Pro Moviemaker Spring 2020

ACADEMY

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO LENSES

DSLR AUTOFOCUS PRIMES

For those who want autofocus lenses and love the wafer-thin depth-of-field of a fast prime, or if you want a super-long telephoto or super-wide fisheye lens, then autofocus prime lenses designed for DSLR or the latest breed of mirrorless cameras are your only choice. Many of the fast, medium focal length primes don’t offer image stabilisation but do offer super quality and the smooth bokeh beloved of portrait photographers, which translates very well to filmmaking. And with the new range of full-frame mirrorless cameras such as the Panasonic S-series and Canon EOS R cameras, there have been some incredible new lenses on sale. One of the fastest andmost spectacular is the Canon RF50mm f/1.2L USM lens at £1899/$2099, ideal for early adopters of the new Canon system. And for users of Panasonic S cameras, Leica SL or Sigma fp, then the Panasonic Lumix Pro 50mm f/1.4 is a fast professional lens (but is pricey at £2299/$2297). For users of more established systems such as the Canon EF mount or Sony E mount, there is a far greater choice – and at different price points. Canon and Sony both offer a wide range of AF primes at different budgets and focal lengths to suit most needs. But there are also lenses from lots of independent makers. Zeiss is a well-known collaborator of Sony, and there are Zeiss-branded Sony

“Many fast primes don’t offer image stabilisation but do offer amazing quality and smooth bokeh”

in 12 groups, which is a huge amount for a prime lens, and why it’s no lightweight. There are a total of five, special low- dispersion elements and one aspherical lens element, plus a rounded nine-bladed diaphragm for smooth, out-of-focus areas. And this is housed in a sturdy metal body, which at 1645g and 131.5mm long is very big for a 105mm lens. It is heavy, and takes up a lot of room in your bag, especially with the detachable mammoth lens hood. It also comes with a tripod mount that makes it useful for balancing on a variety of camera bodies – from mirrorless to cinema cams. With more affordable lenses from the likes of Tokina coming on the market, the range of AF primes for E-mount shows no signs of slowing down as the Sony cameras continue to grow in the market.

lenses as well as Zeiss’ own range of lenses (such as the AF Batis range) to fit full- frame Sony E mount cameras. Of course, these work just as well on Super35 cameras like Sony A6300 mirrorless or FS5/FS7 camcorders, with a corresponding increase in equivalent focal length due to the Super35 size crop sensor. Sigma’s Art series of photo lenses offer incredible quality at a relatively affordable price, and in a very wide range of focal lengths. The latest £1299/$1522 105mm f/1.4 Art lens is the longest in the range, and Sigma specifically says this lens is the master of bokeh and perfect for portraits, as the extra focal length gives a little more compression, bringing the background even closer. And at f/1.4, to make it spectacularly out of focus, put it on an APS-C or Super35-size camera and it becomes roughly the equivalent of a 160mm lens, but with a staggering f/1.4 maximum aperture. The 105mm really delivers on Sigma’s pledge to make premium lenses that can out-performmanufacturer’s own, as there is no competition. The Sigma has an advanced design with 17 optical elements

IMAGES Canon and Panasonic make lenses for the EF and Leica L-Mount, but Zeiss makes glass in a range of different fittings to suit lots of marques

49

SPRING 2020 PRO MOVIEMAKER

Powered by