C100

Dave Mercer · January 1st, 2013, 09:35 AM

Hi all.

Wanted to check with you all before I purchase the C100 with a lens.

My work: news and docs. Mostly outdoor but some indoor.

Two lens possibilities are the 15-55 f2.8 and the 24-105 f4.0. Build quality on the 24-105 sounds far superior, and also has far more reach. But a bit is lost on the wide end, and lose a stop of light for indoor/shallow DOF.

Both lenses sound like they're sharp and have great contrast, etc.

Any advice appreciated.

I'm in a little village in Guatemala, so can't head over to the local camera store to try out ...

Thanks!

Mark Dobson · January 1st, 2013, 11:12 AM

Hi Dave,

Another lens you could consider is the Canon EF-S18-135mmF/3.5-5.6 STM IS. I remember reading that this was one of the lenses that, following a C100 firmware update, would allow for continuous auto focus, if that's something that people might find useful?

I bought this lens for my C300 because its focal range is really useful and it is a very sharp lens and good value for money.

Sure it's not as well built as a L series lens but is certainly worth considering for video work.

Here's a review of the lens.

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 STM IS - Review / Test Report

Dave Mercer · January 1st, 2013, 01:42 PM

Thanks very much Mark.

Do you miss the fixed aperture? What's the "feel" of the lens like (focus and zoom rings)? Does it feel like it'll hold together for awhile?

Matt Davis · January 1st, 2013, 02:18 PM

Although I have the Canon 17-55 2.8 IS for a while now, I've since moved to the 24-105 for its extra reach at the long end. It's 'the' interview lens for me, having worked with an older FD version (35-105 3.5) on the FS100. I'd have found it useful as a 'candid/observational' lens for handheld work but I need the IS of the new version.

The 17-55 is great, especially doing 'walkabout' GVs. I'm certainly not selling it on. However, I've always found I wanted a little more, and it's always been just at the missing point between 50 and 75. Hence I'll be 'walking around' with the 11-16 and the 24-105, and will have the 17-55 for interior/low light situations.

Andy Wilkinson · January 1st, 2013, 02:33 PM

Dave,

The 24-105 EF or 17-55 EF-S choice is a dilema many who own a crop Canon go through, and now those of us who own Cinema EOS. I know I spent several weeks on deciding this a couple of years ago with my 7D.

Both have IS which is critically important for the type of minimal kit, run and gun handheld type of shooting I tend to do at times.

The build quality on the 17-55 is so-so and a number of people have had issues with dust being sucked in through its non-weather sealed front. It also has VERY short travel on the focus ring. That being said I love mine and have never had dust issues despite extensive use in industrial environments. At times though I really wish it had longer reach so that I could quickly get intimate close ups of subjects faces without being 'in their face', if you know what I mean.

The other side of the coin is that I rarely feel the immediate need to swap it out with my ultra wide angle because it goes plenty wide enough for most establishing/scene setting shots even indoors.

The 24-105 brings that longer reach at the expense of the wide end, brings L build quality but you are limited to F4 - which on a low light king like a Cinema EOS is of no conseqeunce most of the time in the typical usage you have in mind.

But you know all this so it really comes down to your own personal style of shooting.

I stress I don't have a 24-105 in my kit bag - but next time I feel rich I will get one as BOTH lenses are extremely useful - as Matt has just indicated as I was typing this on my Tab.

One other thing is that Canon are bringing out a 24-70 F4 IS EF lens soon - but personally I don't see why anyone would want that over the current 24-105 F4 IS EF unless its got much better image rendition. Further out there is a very strong rumour that we will eventually see the much desired 24-70 F2.8 IS EF lens sometime in 2014 to complement the non-IS version II recently launched - but that is still at the rumor stage, not fact, so let's just leave it at that....it would not be cheap though!

I don't think you could go wrong with either the 17-55 or 24-105. Good luck choosing!

Dave Mercer · January 1st, 2013, 03:36 PM

Andy - yes it's a difficult decision to make. That said, good to hear you've had good experiences with the 17-55 (which is the way I'm leaning at the moment).

That said, I read a review of the Canon EF-S18-135mmF/3.5-5.6 STM IS mentioned by Mark above and it sounds like a pretty solid lens as well (aside from consumer build quality, and lack of fixed aperture). I have to say, the possibility of using in continuous AF could be great for certain situations (where I presently set my aperture to f8 or smaller in order to try to maintain focus). Don't know how I feel about putting a $500 lens on a $6500 camera thought (my $600 Panasonic GH2 currently houses a $1000 lens).

