Lens Question

Chris Quevedo · August 19th, 2013, 04:32 PM

that lens would work, but no it wouldn't give you a 50-100mm equivalent. the sensor in the NEX-EA50 is a 1.5x crop. for take whatever the focal length of a lens is, and multiply it by 1.5, and that will give you the focal length of the lens on the NEX-EA50. and thats the case with ALL lenses. even the stock 18-200mm that comes with it.

so a 50mm is 50mm x 1.5 = 75mm. thus it would turn that 50mm prime lens into a 75-150mm zoom.

ps, that means that the 18-200mm really is 36-300mm if you're realistic.

also, i'm not sure if you're asking about the full frame Sony Alpha model, but if you are, that would work with the speed booster, but that adds more math into the equation. the speed booster recovers 0.71x of your focal length. so that makes it 50mm x 1.5 x 0.71 = 53.25mm. that would make it a 53.25-106.5mm when you use digital zoom. and just so you know, yes the rule of crop factor applies no matter whether the lens is made for the cropped sensor on the NEX-EA50 or its made for full frame.

now if you are referring to the NEX mount 50mm f/1.8, than all the math above applies, except that there is no speed booster that will work with that. hope that helps buddy :-)

Chris Quevedo · August 19th, 2013, 04:33 PM

if you want a prime lens that will give you close to a 50mm look than try a 35mm, that comes really close.

Randy Johnson · August 19th, 2013, 04:36 PM

Thanks for the math:) since I sent that post out I figured out how to use the digital zoom and also found out why I dont think I can use it. It doesnt give you enough play BUT now that I see all you guys using these fast zoom lenses can is there one of those that would work? so I can manually zoom to like say 70 mm then use the digital zoom if I need to get closer?

Chris Quevedo · August 19th, 2013, 04:43 PM

ok, easy answer is that you are gonna probably want a lens adapter that gives you aperture control. so for that i recommend the Metabones Smart Adapter II. it will allow you to use a canon EF lens on your sony. this adapter will work with full frame or cropped frame EF lenses, but don't get it confused with a speed booster, there is no glass element in it to reduce the focal length. and remember that the speed booster only works with full frame lenses while the smart adapter works with both full frame and cropped lenses

then get a Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 with image stabilization. that will give you a 34-110mm equivalent and then you can use digital zoom when its not enough.

if you decide to go the speed booster route though, and you have the money to do it, then get the Canon EF to NEX speed booster and the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 image stabilized lens. that will give you, based on the math above, a 25.56-74.55mm lens and give you 1 extra stop of light, making it a f/2 lens

Chris Quevedo · August 19th, 2013, 04:46 PM

also, theres always the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens. its not a very long zoom, but the f-stop is awesome. that is cropped and would only work with the smart adapter, so 27-52.5mm equivalent

Randy Johnson · August 19th, 2013, 05:51 PM

great answers! That looks like a good road for me thanks!

Chris Quevedo · August 19th, 2013, 05:55 PM

glad to help :-)

Chris Harding · August 19th, 2013, 11:43 PM

Hi Randy

I have yet to find a Church where the stock lens couldn't cope ... however if you are a long way back and at a big zoom you might have issues. I would rather get closer to the action ... My main cam is usually 2nd pew from the front so instead of being zoomed up to 150mm and at F6.3 I'm only zoomed up to around 50mm and still at F4.0 ..big difference.

Silly things (that you can establish if you go to rehearsals) are asking for the lights to be turned on (at one Church I opened a side door and voila..lot's of light)

Also bear in mind that at 20' from the bride and 55m at F4 you have a healthy DOF of around 6' which will cover the couple and the priest ... zap on a 55m F1.4 prime (or the new Sigma zoom) and your DOF drops right down to around 24" ...a slight mis-focus and the couple are fuzzy and the priest is sharp or the other way around so you really need to be careful with very fast lenses. If you have to work from the rear then you can get away with faster lenses as 135mm at F1.8 still has enough DOF as long as you are at least 60' away but sheesh ..one tiny bump on the tripod equates to a huge shift on the video at that distance ...I'd rather be closer ! Besides IF your audio fails if you are only 20' away you can still get useable audio from the camera shotgun ...at the rear of the Church you are lost!

Seriously as long as the stock lens doesn't break into the 24-30db range you still can get very nice images from it. The EA-50 has a big sensor and footage with gains of up to 21db are pretty much noise free.

Chris

Erik Wittbusch · August 20th, 2013, 12:07 AM

By the way:

A Canon 17-55 behaves like a 26-80mm lens on a full frame photo camera.
This is my go to lens for documentaries. I can absolutely recommend it with the smart adapter.

But 17-55mm are always 17-55mm, regardless of sensor size...

