In this post, we’ll show you seven essential tools for solo film projects. They’ll not only make your life a lot easier, but they’ll also elevate the final cut.

Filming by yourself might be a creative choice or constraint. Either way, being able to control your gear from a distance, or even automatically, is of utmost importance. The recommendations below reflect that principle. 

1. Choosing a Camera with the Right Features

The camera you choose is going to be a very important factor in the ease at which you can create a project on your own. Auto-focus and the ability to flip out the screen are going to make a big difference especially when you’re filming yourself. 

Flip-Out Screen

If you’re shopping for a new camera, and you know you’ll be shooting a lot of videos solo, having a flip-out screen on your camera is going to be very beneficial. Being able to see yourself when you are framing your shot will speed up your process. You can also check your surroundings and yourself in real-time when the screen is facing you. 

Additionally, having a moveable screen helps you behind the camera as well. Tilting the screen to counteract glare, using it to shoot high or low, or any situation where you can’t get your eye to the viewfinder. 

Autofocus

Simply put, auto-focus allows the camera to pull focus automatically either through phase detection, contrast detection, or a combination of the two. While most if not all of newer cameras have autofocus systems built into them, it’s important to remember that not all are reliable and not all lenses support autofocus. Furthermore, camera systems with face detection, like Canons Cinema line, will provide even more with autofocus accuracy. Whether you’re shopping for a new camera or using what you already have, be sure to do plenty of research and tests to see what works best for you. 

However, If you’re using a lens or camera without autofocus or a flip-out screen, there are other more advanced solutions you can turn to, which we’ll cover below. 

2. External Monitor

What’s better than a flip-out screen when filming solo? A bigger separate screen you can use with your camera, also known as an external monitor. This larger screen will allow you to see your scene more clearly, identify any objects that are out of place when doing final checks, and give you a better idea of how your final footage will look.

In addition to those improvements, some external monitors have overlays for different compositions and potential crops. This comes in handy when you’re shooting for multiple platforms that need to be cropped in different ways. Lastly, external monitors typically have a much brighter screen than your camera screen, making outdoor filming a breeze. 

3. Lens Control System

If you don’t have a camera with reliable autofocus, a lens without autofocus, or want to use a very specific type of lens, like an anamorphic lens, then a wireless lens control system might be for you. Wireless or remote focus systems allow you to pull focus from a distance. It pairs a control motor with a separate focus handwheel to free you from the camera. 

These systems range in complexity and features as well. Some are simply a knob style handwheel, while more advanced systems come with accessories for attaching to gimbals, controlling zoom and focus with separate mechanisms, and lens mapping capabilities.

4. Camera Slider

No matter what type of video you’re creating, camera motion can add a whole new dimension to the story you’re telling. The question is, how can you add reliable camera movement when you’re shooting on your own? One answer is motorized camera sliders. 

A camera slider is a set of tracks with brackets that mount to a tripod, light stand, or be used completely on its own. It allows you to get tracking or dolly shots that create a sense of movement as the attached camera moves along the tracks. 

Things get really interesting when you get your hands on a motorized slider. These gadgets offer more control than the typical slider. You can program these sliders at different speeds, set automatic time-lapses, and of course, control it all remotely, which is going to be very useful when you’re filming on your own. 

In addition to a normal slider, in recent years, motorized tripod heads have been making a name for themselves in the video world. These 4-axis motorized heads allow you to pan and tilt the camera smoothly with joy-sticks or through an app. Combined with a slider, you can create some really dynamic shots. Check out this video from DSLR Video Shooter on sliders and motion systems for more details on their benefits and how to use them.

5. Basic LED Light

When it comes to lighting, there are a lot of options out there that may work well for you. While daylight may be a natural collaborator for a lot of projects, it isn’t quite as reliable as you may want. 

A remote-controlled LED light is an amazing option when working alone. Similar to many other options on this list, being able to make adjustments remotely is going to be immensely helpful and save time. 

LED lights have a range of additional benefits as well. Compared to their incandescent or fluorescent counterparts, LEDs are more energy-efficient, longer-lasting, run at a cooler temperature, generally more durable, and some can emit a full range of colors.

