Illumina S35 Lens
Costly as they are, cinema lenses come in a variety of form and function. Presently the market is dominated by Zeiss, but companies like Rokinon (Samyang) and Illumina are fast catching up with their own line-up of lenses which are almost there. Of the lot, both Rokinon and Illumina are affordable. Illumina range of lenses are brought to you by a company called LumaTech.
Samyang (Rokinon) 85mm f1.4
There are people out there who say neither Rokinon nor Illumina are good enough but opinions always differ. Judge for yourselves.
Here are the videos made with the Illumina and Rokinon respectively.
With Rokinon:
The most noticeable difference between a still camera lens and a cinema lens is its build. Cinema lenses have a far wider front element and more sturdier build. Some argue that figuratively both are same with different housings; this however seems bit true when it comes to Zeiss ZF lenses and Zeiss CP.2 lenses. Both supposedly have the same glass but the only difference is the housing.
Shooting Video on DSLR
Canon 5D Mark III
A lot of up and coming film makers these days worry about the high prices of cinema lenses. Guess what? Yes cinema lenses are overrated, atleast they are an overkill on a DSLR. You are better off with Nikkor or Canon 50mm 1.8 for video which is available around $100ish.
Nikkor 50mm 1.8D
If you are intelligent enough with your lighting and editing, people cannot tell the difference between a 50mm 1.8 and Zeiss CP.2 video. I am saying this from experience as I have shot video on a 5D Mark III just a few days back. We shot in the office of the head of the organization. The room was lit with tungsten lights and I set the white balance to counter the ambient lighting. The lenses I had were a Canon 17-40L, a 70-200 f2.8, and a 50mm 1.8. I used the 50mm and I was surprised to see the output on the mac. A Zeiss CP.2 couldn’t have done any better than that.
Using a DSLR kit lens for video
Quite shockingly kit lenses give an extraordinary output for video. The footage is quite sharp, and contrasty. What else do you need?. For people on a budget, the kit lens may be the only salvation. But a word of caution, shooting video on a kit lens may not be your thing and it may or may not suit the genre you are shooting for. So do your research before you begin.
Here is a video shot with the Nikon 18-55 kit lens.
--Viisshnu--