Chris Quevedo · August 20th, 2013, 11:17 AM

sure, whatever focal length it is, that is what it is. but the manufacturer of that lens says

"the EF-S 17-55 mm f2.8 IS USM lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 27-88mm and is compatible only with the EOS 30D, EOS 20D, EOS Digital Rebel XT, and EOS Digital Rebel SLRs."

that lens is not made to work with full frame cameras cause its APS-C. its important to remember that, say for example, a 50mm lens will always only be 50mm, but how it behaves will differ depending on what type of camera it was made for and what camera you use it on. in the case of the EA50, its like a 75mm.

ps, i got that from the amazon description written by the manufacturer

Randy Johnson · August 20th, 2013, 06:19 PM

The stock lens is a perfect lens as far as its focal length the problem I have is the speed 3.5 is bad enough but going to 6 when I zoom in makes it real hard to shoot in any indoor settings. If Sony (or someone else) came out with a similar lens but shot at 2.8 fixed or even 3.5 fixed I wouldn't have any beefs. I do need to try one of the lenses you guys use to see. Maybe they will be fine.

Chris Quevedo · August 21st, 2013, 04:47 PM

good news: rumor has it a new power zoom that is 18-105mm is coming out

bad news: its only a constant f/4

(SR5) 16-70mm Zeiss has OSS. A3000 (ILC-3000) has new 20 Megapixel sensor. | sonyalpharumors

Randy Johnson · August 21st, 2013, 04:58 PM

Thats a step in the right direction! Does the speed booster only work with prime lenses?

Chris Quevedo · August 21st, 2013, 04:59 PM

better, almost

Erik Wittbusch · August 22nd, 2013, 08:36 AM

A Speedbooster only works for big flange distance differences
and for lenses made for full frame aka 35mm film.

Mostly for full frame D/SLR lenses - primes and zooms doesn't matter.

So the 18-105 would be perfect in focal range and it will be smaller and lighter
than the big Canon/Nikon zoomlenses + adapter and have image stabilization.

But: f4 isn't that much faster than the 18-200 - only 1 stop at the long end...

August 19th, 2013, 04:32 PM	#16
Chris Quevedo Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 158	Re: Lens Question that lens would work, but no it wouldn't give you a 50-100mm equivalent. the sensor in the NEX-EA50 is a 1.5x crop. for take whatever the focal length of a lens is, and multiply it by 1.5, and that will give you the focal length of the lens on the NEX-EA50. and thats the case with ALL lenses. even the stock 18-200mm that comes with it. so a 50mm is 50mm x 1.5 = 75mm. thus it would turn that 50mm prime lens into a 75-150mm zoom. ps, that means that the 18-200mm really is 36-300mm if you're realistic. also, i'm not sure if you're asking about the full frame Sony Alpha model, but if you are, that would work with the speed booster, but that adds more math into the equation. the speed booster recovers 0.71x of your focal length. so that makes it 50mm x 1.5 x 0.71 = 53.25mm. that would make it a 53.25-106.5mm when you use digital zoom. and just so you know, yes the rule of crop factor applies no matter whether the lens is made for the cropped sensor on the NEX-EA50 or its made for full frame. now if you are referring to the NEX mount 50mm f/1.8, than all the math above applies, except that there is no speed booster that will work with that. hope that helps buddy :-)

August 19th, 2013, 04:33 PM	#17
Chris Quevedo Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 158	Re: Lens Question if you want a prime lens that will give you close to a 50mm look than try a 35mm, that comes really close.

August 19th, 2013, 04:36 PM	#18
Randy Johnson Trustee Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Newark, Delaware Posts: 1,067	Re: Lens Question Thanks for the math:) since I sent that post out I figured out how to use the digital zoom and also found out why I dont think I can use it. It doesnt give you enough play BUT now that I see all you guys using these fast zoom lenses can is there one of those that would work? so I can manually zoom to like say 70 mm then use the digital zoom if I need to get closer?

August 19th, 2013, 04:43 PM	#19
Chris Quevedo Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 158	Re: Lens Question ok, easy answer is that you are gonna probably want a lens adapter that gives you aperture control. so for that i recommend the Metabones Smart Adapter II. it will allow you to use a canon EF lens on your sony. this adapter will work with full frame or cropped frame EF lenses, but don't get it confused with a speed booster, there is no glass element in it to reduce the focal length. and remember that the speed booster only works with full frame lenses while the smart adapter works with both full frame and cropped lenses then get a Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 with image stabilization. that will give you a 34-110mm equivalent and then you can use digital zoom when its not enough. if you decide to go the speed booster route though, and you have the money to do it, then get the Canon EF to NEX speed booster and the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 image stabilized lens. that will give you, based on the math above, a 25.56-74.55mm lens and give you 1 extra stop of light, making it a f/2 lens

August 19th, 2013, 04:46 PM	#20
Chris Quevedo Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 158	Re: Lens Question also, theres always the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens. its not a very long zoom, but the f-stop is awesome. that is cropped and would only work with the smart adapter, so 27-52.5mm equivalent

August 19th, 2013, 05:51 PM	#21
Randy Johnson Trustee Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Newark, Delaware Posts: 1,067	Re: Lens Question great answers! That looks like a good road for me thanks!

