Over the years I’ve had my hands on countless lenses when dealing with videography and photography. People ask me all the time what are the best and most importantly, affordable lenses to get and use when it comes to production. Thusly, I’ve compiled a list of my top 5 favorite, best, and most importantly, affordable lenses to use when it comes to videography and photography! When it comes to your arsenal of lenses you should always have your focal length basis’ covered, everything from a wide angle, to a macro, to a long zoom lens. That entire range is covered with this list of 5 lenses I present to you below!
Note: (All lenses are EF mount based)

CANON EF 50MM f/1.8 II CAMERA LENS: http://goo.gl/Y8BN8b

Every videographer/photographer should own a 50mm f/1.8 lens as your first upgrade from the kit lens that came with your camera. This was one of the first purchases I made when I bought my Canon t2i years back! The lens is sharp and has an extremely fast aperture for shooting in low light as well as giving you that beautiful bokeh effect. You really can’t beat the price, it’s extremely affordable for the results and images it gives you. It’s really a no brainer to add it to your lens lineup whether your just starting or have a few lenses already. Often referred to as the “Nifty Fifty” it holds up to it’s nickname

TOKINA 11-16MM f/2.8 II DIGITAL ZOOM LENS: http://goo.gl/egb9DB

The very first wide angle lens I ever purchased as the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens, and I loved it. I used this lens primarily with my t2i as well as my Canon 5D Markii & Canon 5D Markiii. It’s a solid lens with a solid build, it’s durable and holds up well to the regular bump and grind of the production world. The lens is sharp and very wide! The price of the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX II Lens is on the moderate side. This lens has the widest-available aperture in its class, and that fact is often responsible for higher prices. Although, many of it’s competing lenses in it’s class are priced much higher, making the tokina 11-16 a steal for the quality that it is.

TAMRON AF 28-75MM f/2.8: http://goo.gl/iGcEHl

A mid range zoom lens is one of the most popular and effective styles of lenses on the market. Early on I had purchased the Canon 24-70 f2.8 L series lens. Now, that lens is a beast of a lens but it’s also a beast of a price. The Tamron 28-75 is an exceptionally great lens and produces sharp images for it’s price point. The lenses’ optics are similar to that of the 24-70 canon lens, but nearly 1/4 the cost! I would definitely recommend the Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 for anyone looking for a lens that would be somewhat of an equivalent to the Beast that is the Canon 24-70mm lens.

CANON EF 70-200MM f/4L USM TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENS: http://goo.gl/OHcAfM

Although this lenses f/stop only achieves f/4, I should note the f/2.8 version of this same lens jumps all the way up to around $2,500. That being said having an f/4 aperture is not that bad. This lens is optically equivalent to it’s more expensive counterpart and even lighter. So if you’re looking to keep things light with your lens and your pocket, this is the zoom lens for you!

CANON 100MM F/2.8 MACRO LENS: http://goo.gl/lwyY4y

Everybody needs a macro lens in their lens arsenal! If you don’t have one already the canon 100m f2.8 macro is the lens to fill that void. Being able to get and achieve sharp macro shots is very important in not only the photography world but video as well. This lens is the little brother of the Canon 100mm f/2.8 L lens, which is slightly sharper and has better build quality. But just because there is a more expensive version of this lens does not take away from the value of this excellent and sharp portrait and macro lens. If you want to do serious macro photography or videography on a budget, then this lens is an excellent lens option.

I hope this list of affordable and amazing lenses helps you in your decision when it comes to your next lens purchase!

L.I.V.E. - Learn, Invest, Visualize, Execute

-Jakob