Hidden Gems: 10 Ultra Low Budget Lenses That Will Blow Your Mind

[@markwiemels]

* LINKS TO ALL THE LENSES IN THE DESCRIPTION *

[@CesarGrossmann]

Impressive. But I'm still using a Rebel camera (EF-S).

[@ThomasMeijerGF577]

Were can i see the links,?

[@rushboardtechuk]

I noticed the last lens was a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8; however, I hope to purchase a Full Frame camera. Would I, therefore, go for that lens, or should I take the plunge instead on their 28-70mm f2.8 FF model?

[@Cammymoop]

Lens 8 sony actually links to fuji version btw

[@awakeningrecordscuracao5369]

Finally someone who knows what budget means... jesus christ... everyone puts like $500 lenses at the lowest and calls them budget

[@sbsid1994]

Yeah right, lenses costing anywhere near the price of the body ain't budget , especially primes , zooms especially fixed aperture aren't likely to be budget anytime soon

[@kristopherklee243]

I agree 100% but after I started looking into the higher mm lens I get it. 500-800 is budget for a 100mm +

[@Solaxe]

Tbh lenses are expensive in general man. It's not a cheap hobby or job

[@theendangeredpetrolhead]

Because a $500 lens truly is a budget lens bud

[@MrsMysteryWoman]

So true. So so true… 👏🏻

[@aquss33]

"If you don't know what kind of camera you've got, you've got a crop sensor camera" Yeah, sounds about right, from experience of course, but most often I find that people who don't even know that generally have bridge cameras so no lenses for them either way

[@spark198rus]

And if i have full frame?

[@markwiemels]

Do you have full frame?

[@aquss33]

​@@markwiemels I am an amateur wildlife photographer with a tight budget, I use a crop sensor camera from canon (1.6x crop) to get 480mm out of my 300mm lens. I prefer full frame for portraits though, but at f/1.8 it's more than blurred enough for me... Also APS-C cameras are lighter. Could never recommend a bridge camera though, the image quality is way too phone-like and photos just look messy. Also apertures are narrow without a way to change them (except getting a new camera).

[@isaacwhite3396]

Right? Gave me a good chuckle.

[@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism]

@@spark198rus His point is, if you did, you'd know you do.

[@MickeyGrant]

I graduated from film school at SMU in 1971 and later got a Master's in film criticism while I was making a feature length film in China in 1984. I made my first Western when I was 29 with 2 Panaflex cameras. Your reviews are really excellent. I wish you'd do more in depth interviews using various camera charts. Still, I find your reviews refreshing, especially for beginners. Even with over 50 years as a feature Director/DOP, I always consider myself a beginner. That might be why I'm still working at 74 today (yes, my birthday is today!). No matter what, keep up the good work. You've got a great eye and great understanding. So many vloggers have no idea of why any of this is important. Well, I should go out on a limb, and say 99% of them are full fledged idiots.

[@bananaman287]

Hey, happy birthday man! Sorry I'm 3 weeks late. Love your comment.

[@Lucindorn]

Happy late birthday!!

[@cyano3d]

happy belated birthday, i would love to talk to you so much about life as a DOP if we ever could meet

[@Lunadoeslotsofstuff]

Happy late birthday!

[@code0662]

Happy late birthday!

[@leonarddumas3427]

the crop sensor joke at the beginning, instant follow!

[@markwiemels]

It's true though, right? ;-)

[@leonarddumas3427]

@@markwiemels hahahah yeah I guess, that’s why I think the joke is so funny, but to actually say it out loud in a video and not looking condescending is gold!

[@leonarddumas3427]

I just rewatched it, it’s the way you say it, without stoping and acknowledging the joke and just say it like it is and that’s it that is killing me.

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

@@markwiemels I haven't pick up on the joke first time. Yeah, it's totally make sense! Nobody will buy an expensive FF without knowing what sensor he is buying! But the other way around is quite possible.

[@andrewwhiten8211]

I agree that your skill level is most important, but also, using "budget" lenses like ttartisan that still provide good quality have helped my skills grow enormously. There is much more to learn on a classic manual lens than a super expensive point and shoot lens. Lenses like these have made my journey so fun.

[@markwiemels]

Yes for sure!