That said, seeing as both 17-55 and 24-105 are more than 5 years old, I wonder if the new lens might have some other advantages?

Andy Wilkinson · January 1st, 2013, 03:43 PM

For sure the 17-55 EF-S IS is much younger than 5 years old as it came out with the Canon 7D, so about 3 years at most. I bought both at launch.

It really is L glass image quality, razor sharp, but in a plasticky body. IS is superb and very quiet too, at least on my copy.

Yes, the new 24-70 F4 EF IS is likely to have some image improvements over the older 24-105, better glass/contrast, maybe more blades on the iris etc...but I don't think it has been reviewed yet (as it came out with the very recent 6D, I believe).

Don't know any more than you about that new STM lens but seasoned pros have been using the $1000 17-55 on their C300s for a while now - so I guess you should feel OK with whatever you end up going with!

Daniel Weber · January 1st, 2013, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Mercer

Two lens possibilities are the 15-55 f2.8 and the 24-105 f4.0. Build quality on the 24-105 sounds far superior, and also has far more reach. But a bit is lost on the wide end, and lose a stop of light for indoor/shallow DOF.

You can't go wrong with either lens. Both are sharp, but I find the build quality on the 24-105 much better. Also the 17-55 has the annoying part of having the focus ring at the back of the lens behind the zoom ring. This is different than most Canon lenses. I also find the IS on the 24-105 to be a bit better. I think that you can also find the 24-105 for a better price than the 17-55.

Again, both lenses are great to shoot with. I just prefer the longer reach of the 24-105.

Daniel Weber

Gabe Strong · January 6th, 2013, 11:33 PM

Are you looking for one 'do it all' lens or a couple to give you a wide zoom range?
I personally feel that the old Sigma 50-150 2.8 is one of the most cinema like still
lenses that you can use. Of course it doesn't help much at the wide end. I also
have a 17-50 2.8 and a 28-105 2.8. Reviews of all of them for video
shooting will be up on my blog soon. Actually the review of the Sigma 50-150
is already up. www.gforcevideo.com then click on the 'blog' button to
have a look. I shoot with a FS100 but these are all canon mount lenses used
with the Metabones adapter so it all should translate nicely to the C100.

Peter Chaney · January 7th, 2013, 12:48 AM

I recommend the 24-105L because its a very wide range and also the build quality is top notch. I've always used L lenses and recently picked up a mint condition 24-105L off of ebay for $700 so you might want check ebay or even a lens rental store. If you are truly undecided you can always rent and see which one best suits you.

Seth Bloombaum · January 7th, 2013, 10:27 PM

One more voice for "it depends". If you are like me, shooting people in rooms, wanting a wide shot, the 17-55mm is the ticket.

I always relate it back to 35mm-equivalent lenses. On a 1.6x crop, the 17 works out to 27mm, a true wide-angle, but not into weird distortion in the least. 24 works out to 38mm, just a moderate wide angle.

OTOH, if you're not needing to shoot a whole room at a time, having a wide wide may not be an issue at all. They're both good choices, I've been happy with my 17-55, build-quality is quite good enough, and I have a rain-cover for mist or extreme dust.

Tim Bakland · January 20th, 2013, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Chaney

I recommend the 24-105L because its a very wide range and also the build quality is top notch. I've always used L lenses and recently picked up a mint condition 24-105L off of ebay for $700 so you might want check ebay or even a lens rental store. If you are truly undecided you can always rent and see which one best suits you.

YES! Just got it. The camera is so good in low-light the the f/4 is not a problem. Great lens. Could end up being the one to stay on the camera most of the time (over the 17-55).

Sareesh Sudhakaran · January 21st, 2013, 04:20 AM

For news and documentaries I'll recommend the 17-55mm f/2.8 no question. The 24mm is about 40mm on a FF sensor - which is okay if you're never going to shoot wide angles.

If you can't afford two good zooms then you could try the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, which is great. The VC version might be better for handheld use but I don't know how well it works with the C100. You can add a 70-200 f/4 later.

If you're in a little village I highly recommend you get hold of an old film SLR and see what focal lengths you want before ordering anything. You could even use a smartphone app like the Artemis Viewfinder first.

Hope this helps.

Tim Bakland · January 21st, 2013, 03:12 PM

And just to clarify: yes, in the perfect world, you'd have *both* the 17-55 IS USM and the 24-105 L -- but only saying that I am blown away with how much can be done with an f/4

Dave Mercer · January 21st, 2013, 07:50 PM

I ended up getting them both for a decent price used. Will see which one I like more and will likely sell the one I use less.

24-105 build quality is superb, but 24mm on the crop frame might not be wide enough to cut in with my style of shooting. But sure will be fun checking it out!

