My Favorite Canon Lenses for Making Videos

With so many lens choices out there how do you know which ones to use for your videos? This video and article walks you through some of my favorite Canon Camera lenses and why I enjoy using them.

I hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave your comments or questions below! if you prefer to read more about Canon Lenses for Video you can find the full transcription of the video in the text below.

Video Transcription

Hey, everyone, it’s Kelli here with She Learns Video. Today I’m going to be talking about all of my favorite lenses to use whenever you are shooting video and a little bit about why I use each lens. So, let’s jump in, and thanks for joining.

The first lens I want to share with you is the Canon 35mm. This is the RF version, so it works on the Canon EOS R, or the R6, or R5, if you have one of those. It is a 1.8, has built-in image stabilization, which is great for video, and I love using it for family films or any of my personal work. Any time you’re shooting inside, it’s really nice. On occasion, I’ll use it for bride or groom prep if I am shooting a wedding. So, just all around a great lens. I love it, very sharp, and something that I would definitely encourage you as a filmmaker to have in your kit.

The next lens I want to chat about is the good old Nifty Fifty. This is the first prime lens that I purchased when I got my camera. It is the EF version, so this is not for the R, R5, or R6, unless you have the adapter, which I do utilize on a pretty regular basis. I love this lens if you are going to be shooting any talking head style interviews, such as this one. It is a nice focal length for that. For the most part, that’s what I utilize it for. On occasion, if I need to stay a little bit further away from my clients, I will use this in lieu of the 35 millimeter, but for the most part I use it for corporate work or interview style videos.

The next lens I’m going to show you is the last prime lens I have in my bag, and that is the 85 1.8 from Canon. This is not the RF version. It’s actually the EF that I used a lot on my mark three. I use this with the adapter on my EOS R all the time and I really love it. I think that it provides you with that nice creamy bokeh, that fall off that I know a lot of us are looking for whenever we’re making videos or taking photographs.

I think that it’s a good option if you need to stay a little bit further away from your subject. So on occasion, I will use it at weddings or for corporate events. I don’t use it a lot with little kids for family films, because I like to be closer to my subjects when I’m making those videos so I can interact with a family and have a little bit more engagement, but I do love the quality of this lens. It’s pretty affordable, and it’s just a great tool to have in your bag as far as a prime focal length.

Okay. So, this little tool is not a lens, but I do use it a lot with my EF Mount lenses on my Canon EOS R. It is a really affordable tool that allows you to utilize that glass from shooting with DSLRs on the new Canon Mirrorless line. It is pretty flawless as far as focus goes, and I highly recommend picking one of these up if you’re looking to jump over to the mirrorless system.

They do have an option with a built-in filter drop in. So this is not that version, but definitely something you might want to invest in if you’re looking to shoot video, because you can put an ND filter right here in the adapter and it will use that ND filter for any of your EF Mount lenses. So a nice option, and Canon makes these pretty affordable if you’re looking to make the jump.

Okay. So the last lens I’m going to share with you is actually the lens I was just using for a lot of those previous shots, but it is my 24-105. It’s an RF Mount from Canon and it’s an F4. So I like to use this sometimes for video sessions where I’m doing interviews and I get my tripod set up and maybe want to adjust the focal length. It can be great for that. I also use it a lot of times for busy events. So weddings, receptions, sometimes I’ll utilize it at corporate events when I need to be quick on my feet and have that ability to adjust my focal length pretty quickly. So, I love it for that.

I think every videographer or photographer should have some sort of zoom lens in their bag, depending on the type of work you do, but I think it just adds a lot of great flexibility and I’ve really enjoyed having this as part of my kit.

Okay. So, those are all the lenses that I have in my bag as a filmmaker. I know there are so many options out there, so everyone may decide that something works better for them, depending on the type of videos you’re making or the type of photography you’re doing if you’re a hybrid shooter. I do think that each one has a certain value and different elements that you might want to use them for.

I hope this video was helpful and that you learned a little bit more about why I choose each lens and the value that it provides for different types of sessions. If you liked this video, definitely drop us a like below, a comment below. If you have a question, subscribe to the channel, and share it with anyone who might be interested. If you want to learn more, please go to shelearnsvideo.com and subscribe to our email newsletter where you can stay posted on all the most up-to-date content. Thanks.

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