6. Teleprompter

Memorizing a script is a skill that some can do with ease. For the rest of us, we would recommend investing in a good teleprompter. For those who don’t know, a teleprompter is a device that many video productions use as a way to have a heads-up display of your script right in front of the camera. You’ll need to pair your prompter with a teleprompter app on your tablet or smartphone to get this to work flawlessly.

We use one here at SproutVideo, and believe us when we say it does a phenomenal job to help deliver a message concisely. We use the One Take Only Pad Prompter and the PromptSmart Mobile app. For more on delivering your message flawlessly on camera read our full post on how to deliver your message.

7. 360 Camera

360 cameras were extremely trendy for a while but eventually lost their luster. Although many forgot about them, a 360 camera could be the perfect tool for your solo kit. They are made to capture literally everything around you and then let you create a video that stays close to the action. 

They are really great for filming behind the scenes, tutorials, action, and so many other scenarios. You get to worry less about getting the shot because you know everything will be captured with a 360 camera. For a full rundown on 360 cameras, check out our How To Video episode featuring Tom Pagut, SproutVideo’s customer success lead, who has been using 360 cameras for years.

The right gear is a huge part of creating captivating stories through video. Whether you are on your own or working with a huge crew, the items listed above are sure to help you execute your creative vision. In the comments below, let us know how you’d use some of the items on this list to improve your video workflows. 

The post Top 7 Tools You Need to Elevate Your Solo Filming Projects appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this episode of our How To Video: Camera series, we’re taking a deep dive into anamorphic lenses, starting with their origins, and how the footage they produce differs from standard lenses. Keep reading to learn how to produce anamorphic footage without breaking the bank, and uncover inspiring ideas for using it in your business videos.

All About Anamorphic

In this video, Nick LaClair, creative director for SproutVideo, breaks down the history of anamorphic lenses, and explains how they’re differentiated. He’ll also show you exactly how you can film anamorphic footage on a budget.

What is an Anamorphic Lens?

Anamorphic lenses are distinguished from other types of lenses primarily by their unique shape. While normal lenses are called spherical lenses because they’re round, anamorphic lenses are curved, which gives the optics an oval shape.

This key difference results in beautiful, unique footage. Once you learn how to spot it, you’ll notice it in lots of your favorite films and TV shows. Before we get to that, let’s start with how anamorphic lenses came about.

Anamorphic Lenses and Aspect Ratios

Early films used what is known as the academy aspect ratio, which is roughly 4:3. When TV arrived on the scene in the 1950’s, it also used a 4:3 aspect ratio for programming.

Film producers needed a way to motivate audiences to come into the cinema instead of staying at home to watch TV. As a result, widescreen formats were introduced to draw viewers back into theaters.

However, film strips were not adapted to widescreen formats. The academy aspect ratio fit perfectly on 35mm film, taking up 4 perforations:

In contrast, a widescreen format on 35mm film takes up only 3 perforations. This would’ve resulted in a lower quality, blurry, and unappealing image.

Certain middle ground aspect ratios, like 1.85:1, popularized by Hitchcock, looked just fine with some cropping, but for widescreen formats, it simply didn’t work.

The solution was to use anamorphic lenses to squish a 2.39:1 widescreen format onto the 35mm film strips. Then, the squished image would be stretched back out for viewing on a widescreen.

In fact, the most popular screen format today, 16:9, came about because it’s the perfect compromise between 2:39:1 and 4:3. Whether the footage is letterboxed or pillarboxed, the amount of screen covered by black bars is approximately the same when viewed on a 16:9 screen.

Why It’s So Special

Anamorphic lenses deliver footage that really stands out. Without even knowing it, you’ve surely encountered it many times. Here are the defining elements of anamorphic footage.

Horizontal Lens Flares

When you’re filming with an anamorphic lens, your footage is squeezed, then stretched back out again. This results in some really dramatic and easily identifiable horizontal lens flares.

You can see this effect in the footage above, where the light streaks across the top of the frame. It’s very atmospheric, and heightens the emotional charge of the scene. The dramatic visual of the horizontal lens flare really delivers that cinematic impact for viewers.

