lens combinations through rental for different projects (short docs, music videos, press kits etc.), I was looking for the best compliment to my current selection of lenses (50 1.4, 105 2.5, (nikons) 16 2.8 (Zenitar), 24-70 2.8 (Sigma)).

    Obviously it would have be something to fill out the long end, and I really thought the clear winner was the 70-200 2.8 IS-L … UNTIL I checked out the canon lens chart, and found the 28-300 3.5-5.6 IS-L. You’re right, the changing aperture does make it a lot more complex to use effectively than a fixed, but with fluid use of a vari-ND and iso settings, I’ve found it to be quite manageable.

    I’m just finishing up four weeks shooting my first feature doc in the mountains of NW Romania, and I’m really pleased with it in the context of run and gun observational documentary. When shooting scenes that won’t wait even a few seconds for you to switch lenses, the super-zoom range (coupled with a 0.7x magnification on the long end (70cm min focus)), make the 28-300 a REALLY strong all rounder. Obviously 5.6 isn’t fast enough to shoot in low light, so for now I’m settling for the 24-70 at night, but once I have the cash I will add either a fast lonnnnnnnnng prime, or the 70-200 IS-L. We shall see.

    I would be really interested to hear more on why variable min. aperture lenses are a no-go for you. Surely you wouldn’t want to use the segment of a shot *during* the zoom anyway?

    Thanks again,

    jason

    1. Hey Philip.

      Any thoughts on my points re: the EF 28-300 3.5-5.6 L IS?

      I’m still having a very liberating time shooting with it as a go-to run and gun, and getting good quality results…

      Your feedback would be appreciated.

      Cheers,

      jason

  115. Hi Philip,

    I’m looking at getting the canon 50mm 1.2. What zoom lens (with IS) would you suggest I get to compliment it? Do I actually need a zoom as well or can I get by on the 50 alone? I’m planning on shooting a mixture of handheld & tripod stuff.

    cheers,

    W

  116. Great post Phillip !!
    Currently I have 50 f1.2 and 70-200 2.8L IS lens with 5D M2.
    I am debating if I should get 16-35 L or 24 L lens. Love the range of 16-35 and ultra wide around 16, but also love the sharpness and 1.4 ability of 24 L lens.
    Any Suggestions ?

  118. Phillip,
    As one just entering the world of DLSR video and on a budget would you recommend the 24-105 f4L or the 70-200 f4L as a good starting point on the 5dii. I’m planning on picking up the 50mm 1.4f and either a 35mm or 85mm prime as well. Thanks for your blogs, they have really informed and educated me and helped me understand things on a practical level.

  119. Hi I have got a new Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and wonder if this lens will produce better images with a 7D or with a 550d. Is there much difference? I know there is no adjustment for the 550d and am concerned. Will the 550d produce some good images with this camera (with photographer’s input)???

    Thanks!

  120. Hi Philip,

    I’ve had some thoughts lately about draw-backs to the crop frame cameras like the 7D and T2i, both of which I own. I’m wondering if you can confirm what I’ve been thinking.

    With the lenses I own, the longer the lens the farther the the focus ring can focus before losing the shallow depth of field. In other words, using a shorter lens requires me to be closer to my subject to keep from focus going to infinity and depth of field going out the window.

    For example, the last mark on my Sigma 30mm’s focus ring (before infinity) is 11ft, where as my Tamron 17mm is 6 or 7ft. (sorry, don’t have lenses in front of me). Meanwhile I have an old FD 70-300 zoom that can focus out to 56ft and have amazing dof.

    I run into problems trying to frame a shot and keep the shallow depth of field. I’ll need to move the camera back to get the angle I need and then find that I need to go to nearly infinite focus, ruining the dof. So we’ll go to a longer lens to get a longer range for focus, but that of course make me back up the camera which pushes me beyond is focus limit and the cycle starts all over again. I have one shot I’ve trying to prep for that is driving me nuts.

    So…

    1. Is this a problem with my lenses? Do more expensive lenses resolve focus at a longer distance while keeping dof? or is this a physical limitation that is the same for all lenses? ie. do all 30mm focus only so far?

    2. If this a limitation of all lenses doesn’t that mean that for 7D and T2i owners the only way to take advantage of shallow dof is to do close-ups… always.

