For the last year and a half I’ve been shooting almost all of my video contest entries on my DSLR; a Canon T2i.  It’s a great camera and I’m really amazed at the footage it produces sometimes.  But this week a great opportunity to buy a Panasonic HVX200 plus a bunch of accessories fell into my lap and I had to take the deal.  (I’m planning a documentary project for 2012 and so I’ll need a traditional, HD “video camera” for that project)  Since I’ll be using the HVX as my primary camera for a while, I thought about selling my DSLR.  But the thing is just too nice and it’s good for “artsy” video projects, if you know what I mean.

So I figured I’d compromise with myself and sell my big, “nice” lens; my Canon L series 24-105mm lens.  The lens is in mint condition.  Because it’s so high-end I only used it on a few shoots.  I’ve posted the lens on craigslist and I’ve been getting some e-mails but half the people you hear from on CL are scammers who want you to ship your items to Croatia.  So I figured I’d post the offer here and see if any hardcore video congest nerds were interested in purchasing this lovely, amazing item.  Here’s a pic of the lens.  I’ve still got the box plus I’ll include the lens hood and a nice lens bag you sort of see in the photo.  Click the image to embiggen:

It really is a hell of a lens.  As I mentioned it is an “L Series” which means it is Canon’s top of the line.  If you have a Canon DSLR and you’ve only been using the “kit” lens that came with the camera this thing will blow your mind.  The kit lens feels like a toy after using the 24-105mm.  One of the best things about this lens is that it focuses very quickly and quietly.  But the big attraction here is the focal length.  You can zoom in up to 105mm and the picture will stay nice and sharp.  And this zoom is especially helpful if you’re shooting video.  There are two ways you can shoot a subject with a lens like this; you can either put the camera right in front of them and focus or you can put the camera far from them, zoom in and then focus.  Shooting your subject that second way is how you get that “blurry background” effect that photographers refer to as “Bokeh.”  This effect is the thing that sets DSLR apart from standard “video cameras.”  And with the 24-105mm you can bokeh your ass off.

I bought it back in April from Adorama for $1,089.  I just checked Adorama’s website and the same lens is now selling for $1,045.  (listing here)  I’m willing to sell my 24-105mm lens for….well, let’s just say “a whole lot less.”  Trust me, I’ll give you a hell of a deal.  Plus, you know I can’t rip you off or sell you a piece of junk because I’m Beardy (AKA Dan) from Video Contest News!  So I can’t exactly disappear on you.  If you’re interested in the lens, e-mail me at and we can talk about the price.

If you still need convincing, here’s a glowing review of the 24-105 that I found on youtube.  This guy’s main focus was on using the lens for photography but everything he says still applies if you’re using the lens for shooting video:

If someone commits to buying this item I’ll come back and edit this post to let you guys know the lens is gone.

UPDATE:  And it’s gone!  Wow, that only took like 12 hours.  And the dude who bought the lens is named “Brock” which made the whole transaction way more awesome. 

I’m going to leave this post up since I think it’s got interesting info in it (if I do say so myself).  My 24-105mm has been claimed but hey, at least now you know what you want for Christmas, right?

 

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