Bokeh in the Background

Despite it’s funny-sounding name, bokeh is actually an extremely important part of shot composition. It refers to the out-of-focus background areas in view. When captured with a standard lens, background lights and other out-of-focus elements will appear rounded. In contrast, with an anamorphic lens, they’ll appear oval-shaped.

This is probably the easiest way to identify anamorphic footage because it’s so iconic and readily distinguishable. It also adds an artistic, three-dimensional element to your footage that you can’t really achieve any other way.

Intentionally Imperfect

Given that the footage is squeezed, then stretched, it’s no wonder that anamorphic lenses aren’t the sharpest option out there. In fact, they’re known – and loved – for their imperfections.

For instance, while the visuals aren’t as sharp when compared to standard lenses, the distortion is both desirable and subtle. It adds character, and softens the image in a visually appealing way.

The quirks of anamorphic footage impose some constraints on filmmakers to a certain extent. For instance, the distortion essentially forces you to keep your subject near the center of the shot. In some cases, that can be a challenge, but it’s easily overcome with some creativity.

Shoot Wide Angle Without a Wide Lens

With an anamorphic lens, you can shoot wide angle without using a wide lens (head to our previous episode for a primer on lens types if you’re unsure what that means). Here’s why: if you’re shooting with a 60mm anamorphic lens, it’s stretched out to a 30mm field of view.

Since longer lenses compress the background and tend to have more bokeh, anamorphic lets you shoot wide, but with all the characteristics of that longer lens.

How To Use It For Business Video

Got a new feature release or product announcement? What better way to go about it than with tons of cinematic flair and anamorphic footage.

For instance, Taco Bell knocked it out of the park with this ad campaign for their new seasoned fries in 2018.

You can easily identify the footage as anamorphic because of the oval-shaped bokeh (at 0:06), widescreen letterboxing, and even a horizontal lens flare (at 1:14). It reads as epically cinematic, and an overall genius idea for generating excitement for their new fries.

How to Shoot Anamorphic

First up, you’ll need the right gear for your shoot. You can acquire a true anamorphic lens kit, or, an adapter suited to the type of camera you already have. For a detailed comparison of these options, we love this thorough video on anamorphic lenses and adapters from ShareGrid.

True Anamorphic Lenses

A true anamorphic lens can be extremely pricey – they can cost you as much as a new car. The most economical options we’ve seen are from Atlas and SLR Magic, which run around $8,000 – $9,000 for a three-lens kit.

A big benefit to using an anamorphic lens is that you won’t need as many extras in your setup. For instance, pulling focus is a lot simpler with a purpose-built anamorphic lens. Still, the higher price tag motivates many to go with more budget-friendly adapters instead.

Adapters

Adapters have proliferated for all different types of video cameras, including drones and phones. They range dramatically in cost and quality.

If you’re filming with a camera that supports interchangeable lenses, one big advantage worth noting is that one adapter will likely work across most of your lenses. This gives you a lot of flexibility and helps maximize your investment.

For professional camcorders, like Nick’s Sony FS7, adapters come in two different types: rear-mounted and front-mounted. In our experience, the rear-mounted adapters don’t quite deliver the anamorphic look, making front-mounted adapters the way to go. Here’s our anamorphic adapter setup:

Camera Choice

Whether you go with an adapter or a real anamorphic lens, ideally, you want to select a camera that can film in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Otherwise, the image won’t be squeezed enough to get the full anamorphic effects you’re aiming for.

For instance, the Panasonic GH5 or Blackmagic Pocket Cinema cameras can shoot in 4:3, which allows you to use a 2x anamorphic adaptor to squeeze the image in half. This essentially replicates the original process from the film days. Of course, big cinema rigs like Red or Arri are excellent options as well if your budget allows for it.

If – like the rest of us – you’re shooting on a super 35 sensor, there are 1.33x anamorphic adaptors that will squeeze your image about 30%. That’s just the right amount to stretch it back from 16:9 to 2.39:1. It’s still a great look, and all those classic anamorphic qualities will be there in your footage. They’ll just be a little more subtle.

Extras

One significant consideration for anamorphic adaptors is that they have a totally separate focus ring. To pull focus, you need to turn focus on the lens and the adaptor simultaneously. They need to be perfectly in sync for it to work properly.

