Lens for dialogue and car interiors? at DVinfo.net

Kalunga Lima · March 14th, 2010, 08:00 AM

I'm looking for a fix lens for shooting dialogue (over the shoulder - low light) and car interiors with a 5D MKII. I was wondering if 28mm will serve the purpose: sort of a compromise between the 24mm which perhaps may add too much distortion to faces and the 35mm which may not be wide enough.

THANKS

Louis Maddalena · March 14th, 2010, 03:24 PM

I'll be honest, I don't think the 28 would be good for dialog, I'd pick the 24 for your interior car shots and just pick up the "nifty fifty" for $100 and then later pick up a nicer 50 down the road.

Jon Fairhurst · March 14th, 2010, 04:23 PM

A 28mm could work. It really depends on how intimate or how wide you want the final shot to look.

At 4:48 of the following video, we shot a scene with a guy in a theater seat with the camera one seat over and one row back. The lens is an EF 28/1.8 on a 5D. This would be similar to the view from the back seat of a car.

vimeo.com/6179655

Brian Drysdale · March 14th, 2010, 05:15 PM

It really depends on a number of factors, such as how large a car are you using, what's your widest shot, how you are mounting the camera.

We spent three weeks filming in a car and I think the widest lens we used was roughly the equivalent of a 28mm on a FF35.

Nathan Wilcox · March 14th, 2010, 11:44 PM

I really enjoy the Takumar 50mm f1.4, and here is a car interior shot to show you the scale of it on a Full Frame sensor. Good for closeup's, but I agree with everyone else about something in the 20-28mm range if you wanna see the car interior.
Photo of my director whilst in the car with the Super Takumar:
Herr Director on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Kalunga Lima · March 15th, 2010, 11:57 AM

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to get a descent 50mm first, seems it's a basic lens for narrative filming, and then I'll experiment with the wide angles.

March 14th, 2010, 08:00 AM	#1
Kalunga Lima Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Luanda - ANGOLA & Lisbon - PORTUGAL Posts: 160	Lens for dialogue and car interiors? I'm looking for a fix lens for shooting dialogue (over the shoulder - low light) and car interiors with a 5D MKII. I was wondering if 28mm will serve the purpose: sort of a compromise between the 24mm which perhaps may add too much distortion to faces and the 35mm which may not be wide enough. THANKS __________________ Kalunga Lima PMW-350, PDW-F350, PDW-EX1, MacBookPro, MacPro 8-Core, Final Cut Studio 2, Canon 5D MkII

March 14th, 2010, 03:24 PM	#2
Louis Maddalena Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: NYC Area. Posts: 550	I'll be honest, I don't think the 28 would be good for dialog, I'd pick the 24 for your interior car shots and just pick up the "nifty fifty" for $100 and then later pick up a nicer 50 down the road. __________________ Red Epic available for rent, starting at $500 per day, Scarlets, and Lenses available too. rentals.maddalenamedia.com

March 14th, 2010, 04:23 PM	#3
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	A 28mm could work. It really depends on how intimate or how wide you want the final shot to look. At 4:48 of the following video, we shot a scene with a guy in a theater seat with the camera one seat over and one row back. The lens is an EF 28/1.8 on a 5D. This would be similar to the view from the back seat of a car. vimeo.com/6179655 __________________ Jon Fairhurst

March 15th, 2010, 11:57 AM	#6
Kalunga Lima Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Luanda - ANGOLA & Lisbon - PORTUGAL Posts: 160	Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to get a descent 50mm first, seems it's a basic lens for narrative filming, and then I'll experiment with the wide angles. __________________ Kalunga Lima PMW-350, PDW-F350, PDW-EX1, MacBookPro, MacPro 8-Core, Final Cut Studio 2, Canon 5D MkII

March 14th, 2010, 05:15 PM	#4
Brian Drysdale Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Belfast, UK Posts: 6,152	It really depends on a number of factors, such as how large a car are you using, what's your widest shot, how you are mounting the camera. We spent three weeks filming in a car and I think the widest lens we used was roughly the equivalent of a 28mm on a FF35.

March 14th, 2010, 11:44 PM	#5
Nathan Wilcox New Boot Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Seagertown PA Posts: 21	I really enjoy the Takumar 50mm f1.4, and here is a car interior shot to show you the scale of it on a Full Frame sensor. Good for closeup's, but I agree with everyone else about something in the 20-28mm range if you wanna see the car interior. Photo of my director whilst in the car with the Super Takumar: Herr Director on Flickr - Photo Sharing!