Nikon SLR Cameras

Best lens for videography?

Cass
24.12.2015
Cass

I have a Nikon d3100, and want to start filming montage videos. I want to know what a good lens would be to use, prime, zoom etc. I'm wanting to try to make videos like jay alvarrez. Please let me know!

Guest
25.12.2015
Guest

Just as there's no single best mic or single best speakers or single best car, there's no single best lens. The folks I know who are serious about their still image capture devices have multiple lenses and use the one that fits the scene they want to capture.

fhotoace
25.12.2015
fhotoace

None really.

Which lens you pick will have to do with your script.

Usually a wide angle, normal and medium telephoto lenses are used in most scenes.

From viewing the Jay Alvarrez Youtube site, it appears that he uses some kind of POV video camera like a GoPro. Notice the extreme wide angle of view in the videos?

Frank
25.12.2015
Frank

Agree 100% with what's been said. However, among the lenses that are "best" for video, they have one thing in common which is a silent focusing system. Unless you plan on using an external audio recorder to avoid recording the sounds the lens and body make when held and/or used, you'll want to get a lens with a silent AF motor.

Lighting is critical in video and will often require a higher level of light than a standard photograph will. Therefore, it's advantageous to get a lens with a large aperture such as f/2.8. This has the added benefit of being able to blur out backgrounds more than say a lens that only opens up to f/5.6 or f/4.

I highly suggest that you do some youtube searches for "best nikon lens for video" or something like that. It's one thing to read about it, and something all together different to actually see the video.