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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 :)

35mm Prime Lens Options

Out of all of these lenses - the Zeiss 2.1 set and the Cooke Speed Panchro (S2 and occasionally S3) seem like the only budget-realistic choices, assuming for argument's sake we want the total cost of lenses < total cost of camera.
I have yet to see a full set of Cooke Speed Panchros for sale, anywhere. In fact, does anyone know how many models of these ever existed?
Occasionally in Insync I'll see a set of Zeiss 2.1s for 10k - 15k, which is not bad. Usually it'll be 4 or 5 lenses, 28, 35, 50, 85 or the like.
Other than the aforementioned magazine, where do people look for used 35mm lenses of reliable quality?
 
penfever said:
where do people look for used 35mm lenses of reliable quality?
Click to expand...

The least risky is to buy them from a rental house. You can take them for a test run and inspect them.

Two websites I know of are:

http://visualproducts.com/store04.asp?ID=26&Cat=8&Cat2=18

Visual- they don't update their website frequently. I called months back asking about the 1.3s and they were sold.

http://www.cineused.com/equip_sale.html
Ken has been around forever. If you want something, just shoot him an email. He only deals with cash..no credit. If you want to amuse yourself, call and ask him for a set of super speed 1.3s.
 
The Cooke S2's and S3's are vintage lenses from the 1950's to the 1970's - they can be good for some kinds of retro looks they are not very contrasty... If you really need to save money and your clients don't know or care if you wander that far from industry standard, maybe try some Nikons? I think you would end up with a more modern looking image and a similar amount of inconvienences for much less money.

Still all comes down to taste.

Matt Uhry
www.fuzby.com
 
Matt Uhry said:
The Cooke S2's and S3's are vintage lenses from the 1950's to the 1970's -
Matt Uhry
www.fuzby.com
Click to expand...

Hi Matt,

By 1945 the SII came in focal lengths: 18, 25, 32, 40, 50 and 75mm. The 100mm, f/2.5 Deep Field Panchro was released in 1946.

The SIII is from 1950's only 18 & 25mm ever made.

Stephen.
 
Stephen Williams said:
Hi Matt,

By 1945 the SII came in focal lengths: 18, 25, 32, 40, 50 and 75mm. The 100mm, f/2.5 Deep Field Panchro was released in 1946.

The SIII is from 1950's only 18 & 25mm ever made.

Stephen.
Click to expand...


I have the SII in 32, 40, 50, 75 and the 100mm, f/2.5 Deep Field Panchro. I also have the SIII in 18 & 25mm with the Arri Standard to PL adapter mounted on them all. Beautiful and affordable 35mm prime lenses, I must say. Highly recommended!
 
I was gaffing a shoot on on Thursday where the DP was using the new Zeiss
ZF lenses: a 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.4. Image quality and machanicals of
the lens looked and felt excellent. While these are more expensive than
used Nikkor lenses they "incorporate new technical advances from the
ZEISS Ultra Prime®, Master Prime® and DigiPrime® lenses for motion
picture cameras". [Quote from Zeiss website]

Has anyone else had any experience with this line of lenses?
 
I have Zeiss Planar T* 1.4/50 mm ZF. Tested on Nikon D50 and with the RedRock M2 adapter on Sony FX1 HDV camera, the lens performed excellent.

Original Zeiss ZF page
http://www.zeiss.com/c12567a8003b58b9/Contents-Frame/8e8ae439a3fd6101c125711b005a77c4

Zeiss Planar T* 1.4/50 mm ZF test
http://www.kenrockwell.com/zeiss/zf50.htm

Read more about ZF compared with other Nikkors
Nikon 50mm Lens Comparison
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/50-comparison/sharpness.htm

Test by Sean Yamamoto
http://photo.net/equipment/contax/50-1.4

Editor's Choice 2006: Camera Lenses
Zeiss ZF Planar T* 85mm f/1.4
http://www.popphoto.com/cameralense...-lenses-zeiss-zf-planar-t-85mm-f14-page4.html
 
Kinoptik and Kowa lenses?

Kinoptik and Kowa lenses?

What about lenses by Kinoptik and Kowa. Certainly less known, but many Kinoptik lenses where made with Arri standard mounts and could be used with a PL adapter on Red.

I know some of the apochromatic lenses (50mm and 100mm) include a macro option and are very sought after by still photographers. And of course there is that famous 9.8mm used in the Shining maze scene and in much of the famous (infamous) Soy Cuba.

Any thoughts on how these might compare to Cooke Panchros or Zeiss 2.1 lenses? They are harder to find, but might they be a good option if the price is right? What is their focus throw like? And what is their "character" - contrast, color, etc.?
 
jtm said:
Have you a link to these Canon High speeds?

Thx
Click to expand...

Hi,

Sorry I don't, they are usually known as K-35's. They were trendy in the 1980's, they were rebuilt still lenses and do breathe a bit.

Some sold on Ebay a couple of months ago, most rental houses will have a few sets collecting dust on a shelf!

Stephen
 
Anyone have any comments on the Kinoptik or Kowa lenses? As good as the Cooke Panchros or...?
 
OneCam said:
Anyone have any comments on the Kinoptik or Kowa lenses? As good as the Cooke Panchros or...?
Click to expand...

Hi,

Not as good as Cooke Speed Pancre SII/III

Stephen
 
Using any existing lenses on RED will likely require complete re-testing from scratch, i.e. "forget what you know". In other words, the response characteristics of a given lens when used in 35mm or even with 35mm adaptors on digital cameras may be different still when coupled to the RED sensor.

Having done a couple of shows with the Genesis, I can report that we discovered some unexpected deviations from the tried-and-true, such as particular 11-1 and 4-1 Primo zooms that had been color-matched for a previous film job not matching when used on the Genesis, and a substantially marked difference between the zooms and the Primos in sharpness (more than previously experienced). We also had some funky results with ND filters causing certain hues to shift while transmitting others without effect. And of course, diffusion filters must be extensively tested as they will have a very different effect than on film.

Again, this is based on the Genesis, which at least has the same sized sensor as the RED--but I'm sure there will still be plenty of deviation from these findings once we start to test RED.

It will be interesting to see if the older series lenses may serve to soften the super-crisp look--the idea of mating an old Cooke 10-100 zoom onto this super-modern chassis is fun!
 
I've heard rumors from several people that Zeiss is going to ramp up on superspeeds again. A newer version of the MKIII's.
 
Jeez Blair, where'd you dig up this thread? Hehe...

doondoon, interesting rumor. I don't see it happening though.
 
New Speeds, really? Really?

New Speeds, really? Really?

I don't know that much about the details of actual manufacturing of lenses, but if they already have the tooling and such to ramp up production of an old design quickly then it might make sense - I still don't believe it though.

If they did decide to start selling SuperSpeeds again there would be two big plusses beyond the T1.3 capability - they are compact and have a smooth look that suits some material very well.

For the record, I will be shocked if Zeiss starts making Speeds again.
 
Yeah I would be surprised too. There seems to be a market though... MK111's are going for 50K and more (if you can find a set).
 
There is lead and other banned substances in the superspeed glass. EU regulations ban their use in manufacture. This is the "RoHS Compliant" labels one sees on electronics these days. Zeiss will never again manufacture the SuperSpeed design. Bad for the environment.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
I'm not entirely sure what to think of the RED 300MM lens and I'm planning on reserving it along with my camera though.
Click to expand...

Jeff, Don't think about it, if you need long lens simply get it. It is razor sharp and well built. I love it. Works along my MPs like a dream.
 
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