In our setup, Nick uses a remote follow focus with two motors synced together. This adds a little extra complexity to your setup.

Additionally, you’ll need a separate monitor that can stretch the image for preview. Most consumer cameras don’t have the ability to do that. Evaluating your footage based on the squeezed image would be too difficult and prone to error, so we found this to be a necessary add-on.

Drawbacks of Anamorphic Lenses

No lens is perfect for all situations, and there are some considerations worth taking into account before you go all-in on anamorphic lenses.

For starters, there are the general drawbacks of the widescreen format. You’re giving up valuable real estate on 16:9 screens. On mobile and small screens, that could make a big difference.

Of course, you can crop anamorphic footage to a 16:9 format. You just have to plan for that when filming, or you risk cropping important elements out of the frame.

Additionally, you might find the quirks of working with anamorphic lenses are not right for your project. Not everything has to be cinematic, after all. You might find a sharper lens with less distortion is a better fit depending on what you’re filming.

Finally, an anamorphic setup is not going to be in everyone’s budget, even if you go with adapters. We wound up with roughly $3,500 in extras to achieve the look we wanted using our Sony FS7 with a front-mounted adapter. All those extras also made filming much more complex, and increased our setup time dramatically.

Amazing Anamorphic

Despite those potential downsides, anamorphic footage is worth the effort for many shoots. It’s all about finding ways to make the most of its specific look.

After all, anamorphic footage is captivating, and can really help you stand out from the crowd. It’s the perfect choice for when you want to make an impact on your audience.

Have you worked with anamorphic footage before? Curious to give it a try? We’d love to hear about your experience. Share your comments and questions below for expert advice.

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get the next episode our How To Video series in your inbox.

The post Amazing Anamorphic: Add Cinematic Flair to Your Footage appeared first on SproutVideo.

Options are great, of course. However, the sheer volume of choice in lenses can be overwhelming. And, lenses range widely in cost, from $100 all the way to $50,000 and up.

So, how can you be sure you’re making the right choice for your project? In this episode of our How To Video: Camera series, we’ll walk you through the important distinctions between the three major types of lenses, including photography or consumer lenses, rehoused cinema lenses, and true cinema lenses. Watch the video below to see each of these types of lenses in action, and keep reading to gain an in-depth understanding of their pros and cons. 

Which Is Right For You?

Last week, we showed you how to make a decision about focal length, and to choose between a prime or a zoom lens. While that’s a great starting point to begin narrowing down your options, there’s more to the picture.

Now, we’re taking a closer look at photo lenses, rehoused cinema lenses, and true cinema lenses. Once you know your focal length and whether you need a prime or zoom lens, this is the next step in your decision-making process.

The best way to understand the distinction between these types of lenses is to see them in action. Watch the video below as Nick LaClair, head of video production for SproutVideo, puts them through their paces.

Three Lovely Types of Lenses

A photo lens refers to a lens typically used for photography, which can also be used for video. A rehoused cinema lens is a photo lens that’s been rebuilt and optimized for use with video cameras, but the inner workings of the lens itself are largely the same. A true cinema lens is purpose-built for video.

The best way to understand the differences between the three types of lenses is to get to grips with them. In our example, we compare a Zeiss 25 mm 2.0 photo lens, a Zeiss 25 mm 2.1 rehoused cinema lens, and a purpose-built Arri Ultra Prime 24 mm 1.9 cinema lens.

These prime lenses are all the same brand glass, and have the same focal length and roughly the same aperture speed. However, their price tags range from $800 to over $18,000. So, what makes them so different?

Form and Function

Chances are, you could easily tell which lens was a photo lens when placed side-by-side with rehoused or cinema lenses. Since they aren’t optimized for video, photo lenses come in all different shapes and sizes. They’re meant to be manually manipulated by the camera operator.

In comparison, re-housed and cinema lenses are optimized for use with a video camera. They are specially designed to work with tools camera operators need to adjust lens settings while filming, like the focus or the iris, as well as accessories like filters or matte boxes.

Hence, rehoused and cinema lenses tend to be the same diameter, and offer the same gears in roughly in the same position relative to the mount.

That’s an important detail because it means you don’t have to completely reconfigure your setup if you change lenses. In fact, you can usually leave all your accessories in place when swapping lenses.