[@la8920]

The TTartisan 35mm is really good. It's my go to lens for its size and vesatility. However, my favorite TTartisan lens is the 40mm 2.8. Image quality is just superv and it has the added bonus that it's a macro lens as well

[@MarioCastillion]

Man, how I love your channel and the way you explain things. You have an extraordinary gift and this episode shows it clearly. Thanks, Mark....never change!

[@rinusborg]

In addition to the Imagon history, I used to shoot even in the eighties with it. The lens is a simple anastigmat! They get sharper with a small aperture so a box camera with an f16 lens had a reasonably good image. An improvement from a single element lens. Also linear distortion was way better. The spherical aberrations from the edge were really a bad side effect until Rodenstock found a use for it. It was trade marked so could not be copied. B&W made the duto sheibe (spelling may be wrong) a filter with concentric etched lines in it. It created a similar effect except a smaller aperture used the Center of the filter more so it bypassed these etched rings at the edge and created a less diffused. The benefit was that the variable softness required no changing of lenses or its aperture discs. This Chinese lens at this price is a great way to do all this. I may just get one for my portraits. What a great way to make people get excited about this.😊

[@mobbinator]

I would absolutely LOVE if you could do a video on astrophotography, especially tips on photographing the milky way. Either way, your videos are always so helpful. Thanks Mark!

[@markwiemels]

Thanks for the encouragement, I do need to do that.

[@peterquigley2700]

Merry too please

[@davepastern]

1. stop down the lens at least 1, if not 2 stops from maximum aperture (so, if 1.4, stop down to f2). This is to increase sharpness, remove CA, and remove coma from the stars. 2. focus manually, using the live view mode on your LCD screen on a bright star at 10x. Tape the lens' focus ring to avoid movement if possible. 3. Read up on the 500 rule to work out your TV value (shutter exposure time). 4. Set ISO to desired value based on AV and TV settings. 5. Frame your shot (a lot of people love to shoot the Milky Way). The wider focal length that you are shooting, the longer you can shoot in seconds before you get star trails. Some non-photography tips: 1. I recommend driving at least an hour outside of the city skirts, if not further to reduce light pollution. 2. Use a tripod, use a remote control, and if using a DSLR, use a custom setting to set the mirror up to reduce vibrations. Also, using a self timer, preferably 10 seconds (over 2 seconds, which imho, is too short) 3. avoid the moon. Shoot on dark moon (i.e. no moon) nights. If you really like it, fork out the money for a star tracker, which when set up correctly, will move with the Earth's rotation and elmiinate star trailing, meaning you can shoot for much longer exposure times (and importantly, reduce your ISO setting). This also opens up using longer focal lengths to hone in on large nebula such as m42 (Orion nebula) etc. It is a good idea to learn the night sky and a cheap sky atlas such as Sky & Space's star charts is a great investment.

[@davepastern]

PS I'll add that astrophotography can get VERY expensive, REAL fast if you get sucked into it lol. I'm currently looking at around 7k AUD for my setup. And that's just for wide FOV imaging setup using a SkyWatcher Esprit 80mm and doesn't include my solar imaging setup or planetary imaging setups.

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

Thank you @@davepastern your your very detailed comment on how to start astrophoto. I'm about to buy a camera for other purpose, but I'll give it a try for sure! I've already watch enough astrophoto video to know that it's way over my budget. Other than just basic stuff. Still, we can get amazing image. Instead of a telescope, I've got an instrument that can be use 24/7 even when it's raining and can get 80% of all the pro setup.. for 150$ Us new/open box. It's a SWIFT380. Best purchase ever!

[@elementiro]

Should be called "10 Ultra Low Budget Lenses That Will Blur Your Background"

[@soljafon]

Low light

[@ActiumFilms]

"blurry background" sounds so amateur

[@elementiro]

@@ActiumFilms frankly, it is often used by amateurs to create "more artsy" photos (kinda lika instagram filters). I'm not saying proffesionals doesn't use it, but they know how and when instead of abusing it.