    I need to decide whether to buy different glass or upgrade our cameras or both. The particular shot that is driving me nuts trying to frame is coming up in a couple weeks and I’m thinking of renting a 5Dmkii and some lenses to solve the problem.

    Thanks for any help,

    ~Dietrich Winter

  121. You mentioned geting an 85mm for telephoto but it does not have IS, correct? At what focal length does image stabilization become critical? Can it be remedied by using some sort of Fig Rig or would you keep it strictly on a tripod?

  122. Sorry guys I am new to this world, but I just purchased the 11-16mm tokina APS-C for my T2i, haven’t got it yet though, if this lens is made for this type of frame, 11mm is truly 11mm, or I still should multiply by the 1.6 factor?
    Cheers from BRazil

  123. Hello Phillip

    I apologize if this is redundant, but when using the canon 50mm 1.2 for interviews, do you normally shoot at 1.2? If that’s a silly question– roughly what percentage of the time do you shoot at 1.2?

    Nailing focus is tough (though I haven’t bought a zfinder yet)

    Peace

  124. I have read mixed reviews that the nikkor 50mm f/1.2 ais won’t mount on canon 5d11 bodies due to a coupling meter that sticks out the back of the lens. Does anyone have any experience with this? If true, is it just a conflict with the full frame 5d and will it work fine with the 7d or t2i? Thanks and great blog Mr. Bloom.

  125. RE: My preferred 50mm lens of choice, the Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM

    Some of you may know I’m a fan of the Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM.

    (but I know most of you have no idea who I am , so let me just get to the point)

    I know this is a late response to this topic, but i just wanted to point out the blog post from http://www.highdefedition.com who has a nice post about this lens,
    Something I wish I had had the time to post about this great lens.
    so if you have any interest please check it out here

    http://www.highdefedition.com/2010/09/sigma-50mm-f1-4-ex-dg-hsm-hands-on-review-with-sample-footage/

  127. Hey Philip, great job on everything you do. I just bought the Tokina 11-16mm for my 550D, and I love it. question though, when I’m in movie mode and I change the f-stop, I can hear the aperture blades moving. When I’m in regular photo mode I can’t hear them. Is this normal?

  128. Do the focal length measurements on the EF-S lenses already take into account the crop factor, since by nature they are always used on cameras that don’t have a full-frame sensor? i.e. When using the EF-S 17-55 on a 7D is it really a 17-55, or is it ≈ 27-88?

    1. all focal lengths are what they say, their effective focal length is the key. They are all based on full frame calculations therefore the 17-55 is equivalent to a 27-88, basically the APS-C version of a 24-70

  129. This is such a great reference entry, i’m reading it again. Which collection makes sense to you Philip for equal use with stills/video? Let’s say the 100macroIS and 70-200IS is already owned. Cheers!

    A) 14/2.8 + 24-105/4IS + 50/1.2

    B) 14/2.8 + 24/1.4 + 50/1.2

    C) 14/2.8 + 24-70/2.8 + 50/1.2

    D) 14/2.8 + 35/1.4 + 50/1.2

    E) Other-(including other lenses (Zeiss) Which?

  130. Philip,

    I agree with you that the 14mm f/2.8 is an amazing lens. Having said that, how are you coping with the noise the lens makes when the iris is changed? It’s loud enough to be picked up by the mic!

    I’ve had two in my possession and they both do it. I’ve contacted Canon and they have confirmed that theirs makes noise on both the 5D and 7D, but that their other lenses don’t.

    If it was a lens that allowed a Vari-ND on the front, we could deal with this, but as you know, this lens doesn’t accept front filters.

    Your thoughts?

  131. very helpful post!!! Hey phil been wanting to buy new l series that can work great for still and video, can 16-35mm f2.8 handle it or you prefer other lense?

  132. i’m interested in either the 24-70mm L or the 24-105mm L…
    but i keep reading about these lenses have “focusing” issues and not being that sharp…is this true or are these people morons?
    i’m aware that on the net usually only fans and haters make product reviews, is this the case?

    thanks for the article

  134. Wanted to get some feedback. I already have a few prime lenses.
    Looking for a general purpose lens for the following:

    Camera it will be used with: T2i
    Purpose: shooting indoor audience reactions with zooming in. Also need
    to be able to get the full audience. Typical room size would be a
    300-500 person capacity auditorium (e.g. university room). Occasionally
    larger. Also need to be able to take some a few portraits. The video
    quality just has to be usable. Minimum color grading will be done.
    Probably shooting in 720p /30fps.

