# Filming with Primes



## iseowl (Aug 10, 2012)

I'm going to invest in some Primes for my 5D3. 24L, 50L & 85L to be specific.


Just wondering, what is everyone experience with filming with Prime L lenses?


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## HurtinMinorKey (Aug 10, 2012)

If you are using it for video, you should go with zeiss primes. More consistent color, sharper. You lose AF.


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## paul13walnut5 (Aug 10, 2012)

If you are buying lenses specifically for filming then I would be looking more at lenses with manual focus only and mechanical iris rings.

The Zeiss CP's are one route, the Samyangs another.

There are also cinematics which retain the zeiss optics but add follow focus friendly functionality, based on the Zeiss still lenses they also work out at half the price of the Zeiss CPs.

L lenses are great, but the very fast lenses are unusable for video wide open- you would want a 40" plasma in order to check focus, and good luck trying to follow focus in the camera or subject is moving.

Samyangs are worth at least a look, and they too seem to be coming out with their own dedicated cinema line (or at least stills lenses with declicked iris and external teeth for focus gears.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/08/09/samyang_creates_14mm_24mm_35mm_cinema_lenses


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## Axilrod (Aug 10, 2012)

The L primes are great, but for video the Zeiss are just better. L lenses tend to breathe really bad, and the focus ring is just so damn touchy, and larger apertures if you move it a fraction of an inch it throws everything out of focus. I only wish I had bought all ZE's in the first place, I have sentimental attachments to some of my L glass and can't bring myself to get rid of it. But i'll tell you this, I've been using the ZE 50mm f/1.4 over my 50L, and it's half the price but just as sharp and I love the way it renders color. 

Zeiss glass is sharp, it's built like a brick, the focus ring is smooth as butter, throw is longer, and has hard stops at macro and infinity (3 foot mark is always 3 feet, but with canon if you spin past macro or infinity you lose your focus marks). The color rendition, micro contrast, and bokeh are all beautiful (and consistent). My color correction time was cut down substantially (75% less compared to Canon glass). They are without a doubt superior to L lenses for video. Not that you can't use L glass for video, but if you're shooting video primarily go ahead and get the Zeiss stuff.


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## syder (Aug 10, 2012)

paul13walnut5 said:


> L lenses are great, but the very fast lenses are unusable for video wide open- you would want a 40" plasma in order to check focus, and good luck trying to follow focus in the camera or subject is moving.



This really isn't true. With a decent loupe or evf, possibly paired with a follow focus and maybe the focus peaking on magic lantern, focussing with fast primes wide open isn't a problem. It may not be the case that you can immediately nail focus, but with a little practice it's quite do-able.

Particularly if you're shooting under controlled conditions fast primes wide open are completely viable. Even if you aren't, but want the super shallow DOF aesthetic and are reasonable at pulling focus it's fine.


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