[@rinusborg]

Hi Mark, Your reviews are much appreciated. The Chinese inexpensive lenses are indeed a very good value. Brand names do not always make what we want and attachments or editing needs to modify the results to what we had in mind. As a product photographer my lenses did not need speed but corner to corner sharpness was important. With film, color rendition needed to be uniform from lens to lens. Now for these lenses that may not be its primary goal. For creative photography the result can be whatever you want and the equipment here has some great new choices. You can nearly buy all of these in one swoop and spend less than a single brand lens. My most important point I want to make is the cheapest lens. The lens opening value is the total light passing the multiple irises. the 30ties and up to the 60ties this type was made to blend spherical aberrations from the lens edge with a sharper image from the center aperture. The center aperture cut off the spherical aberrations from the edge of the lens but in portraits or other creative images the edge aperture created an overlay over the sharp image with spherical (flared) images. It created not only the fuzzy overlay but it added some depth of field due to the individual much smaller apertures. The best known lens was the Imagon lens. It came with a number of discs that had a larger to smaller center hole surrounded by smaller holes like this one. Due to the fact that the aperture did not have blades it allowed you to pick an aperture that suited your lighting. Modern Imagon types are generally relatively expensive. Every brand medium format had them available and was used mostly for in studio portraits. Have a look here for some help with this type lens. www.pentaconsix.com/imagon.htm

[@markwiemels]

This sounds so cool! Thanks for sharing that bit of history. I love hearing stuff like this.

[@MrDeelightful]

This is a really great video. I use old (film) rangefinders, and I've been reluctant to step up to an SLR because of how expensive "budget" lenses are (like another commenter said, $500 is relatively cheap for "average" lenses). The prices of some of the AF lenses here are surprising. I also appreciate the number and variety of photos you show with each lens you recommended!

[@studio106raleigh]

"If you don't know what kind of camera you've got, you've got a crop sensor camera" ... CLASSIC! Love your vids, Man, great stuff, very useful as I dive back in after a Loooong break. Many Thanks!

[@MattisProbably]

I use the TTArtisan 17mm on my Nikon Z50! For the price it's absolutely fantastic. f/1.4 works in a pinch but I usually shoot it at f/4 or f/5.6 for better sharpness. Personally I rarely use a wideangle lense because I mainly shoot animals with tele lenses, so I wasn't willing to pay a fortune for a wideangle. So this was perfect for me. I work at a zoo as staff photographer so I needed a lens for general shots. Landscapes and such. So since I don't use it to shoot our critters I didn't care about autofocus :)

[@markwiemels]

Thanks for sharing. It’s very hard to beat for the price!

[@dan.allen.digital]

Great video Mark. You may also want to consider the Viltrox 13mm 1.4. Its about $425 and blows the samyang 12mm out of the water. I have both lenses and have not touched the samyang 12 since getting the viltrox 13.

[@ghostofneworleans4511]

Samyang and viltrox is the same right ?

[@cyano3d]

​@@ghostofneworleans4511no

[@harshil102]

Samyang and Rokinon are the same Korean manufacturing with different branding. Viltrox is it's own brand from China @@ghostofneworleans4511

[@randyk1919]

No, different companies.

[@senorchivo90]

Ditto. Got the Viltrox and sold my Samyang immediately. The 13mm was Viltrox's first pro-level lens, even though it's not marketed that way. They've been killing it ever since. The 13mm, 27mm, and 75mm are some of the best primes available for Fuji.

[@neilmontgomery3470]

I have the TT Artisans 27mm f2 8 af. I really like it. It has a vintage style rendering, is sharp and does not require an adaptor and has auto focus which is fast and quiet.

[@joshuachubbphotography]

If you don’t know what kinda camera you’ve got, you got a crop sensor camera 🤣🤣🤣 the most true and funniest gear roast!

[@nefrace]

TTartisan 35 f1.4 was the first lens that i've bought for my Olympus OM-D E-M1 over a year ago. And it's still one of my favorite lenses for portraits. Even when I have 50 f1.2 and also some AF lenses

[@markwiemels]

Yes, it has no business being as good as it is, for the price. I have mine on a $290 Fuji X-T1, it's such a great, and super cheap, setup.

[@anarchisttutor7423]

Watch out! I checked out some of these lenses and if you're using a Canon RF camera, you have to crop to about 7MP to avoid the vignette. Watch out for "APS-C ... for Canon RF" lenses!

[@Frazec_Atsjenkov]

0:27 in my experience as a camera salesman, people who don't know what they have tend to have a bridge camera. The APSC crowd tends to be a little more knowledgeable about their gear. Personally, I would steer people who are more interested in photography towards secondhand gear. Specifically full frame secondhand gear. For instance something like a Sony A7 combined with nice fast vintage 50mm is a great beginner setup for photograpy. Such a setup can be had for as little as 300 euro where I live.