August 19th, 2013, 05:55 PM	#22
Chris Quevedo Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 158	Re: Lens Question glad to help :-)

August 19th, 2013, 11:43 PM	#23
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Lens Question Hi Randy I have yet to find a Church where the stock lens couldn't cope ... however if you are a long way back and at a big zoom you might have issues. I would rather get closer to the action ... My main cam is usually 2nd pew from the front so instead of being zoomed up to 150mm and at F6.3 I'm only zoomed up to around 50mm and still at F4.0 ..big difference. Silly things (that you can establish if you go to rehearsals) are asking for the lights to be turned on (at one Church I opened a side door and voila..lot's of light) Also bear in mind that at 20' from the bride and 55m at F4 you have a healthy DOF of around 6' which will cover the couple and the priest ... zap on a 55m F1.4 prime (or the new Sigma zoom) and your DOF drops right down to around 24" ...a slight mis-focus and the couple are fuzzy and the priest is sharp or the other way around so you really need to be careful with very fast lenses. If you have to work from the rear then you can get away with faster lenses as 135mm at F1.8 still has enough DOF as long as you are at least 60' away but sheesh ..one tiny bump on the tripod equates to a huge shift on the video at that distance ...I'd rather be closer ! Besides IF your audio fails if you are only 20' away you can still get useable audio from the camera shotgun ...at the rear of the Church you are lost! Seriously as long as the stock lens doesn't break into the 24-30db range you still can get very nice images from it. The EA-50 has a big sensor and footage with gains of up to 21db are pretty much noise free. Chris

August 20th, 2013, 12:07 AM	#24
Erik Wittbusch Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Duisburg Posts: 93	Re: Lens Question By the way: A Canon 17-55 behaves like a 26-80mm lens on a full frame photo camera. This is my go to lens for documentaries. I can absolutely recommend it with the smart adapter. But 17-55mm are always 17-55mm, regardless of sensor size...

August 20th, 2013, 11:17 AM	#25
Chris Quevedo Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 158	Re: Lens Question sure, whatever focal length it is, that is what it is. but the manufacturer of that lens says "the EF-S 17-55 mm f2.8 IS USM lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 27-88mm and is compatible only with the EOS 30D, EOS 20D, EOS Digital Rebel XT, and EOS Digital Rebel SLRs." that lens is not made to work with full frame cameras cause its APS-C. its important to remember that, say for example, a 50mm lens will always only be 50mm, but how it behaves will differ depending on what type of camera it was made for and what camera you use it on. in the case of the EA50, its like a 75mm. ps, i got that from the amazon description written by the manufacturer

August 20th, 2013, 06:19 PM	#26
Randy Johnson Trustee Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Newark, Delaware Posts: 1,067	Re: Lens Question The stock lens is a perfect lens as far as its focal length the problem I have is the speed 3.5 is bad enough but going to 6 when I zoom in makes it real hard to shoot in any indoor settings. If Sony (or someone else) came out with a similar lens but shot at 2.8 fixed or even 3.5 fixed I wouldn't have any beefs. I do need to try one of the lenses you guys use to see. Maybe they will be fine.

August 21st, 2013, 04:47 PM	#27
Chris Quevedo Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 158	Re: Lens Question good news: rumor has it a new power zoom that is 18-105mm is coming out bad news: its only a constant f/4 (SR5) 16-70mm Zeiss has OSS. A3000 (ILC-3000) has new 20 Megapixel sensor. \| sonyalpharumors

August 21st, 2013, 04:58 PM	#28
Randy Johnson Trustee Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Newark, Delaware Posts: 1,067	Re: Lens Question Thats a step in the right direction! Does the speed booster only work with prime lenses?

August 21st, 2013, 04:59 PM	#29
Chris Quevedo Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 158	Re: Lens Question better, almost

August 22nd, 2013, 08:36 AM	#30
Erik Wittbusch Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Duisburg Posts: 93	Re: Lens Question A Speedbooster only works for big flange distance differences and for lenses made for full frame aka 35mm film. Mostly for full frame D/SLR lenses - primes and zooms doesn't matter. So the 18-105 would be perfect in focal range and it will be smaller and lighter than the big Canon/Nikon zoomlenses + adapter and have image stabilization. But: f4 isn't that much faster than the 18-200 - only 1 stop at the long end...