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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 :)

Leica SummiCRON-C's......

I snapped a pic when I caught her off guard... and to be honest she wasn't very helpful when I asked her in-depth questions. Too young and definitely not an engineer (Unlike the chaps at Cooke or Zeiss). Either way, these do look decent... but my lenses of choice at the show are the Cooke Ana's. Bob and I were blown away by the video they took the night prior on the strip... certainly looked like it was graded and shot on an Alexa, when it in fact was shot on an Epic and was ungraded!

906956_10151557247871049_1838378185_o_zpsda7a2ba8.jpg
 
Ok, I put my name down on a set. I'm waiting on a quote from BandPro for the damage. They're saying 6-9 months. This probably means I'll be putting my beloved Cooke Mini S4s up for sale :( (and maybe even my Van Diemen Leica-Rs when they arrive).

The Summicron's at T 2.0, small and light and beautifully engineered... too hard to resist.
 
image circle should be the same from what i was told. it's just that it resolves up to 4k of resolution instead of 8k like the summilux series, so they won't be "as sharp" with 5k plus cameras. image circle and resolving power of the optics are separate things.
 
Tom.Wong said:
image circle should be the same from what i was told. it's just that it resolves up to 4k of resolution instead of 8k like the summilux series, so they won't be "as sharp" with 5k plus cameras. image circle and resolving power of the optics are separate things.
Click to expand...

Really, even stopped down? If they have the same image circle, I can't imagine the resolving power would be THAT different. Maybe wide open. But stopped down you would imagine they would be comparable.

It's my understanding that resolving power is frequently affected by how CLOSE the optics are to the sensor/negative - which is why lenses with smaller image circles often have superb resolving power (the tighter image beam permis the optics to be closer the negative). Being this close creates a more efficient transmission of both image and light, which is also why smaller image circle lenses are often FASTER as well.

Rangefinder lenses (think Leica M) take advantage of "proximity" too (their glass and mounts can be much closer to the negative), which is why these lenses are frequently cited for their remarkably high resolving power.
 
Just my opinion, but I think the Leica Summicron-C series will be amazing, and would be even if they were nothing more than the Leica Summicron-M's with more cine-friendly mechanics.

Not sure if others will see it the same way, but this 'nothing' shot is proof enough for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaFxrRtfYgs

Leica Summicron-M 50mm, f/2(iirc), B+W Polarizer, Formatt Hot Mirror, sunlight through muslin curtains, 4K, 6:1 Compression, 24fps, 180° Shutter, RC3/RG3, Lift/Gamma/Gain/RGB adjusted in Premiere Pro.
 
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First, the woman at the Leica booth was a BandPro employee, not a Leica rep. or lens expert.
Second, in talking with Gerhard at the booth, these lenses will cover the 6k Dragon chip.
Third, how close the rear element is to the sensor does not dictate resolution, look at the big buck Leicas, very far away from the sensor. The retrofocus design was needed to clear the mirror of SLR's and spinning mirrors, the rangefinder M lenses just didn't need that type of design.
cheers, Ken Robings
digitaloptik.net
 
IMO the rapid increase in sensitivity of the newer sensor tech, combined with the thin depth of field characteristic of image circles greater than 30mm, makes T2 plenty fast enough for 99% of situations - including available light shooting. In fact, if the Summicrons have good contrast at T2 then Bob's your uncle. Just sayin'

Cheers - #19
 
If Dragon is ISO 2000, your going to need some N.D.'s to go with that T2, "Robert's your father's nearest male relative"
Ken Robings
digitaloptik.net
 
Ken Robings said:
First, the woman at the Leica booth was a BandPro employee, not a Leica rep. or lens expert.
Second, in talking with Gerhard at the booth, these lenses will cover the 6k Dragon chip.
Third, how close the rear element is to the sensor does not dictate resolution, look at the big buck Leicas, very far away from the sensor. The retrofocus design was needed to clear the mirror of SLR's and spinning mirrors, the rangefinder M lenses just didn't need that type of design.
cheers, Ken Robings
digitaloptik.net
Click to expand...

Really? I spoke to Gerhard and he said they would definitely not cover 6K. Not even sure they'll cover 5K at this point, with all the conjecture here.
Why would you market a lens at half the price that competes with the Summilux.
 
Blair S. Paulsen said:
IMO the rapid increase in sensitivity of the newer sensor tech, combined with the thin depth of field characteristic of image circles greater than 30mm, makes T2 plenty fast enough for 99% of situations - including available light shooting. In fact, if the Summicrons have good contrast at T2 then Bob's your uncle. Just sayin'

Cheers - #19
Click to expand...

Today a 1.4 lens is not so much for low light, but the look it offers vs 2.0 wide open.
I would love to have the Summilux-C Primes. I shoot them on my still cameras and favor 1.4 for the look not light gathering. But for the price difference between the Summilux-C vs Summicron-C set, ill have to stick with the later.
 
David Collard said:
Really? I spoke to Gerhard and he said they would definitely not cover 6K. Not even sure they'll cover 5K at this point, with all the conjecture here.
Why would you market a lens at half the price that competes with the Summilux.
Click to expand...

Its a 1.4 lens vs a 2.0 lens. I cant imagine the coverage or resolution would be any different. Just like Summicron vs Summilux R, M and S lenses. It cost more to make a compact 1.4 than a compact 2.0, and Leica has clearly excelled at making both. If their M lens are any benchmark, they are just as sharp wide open as stopped down.
 
I asked Gerhard if they would cover the Dragon sensor and he said yes.
There are many factors that make a good lens, and many areas where you can cut back, to save manufacturing costs. The Summilux cuts back on next to nothing.
I have seen the image circle of a 18mm Summilux at approx. 36mm.
But the design of these lenses is very complicated and expensive to produce. The new compact lenses less so.
In talking with Gerhard, I remember a image circle of 34mm for the new lenses.
Sorry if this is rambling, got a cold in Vegas I have not shaken.
cheers, Ken Robings
digitaloptik.net
 
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