January 1st, 2013, 09:35 AM	#1
Dave Mercer Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Posts: 346	C100 - Zoom Lens Advice Hi all. Wanted to check with you all before I purchase the C100 with a lens. My work: news and docs. Mostly outdoor but some indoor. Two lens possibilities are the 15-55 f2.8 and the 24-105 f4.0. Build quality on the 24-105 sounds far superior, and also has far more reach. But a bit is lost on the wide end, and lose a stop of light for indoor/shallow DOF. Both lenses sound like they're sharp and have great contrast, etc. Any advice appreciated. I'm in a little village in Guatemala, so can't head over to the local camera store to try out ... Thanks!

January 1st, 2013, 11:12 AM	#2
Mark Dobson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Horsham / United Kingdom Posts: 328	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice Hi Dave, Another lens you could consider is the Canon EF-S18-135mmF/3.5-5.6 STM IS. I remember reading that this was one of the lenses that, following a C100 firmware update, would allow for continuous auto focus, if that's something that people might find useful? I bought this lens for my C300 because its focal range is really useful and it is a very sharp lens and good value for money. Sure it's not as well built as a L series lens but is certainly worth considering for video work. Here's a review of the lens. Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 STM IS - Review / Test Report

January 1st, 2013, 01:42 PM	#3
Dave Mercer Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Posts: 346	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice Thanks very much Mark. Do you miss the fixed aperture? What's the "feel" of the lens like (focus and zoom rings)? Does it feel like it'll hold together for awhile?

January 1st, 2013, 02:18 PM	#4
Matt Davis Trustee Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Berkshire, UK Posts: 1,562	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice Although I have the Canon 17-55 2.8 IS for a while now, I've since moved to the 24-105 for its extra reach at the long end. It's 'the' interview lens for me, having worked with an older FD version (35-105 3.5) on the FS100. I'd have found it useful as a 'candid/observational' lens for handheld work but I need the IS of the new version. The 17-55 is great, especially doing 'walkabout' GVs. I'm certainly not selling it on. However, I've always found I wanted a little more, and it's always been just at the missing point between 50 and 75. Hence I'll be 'walking around' with the 11-16 and the 24-105, and will have the 17-55 for interior/low light situations. __________________ Director/Editor - MDMA Ltd: Write, Shoot, Edit, Publish - mattdavis.pro EX1 x2, C100 --> FCPX & PPro6

January 1st, 2013, 02:33 PM	#5
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice Dave, The 24-105 EF or 17-55 EF-S choice is a dilema many who own a crop Canon go through, and now those of us who own Cinema EOS. I know I spent several weeks on deciding this a couple of years ago with my 7D. Both have IS which is critically important for the type of minimal kit, run and gun handheld type of shooting I tend to do at times. The build quality on the 17-55 is so-so and a number of people have had issues with dust being sucked in through its non-weather sealed front. It also has VERY short travel on the focus ring. That being said I love mine and have never had dust issues despite extensive use in industrial environments. At times though I really wish it had longer reach so that I could quickly get intimate close ups of subjects faces without being 'in their face', if you know what I mean. The other side of the coin is that I rarely feel the immediate need to swap it out with my ultra wide angle because it goes plenty wide enough for most establishing/scene setting shots even indoors. The 24-105 brings that longer reach at the expense of the wide end, brings L build quality but you are limited to F4 - which on a low light king like a Cinema EOS is of no conseqeunce most of the time in the typical usage you have in mind. But you know all this so it really comes down to your own personal style of shooting. I stress I don't have a 24-105 in my kit bag - but next time I feel rich I will get one as BOTH lenses are extremely useful - as Matt has just indicated as I was typing this on my Tab. One other thing is that Canon are bringing out a 24-70 F4 IS EF lens soon - but personally I don't see why anyone would want that over the current 24-105 F4 IS EF unless its got much better image rendition. Further out there is a very strong rumour that we will eventually see the much desired 24-70 F2.8 IS EF lens sometime in 2014 to complement the non-IS version II recently launched - but that is still at the rumor stage, not fact, so let's just leave it at that....it would not be cheap though! I don't think you could go wrong with either the 17-55 or 24-105. Good luck choosing! __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

January 1st, 2013, 03:36 PM	#6
Dave Mercer Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Posts: 346	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice Andy - yes it's a difficult decision to make. That said, good to hear you've had good experiences with the 17-55 (which is the way I'm leaning at the moment). That said, I read a review of the Canon EF-S18-135mmF/3.5-5.6 STM IS mentioned by Mark above and it sounds like a pretty solid lens as well (aside from consumer build quality, and lack of fixed aperture). I have to say, the possibility of using in continuous AF could be great for certain situations (where I presently set my aperture to f8 or smaller in order to try to maintain focus). Don't know how I feel about putting a $500 lens on a $6500 camera thought (my $600 Panasonic GH2 currently houses a $1000 lens). That said, seeing as both 17-55 and 24-105 are more than 5 years old, I wonder if the new lens might have some other advantages?

