Building a lens kit

[Brian M Lynch]

Hi guys - I'm currently struggling a little bit to figure out what lenses to get, and hopefully some of you can shed some light on it.

I currently have a PL mount scarlet with the RPZ 18-85. It's a fantastic lens and I really love it, but it's very cumbersome and not conducive to handheld work (which I do a decent amount of) so I am looking to sell it off and get some new glass.

Ideally I'd like to not spend more than $15k, but maybe that's not very realistic. Does anyone have suggestions of where I should starting looking? Are the CP.2 primes going to be the same optical quality as the RPZ? If so - what would be some good focal lengths to start with? I was thinking the 18, 28, 50 and 85 would be a good place to start.

Is it a better option to grab an EF mount and get cinnemoded primes like the PrimeCircle ones?

[Björn Benckert]

Rent and test for your self. Since it's a lot about taste and or just about every project / setup / personal pref is different... As you find the RPZ large rent and test more lightweight zooms, then you might find that they lack quality, or you like them, or you think the F stop is to high and so on.

Unfortunately, the more lenses you test the harder it will be to choose a set if you only are buying one... It's sucks to be shooting something knowing that those Leica summilux - C we used last week would really make this difficult shot better...or this film would look really good on some old lenses with more character and so on. Since the rental cost is usually rather low in comparison to the rest of the production costs i think getting the best lens for the job is usually money well spent... then again it's always good to have a great set of lenses at home... decisions, decisions..

[Brian M Lynch]

Yeah that makes a lot of sense. I fell in love with Panchros when I rented them but obviously out of my price range. I'll definitely have to shop around and play with new lenses to see what I like the best I suppose.

I imagine it'll just make the decision that much harder as I fall in love with more and more lenses. Maybe my number will hit on the lotto and I won't have to worry?

[Nick Morrison]

I think renting and testing is the best advice. $15k gives you some options. If you want to go light and mobile, you may want to consider Standard Primes (allthough now they go for much more), B-Speeds (those too are now becomes expensive), Leica R's, Zeiss Ze/Zfs, CP2's, Contax Zeiss, Nikkor's, Canon EOS. There are so many options, and opinions. Some people like modern clean glass. Others like older glass with character. There are just too many ways to slice a cake. Renting and sampling sounds like the smartest thing to do.

[Alex Kiritz]

I think the best idea is to wait for the Red lenses coming out next year. At least before buying anything.

[Melih Engin Eskier]

I think you are looking for an Angenieux set my friend.

They weigh half as much as RedProPrimes.

http://www.angenieux.com/zoom-lenses/index.php?txt=7


Engin

[J. P. Morgan]

I think you are looking for an Angenieux set my friend.

They weigh half as much as RedProPrimes.

http://www.angenieux.com/zoom-lenses/index.php?txt=7

Engin

But are also out of his price range, unfortunately...

If you like the Panchro(which I do myself), check out the older Lomo superspeed set. I have found them to be a substantially cheaper alternative with a similar feel (though not quite as sharp or uniform color renditioning). Still very nice glass though.