Best all round Lens for Videography in a Mirrorless Camera

Best all round Lenses for Videography (mainly for Wedding Filmmaking) in a Mirrorless Camera (Sony/Nikon/Canon).

I want to share with you my favorite camera lenses for wedding filmmaking, that I bring with me to every single wedding that I film. And I'm sure some of you are thinking that most of the cinematographers shoot on Sony. What if I don't shoot on Sony? Will I still be able to use these lenses?

Here's the good news, none of my favorite lenses are exclusively Sony. Regardless of whether you use Panasonic, Canon, Nikon, Blackmagic basically anything, you will be able to either use an adapter or buy a very similar lens with a different lens mount. Also spoiler alert, if you want to check out any of these lenses they are all linked with the lens image or click on the ‘Buy now at amazon.in’ button.

Wide-angle Lens

 Alright let's start with wide-angles and then go right to my favorite wide-angle lens for wedding filmmaking by far is the Sigma 24mm f/1.4. This lens is wide which makes it perfect to put on a gimbal but it isn't too wide. There is very little distortion on the sides which keeps the people in your shot looking great. Look at the size of this thing, it is quite compact but it still shoots at f/1.4. Yes this lens lets in a ton of light which is perfect for darker wedding receptions. There is more good news too because this lens is so wide it doesn't have a super shallow depth of field. So when I film wedding exits on my gimbal even with this lens set at f/1.4 it is still easy to keep things in focus. 

I use the Nikon mount version so I have full manual control of the aperture using this adapter but if you want auto focus, Sigma now offers this lens for all the major full-frame camera manufacturers. So if you shoot on the Canon EOS 1Dx II, Nikon DSLRs or Panasonic S1, there is a native lens mount option for pretty much everything. Otherwise there are adapters available for basically all other camera manufacturers and then you can manual focus like me at around Rs.65,000. There is really no excuse to not have this lens in your bag.

Human Eye Lens

Now let's zoom in a bit to my favorite lens and the lens that is on my camera the majority of the wedding-day. This focal length is so versatile, it is great for wider shots, it is greater for tighter shots, I absolutely love it. You should also beware that by my even telling you about this lens it may drive up its costs. My favorite lens basically ever is the little guy, the Contax Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.4. 

Well lock and load your online shopping trigger fingers here buddy and let me tell you why this lens is incredible. This lens is full-frame even at this size, I wasn't lying it is also f/1.4. let's get crazier though this lens is made for the Contax lens mount, which you might not have heard of because it was started way back in 1975. Yes this lens may be from the 70s. What an antique. Why should you care about the contax lens mount? Because you can adapt this mount to virtually any modern DSLR or mirrorless camera. Slap it on anything full-frame, 50mm f/1.4, lightweight adapts to any cameras. What else can it do? Hard focus stops. You know you're at infinity because you hit it, we haven't even talked about the image quality of this lens which is the main reason that I'm gushing over here. First of all this thing flares beautifully. Modern lenses have so many coatings on them to minimize flare that we're actually seeing companies make uncoated lenses to bring flares back. I say why do that when you can buy one of these lenses. Image quality is more than just flares though. This lens possesses two buzz words, you will often times see when you begin reading forum posts about older lenses, character and an organic look. What does that mean? This lens isn't as digitally sharp as modern lenses. It has a more traditional filmic look. To be clear this doesn't mean it's soft, this lens is quite sharp, but it makes skintones look better. The out-of-focus things look prettier. The videos you record with it will have more personality. Look now I'm just throwing buzzwords at you. It's hard to convey the feelings that I get from using this lens. You really have to try it for yourself. So why don't you try one for yourself? That brings us to talking about the price of this lens. Here's the real shocker, I only paid Rs.30,000 for my favorite lens ever. And you may be able to get it for even cheaper than that. Remember, this lens is old, you have to buy it used and in my experience the best place that I've found to buy one of these lenses is on eBay. I've included an alternative link with the lens photograph. I know some of you will ask? I'm sorry, but no, this lens from 1975, does not support autofocus. If you want autofocus then go with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art Lens linked in the photo above or simply click on the ‘Buy now at amazon.in’ button below.

Close up Portrait Lens

Let's move on ever tighter. Next we need to talk about my favorite 85mm lens and this lens is perfect for filming close up dancing shots of people at a wedding reception. Can you guess what it is? Of course, it's the Contax Zeiss Planar 85mm f/1.4. Yes, it has all the same benefits of the Zeiss 50mm in terms of image quality and the ability to be used with virtually any modern camera with an adapter. But it is definitely heavier. The glass is definitely a chunky boy, but I am so happy to have it in my lens bag. And the price? You may have been thinking, "Well 50mm is a very common focal length, so of course the 50mm was probably cheaper 85mm this much glass this thing has got to be crazy expensive right!" Yes for approximately Rs.40,000, this lens could be yours. Just like the 50mm, be wary of lenses that are cheaper. Be wary, of lenses that cost significantly more? But for that price of Rs.40,000, this lens is absolutely worth having in your bag. Also sorry, yet, again, there is no autofocus, just wanted to clarify that. If you want autofocus then go with the Sony E-Mount 85mm f/1.8 Prime Lens linked in the photo above or simply click on the ‘Buy now at amazon.in’ button below.

More Close up Portrait Lens

Last but not least, let's go as tight as I prefer on a wedding day. My tightest, favorite lens is this the Sony Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 in a mount. This lens is just so dang good for close-ups of a couple. First thing you should know, this lens is easily the sharpest lens that I've ever used. Like so sharp you don't even need to punch in to check your focus because you can see the focus line so clearly on your camera sharp but thankfully because this lens is paired with such a shallow f/1.8 aperture, it is still extremely flattering for filming people, especially brides up close. Just be aware that wide open, you may have someone's eyelash and focus, but not their pupil. Yes it has that shallow of a depth of field. If you want cheap lens with almost same specofocation then go with the Sigma 135mm f/1.8 Prime Lens linked in the photo above or simply click on the ‘Buy now at amazon.in’ button below.

Telephoto Lens

Next look at the size of this thing, it's not small by any means, but compare it to say a 70-200 f/2.8, it's not bad. Now because it is a Sony A-mount lens made for older Sony DSLRs, you will have to get an official adapter from Sony to make it compatible with Sony's E-mount cameras. This adapter will set you back around Rs.12,000 and you are not going to get autofocus either. This baby's purely manual. With all that said, the price for this lens is interesting. With many of them selling used, for anywhere from Rs.60,000-Rs.80,000. Throw in the cost of the lens, adapter and you're looking at Rs.90,000-Rs.100,000, which, while not cheap is still significantly lower than the cost of Sony's newest E-mount 135mm, which is over Rs.190,000. Here's my recommendation for you. If you don't mind manual focus and you can find one of these used for a good price, I think it's a great buy. But if you want autofocus then go with the Sony E-Mount FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens linked in the photo above or simply click on the ‘Buy now at amazon.in’ button below.

But if you don't shoot Sony or you want autofocus in that case I would buy the Sigma 135mm f/1.8, which is pretty comparable at Rs.1,08,490. The Sigma is going to be slightly more expensive. But you can get it in any of the major lens mounts, you get autofocus for video and you don't have to go completely broke buying it.