Lens Talk

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About 2 months ago JJ @ OrangeWeddingFilms.com posted a video stating he was going to put together a test between the Canon 24-70mm F/2.8, Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8, and the Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 in Video use. Looks like he's posted a few first samples just yesterday and in some cases you do see difference in Contrast, color, and sharpness. I personally like the Canon 24-70mm F/2.8, but if you're happy with the results, you can save a bit of money on the other non Canon brands. Here's the break down on lenses, prices, and what you're comparing.

First up Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 Wide Telephoto priced at approx $1349.00
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click image to find at bhphotovideo.com

Second Lens is the Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 Macro priced at approx $569.00
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click image to find at bhphotovideo.com

Third Lens in the test is the Tamron Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF 28-75mm f/2.8 priced at $499.00
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click image to find at bhphotovideo.com

To follow up on his first review against these lenses, i've owned them all at one point. I still have the Canon 24-70mm F/2.8. Sigma makes some really great lenses, I still rock my Sigma 20mm all the time. I started with the Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 before my Canon L, using it for photography. Compared to the Canon it was slower on auto focus, more noise when focusing, and problems with communication when using Infrared metering from my Speedlite. This is when I upgraded to the Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 L. The Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 of course is half the price of the Canon 24-70mm, so if you're looking for a strictly Video lens with this range, all these quirks might not be a problem for you. If you're a hybrid shooter of both Photo and Video, you'll get better performance and image quality from the Canon.

I'm not going to get deep into the Tamron lens, I love Tamron lenses like my 18-270mm as my travel lens choice, but if you're going to be dealing with the weather, this is where the Canon 24-70mm L lens proves it's worth. Many of the cheaper lenses provide decent image quality at an affordable price, but lack the weather sealing, quiet motor, and fast autofocus. I had problems with an earlier lens (I won't mention any brands) shooting in light fog which crept into my lens and pretty much ruined it with moisture from the inside. Again, if you're just doing strictly video and not worried about auto focus noise & weather, you'll find great deals in the Sigma and Tamron brands, and also Tokina which isn't part of this test because they don't have a lens available in this range.

Update: Just confirmed with JJ that his test was using the older Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8. There is another more silent and higher end 24-70mm F/2.8 HSM priced at about $899.00 from Sigma that has not been tested. This is said to be a close rival to the Canon 24-70mm F/2.8.
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click image to find at bhphotovideo.com

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Canon MR-14EX TTL Macro Ring Flash

So friend of mine recently picked up a T2i only for Photography and no interest in Video. Most of the shots he's been sharing is all related to close up nature / macro type images. There's several things he can probably improve upon such as shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings, but he's learning. Another great item to really boost the color, focus, and sharpness with Macro photography is Flash Lighting. Macro flashes are designed to throw the light evenly around a small subject providing almost shadowless lighting. Of course you have to be pretty serious about Macro photography before you getting into the flashes, as the good ones like the Canon MF-14EX TTL (above) will easily run you over $400 dollars.

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Ray Flash Ring Adapter

If you want to go a bit cheaper with off the shelf gear, there are some options such as the Ray Ring flash adapter that bend the light from your normal Speedlite. This item sits over your existing Flash. The Ray Ring will still run you about $199.95. There's obviously clones to everything these days and you can find Ray Ring Flash clones (probably not the same build quality) called O flashes for around $32.00 dollars (below).

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O Flash Macro Ring Light

If you're on the cheap cheap like me, this all reminded me of that very old DIY Ring-Flash article and got me inspired to try my hand at it. I'm sure he's not ready to dish out quite so much money, so maybe I can whip something up for him to get better photos on the cheap. This thing looks pretty effective.

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Oh yeah, i'm a Canon guy through and through, but I got a thing for toys. Just received the Nikon Telephoto Zoom Lens 24-70mm Stainless Steel mug and my friends are already drooling over it. It's quite nice, and gives me an idea for what some of these less fortunate Nikon shooting friends of mine would receive for Christmas or Birthdays. As far as shipping goes for this product, HOLY COW that was fast. I'm normally waiting weeks and weeks to get stuff like this in, but this one came in very quickly. Big ups to this Seller of Souvenir Canon and Nikon mugs, definitely a store to order from. I'll get home and take some nice up close macro product shots to share tonight.

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• 6 Comments

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After this weekend, i'm thinking of adding a few items to speed up my dynamic workflow. I go from handheld, to monopod, to tripod, to Steadicam, to slider, to dolly, etc. Things have to be fast and things have to work together. I need a strap to carry two cameras, I need this to disconnect if I move to handheld, and I need this to adapt to the different rigs very quickly. Here's some accessories of what i'm dreaming up now that might work best for my type of shooting.

Similar form to the Black Rapid Double Camera strap, but with alot more function, here's the Q-Strap several people have been telling me about after I posted about a BlackRapid clone. Looks like those BlackRapid clones have dissappeared, but this Q-Strap (not R-Strap) is readily avaiable and seems to have improved on the mounting design. Although i'm a big fan of the solid mounting clip of the BlackRapids, one of the shortcomings is that you can't quickly get your camera back to Tripod, or if you want to dismount and go handheld there's no option for that Camera Hand Strap. Here's where the Q-strap is forward thinking. Using a different mounting plate, it has an attachment area to keep a Camera Hand Strap on at all times. Secondly, it still maintains a standard Tripod mount thread, would be perfect for a Manfrotto 394 Quick Release Plate to stay on for some fast Tripod Mount options. So i'm thinking about going this route and dumping off my OG BlackRapid strap with this new Q-Strap configuration.

