Top 5 lenses for video on a Canon DSLR under £250
When it comes to taking video, these days there are a lot of options. Even the most basic smart phones can film in HD, as can your tablet and your compact camera. However when it comes to DSLR’s there is the advantage of changing lenses and getting different focusing effects, focal points, sharpness and pretty much anything else you can think of.
Canon DSLRs are really good for taking video, especially the Canon 80D (follow-up to the ground breaking 70D) which has the dual sensor auto focusing. Problem is, when it comes to taking video, the requirements for the lens are going to be different to that of taking photographs. There are loads of lenses available for these cameras and most are reviewed based on their photography ability rather than video ability.
The following lenses are great for taking video. Whether you are new to filming on a DSLR or a seasoned pro, these lenses will help you get the job done. In an ideal world, it would be good to own two or three of the following to provide a solid starting ground for video work.
Canon EF-S 24 mm f/2.8 STM Lens
Lets start with the work horse of the group, 24mm is classed as a wide angle lens, however if you are using a crop sensor, then this is actually 38.4mm. This means it is very close to “the” 35mm focal point you always hear mentioned. Why is 35 important? it is deemed the closest matched view to that of the human iris than any other length. This means that everything falls in to frame nicely, almost too easily, so a bargain at under £130. It has an f-stop of 2.8 which is at least one stop lower than most of the kit lenses out there, so you will instantly get better low light performance.
The lens uses STM Stepping motor technology, which allows for fast and silent focusing – perfect for video. The STM lense technology was introduced with the launch of the Canon 70D, so cameras before this may not be able to support it (always worth checking before purchasing).
Buy on Amazon: Canon EF-S 24 mm f/2.8 STM Lens
Canon EF-S Wide-Angle Zoom Lens 10-18mm STM
This is the widest lens on the list, and will only work on crop sensor cameras. On crop this is the equivalent of a 16-28.8mm zoom, which sits perfectly along side the kit lens which starts at 18mm(28.8mm). Its difficult to explain how wide this lens is, but lets say, if it went any lower it would be borderline fish eye.
This lens is great for getting those larger than life landscapes which you can’t quite fit in shot without stepping back about half a mile. It’s also a great lens for filming in small rooms, perfect for both wedding photography if you are in a small church/venue but equally as good for vlogging. Of course there is one catch, and for once its not the price, which is around £200; This lens has a f4.5-5.6 range, it is important to know that when you zoom to 11mm it sits at f5 and by 12-13mm it is at the max f5.6. This shouldn’t make it a deal breaker though. Firstly, if you are going wide, it means you are fitting more in to the shot, this means that a higher f stop is required to keep everything in focus. Secondly, you shouldn’t be worrying about bokeh with this lens, its wide, its not the purpose of the lens. So when you think about it, when shooting at 25fps you would normally have a shutter speed of 1/50 of a second, this is usually lower than you would use for photography so you regain some of that lost light.
Worth noting, this lens was designed to take over from the previous canon wide angle lens, the more expensive 10-22 which is nearly double the price. More importantly, it is aimed in particular at videographers. It has the stepping motor for silent focusing which is lacking on the 10-22. It also has image stabilisation, again lacking on the 10-22, IS being great for those hand held video moments.
Overall a great wide angle lens, and without being biased, one of the most recent lens purchases I have made. For full wow factor, I suggest zooming in to the full 18mm when you first put it on your camera, then do the zoom out slowly to get the full appreciation. Put bluntly, I was able to stand very close to a massive tree and get the whole thing in, which on my other lenses at 24mm was impossible.
Buy on Amazon: Canon EF S 10 18mm f/4.5 5.6 IS STM Lens
Canon EF 50 mm 1.8 STM Lens
Time and time again this lens gets mentioned, and for good reason. 50mm is a great focal length, whilst this is actually 80mm on crop sensor, this is still great. One thing to note, when you are looking at the 50mm, its difficult to not notice the 40mm 2.8 STM pancake lens from Canon. At around the same price it is a great alternative lens, with a 64mm crop sensor equivalent, this is almost closer to 50mm than the 50mm lens itself. It is smaller and lighter, so if that is really an issue, maybe that is the choice for you. But overall, the 50mm is barely any heavier and is not a big lens, the new STM version mentioned here stops down to 1.8 which is a whole stop lower than the 40mm’s f2.8. This means you will get better bokeh with the 50 and better low light performance all for under £100.
I could go on, but i’m sure you have heard enough about the nifty fifty to realise that, if you don’t already have it in your camera bag, you probably should do.
Buy on Amazon: Canon EF 50 mm 1.8 STM Lens
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens
This lens… is closer to our budget max at £237 (prices can vary between £230-290) and one of the more expensive on this list, though it shouldn’t be ignored. For longer shots this 85mm on crop sensor acts as a 136mm which is great for getting close to a subject or for getting closer to the action when its not physically possible to do so. The best part about this lens is the f/1.8, which at this telephoto zoom stage is great. When you take the kit lens 18-135 as an example, when zoomed to around 85mm you are nearly maxed out on your f/5.6 which means shooting in darker conditions outside or getting that blurred background look is just not possible.
In particular, if you plan to film indoor sports, or live bands where you are unable to get right close to the stage then this would be an ideal lens. This is an EF lens which means, if you ever upgrade to full-frame, you can still keep it in your camera bag.
Buy on Amazon: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens
18-135 STM Kit Lens
Finally, and probably the most versatile of them all is actually the kit lens, and surprisingly, the only lens just over budget at £269 (there always has to be one over budget, this lens can fluctuate between £250-300). If you bought just the body first then great, you still have the opportunity to buy this great all-rounder lens. If you opted for the 18-55 kit lens instead, no problem, its still a good lens, and slightly lighter than the 18-135, but you are going to be really missing out on the extra 80mm of zoom.
The 18-135 provides the equivalent of a 7.5x zoom which, whilst it doesn’t compare with most camcorders these days, is still a really good zoom for DSLR. This is very flexible when compared with the 3x optical zoom of the 18-55. 18mm wide angle is great for full frame cameras, however this is an EF-S so will only work on crop sensor cameras. If you are using the lens on a Canon 80D or any other crop frame camera this is going to be magnified by 1.6 giving a 28.8mm wide angle. Not super wide, but still pretty decent, but its the 135mm which is equivalent to 216mm which really makes the camera special.
I recently took this lens to Thailand as my only lens, it worked perfectly for most occasions and in many ways is more flexible than more expensive zoom lenses such as the 24-105 f4 canon lens which is nearly double the price and more heavy to carry around. To add further, the STM is as you would expect, more quiet than the USM found on the 24-105 lens.
Another feature of this lens is the IS image stabilization. This makes this lens great for video it any zoom point, although for smooth footage on full zoom a tripod is still recommended. The lens has a 3.5-5.6 f stop range, which for a kit lens is pretty standard, and when compared with the 18-55 kit lens gives you more room to manoeuvre.
Overall, I think I have covered it, if you can only carry around one lens that needs to be flexible in all situations, this would be the one.
Buy on Amazon: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens
