craigbuckley Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I am looking into shooting a documentary, and I have been reading that my prime lenses won't be as useful as a nice zoom lens. Makes sense.... I don't want to spend TOO much on a zoom lens, preferably around 100 dollars for a used older one, but not sure which one to get. I like the canon fd so I think I may stick with their style. For under $100 on ebay, there is the canon fd 35-70mm for $50, OR the 35-105mm for $100, and there is also a vivitar on there for around $50.. Any recommendationss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 At that price range I would just suggest sticking with prime lenses. Good zooms are very pricey craigbuckley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigbuckley Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 I need a lens for run and gun stuff though. Being able to zoom is pretty important and not having to switch lenses... If you had to stay in my range, would those canon fd's be pretty bad? Not even worth buying for $50? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 You'd probably want something with IS if run and gun is what you're looking into,especially with those focal lengths you're suggesting. Those Panasonic zooms are looking like your best option, but well above your price point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 IS would be good if you arent using a tripod. I cant comment on those lenses since I haven't used them, maybe someone else would chime in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomekk Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 There is no SOLID zoom lenses at your price point unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon de Zwaan Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Remember the GH2 has the EX tele conversion mode. It's very useful when shooting in decent light, so with one prime you actually have two focal lenghts available. Otherwise I have to agree with the others, there are no cheap zoom lenses that offer the same iq as decent fast primes. If you're able to spend a bit more money you could take a look at the Tokina 28-70mm f2.8. It's a bit long on the wide end, but it has constant aperture and is not that expensive. Another option is to dig into c-mount lenses. There are plenty of dirt cheap fast tv-zooms, but most of the time you'll need to modify the mount and use the EX tele mode, because of the vignetting. Good luck! Mondo and Zach 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 CraigI use the Canon FD 35-105 F3.5 alot its a very good lens very sharp also the Canon FD 24-35mm L series f3.5 is a KILLER LENS soooooo sharp ! also check outMinolta 24-35mm f3.5 its cheap and very very sharp - almost Canon L Series sharp !!Minolta 35-70mm f3.5 is very good these are all constant f number while zooming in and out and parfocal so ideal for video on a GH2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Vivitar Series 1 24-48mm is good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I need a lens for run and gun stuff though. Being able to zoom is pretty important and not having to switch lenses... If you had to stay in my range, would those canon fd's be pretty bad? Not even worth buying for $50?Canon FD lenses are very good ! and cheap as they do not fit Canon EF cameras like the 5D 550 etcso they are very very good value for a GH2 micro 4/3 cameraand very sharp!! Canon FD Lenses are used by Hollywood films especially for their crash cameras ie Eyemos craigbuckley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Craig this is a stunning lens very sharp one I use alot [url="http://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-MINOLTA-24-35MM-F3-5-ZOOM-MD-LENS-/271113788303?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item3f1fa41b8f"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-MINOLTA-24-35MM-F3-5-ZOOM-MD-LENS-/271113788303?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item3f1fa41b8f[/url] craigbuckley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Craig SIGMA UC ZOOM 28-70mmthis is also a very very good sharp lens and in your budgetI have used this lens alot to shoot with recently[url="http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIGMA-UC-ZOOM-28-70mm-1-3-5-4-5-CANON-FD-MOUNT-EXCELLENT-CONDITION-2866-/230879810368?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item35c1825340"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIGMA-UC-ZOOM-28-70mm-1-3-5-4-5-CANON-FD-MOUNT-EXCELLENT-CONDITION-2866-/230879810368?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item35c1825340[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 SMC Pentax-M Zoom 75-150mm F4 great lens well in your budget and very very sharp! and great BokehI use this for shooting head shots with a great narrow dof and background bokehconstant f stop when zooming [url="http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMC-Pentax-M-Zoom-75-150mm-F4-/180922903792?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item2a1fd86cf0"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMC-Pentax-M-Zoom-75-150mm-F4-/180922903792?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item2a1fd86cf0[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigbuckley Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 thank you everyone!! I got all that.. unfortunately, when you use the crop zoom function with the gh2, it knocks down the quality of the shot. 4x is even more blury. But I have a decent set of prime lenses so I just figured I would need some zoom lenses because I was planning on shooting some documentaries. I could use the prime for interviews but if I wanted to be out shooting an event, I need to zoom in and out a distance... I think the canon fd 35-105 is the winner unless there is a better selection in that price range ($100) and I already have an FD mount.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 yes the canon fd 35-105 is a great lens get this Craig! craigbuckley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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