First the Q-Strap:
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Second the Camera Hand Strap:
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Third the Manfrotto 394 Quick Release Plate:
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In my head this combination is all working out great, giving me great flexibility with my gear moving from harness strap, to handheld strap, to tripod mount, steadicam mount very very quickly without having to screw/unscrew anything - just clip clip clip. As suggested by one of the readers, by using the Manfrotto 394 quick release plate on top of my 717AH should also make things quick for me while saving big bucks on a decent fluid head.

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find-price-button Padded Protective Lens Pouches

When I travel light, those thin grey Canon Soft Lens Pouches seem to do fine for just covering up my lenses. Of course any lens case is better than no case to minimize dust, moisture, and scratches. Now when traveling heavy with a wide assortment of lenses I have to carry a bigger bag. More lenses + Bigger bag means equipment is just stacked one on top of the other. I don't like over using dividers in the travel bag because it's just taking up way too much space. Instead I thought I'd just individually wrap up each lens with a beefy Neoprene case. Neoprene is the same material used on Scuba Diving suits so it's quite elastic, soft, but still durable. Much better protection than the standard grey bags that come with most Canon lenses. Obviously, these things are quite cheap coming from overseas starting at only $2.38 + Free shipping. I've placed an order on a variety of sizes, and soon as they come in i'll show which pouches fit which lens. Check out the huge variety of Neoprene Lens Protective Bags.

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find-price-button Padded Lens Bags for Canon Nikon Sony Pentax Panasonic DSLR Lenses

If you're looking for something even more 'beefier' than the Neoprene Lens bags, foam padded ones are a bit larger, taking up precious bag space, but offer better protection against bumps and impact. Many of these are also wearable around the belt look or shoulder sling strap. These suckers start UNDER $10.00 + Free Shipping. Check out the variety of Foam Padded Lens Protection bags.

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I was searching for a Nikon Coffee mug as a gift for a Nikon fanatic friend and ran into this. I just posted an article about Lens Replica Coffee Mugs getting an upgrade, and all of a sudden there's a new one out with another upgrade. Looks like the Nikon Replicas are ahead of the competition with this one. An actual Stainless steel insert Nikon Replica Lens Coffee Mug that 'Zooms' in and out. Yeah it's a bit geeky, but if you're going to rock one, why not rock it right. The details on the mug are claimed to be 99.9% accurate, and having received my Canon 24-105mm Lens Coffee Mug a while back, i'm sure that's very possible. They are coming out with such detail and scale to size, it's hard to tell the real from the fake. Now with the cool 'Zoom' factor, it adds even more to these fun little nostalgic collector cups. This one also comes with the fancy lens pouch to complete. This is a very new item and has just become available for sale here.

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BlueStar-Eyepiece (2)

BlueStar Eyecushion upgrades for your view finder loupes are definitely high quality stuff for an inexpensive price. I just received two in this morning, in colors Red and in Tan, with a Microfiber finish. If you're looking for the type to fit onto the LCDVF or LCDVF clone perfectly, you'll want to go with the Oval Small and the Microfiber version was the original one that shipped with the LCDVF. Other types of finish offered by BlueStar Viewfinder Eyecushion's are available in Cotton and Fleece. There are also a ton of colors available too. A definite must have for a more comfortable fit for these ViewFinder loupes. These guys know their stuff, and if you're looking for a perfect fit on any type of camera, give them a holla over at https://www.bluestarproducts.ca/ with your questions.

Reminder that these LCD viewfinder loupes aren't just for videographers. These LCD viewfinder loupes are perfect for outdoor photographers who have to fight the bright daylight when reviewing their LCD for proper exposure and focus. I've noticed the prices already going up on these uber cheap LCD Viewfinders from my earlier posts, and there's still talk of discontinuation due to possible infringment issues.

Available at BHPHOTOVIDEO.com
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I blogged about the popular Canon 70-200mm Replica Lens Coffee Mugs that first showed up during the Winter Olympics 'With Stainless Steel Insert', and then in short time a non-OEM Canon 24-105mm replica lens cup turned up which was ok, but didn't have a stainless steel insert for real coffee use.

Soon after a replica Nikon 24-105 Lens mug showed up. The Nikon replica 24-105 lens plastic mug was a nice try piggy-backing on the popularity of the Canon 70-200mm coffee mug, but also didn't have the stainless steel insert like a true Hot Coffee Mug.

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Well looks like Nikon users have something even more to smile about, now that the Nikon 24-70mm F/2.8 Replica Lens Thermos Coffee Mug with Stainless Steel insert is up for sale. The replica from the photos look fairly well put together and adds a nice touch with the replica box and lens bag. You can find the Nikon 24-70mm F/2.8 Replica Lens Coffee Thermos Mug here.

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The Canon 24-105mm Plastic cup also gets the Stainless Steel treatment making it finally useable for actual Coffee drinkers. If you haven't checked out my videos on these replica lens coffee mugs, they are actually made quite well. You would think that after this quality upgrade to Stainless Steel prices would go up from the normal $80+ dollars they used to fetch for, but in reality, now that popularity has died down they've become much more affordable for us geeky nostalgic collectors. You can find both Nikon and Canon Stainless Steel Replica Lens Mugs here.

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Checking out different websites for a Matte Box + French flags that can support filters, it's pretty hard to locate anything under $400 dollars. Especially for DIY guys making custom rigs, you might not be looking for something that requires a Rod Rig Mount. This one mounts using the Filter threads on your lenses. I've seen this Cokin Filter based Matte Box for DSLR's many many times, but didn't know if it was something to consider. It's nice that it's Cokin Filter Compatible saving you tons of dollars on those inexpensive filters. Checking out his eBay Feedback looks like he's selling quite a few each week. So i'm looking for some additional input from people who might have purchased this thing, is it good or not good? Or is this possibly one of those items like a Justin Bieber CD that shows it sold millions but nobody wants to admit they own it...... Anyone?