[@Kabuldor]

Wow, I am on a budget, I have 2 dslrs, and I plan on getting a a5000 (thanks to ur guide (: ), I am thinking of getting the first (since it has the retro/filmlike look) and I would probably get the second one two. THANKS, finally somebody who knows what budget means😀

[@kenappleby8481]

And we are still waiting for that astro tutorial from you!!! :) Thanks for this video - added to my list on Amazon :D

[@markwiemels]

I know :-(

[@116Paul]

Unfortunately, r7 has an ibis bug problem with full manual lens. Initially, ibis works until the screen dims, changed mode or power off. Only way to fix it is to turn ibis off and on from menu. It's really frustrating to only use focus peaking with shaky screen. Im currently using full manual apsc lens on r5, which has no problem with ibis. Works flawlessly. For r7, i will wait for cpu manual lens. Hopefully, voigtlander next year. I still watch all your videos. Haha. Thanks for your hard work videos.

[@The_CGA]

Proud owner of lens number 2: you’re dead on. But it’s got a good close focus, and captures stunning landscapes when stopped down.

[@markwiemels]

Love it.

[@JohnRGoudy]

Would love to see that astrophotography video! Just recently found your channel and really appreciate the information you provided. Keep up the great work.

[@bvino-rosso1913]

The 19$ Holga lens is also one of my favorites. I recommend setting high-contrast black and white. I photograph a lot of castles and other things.

[@bvino-rosso1913]

I use Sony e mount and don't need an adapter

[@stianlarsson6625]

Old video, so nobody will likely see this, but I really liked this video and it's made me want to get into photography again. Low light capabilities have come far since my Nikon d200, but I expect I could pick up a sufficient new or used Canon body for an affordable price as well. Thanks for not making another 'lets compare a cheap lens to an expensive one' video. This feels much more positive.

[@_rkrd]

old video????????????

[@stianlarsson6625]

@@_rkrd It was a year old. Who reads comments on year old videos? You and me I guess.

[@Sm0k3R573v3]

I fell in love with one of your latest recommendations - Meike f2.8 60mm Macro. Got it directly from Meike around 60$ cheaper than from Amazon (170 instead of 230$). Manually focusing on very small objects is incredibly hard, but the results are really rewarding IMO.

[@markwiemels]

Oh, awesome. That is a great little lens, I really like how small it is too. A joy to use. It could have easily been in this list.

[@babajaiy8246]

Back when there were no computers and only film photography, I had a Canon A-1 or AE-1, I forget. But it had a 'hair-line' split screen in the middle that was easy to see and did not interfere with the viewing the image as a whole. It was super easy to manually focus. I understand all the modern Auto-Focus features...but I would throw all that away for a return of that simple 'mechanical' way to focus. With such a camera, it doesn't matter what kind of lens one would use, like the one you mention. Would make it easy.

[@Alanwking]

I used both the 17mm and the 35mm TTartisan lenses for video work at my 9-5. On e i got the hang of adjusting theseanual kemses on a gimbal, I dont reach for my Sigma 18-50 as much. The f/1.4 came in clutch when i had to shoot in a dark lobby (I didnt have room for a light because of the crowd). I kove thise lenses.

[@classzedits]

i've got that viltrox 23/f1.4 for my zv e10. my second (or third including the 16-50 kit lens) after my wife bought me my very first prime sony 50mm/f1.8. i wish i could buy something wider than the 23 but i'm just a grade school teacher, and it took us a long while to save enough to buy these 2 lenses. but i love both. the viltrox 23 for videos, while the sony 50mm for portrait photography.

[@markwiemels]

Perfect setup! Yes, in time, getting something a bit wider would be a good addition to that setup.

[@edneyhelenedossantos1875]

Got lens 2 and i'm so happy, great lens!

[@erichthedread4595]

Thanks for the upload my dude. I’ve got a 7D and only have a 18-55mm kit lens that I’m growing a bit bored with & an old Soligar 135mm lens. Wanting, no, needing more variety. And a man of my inclinations & budget? Vintage all the way baby! I would love to have the finer lenses, but real-talk, I’ll probably never be able to afford one & I’m in the stage of reluctant acceptance of the fact. It’s a work in progress if you will. Thank you for the down-to-earth approach & keeping it real with costs while taking time to show off some good vintage lenses.