    Conditions: available lighting. Using monopod probably. Using manual focus

    I’m considering the following:

    Canon 18-200 IS 3.5-5.6
    Sigma 18-200 w/O.S. 3.5-6.3
    Tamron 18-200 or 18-250 3.5-6.3

    I played around w/a tamron 18-270 and found the zoom not smooth enough.

    Also, I’m looking for an inexpensive way to add a longer throw to the
    manual focus ring. Perhaps a Red Rock gear w/the zoom lever or an
    inexpensive on-camera follow focus.

    Would love to get opinions on which would work best.

    I’ll also be operating a Panasonic HPX170 at the same time on a tripod on
    recording. Audio for speaker will being going into this camera via
    lav and I’m thinking of attaching via slr and camera hotshoe mount a
    mic onto the DSLR (but going into HPX170). Would the on-camera mic
    for the T2i be sensitive enough to be used for reference audio for syncing
    later (for Audience questions). I guess I could snap my finger quietly to
    create a slate each time I record a clip.

    Recommendations on a good:
    monopod
    lense

    Ideally, It can all (except for the monopod probably) fit into my
    large carry-on bag the houses the HPX170 as I will be taking a flight to
    the destination.

  135. Hello, new HD-DSLR (60D) person here.

    Just came back from the store with the Tokina 11-16 you recommended. It was up against the Tameron 17-50 f2.8 and the Cannon 17-55 f2.8 for my first shooting lens. It makes for such a distinct shot, I had to grab it. Thank you so much for the suggestion!

    Saw the Tamron now has VC as well for about half the price, but the Cannon seems to be sharper and generally better. Probably go for the Canon next as you suggested.

    Also saw you are at Vistek in Toronto soon. Would go, but the price takes away from my gear budget.

    Thanks for making the learning curve easier!

  136. Hello PB

    “like any macro is tough and worse still the barrel moves in and out as you focus, it does not have internal focusing, no using with a matte box is tough, using a follow focus is practically impossible.”

    Is the 2 macro lenses the only ones in the Carl zeiss series a videomaker(with follow focus) should stay away from. Doesn’t all carl zeiss lenses have moving barrels?

    I am passing by Hong Kong in May2011 and I want to invest in these lenses for video only purposes.

    I am thinking:

    Distagon T* 2,8/21 ZF.2
    Distagon T* 1,4/35 ZF.2
    Planar T* 1,4/85 ZF.2

    I wanted the macro 50 instead of the normal 50 (the results looks better)
    and the macro 100 but now I am confused with all these CZ lenses because of the barrel problem. Witch one is good witch one is not?

    Help please : (
    Thanks!

  137. Hey Phillip,

    As you’ve heard many times before fantastic job on the website. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me that I’ve had for a while now that nobody can give me a concrete answer too. I just bought a 60D recently along with a Canon 24-70L f2.8. Bottom line: Was this a mistake?

    Should I sell it for primes or the 17-55 f4 for the IS? I care nothing about stills, looking just for video.

    I will forever be in your debt and thanks for all the time you put into helping everyone.

    John

      1. Here is my question regarding EF-S 17-55 F2.8. I understand that EF lenses on the crop sensor need to be multiplied by 1.6 to get an accurate field of view equivalent. BUT what about EF-S lenses on a crop sensor. Canon made EF-S lenses to compensate for the 1.6 crop factor. So let’s say for example my EF-S 17-55 actually stays true as a 17-55mm, right? I’ve been told that I have to multiply it by 1.6 and that on the wide angle I’m actually getting a 27mm not 17mm. Is this accurate? if so, why?

        I’m just having a hard-time understanding why I want to multiply the mm of an EF-S lens by 1.6 if it was designed to compensate for the crop. Why would Canon even bother making EF-S lenses if the numbers will not stay true to the description. 🙂

        Thanks in advance for replying and answering this question.

        1. it’s designed for crop but the MM is the same no matter what chip size. Take a look at a 1/3″ chip, look at the wide angle MM on that and see how small that is, it’s that small as the equivalent focal length is way more!