January 1st, 2013, 03:43 PM	#7
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice For sure the 17-55 EF-S IS is much younger than 5 years old as it came out with the Canon 7D, so about 3 years at most. I bought both at launch. It really is L glass image quality, razor sharp, but in a plasticky body. IS is superb and very quiet too, at least on my copy. Yes, the new 24-70 F4 EF IS is likely to have some image improvements over the older 24-105, better glass/contrast, maybe more blades on the iris etc...but I don't think it has been reviewed yet (as it came out with the very recent 6D, I believe). Don't know any more than you about that new STM lens but seasoned pros have been using the $1000 17-55 on their C300s for a while now - so I guess you should feel OK with whatever you end up going with! __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

January 6th, 2013, 11:33 PM	#9
Gabe Strong Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Juneau, AK Posts: 814	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice Are you looking for one 'do it all' lens or a couple to give you a wide zoom range? I personally feel that the old Sigma 50-150 2.8 is one of the most cinema like still lenses that you can use. Of course it doesn't help much at the wide end. I also have a 17-50 2.8 and a 28-105 2.8. Reviews of all of them for video shooting will be up on my blog soon. Actually the review of the Sigma 50-150 is already up. www.gforcevideo.com then click on the 'blog' button to have a look. I shoot with a FS100 but these are all canon mount lenses used with the Metabones adapter so it all should translate nicely to the C100. Last edited by Gabe Strong; January 7th, 2013 at 01:07 AM.

January 7th, 2013, 12:48 AM	#10
Peter Chaney Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 49	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice I recommend the 24-105L because its a very wide range and also the build quality is top notch. I've always used L lenses and recently picked up a mint condition 24-105L off of ebay for $700 so you might want check ebay or even a lens rental store. If you are truly undecided you can always rent and see which one best suits you. __________________ www.nickelsvision.com Canon C100, Canon 5D MK iii, Canon 5D MK ii (Magic Lantern), Panasonic GF1 (Hacked)

January 7th, 2013, 10:27 PM	#11
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice One more voice for "it depends". If you are like me, shooting people in rooms, wanting a wide shot, the 17-55mm is the ticket. I always relate it back to 35mm-equivalent lenses. On a 1.6x crop, the 17 works out to 27mm, a true wide-angle, but not into weird distortion in the least. 24 works out to 38mm, just a moderate wide angle. OTOH, if you're not needing to shoot a whole room at a time, having a wide wide may not be an issue at all. They're both good choices, I've been happy with my 17-55, build-quality is quite good enough, and I have a rain-cover for mist or extreme dust. __________________ 30 years of pro media production. Vegas user since 1.0. Webcaster since 1997. Freelancer since 2000. College instructor since 2001.

January 21st, 2013, 04:20 AM	#13
Sareesh Sudhakaran Trustee Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 1,385	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice For news and documentaries I'll recommend the 17-55mm f/2.8 no question. The 24mm is about 40mm on a FF sensor - which is okay if you're never going to shoot wide angles. If you can't afford two good zooms then you could try the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, which is great. The VC version might be better for handheld use but I don't know how well it works with the C100. You can add a 70-200 f/4 later. If you're in a little village I highly recommend you get hold of an old film SLR and see what focal lengths you want before ordering anything. You could even use a smartphone app like the Artemis Viewfinder first. Hope this helps. __________________ Get the Free Comprehensive Guide to Rigging ANY Camera - one guide to rig them all - DSLRs to the Arri Alexa.

January 21st, 2013, 03:12 PM	#14
Tim Bakland Major Player Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Beverly, MA Posts: 512	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice And just to clarify: yes, in the perfect world, you'd have both the 17-55 IS USM and the 24-105 L -- but only saying that I am blown away with how much can be done with an f/4 __________________ Event Videography, New England www.timothybakland.com

January 21st, 2013, 07:50 PM	#15
Dave Mercer Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Posts: 346	Re: C100 - Zoom Lens Advice I ended up getting them both for a decent price used. Will see which one I like more and will likely sell the one I use less. 24-105 build quality is superb, but 24mm on the crop frame might not be wide enough to cut in with my style of shooting. But sure will be fun checking it out!