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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

What lenses would you get if you had 10K for a Scarlet-X AL-Canon mount?

Marcos Montenegro

Marcos Montenegro

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So I got 10K set aside for lenses. I had a few Nikon lenses, but I don't want to wait until RED's Nikon mount gets released. I was thinking getting the following:

CANON 24-70mm f/2.8L EF
CANON 70-200mm f/2.8L IS EF II
CANON 85mm f/1.2L II EF
ZEISS 50mm f/2 MAKRO PLANAR ZE
ZEISS 21mm f/2.8 DISTAGON ZE


OR

Duclos ZEISS ZF.2 CINE-MOD-SET (canon mount)

What would you guys recommend?

Marcos
 
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8
Canon 24mm f1.4
Canon 35mm f1.4
Canon 50mm f1.2
Canon 85mm f1.2
Canon 135mm f2

Total - $7600

I almost went with the Canon zooms, but in the end the speed of the L series primes was too useful, and I'm really happy with them.
 
The Zeiss versions are all slower than their Canon counterparts, and the Canons give you electronic controls, meaning your AC can use the Redmote to control iris, shutter, etc. And once the Redmote Pro is released, you'll have a wireless follow focus system, which is a huge advantage over the Zeiss lenses.
 
I fine the Zeiss glass to be better though, but that is just my taste. As said Canon glass has that technical advantage. I was having a test look at the zeiss 35mm 1.4 today and it's gorgeous. Can't wait for my Scarlet to arrive :)

You might also want to have a look at Voigtlander, assuming this is the price range you're in.
 
Zeiss or Leica. If you need wireless control, have the client rent a Preston, C-Motion etc. If you can afford a Red, you can afford to save up for those. Canon motors weren't meant for electronic control, and the results we've seen so far are incredibly snappy. Any ASC member will tell you the focus puller has an immense aesthetic impact on the film--autofocus is great for documentary, awful for telling stories. Perhaps Red will release a firmware that gracefully follows focus with the tiny wire motor in a Canon lens.

For 10,000 you could get a set of Duclos Zeiss, or a set of Contax or ZF Zeiss (just as good optically), a set of focus gears, and a cheap wireless follow focus. Canon glass looks like Canon--it's like cheap takeout food, tasty but unfulfilling.

Also, your Nikkors will mount just fine on the Al Canon mount with an adapter. If they're the older Ai or pre-Ai, they're the poor man's Cooke S3, and if you dig that look they're fantastic.
 
Julio:

I agree to an extent. That's why I thought about mixing some Canon glass with some Zeiss glass. Zeiss lenses might be slower but man, their IQ almost feels 3D in quality when compared to some Canon/Nikon lenses. I agree that Canon glass will be able to communicate electronically, and that always presents an advantage. But there's something about a Zeiss glass that just feels right.

I have one day to decide, so thanks for the food for thought.

Marcos
 
Marcos Montenegro said:
Julio:

I agree to an extent. That's why I thought about mixing some Canon glass with some Zeiss glass. Zeiss lenses might be slower but man, their IQ almost feels 3D in quality when compared to some Canon/Nikon lenses. I agree that Canon glass will be able to communicate electronically, and that always presents an advantage. But there's something about a Zeiss glass that just feels right.

I have one day to decide, so thanks for the food for thought.

Marcos
Click to expand...

If you prefer the look of the Zeiss, that outweighs the speed and electronic controls in my mind.
 
Ryan:

Why Zeiss ZF (Nikon mount) instead of the ZE mount?

Ryan De Fanco said:
Zeiss or Leica. If you need wireless control, have the client rent a Preston, C-Motion etc. If you can afford a Red, you can afford to save up for those. Canon motors weren't meant for electronic control, and the results we've seen so far are incredibly snappy. Any ASC member will tell you the focus puller has an immense aesthetic impact on the film--autofocus is great for documentary, awful for telling stories. Perhaps Red will release a firmware that gracefully follows focus with the tiny wire motor in a Canon lens.

For 10,000 you could get a set of Duclos Zeiss, or a set of Contax or ZF Zeiss (just as good optically), a set of focus gears, and a cheap wireless follow focus. Canon glass looks like Canon--it's like cheap takeout food, tasty but unfulfilling.

Also, your Nikkors will mount just fine on the Al Canon mount with an adapter. If they're the older Ai or pre-Ai, they're the poor man's Cooke S3, and if you dig that look they're fantastic.
Click to expand...
 
Marcos Montenegro said:
So I got 10K set aside for lenses. I had a few Nikon lenses, but I don't want to wait until RED's Nikon mount gets released.
Click to expand...

I'm not really impressed with the Zeiss ZF's. They are great mechanically, but uneven optically. Nikon's G-series primes are better IMHO. You already have some Nikon glass. If you like it, why not buy the Optitek Prolick Nikon mount, and build on the glass you already own?
 
Evin Grant said:
Nikon G series F1.4 primes and the 14-24, 24-70 & 70-200 VRII zooms. The G primes are approaching Master prime sharpness wide open and the 14-24 matches them. The only still glass that really surpasses them is Leica.
Click to expand...

The G series lenses have no iris ring, isn't that right?
Without a smart mount from RED on the near horizon, how would you adjust aperture?
 
I've everything Canon, the only non Canon Lens I have is the Tokina 11-16. The problem with going and mixing other manufacturers lenses for me (notice this is from shooting in 5D, 1D and 7D) is that each manufacturer has its own color tint. Yes, you can try to match it in post but, in Canon DSLR footage, for example, the difference in look is significant and provides a big challenge in color grading. The Tokina, however, looks remarkably similar to the Canon's. That was one of the main reasons I went for it vs getting a Sigma, which has a much closer look to Nikon lenses.
 
Julio Quintana said:
The Zeiss versions are all slower than their Canon counterparts, and the Canons give you electronic controls, meaning your AC can use the Redmote to control iris, shutter, etc. And once the Redmote Pro is released, you'll have a wireless follow focus system, which is a huge advantage over the Zeiss lenses.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize you could do that with the redmote, and I forgot about the redmote pro. Is there a price on this yet?
 
Ryan De Fanco said:
Canon motors weren't meant for electronic control, and the results we've seen so far are incredibly snappy. Any ASC member will tell you the focus puller has an immense aesthetic impact on the film--autofocus is great for documentary, awful for telling stories. Perhaps Red will release a firmware that gracefully follows focus with the tiny wire motor in a Canon lens.
Click to expand...

Canon lenses are made to auto focus for thousands of photos without wearing out. Here is a review of the Birger Canon mount on the Red One, which is essentially what the Redmote Pro is supposed to do in the future:

http://vimeo.com/channels/38812
 
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