          1. First of all, I’m very happy & excited that my question was answer by almighty Mr. Bloom, pioneer in DSLR film-making. 🙂 Hehe

            Thanks Philip, I can rest in peace now. I finally get it. So… no matter what, we are always multiplying the MM by the crop factor to get an equivalent MM based on 35MM film format. 🙂 Thank you so much, kind sir. I can’t thank you enough for everything you do for the community. I’ve learned a TON in the past few months by reading your blog. Long life to Mr. Bloom! 🙂

            Cheers,

            -Martin

  138. Philip,
    I’ve heard good things about the old Nikon Lenses, yet I haven’t really been able to find any footage that has really impressed me. do you know of any films or shorts that were shot using nikons? I just got a 60d and I have found a few primes that I wanna get, but I’m not sure how nice they will look, and if they will do the 60d justice.

    ANY help would be very…well.. helpful :).

  139. What do you think about the new Samyang 14mm f2.8 lens, for filming with a 550D ?
    This lens (made with a very good metal construction) is designed for a full frame cameras but it costs just 320€ !

    Thank you for the article Mr Bloom

  140. Philip:

    Thanks for all your help.

    Per you suggestion two years ago I purchased the following lenses with my EX1 and Letus Extreme:

    Distagon T* 2/28
    Distagon T* 2/35 ZF
    Planar T* 1.4/50 ZF
    Planar T* 1.4/85 ZF

    I’m deciding between the 5D and 7D. Besides the 7D crop issue, can you explain the “modding” that is written about here. Is it a necessity or just an option?

      1. I stepped into the middle of some of your blogs about “modding” of lenses for the 7D or 5D. Wasn’t sure what it meant. I think you were talking about the Zeiss lenses I mentioned above. Can I use these lenses on the 5D or 7D without doing any modding (whatever that is) other than purchasing an adapter ring?

  141. Hey Guys, quick question. Having a hard time choosing my first lense that will be used for mainly video. I mainly shoot people and weddings.
    Please choose for me and yes, Philip I will be buying from your store 😉

    Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom
    or
    Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide

    Thanks in advance!

      1. Hate to beat a dead horse but 1 more question. Does IS really matter. I read what you stated above. Now I’m in between the 24-70 and the 24-105. Thanks the last question..promise.

          1. Do you think it matters at the wide end very much? I’m considering purchasing a 17-40L instead of the 17-55 EF-S because I plan on mostly shooting handheld (with shoulder rig) around the 17mm mark.

            Is this a bad idea you think at this wide to avoid an IS lens to get the longevity of an EF, L lens?

  143. Philip,

    Have you ever used the Tamron 17-50 2.8? And do you know how it compares to the Canon 17-55 2.8? It’s like half the price right now and I could use the extra cash to get my Tokina 11-16 instead of renting it every time. Thanks! (You are amazing for this website…you don’t know how helpful you are to so many of us.) 🙂

    2. I got the Tamron 17-50 2.8 since 6 months for filming and I think its a really solid glass worth every cent. The IS is really reliable and the pictures are sharp enough for video.

  145. Wondering what your thoughts were on comparing the Canon 14 2.8 L II or the 24 3.5 TS-E L II lens for both video and photography. I do a lot of landscape photography and video and am stuck on which one I should get.

  146. I understand that IS lenses are recommended for reducing rolling shutter artifacts, but are they worth using for image stabilization itself? This maybe an obvious question, but I am a still shooter moving into video and not sure how IS translates with video. Is it worth investing in an IS lens to keep shots steadier? I guess an IS lens and a brace/support is the best way to go? My current lenses are primes so I need to know if it is worth investing in IS or not.

  147. Hi Philip,

    I’m gonna buy a D7000, which lens do you recommend me between these ones:

    · SIGMA 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM (450€)
    · NIKON 35mm f/1.8 AF-S DX (190€)

    I’ve seen that Nikon’s has better resolution in lower price, but it’s that enough?
    Tell me what u think, pleaseee!!
    Thanks.

  148. hi philip, I very much appreciate that you share your knowledge with us, you’re a good man! I’ll be shooting indoor events with kids performing on a stage. Cams are xh-a1 + wide angle for the total view and 5d mark II for closer shots. If you were in my shoes and you could only use one lens with the 5d and you’d have to choose between the 70-200 2.8is, the 24-70mm 2.8, the 24-105mm 4.0is , the 85mm 1.8 – which one would it be? Thanks a lot, keep rockin’, christopher

  150. You recommended the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 for crop cameras, but I don’t see image stabilization listed on this lens. I was hoping to buy it and use it for a hand-held video shot at night. Is this lens just too wide to require IS?

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