[@Grovion]

The 50mm F1.2 sounds great. For portraits i use my Sigma 85mm 1.4 on my A7 IV but a cheap alternative when i'am out with my a6700 would be great and when you factor in the crop factor it's like a 75mm F1.8 on full frame. Which comes pretty close for the price.

[@DebzLife]

Thank you buddy. Mark. For the 17mm f1.4 recommendation. I have been using it from a long time and i personally had no issues with it. I watched your original sigma v ttartisan video btw

[@bartlevenson7851]

35 mil equivalents, which this is, are super useful for portraiture, just not headshot portraiture, but rather environmental portraiture where you off- center the subject and keep a respectable distance away, like 5 feet, and this allows the surroundings to be shown either in focus, or blurry with the big 1.4 ap. it is my personal favorite, as I use 65 mm on 6x6, or 75mm on 6x7 cameras to get a similar effect. the advantage of the 23mm on APS-C would be a much easier camera to carry around town!

[@CryptoJones]

"If you don't know what kind of sensor you have you have a crop sensor" Call the fire department because some folks got burned!!! lol

[@1956jude]

Excellent video. I own 7 of these lenses which I use on my Sony a6000 (also have the old NEX-6 which is also a very good camera). Keep up the good work, Mark. 😊

[@CliffR]

Found the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 for $199 with 20% coupon so couldn't resist. Can't wait to get it

[@metis7534]

This sounds great 👀 I’m going to check this out when I come back from the gym

[@stevenpeterson8444]

dude, using that ttartisan 35mm right now on a beach trip! such a good little lens. feel like i’m getting similar quality to my canon 32mm but without the fear of the beach destroying it. got it on prime day for $66 based on your rec. thanks!

[@markwiemels]

Awesome! Such a cool lens, and a real joy to use too.

[@sertaysakizoglu5553]

I love this lens. Bought it last year and it's my favourite APSC lens to this day. Pictures are sharp, handling is smooth. color rendition is solid too!

[@markwiemels]

@@sertaysakizoglu5553 it really is impossibility good for the price.

[@Trekeyus]

Personally one lens that I have used for years now is the old Promaster 28-200mm F3.8-5.6 it is an old Nikon lens so you will have to use an adapter for a mirrorless camera but you get the advantage of the crop factor. Used to use it almost exclusively on my Nikon and 65 35 mm film camera. I'm not using it with my Fuji xt20 with an adapter. It's a dumb adapter so I have to manually focus it. I pretty much switch between that lens and my RISESPRAY 35mm f1.6 Manual Focus MF Prime lens

[@tanayshetty5202]

I loved it when he said "If you don't know what camera you got , then it has to be APSC camera Hahahahhahahha"

[@kormosta]

"If you don't know what kind of camera you got,you've got a cropped sensor camera" xD

[@javilomas1208]

Thank you for your. I recomended konica 40 mm 1.4 It's amazing, 50 mm pentax smc 1.7 and konica 135mm 2.8

[@HR-wd6cw]

Even if you can forego some of the features like auto focus, you can find A LOT of cheap budget friendly lenses that are both fun and decent (or in some cases, better) quality for far less than what you'd pay for an auto-focus version. While glass optics do play a role in price (better optics = higher price usually) a lot of money also goes to things like auto focus and in-lens stabilization systems too, as these add costs for manufacturers, which are then passed along to the buyer in the form of a higher price than a cheaper, more basic manual focus lens. I've found that actually prime lenses that are manual focus are the cheapest usually because they are generally more simple to design (have fewer lens elements). Now despite this, lenses like the Nikon 50mm 1.8's (for the DSLRs) are a heck of a deal and dirt cheap for what you get (and yes, most are auto focusing). I was able to find a good used one for as low as $150 and if I could only have one lens, It would probably be a 50 1.8 due to its versatility.

[@helgeschneider4417]

Used lenses are great. Mirrorless seems to have made it easier/cheaper to make seriously sharp lenses, but there are loads of recent to old used lenses with great sharpness and/or characteristics. Since you were already bringing up the 50mm 1.8G I might as well throw the 300mm F4 into the mix. Will be hard to use on a mirrorless camera without an autofocus adapter, but if you can look past that it's a great lens. Extremely sharp from 5.6 onwards and great colors.

[@BradMangas]

Thanks Mark, these videos of budget lenses is very helpful. I picked up the Meike 60mm macro (looks like other did as well) from your last recommendations. I really like it. Thanks again, take care fella.

