I'm something of an oddball in documentary filmmaking circles. I use Sigma primes only. Two Canon C500 mark II bodies, one will always have the Sigma ART 50mm f1.4 and the other will have the 28mm f1.4. I do have both the 35mm f1.4 and the 85mm f1.4 but rarely, if ever, do I use them.
Awesome advice! Really appreciate this video. I am just starting my documentary journey and my budget is modest. Seeing your video I thought of a fourth option for my situation. The 18-105mm from Sony + a 35 or 55mm T1.2 from SURUI. Or on the other hand a 24-70 with the SURUI. For the budget I wouldn't be able to afford a telephoto lens. What do you think?
Hi! Thanks so much for stopping by the channel. Really glad you got value from the video. I haven't used any of those exact lenses, so I can't speak to them specifically, but from a focal range perspective, I just think the 24-70 is so useful. If I was starting my lens buying process all over again, I personally would get the 24-70 2.8 before prime lenses. But honestly, you can't go wrong! Lenses these days are so great. If you can pop into a camera store near where you live, maybe you can get your hands on them and see what they are like in terms of form factor and weight? Good luck!
Super helpful. Really appreciate the recommendations. I'm making the jump from narrative film to doc and this was exactly the info I was looking for. Many thanks.
Great video Austin. I think the lens choice depends on the genre a lot. You would be going to a wildlife documentary shoot with a 24-105 alone. Even the 24-70+70-200 might not be enough reach. But your recommendations cover the needs of most types of shoots. As an alternative to the 24-70+70-200, the 35-150 lenses from Tamron and Samyang paired with an UW zoom like a 14-24 or 16-35 is also a very versatile combo as the 35-150 lenses are f2-2.8 so you might get away without a prime with the low light performance of modern day cameras.
Hi! The lens choice absolutely depends on the genre a lot. Definitely agree with you on that one. Thanks for your alternative recommendations! I know that will help folks think through some different options. Thanks for being here!
I would say before 50mm 1.4 better to get 14-24 sigma art 2.8, that will give you a range from 14 to 200 with 3 lenses. And the. Start to collect prime fast lenses ;)
That's putting more weight into the focal range rather than the speed. I think the 3 lens option here is the right way to go. 2 good zooms for general coverage and a fast prime for low light scenarios. I don't see a lot of people using super wides more than a fast prime.
I'm something of an oddball in documentary filmmaking circles. I use Sigma primes only. Two Canon C500 mark II bodies, one will always have the Sigma ART 50mm f1.4 and the other will have the 28mm f1.4. I do have both the 35mm f1.4 and the 85mm f1.4 but rarely, if ever, do I use them.
The insight on the Sundance lens preferences of DPs is solid. Thanks Austin!
you got it!
Awesome advice! Really appreciate this video. I am just starting my documentary journey and my budget is modest. Seeing your video I thought of a fourth option for my situation. The 18-105mm from Sony + a 35 or 55mm T1.2 from SURUI. Or on the other hand a 24-70 with the SURUI. For the budget I wouldn't be able to afford a telephoto lens. What do you think?
Hi! Thanks so much for stopping by the channel. Really glad you got value from the video. I haven't used any of those exact lenses, so I can't speak to them specifically, but from a focal range perspective, I just think the 24-70 is so useful. If I was starting my lens buying process all over again, I personally would get the 24-70 2.8 before prime lenses. But honestly, you can't go wrong! Lenses these days are so great. If you can pop into a camera store near where you live, maybe you can get your hands on them and see what they are like in terms of form factor and weight? Good luck!
Super helpful. Really appreciate the recommendations. I'm making the jump from narrative film to doc and this was exactly the info I was looking for. Many thanks.
Thanks so much for watching! So glad it was helpful 🙌
Great video Austin. I think the lens choice depends on the genre a lot. You would be going to a wildlife documentary shoot with a 24-105 alone. Even the 24-70+70-200 might not be enough reach. But your recommendations cover the needs of most types of shoots.
As an alternative to the 24-70+70-200, the 35-150 lenses from Tamron and Samyang paired with an UW zoom like a 14-24 or 16-35 is also a very versatile combo as the 35-150 lenses are f2-2.8 so you might get away without a prime with the low light performance of modern day cameras.
Hi! The lens choice absolutely depends on the genre a lot. Definitely agree with you on that one. Thanks for your alternative recommendations! I know that will help folks think through some different options. Thanks for being here!
I would say before 50mm 1.4 better to get 14-24 sigma art 2.8, that will give you a range from 14 to 200 with 3 lenses. And the. Start to collect prime fast lenses ;)
I hear you on that! Also a great option. Thanks for watching and sharin your thoughts!
That's putting more weight into the focal range rather than the speed. I think the 3 lens option here is the right way to go. 2 good zooms for general coverage and a fast prime for low light scenarios. I don't see a lot of people using super wides more than a fast prime.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the lens. This is really helpful to me.😊
Thanks for watching! So glad that it was helpful 🙏
Definitely learning a lot 😮
Woo! Love to hear that :)
Thanks ❤
You're welcome 😊