Cinematography : Lenses by Ray Anthony Martinez

Tough call... This partially depends on the style, camera, etc., but if you forced me to pick one (prime) it'd be my 50mm (I shoot DSLR). If I'm shooting primes, I like to have a range in my arsenal though. If I can cheat and get away with a zoom, then a nice wide angle (something like a 16-35mm) and a nice telephoto (80-200mm) are a killer combination.

you need different lenses for different situations. wide angle lenses work in tight spots, give great panoramics while keeping everything in focus, work well in some close-up situations and give exaggerated distance and fisheye effects. "normal" lenses, like the 50 on the DSLR, give great versatility. will work in most situations. going to the 75 to 100 range is great for portrait look. will make it easier to blur the background. longer lenses are great if you want to be far from your subject and really keep a short depth of field. there's also a compression that occurs, making things in the background look much larger than they really are. if we were going prime only, on DSLRs, to be the most versatile, I would say a 16mm fisheye, a 28mm, a 50mm, an 85mm, a 100mm macro, a 200mm, a 500mm and an 800mm. it would also depend on if you were shooting outdoors. you'll never use your 800mm indoors, and probably never use your 500mm indoors. if you were shooting a western, out in the desert, you might want to use the 28mm for the wide vista shots and that 800mm for the ride into the sunset. most people work with fewer lenses. for most shoots, if I had to choose just three, I would go with the 28mm, the 85mm and the 200mm. that's just me

Thanks Eric and Joe. The reason for my question is because I am shooting a feature this summer, and I didn't want to do what everyone else is doing, so I decided to shoot with a Canon Vixia HF s100, with a LETUS mini 35mm adapter. I know, I'm going to get a lot of flack for saying this! LOL!

Haha, listen to Joe! He killed my response... For some reason I read the question as "If you could only have one lens what would it be," so that's how I answered it. Not sure why, but I did... Anyway, I'd take him up on his suggestions, because they are very good, and he probably knows way more than I do. The only thing I would add is, if you're really considering this path and the LETUS, make sure you understand how the sensor in that camera effects the focal length of the lenses you choose since you won't be able to zoom in-camera once the LETUS is attached. I'm sure you know this though. :)

Also with the LETUS keep in mind you're losing a stop or two on the lens so make sure to get fast glass. I would suggest trying to rent a good cinema zoom as well to have the zoom flexibility if needed, and I say get a cinema zoom so you don't have to worry about aperture flicker or focus drift while zooming.

Thanks guys! I read on the LETUS site that is only loses a half stop. I have nothing against DSLR users, I just want to try something different than everyone else. I really appreciate all of youse guys knowledge! LOL!

I love the 18mm. RPP or Ziess ultra speed. I just love those big wide shots with dolly or crane moves. For EF lenses on my epic or scarlet, I love the 35mm Rokinon. I'm hoping the 24mm is as good. There needs to be a set of lenses that are good, but inexpensive. I find the L series primes to be pretty good, but they are not cine lenses. i really want Rokinon/Samyang to come out with a whole line of red band quality primes.