fuzzynormal

I have this same problem and have been trying to remedy it by walking out the door for shoots with only two primes. Maybe one prime, depending on the level of the job. After doing this for awhile and reviewing the results I'm realizing that I like the images I'm shooting on my 45mm M43 the best. All this came about when I decided not too long ago to shoot a documentary with a FF cam and a 50mm. The aesthetic had a cohesion that my typical undisciplined shooting did not. More visual creativity seems to come about when I'm forced into thinking about the self-imposed limitations of a shot and finding ways to compensate. Ironically, I'm getting more innovative by restricting my focal length freedom. Since I have a broadcasting background I've spent most of my career with variable zooms. Busting my old visual habits has been very rewarding. But, right now, I've kind of sworn off zoom lenses for motion picture shooting.

I like to think he's off actually making a film.

How can I be amused when the cold blue deepness projects into the void of the horizon and reflects back nothingness? Here on the edge of this urban wilderness, we ask ourselves, are we more or less than this visible spectrum? Spinning like a dancer. Like photons; never existing but always existing Yet, the dog continues running alongside his master. Day after day for hundreds of miles.

Because I find it funny. And you'd have to know me to appreciate the context of why I find it funny. If you don't, then you won't.

;-) ​I mean I'm amused at your response.

Kind of a amusing response that, be it serious or facetious. Anyway, I found it cute and funny because there's so many beginners and earnest enthusiasts accessing this newly affordable gear --and they seem so damn serious about their cameras. How do the British explain it? "Taking the piss out of..." or something like that? You (should) know as well as I do that we deserve to be mocked. If you don't get the silliness, you might want to consider why. The more this Ed guy riles things up the better, as far as I'm concerned. If any court needed a bit of jesting, it's us.

My first Canon fifty literally just fell apart one day and dropped to the ground. It broke into 4 pieces. I picked it up, walked over to a trash bin, and put it in. Last time I owned the 1.8 50.

​You tell me. Is that true? I've never used it. All I did was list my experiences. It does NOT have the ability to adjust focus without power? As I've said, I've used numerous Canon lenses that have electronic auto focus and were able to manually focus. If I'm wrong I'm wrong. Happens a lot, but that would be a pretty lousy design from Canon...which, actually, wouldn't surprise me.

​As I said, I'm personally using the Sigma 10-20 on a dumb adapter. It focuses manually fine. I also have a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. I've had the 50 mm - F/1.8 - Canon EF. The 50 mm - F/1.4 - Canon EF. The 40 mm - F/2.8 - Canon EF. As well as a Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Zoom Lens for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras. Never had an issue grabbing manual focus with any of that. It's not as elegant as mechanical, but it can be done. You can't rig some of 'em up with a focus rig, but ultimately you can focus. If you're shooting video should you really use auto focusing anyway? My opinion is that you should not. ...and with a wide 10mm focal length @f4.5, it really shouldn't be a trouble. And again, my posts on this thread have been qualified from the perspective of using glass for cinema/video, which is what the OP was asking about. He already has a piece of wide angle glass, why consider buying another one? This is not a snarky question. I really am interested in his opinion of why he wants to do so.

​I can speak for myself. The answer is procrastination.

​You can't? Why not? I use my Sigma EF mount lens on my M43 and ASP-C cams all the time. Are you misunderstanding or unaware of how you can use these lenses across different camera bodies with a simple adapter?

​Lovely and 10mm aren't two things I'd put in the same sentence, but that's just me. FWIW, I have a Sigma 10-20mm I mount on my s35 sensor-sized cams all the time. Works fine. And I'm confused. In your post you say you already have a 10-18mm, so what would you be unable to match? You already have the lens and can keep using it. My understanding is that the NX1 and the t2i are essentially the same sized sensor...

I think if your intent is to make cinematic images and can handle manual focus (which any shooter should be able to do) then buying a fast 50mm and a fast 24mm with a "dumb" adapter is perfectly adequate and all you SHOULD need for most of your work. If you're ambitious and affluent you can buy upscale cinema lenses, but 2 cheap old Canon FD's would suffice, I say. My opinion is that you could obviously fret about an infinite amount of other options, but just skip that nonsense and get to work with two nice primes. I've found that working within the "constrictions" of these two focal lengths on an s35 sensor has made me a more considered shooter and a much more visually consistent one. My 2cents.

