Jason,

If you're serious about shooting weddings to 'start', you're going to need more than just a lens or two with your $2000usd. You will need a decent tripod, or DSLR rig and an external mic at the very least. Shooting usable handheld footage with a DSLR in full manual mode is nearly impossible even with a very wide lens. And the standard on board audio won't cut it.

Also, you need some fairly serious horsepower, and an NLE to edit HD video.
Not trying to rain on your parade, but it's better to have a heads up.

The 28-135 is the kit lens, and needs to be stopped down to be sharp. It's very much a "consumer" lens.

the 17-55 is the best general lens for a 1.6 crop camera, but can't be used on the 5DII

All the Canon 70-200 are very good. If IS isn't need, the 70-200 f4 non-IS can be found used at good prices.

The trouble with not basing a kit around the 17-55 2.8 is that it probably leads to buying an additional lens. It's the only Canon 2.8 that goes from wide to long on the 7D. Zooms starting at 24 or 28mm are not wide on the 7D, more a relaxed normal to long lens.

To the OP, for film or video I believe in starting with the better zoom designed for the camera, that is

7D 17-55 f2.8
5DII 24-70 f2.8 or 24-105 f4

These match the quality of the camera, may actually save money over time, reduce lens changes because they cover wide to long, and have excellent resale.

Wedding stuff would be from non-paid friends' weddings to something paid over time. I'm a minister so I am usually in front of the camera on the weekends.

I have a a rig: Cinevate Proteus Rails System, Proteus Shoulder Mount "Monstor Grip" Kit, Pegasus Kit - for Proteus Rails, Proteus Cage and old, heavy...but sturdy, tripod.

For Audio I have the H4n Zoom, a wonderful piece of equipment. The chapel I work at has plenty of audio/mic equipment I can borrow. Hopefully the photography department won't mind if I borrow a lens every now and then either.

NLE, I have been working with Vegas. So I have that covered. I have used After Effects and Premier Pro...but have found that Sony Vegas is easier at this point.

Allright! you're covered then... Go get some nice glass!

Then you'll want NeoScene from Cineform. It makes editing on Vegas fast and simple.

I think the EF-S 18-135mm lens Canon announced would be very flexible for video shooting. IS for handheld. Fairly wide to telephoto. Yeah, yeah I know it's not very fast. But for most shooting I don't want to be using a super shallow depth of field anyway. It can be overused. I might get one fairly fast prime at some point, but a multi-purpose lens is handy to have. And at $500 it won't break the bank.

This is Canon's info:
EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
Canon’s new EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is the perfect Image Stabilized lens for advanced photographers looking for a wide-angle zoom lens with telephoto capabilities. Featuring a compact IS unit with shake correction up to four shutter speed steps, the zoom range of this lens is equivalent to 29-216mm on a full-frame camera.

Brett,

For me f5.6 is just too slow at the long end, its not just about shallow depth of field which I agree can be overused, its also about light gathering power. I'm finding that the f4 of the 70-200 f4L IS is fine most of the time, but 5.6 would be too limiting for me.

Dan

OK, how does this look?

Canon 17-55 f/2.8
Tokina 11-16 f/2.8
Sigma 30 f/1.4

I suppose it depends on your shooting taste, but I think you need something a little longer somewhere in there. The 18-135mm Brett mentions has decent reach but no speed. I have a 70-200 f2.8L that I absolutely love. The non IS version is not too badly priced in the used market - and as mentioned you can go with the f4.

You could just pick up the 17-55 f2.8 for starters which is a decent lens, and then see what you think you need after that. If you're shooting outdoors mostly then 2.8 is more than adequate, but indoors in low light... I have the Canon 50mm f1.4 on the 5d2 that some don't like but I love for the the price and speed. That would roughly equate to the Sigma 30mm 1.4.

Even if you started with those two and then decided if you wanted to go longer or wider after that, you'd be in a pretty good place.

30mm
 

I have seen better reviews of the Canon 28mm 1.8 than the Sigma 1.4 (although I think someone here said otherwise). Anybody with hands on experience with these 2 lenses?

We have the following lens for my 5d and are happy with them:

Canon EF 70-200L F2.8
Canon EF 50mm F1.4
Canon EF 28mm F2.8

I would love to get the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 to have a fisheye on hand.

Looks good but I would add in something longer if you are doing a lot of candid stuff on the street, all depends on your style. If you really don't want a 70-200 have a look at the Canon 135mm f2L, its a stellar lens. Also consider adding a 50mm f1.4 Zeiss lens or a Canon 50mm f1.2L and/or a 85mm f1.4 Zeiss or a Canon 85mmf1.8. But thats getting away from your 3 simple lens combo.

Dan

What about the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro instead of the 135mm f2L

Jason,

The 100mm f2.8 macro is also a stunning lens but not my favourite focal length on a 7D, too long for portrait, not quite long enough for a very tele look. Maybe look at a 60mm Canon macro down the line if you want a nice portrait lens with close up abilities.

Also the 135mm f2L usefully takes Canon's 1.4x and 2x teleconvertors which can be very useful too.

Dan

Having a macro lens is a great idea. You'd be surprised at how limiting the minimum focal distance can be for many lenses.

Regarding the 28/1.8, I have one and really like it. It's definitely sharp enough for video, and the falloff isn't too bad. I find that it matches the 85/1.8 really well. That said, sharpness is a bit more important on the 7D due to it's smaller sensor.

Whether you need longer lenses than the three you listed depends on your goals. We shot a 48-hour film with the 28/1.8, 50/1.4, and 85/1.8 with no need for a longer lens. (Okay, we used the 200/2.8L on two shots for one scene, but it was far back. The 85 would have done the job.) The film was "human scale" with establishing shots, interviews, and a bit of action.

On the other hand, if you're shooting wildlife, sports, or candids on the street, you'll need the longer lens. The macro is a great idea. At 2.8 it's reasonably fast for use as a medium tele, and for macro, you'll want enough light to stop it down a bit to get enough in focus. Macros are great for showing what people are doing with their hands.