[@markwiemels]

Yes, that's such a great lens! I almost put it in this video too.

[@krazyproduction875]

Thanks for this video copping some new lenses 🎉

[@justanothernoobe]

I have the TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4 on MFT ... LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOOVE this lens. It's remarkably sharp and just FEELS so good. I also have the Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 17mm f/0.95 BUT .... as much as I love the cine-look, I suspect I've got a one-off that's just not as sharp as it should be. [Big Sigh] ... so considering the Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm f/0.95 ... but that's FARRRRRR from Ultra Low Budget! So for now I find my Leica 12mm f/1.4 is the best for sharpness, with optical quality AND POP! (Plus the convenience of autofocus IS an added bonus). The Iaowa 7.5mm f/2.0 is beautifully sharp and really good value but ... no background bokeh damnit! I do wish that the ultra-low budget lenses would have a massive focus throw on them. Then at least you could fine tune and (hopefully) compensate for that focus-breathing. But with a lot of these lenses, there's minimal difference between blurry and sharp-as-hell. And even then, the focus-breathing means that "sharp-as-hell" then changes and isn't quite so much ... garrrrrrhhhhhhh I've yet to try the Rokinons though. They DO have a good reputation but I probably need to check on the focus-breathing and focus-thrown to see whether there's any real improvement over what I already have.

[@striderwhiston9897]

Just additionally: The Sigma 18-50mm is not available on most mounts, it's much older brother, the Sigma 17-50mm F/2.8, is still a really sharp lens and an equally fast one, definitely worth getting.

[@markwiemels]

Good Tip.

[@SchardtCinematic]

I have that Holga lens. It's a fun little cheap lens. I wish they all had the standard Canon EF-S mount instead of the EF-M mount.

[@paperstacksfilms]

From what I can see the tt artisans 17 and 35 f1.4's match very well. They sell a 23 f1.4 that also matches with those two as well. Very good budget manual lens set, gonna make sort of cinemoded set out of them

[@staceyboulmetis6862]

I just love your channel. You are so great and helpful as I fumble around trying to figure things out and start a youtube channel!

[@markwiemels]

Oh, that's so nice to hear! Thanks.

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

You look a bit like a guy who wake up in a hotel room with friends, and a lion suddenly appear in your face, realise you lost a baby and it's your wedding day! Are you sure you are not a dentist? All your video are amazing, triple thumbs up on every singles ones you offer us!

[@jksanbox]

I got Sigma 16 f/1.4 and Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 and love them

[@philwood1857]

I have problems with manual focusing (aging eyes) so I get my cheap lens via ebay. WIth the right adapter you can use film era AF lenses on my E-mount bodies - lenses like the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 or Minolta AF 50mm f1.7 offer great iamge quality and AF for under $50.

[@ChrisOrange]

very helpful - cheers Mark! 👏🏻

[@rawalker666]

The Holga lens is available in lots off different mounts not just canon i have the nikon one and it also works on full frame cameras not just crop sensor

[@loboptlu]

Have bought a few great vintage lenses in m42 (from professional vendors, privat is a lottery) with adapters for all my cameras who cost around 70 to 190 € and beat most of the new 2000 € lenses , yes its manual but the old zeiss and even russian ones are sturdy and superb image quality.

You could mention the Yongnuo 50mm F1.8 STM and the TTartisan 35mm F1.8 (AF) as well.

[@ryanbeer5262]

I have the Samyang 12 f2 af version & 75mm 1.8 great compact af lenses, managed to find both for around $350 each.

[@griffgruffl1]

I have the TT 35mm on a mft G80 camera, I love it for portraits on a super low budget

[@1yotube]

this video has helped me to remember the feo things I know about Lens. Thanks so much.

[@markwiemels]

No worries!

[@rakshitnasikkar6711]

When is the review of Lens 2 coming out? Eagerly waiting for it as I own that one.

[@theothertonydutch]

You skipped the Risespray 35mm 1.6. Swirly Bokeh, decent build quality. The 25mm isn't amazing as it severely loses contrast wide open, but the 35mm doesnt seem to have that problem.

[@eduardoniederauer5537]

Very nice video! I have a Fujifilm X-S10 and currently I own just the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 and the XC 35mm f2. It's more than enough for 99% of my needs.

