{"id":68444,"date":"2016-01-11T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-11T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=68444"},"modified":"2016-09-13T10:51:49","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T15:51:49","slug":"lenses-every-cinematographer-should-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/lenses-every-cinematographer-should-own\/","title":{"rendered":"Lenses Every Cinematographer Should Own"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a cinematographer, the lens choices you make are incredibly important. Let’s take a\u00a0look at some lenses every cinematographer should own.<\/h2>\n

Top image: behind the scenes of Birdman<\/a> via Fox Searchlight<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

On most major film sets, the cinematographer will have a wide range of options when it comes to lenses, but this is only because he or she has the budget to do so. When you’re a documentary or indie filmmaker, your budget is much smaller \u2014 and lens\u00a0options become quite limited<\/strong>. Because of this many indie-cinematographers will elect to stick to three go-to lenses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spending the majority of my time in documentary film has forced me to\u00a0consistently operate with\u00a0as few as two lenses<\/strong>. I usually found myself working with a 50mm prime and a zoom lens, preferably a Canon 70-200mm<\/a>. That all changed when I returned\u00a0to my narrative roots by adding reenactments into my documentary work. This is when I was\u00a0introduced to working exclusively with prime lenses<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For traditional documentaries a zoom lens is still a necessity. With all of this in mind, let’s look at two lenses you should always use regardless of\u00a0genre. For the third, we’ll look at an option for documentary film work and an option for indie film work.<\/p>\n

Two Must-Have Primes<\/h3>\n

\"TheImage via Zeiss Optical<\/em><\/p>\n

28mm Prime<\/span><\/h4>\n

No matter your project,\u00a0you’re going to need a wide-angle lens, and the 28mm prime is a good wide-angle option<\/strong>. While I prefer to use the 21mm for most of my work, the 28mm is a happy medium between the 21mm and the 35mm. It’s not too wide and not too narrow. It’s just right. Plus, it’s a great lens to use on a Steadicam or shoulder rig.<\/p>\n