Focus Throw

Your focus throw is the amount you have to turn the barrel of the lens to go all the way from close focus to infinity. Generally speaking, the less you have to turn the barrel to change your focus, the more quickly it will change, and the jerkier it can appear on film. It can also be difficult to be really precise with a short focus throw.

In contrast, a long focus throw allows you to smoothly change the focus of your camera with greater precision. This type of control allows you to add artistic touches to your shot, such as when you change the focus from the background to the subject in the foreground.

Typically, photo lenses have much shorter focus throws than rehoused or cinema lenses. Since they’re designed for photography, they’re meant to quickly jump into action and focus on a subject. Transitioning between subjects is also meant to be speedy, rather than smooth and accurate.

Rehoused and cinema lenses offer much longer focus throws, enabling much more precision and seamless transitions. If you’re filming a scene that requires a change in focus, you’ll have an easier time achieving a professional-looking result with one of these types of lenses.

Focus Breathing

Focus breathing occurs when the image on camera appears to zoom in and out when you pull focus. It’s significantly more technically-involved (and therefore, expensive), to build a lens that does not breathe.

Generally speaking, you’ll find a certain amount of focus breathing in any lens that is not a true purpose-built cinema lens. Depending on what you’re filming, this particular factor might not even be relevant, or it could make or break your shot.

For example, if you’re filming an interview with a person against a backdrop, you’re unlikely to need to shift focus at all while the camera is rolling. However, if you’re filming a major feature film production, you almost certainly will care about the impact focus breathing could have on your footage.

Aperture Adjustment

The aperture controls how much light passes through the lens and hits the camera’s sensor. Many photo lenses do not have an aperture ring at all since still photo cameras (and some camcorders) control aperture from within the camera.

Older lenses allow you to adjust the aperture on the lens, but only by clicking into full or half stops. While better than nothing, it’s still not very precise or smooth, so minute adjustments are out of the picture.

Finally, cinema lenses offer smooth iris adjustment. This gives you granular control over your look and exposure.

This is particularly important if your shot transitions from low light to a brightly lit scenario (or vice versa), and you’re forced to change the iris mid shot. A cinema lens will enable you to do this so smoothly, the viewer won’t even notice.

F-Stops VS T-Stops

A related point of distinction between these classes of lenses is the fact that photo lenses measure aperture in f-stops, while cinema lenses measure it in t-stops. While this could just be an alphabetical difference, it can be a very practical one too.

An f-stop estimates the theoretical amount of light that hits the sensors. It’s calculated by dividing the focal length of the lens by the diameter of the aperture.

In contrast, a t-stop measures the precise amount of light that hits the sensor. Different lenses lose different amounts of light as it passes through the lens, mostly because of coatings on the glass. Put differently, certain lenses let more light in at a given aperture than others.

While you can easily compensate for that in photography, when it comes to videography, you often have to match footage from two or more cameras using different lenses. If those cameras are set to the same f-stop, you could still wind up with very different levels of exposure in the resulting footage. Here’s a side-by-side comparison to illustrate this point:

The images above are set to the same f-stops, but the exposure is noticeably different. If you were working with t-stops, however, your footage would match exactly.

Most videographers can use either t-stops or f-stops with very little notable difference in camera function. However, if you have a multi-camera setup, or matching footage really matters, it might be worth investing in lenses that use t-stops instead of f-stops.

Price

Of course, none of those factors really matter if the lens you want doesn’t fit your budget. And, lenses range massively in price.

A standard prime photo lens can cost you anywhere from $100 to $3,000. When rehoused as a cinema lens, those same lenses can run anywhere from $500 up to about $4,000. True cinema lenses, on the other hand, run a minimum of $8,500 all the way up to almost $50,000.

The huge jump in price between photo and rehoused lenses and true cinema lenses has led to an explosion of options in the rehoused category. They’re a great compromise for getting a lot of the key cinema lens functionality on a more realistic budget for many videographers.

So, Why Spring For A Cinema Lens?

In addition to the different areas of functionality we just covered, build quality, accuracy, and look are the three main reasons you might choose a cinema lens over other more affordably priced options.