Put yourself out there. You could easily get noticed for this and people will come to you for the next movie. Congratulations in advance!

​Well, more anecdotal info: M43 is the direction I've gone with the last 5 cams I've bought. But I still haven't sold my 5DII either. FF is nice as it can be pretty great in low-light; as seen with the A7s. There's good reasons for lots of gear. I do agree that it is kinda silly to assume that one's individual desires reflect the desires of an entire market. If that were true United States TV shows like "Enlightened" would be never have been canceled and the intellectual abortion of "Two and a Half Men" would never have existed in the first place. But I'm not a typical American TV viewer and the typical American TV viewer ain't me, so there you go.

Study Tai Chi. Or even archery. This isn't a joke. With proper body control and considered balance you can learn to stabilize a camera without any extra gear (for short stints anyway). You want to be stealth? Keep it simple and nondescript. The point is to be very aware about what you're doing with your body. Learn this first and then combine it with some of the the very practical suggestions here and you'll be golden. Of course, the caveat being that whatever you hold needs a decent amount of mass. Even a supernatural ninja that could control her/his heartbeat would have trouble keeping a lightweight camera stable. Anyway, I'd advise developing skill before spending money on a rig.

Well, I, for one, am encouraged that this thread had some life that I didn't expect. Agreed, it is a lot harder to analyze art rather than engineering, so to see a 5 page topic that kinda bridges the debate between both is nice. Thanks for the insights.

FWIW, I'm on M43 because it's compact. Photos and Videos for me work great. So this consumer in particular isn't caught up in the sensor size angst. And, if you really want mega DOF you can kinda get there with certain lenses. But, yeah, the small size of body and lenses is really a killer feature. The National Geographic mantra "f8 and be there" really resonates with me therefore I'm less about FF and more about just being in the right spot at the right time. All that said, you can't beat an interview shot done on FF with a fast prime 50 or 85.

​Everybody is right on the internet. :-) Some even more so because they know how to caps lock. Anyway, regardless of what this forum is or isn't I think it should be applauded for existing. Personally, I like the chippy-ness and passion around here. Freedom is usually a bit messy and I like it. I'd rather be offended than bored.

​Well, my sig has my vimeo page which leads to examples of things, which is mostly corporate. My thoughts are that those examples are good, not great... but it's there to see. That way you can balance my opinion with my level of production. Depending on where you're coming from in the biz, it could be inspiring or you could dismiss it. Nevertheless, it's there as a way to help judge my perspective. Which I think is fair. In any community it's good to have a sense of where people's opinions are coming from.

​To be fair, all I was saying is that you don't really need a new camera to do any of that stuff. Not that you're wrong in the way you interpreted my ambiguous writing. But craft and engineering are not the same thing, (tool use vs. tool ownership) which is kinda the thing I was getting at. I sort of thought my question and call to action would be at the heart of the potential thread --to list videos y'all have seen that were impressive but didn't rely on a great camera to accomplish. I always love that sort of stuff and am attracted to it. That didn't happen, which is okay. But it's been fascinating to see what (and why) people got from my assertions. I'm encouraged that folks here engaged about something a little broader regarding film making than the typical gear-centric talk. I do think that's nice. Y'all are a pretty enthusiastic bunch.

Is development of this tech in speed booster form a given or wishful thinking? Does seem likely, but any idea if anything is actually underway in that regard? I'd love to get my Canon ASP-C glass autofocusing on the GX7/EM5II. Mostly for photos, but it would be useful on video too.

Well, I've been qualifying my post with some existential dilemma​, so that's pretty much spot on; except for the kid part. I wish that were true.

Smart productive people! I need to get to that place. ​

​Nada. But for me, because of what I do and what I'm striving for, I'm not going to make acquiring the technically best camera and image a top priority. It feels like a distraction from other ambitions.