[@markwiemels]

I have an x-s20. With the 18-50 too, I would look at that 50mm f1.2, I use it on my fuji and it’s really good, especially for the price.

[@ScottWallace5]

Thank you for this video, really interesting and helpful! Well done!

[@marlenebouchard1099]

Thank you so much for this video!! I kinda want to buy them all now 🤣

[@MarkBennettCameraCrisis]

Great list!!

[@jirosaves_theworld]

mannn glad tt artisan 17mm got mentioning! i got offer on last year Black Friday in very low price took gamble, until now it never detach from my camera that smooth and moody look on 17mm are something that i need for video and photo big downside for me are 40.5mm filter thread thats it and maybe planning grab another TT Artisan product in future

[@TheCelticbeast]

Thanks for showcasing Melbourne, Australia.

[@kyledarrenhanson]

Great video, appreciated. Ordered the Holga one :) Love TTArtisan. That 35mm f1.4 is incredible, can't believe the sharpness in it.

[@markwiemels]

I know, that TT Lens is crazy good for the price.

[@anups7958]

Great ideas for content! Very helpful…1st party lens are very expensive in my country and these 3rd party lens are almost 50% or less.

[@peterquigley2700]

Love your work Mark. This is my new favorite video. Thanks for your work. Go Saints!

[@markwiemels]

Thanks! Yes, the Hawks are random this year, never know what you're going to get. Ya know, I had an fishing channel before I had this one (noticed the fish in your profile photo)

[@peterquigley2700]

@@markwiemels I fly fish exclusively these days. Do a bit of guiding. I’m really trying to learn to be a better cinematographer just to make fishing films. I have a plan for some work in NZ this year. The only problem is to stop fishing long enough to film. If you are into fly fishing or ever want to give it a try I’d be happy to take you up the high country. Free of course.

[@peterquigley2700]

Oh I forgot. Hawks will beat the saints by 40 points. 😩

[@markwiemels]

@@peterquigley2700 Yes, I have the fly fishing kit, but my game is not good. I think it would be hard to film and fly fish, you would really have to just film others. Probably dedicate some days to filming and other to fishing. Thanks for the offer, my hearts not in the fishing at the moment, but I should get the boat fixed up and and get out for snapper this spring, I miss cooking and eating fresh fish.

[@peterquigley2700]

@@markwiemels we have a lot in common. I agree with you on filming vs fishing and I’ve nearly made the transition. Cheers.

[@shadowbreaker]

Great video, I'd love a full frame version of this, hard to find stuff

[@julmaass]

Great recommendations! Wish I had this video when I started out. Definitely recommend the 12mm f2 and 18-50 f2.8 as smallest, best kit for APSC. If your camera body has IBIS, you’re unstoppable in low light.

[@mwwhited]

That Holga is not an f/8 unless you rip that soft focus out of it. And you can also open it up more by ripping the second aperture ring out of it as well... and they are cheap enough you can just buy 3 and play.

[@docrock1069]

HI Marc, Thanx for your good work and inspiring videos. Got me the TTArtisan 35mm. Got 2 newbee*s questions: 1.)With that MF lens mounted, do I have to turn off AF on the Camera (for not to brake anything) or just leave it as it is? 2.) With an AF lens (like RF 50 1.8 STM). How would my autofocus setting be if I want to achieve a shallow depth of field. Let's say camara starts behing some flowers or tree branches which should remain really unsharp, lifting camera up to my model which the should then be sharp. Do I completely turn off AF and pre-focus manually on my model before (What if model is walking/moving)? Or do I set AF on with people tracking? Thanx for a start point into cinematic videography... 3.) Wher do I turn off AF a) just at the lens, b) at the little switch on the front of the body or c) in the menu. Does this make a difference or better: Is there THE correct way. Thanx for getting started Doc from Germany

[@Chief667]

"if you don't know what kind of camera you've got, you've got a crop sensor" LOL 😂

[@williamchan8866]

Going the way…..I’ve spent way too much on lots of fast glass….but I’m tired of all that bokeh. Now I find in practice f2.8 is really all you need…..it’s more than fast enough especially with digital with high iso capability. F2.8 is bokeh enough. Just want to add how much I enjoy watching your lens recommendations….esp for someone who lug heavy lens around for not much practical reason.

