7D w/ Wide Angle Lens or Vixia HF200 for Glidecam? at DVinfo.net

Michael Curtis · February 8th, 2010, 08:56 AM

My wife and I are just starting out with our wedding videography business and have an A1s and 7D (28-135mm IS kit lens and 50mm 1.4). We have a glidecam 2000 HD (no vest) and the A1s is too heavy and the 7D is tricky to keep in focus (I've used the 50mm 1.4 w/ a small aperture but haven't gotten the results I was hoping for yet). I've read the advice that I should get a wide angle lens like the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8 for $600 to use with my glidecam, but what about getting something like a Canon Vixia HF200 for $549 that is light and would have continuous AF? I know the HF200 probably isn't great in low light (receptions!) but I understand that I need to have a small aperture on 7D lens to ensure a wide enough DoF to keep focus which wouldn't be great in low light either. I know a lot of you will think I'm crazy, especially trying to mix footage from 3 different cameras, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

Michael
michaelandtriciafilms.com

Cody Dulock · February 8th, 2010, 10:09 AM

I really like the 5D with a 24mm lens on the glidecam... you set your focus to infinity and just make sure you don't get to close to your subject. The tokina lens you described would probably be ideal for the 7D because of the crop factor. Would you rather shoot with 3 cameras or two cameras? 3 file formats and media to keep up with or 2? Make sure you are using some kind of quick release plate on your glidecam like the bogen 577 so switching to it can be really fast.

Michael Curtis · February 9th, 2010, 09:40 AM

Hey Cody, thanks for your reply. Do you have the 24 1.4 or 2.8 that you use with your 5D? I think we would be okay shooting with 3 cameras. My wife is planning on using the A1s on a tripod during the prep (makeup, etc) and ceremony while I will be using the 7D. Thanks for your recommendation of the quick release plate, that's definitely a great idea.

Cody Dulock · February 9th, 2010, 10:25 AM

Currently I have been using an old Nikon 24mm 2.8 with an adapter ring. The Canon 24mm f1.4 is an amazing lens, but I'm not 100% convinced it's going to be any better (except for the speed!) than my Nikon lens... I just cannot justify the price difference. I would recommend the tokina lens for the 7D since it has the 1.6x crop factor... 16mm = 25mm roughly. Don't try using a telephoto lens with a glidecam... learn from my mistake!

Since you are new to weddings, you HAVE to look at www.infocusvideoevent.COM and www.infocusvideoevent.NET

I attended the event and it changed everything for me!

Tony Davies-Patrick · February 9th, 2010, 10:51 AM

The f/1.4, apart from brighter viewfinder in stills mode, isn't going to make any difference for your video work because you'll be stopping down a few notches on the aperture for most of your video work.

The Canon f/1.4, Canon f/2.8, Nikon f1.4 and Nikon f/2.8 24mm lenses will all be very close in performance at f/4-f/8 aperture range anyway.

Also, all of those lenses will not be so wide on the 1.6 crop factor, so I'd think it wiser to go for one of the wide zooms such as Nikon 12-24 mm f/4, Tokina 12-24 mm f/4, Sigma 10-20 mm f/4-5.6 Tamron 11-18 mm f/4.5-5.6, Tokina 10-17mm f/3.4-4.5, Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 or Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.

The important thing to also remember is that you need to not go too wide if you want to keep distortion levels down - as in chruch walls/doors and human faces etc.

I'd be tempted to say: try lots of trial runs on maintaining sharp focus and adjusting manual focus before opting to spend extra money on new lenses and extra cameras. Practice makes perfect... :)

February 8th, 2010, 08:56 AM	#1
Michael Curtis New Boot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 21	7D w/ Wide Angle Lens or Vixia HF200 for Glidecam? My wife and I are just starting out with our wedding videography business and have an A1s and 7D (28-135mm IS kit lens and 50mm 1.4). We have a glidecam 2000 HD (no vest) and the A1s is too heavy and the 7D is tricky to keep in focus (I've used the 50mm 1.4 w/ a small aperture but haven't gotten the results I was hoping for yet). I've read the advice that I should get a wide angle lens like the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8 for $600 to use with my glidecam, but what about getting something like a Canon Vixia HF200 for $549 that is light and would have continuous AF? I know the HF200 probably isn't great in low light (receptions!) but I understand that I need to have a small aperture on 7D lens to ensure a wide enough DoF to keep focus which wouldn't be great in low light either. I know a lot of you will think I'm crazy, especially trying to mix footage from 3 different cameras, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks! Michael michaelandtriciafilms.com

February 9th, 2010, 10:51 AM	#5
Tony Davies-Patrick Trustee Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Worldwide Posts: 1,589	The f/1.4, apart from brighter viewfinder in stills mode, isn't going to make any difference for your video work because you'll be stopping down a few notches on the aperture for most of your video work. The Canon f/1.4, Canon f/2.8, Nikon f1.4 and Nikon f/2.8 24mm lenses will all be very close in performance at f/4-f/8 aperture range anyway. Also, all of those lenses will not be so wide on the 1.6 crop factor, so I'd think it wiser to go for one of the wide zooms such as Nikon 12-24 mm f/4, Tokina 12-24 mm f/4, Sigma 10-20 mm f/4-5.6 Tamron 11-18 mm f/4.5-5.6, Tokina 10-17mm f/3.4-4.5, Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 or Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. The important thing to also remember is that you need to not go too wide if you want to keep distortion levels down - as in chruch walls/doors and human faces etc. I'd be tempted to say: try lots of trial runs on maintaining sharp focus and adjusting manual focus before opting to spend extra money on new lenses and extra cameras. Practice makes perfect... :) __________________ www.WILDCARP.com www.NIKON.me.uk

February 8th, 2010, 10:09 AM	#2
Cody Dulock Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: arlington, texas Posts: 420	I really like the 5D with a 24mm lens on the glidecam... you set your focus to infinity and just make sure you don't get to close to your subject. The tokina lens you described would probably be ideal for the 7D because of the crop factor. Would you rather shoot with 3 cameras or two cameras? 3 file formats and media to keep up with or 2? Make sure you are using some kind of quick release plate on your glidecam like the bogen 577 so switching to it can be really fast.

February 9th, 2010, 09:40 AM	#3
Michael Curtis New Boot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 21	Hey Cody, thanks for your reply. Do you have the 24 1.4 or 2.8 that you use with your 5D? I think we would be okay shooting with 3 cameras. My wife is planning on using the A1s on a tripod during the prep (makeup, etc) and ceremony while I will be using the 7D. Thanks for your recommendation of the quick release plate, that's definitely a great idea.

February 9th, 2010, 10:25 AM	#4
Cody Dulock Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: arlington, texas Posts: 420	Currently I have been using an old Nikon 24mm 2.8 with an adapter ring. The Canon 24mm f1.4 is an amazing lens, but I'm not 100% convinced it's going to be any better (except for the speed!) than my Nikon lens... I just cannot justify the price difference. I would recommend the tokina lens for the 7D since it has the 1.6x crop factor... 16mm = 25mm roughly. Don't try using a telephoto lens with a glidecam... learn from my mistake! Since you are new to weddings, you HAVE to look at www.infocusvideoevent.COM and www.infocusvideoevent.NET I attended the event and it changed everything for me!