I've wanted it for a long time, but I couldn’t decide to start filming a culinary blog. It only seems, that everything is simple – take a picture with your phone. In reality, everything is more complicated, than it seems.

First of all, recipes – what kind of cuisine (I mean Italian, Russian, hodgepodge). This is a very important moment and the most difficult. What to cook, what people will like and what will get the maximum response.

Secondly, shooting style – first person, conversation video. This is when you film yourself or the presenter. It's important here, how do you look like, as you say. Many people choose this style and technique is important when shooting this way. – light first, but also optics.

I mean, that style determines, what technique do you need to use, to achieve the desired video parameters – what is the illumination of the frame, what depth of field do you need. If you want to get the whole scene sharp, then you can film something like this on your phone or, if you have a camera, you can get by with a regular kit lens. Close the aperture until 8 and shoot calmly.

But if you decide to film only the preparation itself – i.e, close-ups, then in this case you can get by with a phone or camera with similar options – kit lenses and small matrix – micro 4/3 or inch. Or you can use an inexpensive prime lens with a closed aperture, if you need the whole scene in sharpness. You can look for native optics or use Chinese analogues.

Wiltrox, eg – they produce autofocus lenses with different focal lengths. 23, 24, 33, 35 or 50 mm – you can choose a very good option.

With this optic you can also choose a different shooting style, with blurred background, with shallow depth of field, to focus on the main moments of shooting – to you, separating you from the background, or cooking – slicing, eg.

You will need a camera and a fast lens, and you will need to shoot with an open aperture. You'll have to worry about choosing a lens. by the way, the aforementioned Viltroxes – this is a good option. Many lenses have an aperture 1,4 and this is for reasonable money. Although 30-40 thousand is also not exactly cheap.

I decided to take a slightly different path. Well just because, that I already have lenses from the Nikon D750 SLR.

for example, NIKON 60 MM macro.

I use it on my mirrorless camera with a native FTZ adapter. Very sharp lens. But there is one nuance here too. Although this lens is autofocus, but when using it on a mirrorless camera via an adapter, have to focus manually. The fact, that this is a lens from the D series. To focus you need a so-called response. So not all DSLRs are suitable for him.

Another point, which limits its use for video shooting – in my case. This is the focal length. I have a crop and 60 mm per crop – this is in terms of 90 mm. Although it’s quite suitable for close-ups.

But I left this lens for later, and at first I decided to use old Soviet optics to shoot a cooking video.

And the reason, that I settled on manual Soviet optics – it's not just about saving. Although this too. Even Chinese manual lenses now cost from 7 thousand and above.

Actually yes – I want to save money, but this is normal when shooting. Any shooting – this is primarily a budget. And if the result is unclear, it's natural, that you want to get by on a small budget. And here the lenses 1,5 – 3 thousands couldn't come at a better time.

But not only the price – In my case, several factors came together.

I want to take close-ups – i.e, Don’t let your face shine too much in the frame. This is the first.

Second. I have limited space and I don’t want to show off the kitchen in all its glory. – I'd just have to clean up a lot, and then arrange again. This is not my option. That's why close-up with background blur – this is just mine.

I don't really need sharpness across the entire frame. And the old Soviet optics have the sin of, that the edges are “soapy” on open apertures. And this is exactly what I need.

So in my case everything came together – and price, and optical properties, and then, that the lenses are manual, just suits me.

Here's the thing. Camera and Lens, no matter how good they are, when shooting movement – and food blogs are manipulations with products, may squirm and lose focus. Focus will move from object to object, which happens often, if you are shooting alone and do not have complete control over the shooting, if you have to take it off, and cook.

Therefore, the choice of manual optics for me was also connected with the fact, that you don’t want to constantly control focus. And then you set the focus and shoot. The main thing is not to leave the sharpness zone. But it's not so difficult anymore.

At least it seems so to me.

so, to lenses, what do I want to use. it:

Helios 44 with F aperture 2 and focal length 58 mm – classic with a very distinctive pattern
World 1 at – 37 mm, on Nikon it is 55 mm, aperture F 2,8.

Focus 37 – this is naturally not wide, especially on a crop camera, but for my type of shooting it’s quite suitable.

A little about lenses – but not about their performance characteristics, and about the use of these glasses.

Helios in my case is on crop – this is a portrait and a very decent one. I managed to shoot them – I like it. Here you can see what I did with it.

I haven't experienced the world yet. So that, I just got the result during this shooting.

Video testing of Helios 44m and Mir-1 lenses

Here's what I got:

CONCLUSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Here you go, looked, what happened to me. results, as they say – not clear.

And yet you can shoot and it turns out quite well.

Another thing worth noting is this – Still, it’s difficult to shoot alone even in this version. Helper needed.

If you shoot everything alone, you will have to spend a lot of time washing your hands, to rearrange the camera and lenses.

You won't be able to fully concentrate on filming.

In a simple way – this is still a crapshoot. But it's really possible. In order to somehow smooth out the difficulties, you will have to take the scenario very seriously.

Write all scenes, taking into account all actions with cameras and lenses. In general, shoot in one take, as chefs usually do – not the best option. You can try to break the plot into scenes and shoot them separately.

Of course, you will have more food consumption – two, cook the same thing three times. But shooting will be easier. But, practically no one does. Even if they mess up, they still post the video., pretending, that this is how it should be – Ilya Lazerson does the same, and Vysotskaya....

I do not know, need to think about this.

Yes, naturally, that besides the camera and lenses you need a lot more.

And I'm not talking about cooking – well there, knives, boards etc.. Although this is very important, what do you use in the kitchen, what do you cook and prepare with?. Knives are also important, and boards, and frying pans with pots.

But I'm talking about video equipment now. In my version, cameras alone are not enough.

In addition to cameras with lenses, constant light – candy bar falcon ice 60 cotton with softbox for soft light.

At all, will need to buy some tea ball – such a semicircular softbox on 90 cm. The light will be even softer. In my case, no softer light, all the better. It seems so to me.

I also use an on-camera monitor. Although Nikon ZFC has a rotating screen, but my eyesight is not very good – So, on-camera monitor is a lifesaver.

In general, everything turned out well and the lenses showed their best side.

It seems to have worked out. Of course, You can also use original glass, but is it worth the money, what you have to spend? I do not know yet. At all, if we want to make money on something, then it’s worth learning budgeting and that, how to get the desired result at the minimum required cost. Stinginess is also harmful.

so, conclusion:

Old Soviet glass is a good option, suitable for specific tasks. Unless your project requires some crazy sharpness, then these lenses can be used.

Helios performed especially well. Mir-1 – a good option, well, he is picky about light and, if we use this glass, you need to be careful when installing lighting fixtures, to avoid glare. As an artistic effect in photos and videos, it is acceptable, but for recording a recipe, such flares only interfere – sharpness decreases, the frame seems more “cloudy”. This can of course be corrected during processing., but it’s better to just not allow such a marriage.

In general, if we are talking about manual lenses, then you can use TTartisan lenses for such shootings – They have a better choice of focal lengths. And the price of individual lenses is even lower, than with old lenses from the USSR.

I'm talking about wide-angle glasses. Soviet s 28 mm – unreasonably expensive, and the quality…. Well that's it, when compared with Chinese counterparts. Well, we learned.

This is how the test turned out. I think I'll try to test Nikon lenses again 60 mm macro and zoom lens 24-120 with F 4 . Let's see, what will happen.