Kelsey Wynns

Ran over to the top of Belmont’s parking garage to get some lightning photos.

I took these a little while ago…I was planning on editing a couple more, but like most things, when I get excited about something else it’s hard for me to go back and edit a shoot.

Plus, I had to get something else up besides the nerdy/boring post about the cr-48

Now that Nikon has a decent mid level video DSLR the search is out for the most cinematic lenses.

The easy answer would be the manual focus Zeiss primes. Although they may win in quality, have an aperture ring (required for full manual video control), and a manual focus ring; it’s too easy to just point to the lenses with the highest price tag. When you have the option of 3 very good primes for the price of one great prime, I’d put my money on the 3 very good primes any day. It’s also important to note that these primes may well be out of  the price range of the average D7000 owner, especially if the purpose of the lens is based solely around video applications.  As the D7000 is cropped sensor you can get a darn nice Nikkor 35mm DX 1.8 for $185. But then again you loose the aperture ring and a focus ring designed for manual focus. Honestly I think your best bet is to meet in the middle and opt for a manual focus Nikon AIS lens. Still a bit more expensive then the 35mm dx, but the aperture ring, manual focus ring, and amazing sharpness are worth it.

After I came to this conclusion I picked up a Nikon NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2 AIS Manual Focus Lens from BH for $650. I’ve had it about 2 weeks, and thus far it has been an absolute joy to shoot with!

Did I make the right decision? I honestly  have no idea, but the footage looks pretty damn good. This was shot entirely on f/1.2 with terrible lighting:  http://vimeo.com/17357549 and this was shot at night with lots of bright lights: http://vimeo.com/17477695. Hopefully I’ll have some test footage soon with daylight.

Now I’m thinking about pick up the NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8 AIS Manual Focus Lens.

Any other Nikon users out there have a favorite lens that pairs well with video?

Fun shoot with Michelle. First time taking the generator out (not without issues). We used a little bit of fill light on the roof in downtown Nashville. On the way to the field by Percy Priest, well, we got stuck in Titan’s traffic. Roads were closed which compounded our issues. Oh and I didn’t strap the generator in correctly. It tipped, spilling gas on Michelle’s suitcase with all of her wardrobe.

Ooops.

Ended up not being as bad as we thought. We got to the field by the lake not smelling too bad of gasoline and managed some fantastic shots!