Lens questions: rokinon cine vs. canon, zoom vs. prime

[jackalbins]

I am an amateur filmmaker using a 5D Mark III and looking to complete my lens kit. I've done extensive research both in forums and on lens review sites (dxomark, photozone, lenstip, the digital picture, etc.) but would like more specific thoughts regarding the options I'm considering.

Presently I own the Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L IS and the EF 50 f/1.4 USM.

Before beginning my research, my plan was to purchase a Rokinon cine kit (14mm, 24mm, 35mm, 85mm) since I was already aware of their affordability, quality, and specialized construction for shooting video. After looking at comparisons with other lenses and reading mixed reviews, I've started to think twice. In particular, I'm considering
1) the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS over the Rokinon 35mm,
2) the Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 PRO FX to cover the 14mm and 24mm Rokinons, and
3) foregoing the 85mm Rokinon in favor of one of the long Canon zooms, probably the EF 70-200 f/4L IS

While my budget is far from unlimited, I do have some flexibility - and this combination wouldn't add too much to my original Rokinon kit plan.

I was hoping for some feedback on the soundness of my proposed substitutions for cinematic purposes, especially with regard to using zooms instead of primes and foregoing the useful "cine" features of the Rokinons.

Since most of the reviews and comparisons of DSLR lenses seem to be undertaken with a view to still photography, I was also wondering whether it's safe to extrapolate their findings to videography.

Any thoughts on these questions or other general recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[runnah]

The big question is are you using a rig or not.

Canon cine lens are well, effing expensive and honestly the differences are minor between a standard Canon lens. There are some that are a bit sharper and provide a bit more contrast but not worth the extra money. The big thing that makes cine lenses attractive is that they all have the same barrel outer diameter so you can swap lenses with out re-adjusting your follow focus/rig system. If you don't plan on using a rig I would skip cine lenses all together. There is a reason the Rokinon lenses are so cheap.

I shoot a ton of video with my mark 3 and I love my Canon 35mm 2.0 IS. I can shoot handheld and it provides rock-steady video. I can shoot handheld with my 50 1.4 but it is much harder to keep steady. I use my tripod for anything over 50mm.

 

[runnah]

I just saw the Rokinon kit you were talking about, and while it is a decent starting point they are certainly of lower quality than Canon. Also remember that these are fully manual lenses.

Just shot this today with the Canon 85mm 1.8. Not too shabby for a $400 lens.

 

[scoop2622]

I just got the rokinon 14mm t3.1 cine lens and I love it! I know its manual focus and all but as a filmmaker I feel AF is useless 90% of the time. one thing to think about zoom lenses is some don't have fixed aperture so you will need to keep that in mind when shooting video also with photography lenses the calculation to get the f-stop varies between manufacturer with t -stops the calculation is precise that way when changing between different lens makers your shot will keep the same light pass through.
this will help explain the difference between f stops and t stops