[@MarioAlfonsoCabrera]

"If you don't know what type of camera you have, you have a crop sensor camera" sent meeee 🤣🤣🤣

[@mohamedkotni2161]

Which one would you recommend for street and landscape photography?

[@madmax1412]

I would love to see a tutorial on astrophotography especially showing how to do shots like at 8:16 where you have fairly bright lights in the foreground.

[@SatelliteEnthusiast]

I'm somewhat new, but I have some slight but probably obvious advice. A tripod is a simply a necessity for it.

[@madmax1412]

@@SatelliteEnthusiast Yes that is obvious, but I was talking about shutter speed, aperture, iso etc so that enough light gets in to show all the stars, including faint ones, without the house lights blowing out too bright. I thought it might have been 2 photos of different settings merged in post. I've never done astrophotography so I was just asking. If it was simply a case of putting a camera on a tripod and taking a photo, there wouldn't be a need for tutorial videos so I figured there must be some tricks to how the final shot is achieved.

[@piotr_hiena_czajkowski]

Great work on it!

[@sharklion3]

this came out just in time. thank you!

[@markwiemels]

Great to hear!

[@cataclysmicproductions]

Lens cap Update Hub is a great idea

[@JoyTheDoggie]

Very Nice Video Though I wish you had a video on the "best video cameras/lens to use for filmmaking"

[@Kabab]

This was great. Do you have a version of this video for full frame lenses?

[@markwiemels]

I am planing to make one at some point.

[@sembalo1776]

ok that first lens looks lovely, good bit a chromatic abberation. those ttartisan lenses seem pretty neat. i do want me one of those samyang wides thye seem pretty nice and are fairly affordable.

[@marcandreleduc185]

Pleeeeeaaaaaaaaasssssse pleeeeeeaaaaassse Do some astrophotography stuff! Its the main reason I got into photography. There are some comets and supernovae that will be visible soon. Might be a good oppurtunity for a video! :)

[@JohnsAmerica]

Im selling my 12mm F2 lens n ebay that he mentions, if youre interested. can send you link

[@thenickbw]

Another fun cheap lens for crop mirrorless cameras is the CCTV 35mm f1.7 Fujian lens. Super small, not sharp, a dozen or so curved aperture blades. Poorly made but the colors and lens flares are magical and very swirly bokeh akin to the Helios 44-2. Great lens to keep in the bag due to their size and sometimes magic happens They're about $25 great cheap gift for any photographer shooting apsc or m43 mirrorless cameras.

[@K1TTENM1TTEN]

Can you please make a full-frame version of this video?

[@branigan99]

Forget the lenses, importantly Mark is a Hawks supporter so highly intelligent and driven champion,

[@lance_medul]

I already had the TTARTISAN 35mm f1.4, f.95 and the 25mm f2 with my Sony and they're all great. I especially really liked the 25mm f2 which is roughly a 35mm FF equiv on my Sony. So now that I switched to m43 system. im eyeing the TTArtisan 17mm f1.4 for that same 35mm look but its a tad bit more expensive for me rn.

[@markwiemels]

I have not tried the 25, I will check it out, thanks for sharing that.

[@lance_medul]

@@markwiemels it also has that distinct lo-fi look with its soft and vignette prone corners. But I love the look of its images. Its especially sharp at the center and surprisingly doesn't suffer much or any at all with chromatic aberration. Its also really compact too!

[@johnsmith1474]

My mint unused EF 40mm f/2.8 STM was about $90 with shipping on Ebay.

[@LebronPhoto1]

A lens hood should help the flare issue on the 50mm 1.2 lens.

[@timothyduvernet2711]

No surprise that most of the lenses are made in China. I was expecting a bit more genuine vintage such as the Meyer-Optic lenses or an old Zeiss. The APS-C is also limiting to those who have FF equipment. One thing to be aware of too, a 0.95 lens is going to be nearly impossible to focus accurately when used wide open. The DoF will be so short that the use will have be extremely careful.

[@lochnkey5216]

Cheapest autofocus lens would be the nifty fifty canon 1.8. Great video

[@swagonman]

I have a couple of those, including the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8. You forgot to mention one of its strengths. It has every close focus, and specially at 18mm. And good sharpness and contrast when focused close.

[@markwiemels]

Yes! That’s true!

[@michaelspahn3675]

Excellent review. thx. Did you ever notized die tree AF Sigma lenses 19mm, 30mm and 60mm all f2.8.