Build Quality

When it comes to the big names in prime cinema lenses, such as Arri, Cooke, Leica and Panavision, each lens is handmade using only the most premium glass.

They’re built to withstand decades of regular use. After all, if you’re making such a big investment, you want to be sure to get plenty of mileage out of it!

Accuracy

When working on big-budget productions, such as feature films, accuracy is tremendously important. This is easiest to showcase by looking at the ability of these lenses to change focus precisely from one subject to another.

The focus marks on these lenses are calibrated, so you can measure the distance to your subject, adjust your lens to that reading, and know it will be tack sharp. In highly choreographed scenes, this level of accuracy is crucial because it allows your focus pull to land at exactly the right moment.

The Look

There’s a quality to these lenses that can’t quite be matched by less costly counterparts. Cinema lenses use the very best glass, and the best coatings. They’re sharp across the entire frame, and reduce or remove chromatic aberrations, vignetting, and barrel distortion.

But Really, Do You Need One?

The differences between these three classes of lenses are most apparent when comparing the cinema lens to a photo lens. There are significant gaps in functionality that can have a real impact on your footage and the filming process.

However, when it comes to rehoused cinema lenses, especially higher-end options, there isn’t nearly as big a difference. You might get a slightly shorter focus throw, but the overall difference is not very noticeable to all but the most highly trained eye.

Cinema Zooms VS Photo Zooms

Up until now, we’ve focused entirely on prime lenses with fixed focal lengths in order to compare apples to apples. However, zoom lenses are an important category of lenses with similar options in terms of cinema and photo lenses.

Here are the key differences between a photo zoom lens and a cinema zoom lens.

Barrel Distortion

Barrel distortion is a type of optical distortion caused by the lens itself. It’s most apparent when your image includes vertical or horizontal straight lines.

Cinema zooms typically do not exhibit any barrel distortion, whereas it can be quite noticeable with a photo zoom. For instance, in the image below, you can see the image captured by the photo zoom is stretching at the edges.

If you look closely, the TV has straighter lines in the top image.

Focus Drift

While barrel distortion can be noticeable, focus drift is usually a much more important factor. Focus drift occurs when your focus changes as you zoom in or out on your subject. This change is unintentional, and often unwanted.

Photo lenses are particularly susceptible to focus drift as you zoom in or out. In contrast, cinema zooms are parfocal, meaning their zoom mechanism is internal, so your plane of focus won’t change as you zoom. That’s hugely important anytime you want to use zoom as a look in your film.

The choice you make in a lens can impact everything from the ease of production to the artistic touches you can put on a film, not to mention your budget! We hope this in-depth guide gave you all the tools you need to make the right decision for your shoot.

If you have questions about lens types, or when to use which one, let us know in the comments below!

The post A Closer Look at Lens Types: Photo, Rehoused, and Cinema appeared first on SproutVideo.

To help make sure you know which lens to grab for your next shoot, we’re comparing focal lengths, and the differences between prime and zoom lenses. Watch the video below and keep reading for an overview of how to choose the right lens for your project.

Which Lens is Right For You?

There are so many different types of lenses out there, it’s hard to know where to start when it comes to choosing one for your project.

In this video overview, Nick LaClair, head of video production for SproutVideo, breaks down the impact focal length has on your shot, as well as the key differences between prime and zoom lenses.

So, what exactly do we mean by focal length? Want more details about prime and zoom lenses? Keep reading for a deeper dive into choosing a lens for your project.

Focal Length

The focal length of a lens is not a measurement of the lens, or your distance from the object being filmed. Rather, focal length determines the angle of view (how much a scene will be captured) as well as the magnification of individual elements in view.

A longer focal length provides a narrower angle of view, and increased magnification. Conversely, a shorter focal length results in a wider angle of view, and decreased magnification. A wide-angle lens, also referred to as a wide lens, will have a short focal length.

Choosing a Focal Length

The first step to selecting the right focal length for your project is to consider what you’re trying to capture on camera.

Sometimes, there are artistic reasons to go with one lens over another. Simply changing the position of the camera relative to your subject allows you to achieve a similar composition with different types of lenses, but results in very distinct looks.

In our video, we created two similar shots using a 24 mm lens and a 50 mm lens by changing the distance of the camera from our subject. Here are the images side-by-side:

As you can see, the shorter focal length on the left captures a wider view of the scene. The car in the background appears smaller in the distance, since it’s not as magnified by the lens.

In comparison, the long lens on the right still fits the same elements in the frame, but had to be placed further from our subject to do so. Additionally, the car appears larger in the background, but since it’s more out of focus, you still have the impression it’s far away.

In this case, the right option really depends on the look you’re going for. However, there are some additional factors worth taking into consideration.

Studio, or Action?

In a studio, or a similar environment where your subject will be relatively stationary at a fixed distance from the camera, a wide angle lens will mean you need a much larger backdrop because more of the subject’s surroundings will be in view.

Typically, you’d reach for a long lens in this scenario because your subject will fill more of the frame, while still keeping some of the backdrop in the shot.

On the other hand, if you’re filming a scene with a lot of action, it can be tough to keep your subject in the frame unless you use a wide angle lens to cover the shot. Going with a wide angle lens will enable you to minimize your movements while capturing the action.

By planning out your shoot ahead of time, and visualizing what you’re hoping to capture, you can be sure to pick the right focal length for your project. Storyboarding is an excellent way to keep your shots and lens choices organized on a more complex shoot.

Prime VS Zoom Lenses

Now that you know which focal length will work best for your project, you’ll need to narrow your choice even further between prime and zoom lenses. These two broad categories of lenses offer distinct advantages and disadvantages, which we break down for you below.

Prime Lenses

A prime lens has a fixed focal length, meaning it can only focus on a subject at a specific distance from the camera. If your subject is outside of that range, you’ll have to move the camera, or the subject, or both.

Pros

First, primes are typically faster lenses, meaning you can open the aperture wider, let in more light, and end up with a shallower depth of field. Those traits make a prime lens ideal in cases where you’re shooting in low light, or if you want an out-of-focus area for your shot’s aesthetic.

To help emphasize the difference in the depth of field, take a closer look at the plant in the background. It’s significantly more blurry when viewed through the prime lens. That kind of out-of-focus background can lend a professional quality to your project. Here’s a side-by-side look at that plant:

Prime lenses also have less distortion at wider focal lengths. Below, we compare a 25 mm prime and 25 mm zoom lens on the same composition. Notice how the vertical lines of the room appear to bend more with the zoom than they do with the prime:

Cons

While a prime lens is probably sounding pretty good after all that, you have to weigh some important considerations.

Working with a prime lens means you have to reposition the camera if your distance from the subject changes. Filming more than one subject at a time might not even be possible with a prime lens, depending on the situation. You can’t adjust on the fly like you can with a zoom.

Building on that, filming with prime lenses often means you need to use more than one lens. Having lenses with different fixed focal lengths allows you to get different compositions for your shots, but it also means you need more costly equipment on hand.

Additionally, changing lenses frequently increases complexity and the time required for filming. You might not always have the luxury or desire to do that.

Zoom Lenses

A zoom lens has a variable focal length. It can adjust from one subject to another at a range of distances from the camera without repositioning the camera.

Pros

The key advantage to a zoom lens is their flexibility. You can easily recompose a shot without missing too much of the action, as demonstrated from 2:00 – 2:25. This makes them ideal for capturing live events or documentaries.

Their versatility also means that working with a zoom lens can greatly reduce the amount of equipment you need on hand. If you can’t bring a lot of gear with you, a zoom lens might be the best choice since it’s adaptable to many situations. Since you won’t need to change lenses frequently, you can also save a lot of time and effort working with a zoom lens.

You’re also more likely to be able to stay in one place, even if your subject is moving. A zoom lens can stay focused on a subject as its distance from the camera changes.

Finally, they also allow you to be more creative with some of your shots. When you zoom in on a specific element of your frame, you can achieve an artistic effect that isn’t possible with a prime lens.

Cons

A zoom lens is certainly an excellent choice in a lot of situations thanks to their flexibility. However, in certain instances, the slower aperture, shallower depth of field, and greater distortion (detailed above) could make a difference to your project. It all comes down to the look you’re going for and what you’re trying to film.

What’s your go-to lens? Share with us in the comments below!

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