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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 :)

Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 AFS (The one you've all been waiting for) Review

joelnet said:
Right. And when you consider RED has a crop factor of about 1.5 that means it's going to be shooting through the sweet spot of any full frame 35mm SLR lens. So vignetting and edge distortion should be minimized.

Now I'm not saying these will look as good as the top end lenses when projected at 4K... but they should look good. The real issues are if the focus mechanism is smooth and repeatable and how much breathing is there. So we may spend a bunch of time testing, or buying/selling lenses. Primes will probably be the best.

You can always rent the big guns for bigger projects.
Click to expand...

Don't forget that Birger and ViewFactorStudios are working on breathing compensation as well, so that should minimize, if not eliminate that problem.
 
The problem with still camera lenses, particularly zooms, is not so much sharpness as it is mechanics, how rugged and reliable is the particular lens, plus how it focuses, zooms, etc. in the middle of a shot (not so much of an issue with a still image.) And how easy is it to read the focus & f-stop marks, etc. For example, if you had to pull focus from 6' 5" to 6' 9", could you even get close to finding that on a lens barrel, or are the 6' and 7' marks right next to each other.
 
David,

My plan is to rent the lenses that are appropriate for each job. But I do want to have my own personal set of lenses for going out and capturing stock footage when inspiration hits, or last minute jobs that don't have time to rent things. With so many options out there for lenses, if you had to choose one lens that would be good for general purpose use with the Red what would you go with? My original plan was to go with the Red 18-50 which at $6500 seemed like a good deal, but now there has been some questions about the optics. Then I was thinking about the Nikon 17-35 but I'd have to modify it to work more like a cine lens. Any other lenses on the used market that you think would work well for me? I'm trying to stay under $10K for the lens(es) that I will own.
Thanks,
Steve
 
I'm not a buyer, just a renter, so I'm the wrong person to ask, but it seems to me that the RED zoom lens is a good bargain if you're on a budget, plus I don't see why it would be any worse than a still camera zoom in quality if that's what you're considering.

I'm not suggesting that your still lenses won't work either, just that optics are not the only thing to watch out for. I'd feel safer using still camera primes because they have simpler mechanics, though a zoom does make focusing easier.

Most 35mm cine zooms are much larger & heavier than you may want to deal with. But some people here have been looking into getting a used 18-100mm or 20-100mm Cooke zooms, for example.
 
Thanks David. I haven't ruled out the Red lens, just trying to get my hands on one before buying anything. That lens makes a lot of sense for me for a couple of reasons.

1. Price. If it is sharp, has minimal breathing, and accurate markings then this fits right into the budget range I was hoping to be in.

2. It's a cine ready lens as opposed to the still lenses which will need some tweaks to make them work cine style.

I'm going to try and arrange to see a Red 18-50 in action and see if it works for me.

Thanks for taking the time.

Steve
 
Just picked mine up today and will shoot another round of tests this week with my Nikons. I'm holding out hope that these will be what I use for a certain level of project, and will rent cine glass when needed. I have put together quite a kit for far less than I would have had to spend with cine glass, knowing the limitations and embracing them. But they won't be for every situation. I'll post results when I have them.
 
I just rented a 17-35 for a few hours. After those few hours, I bought the zoom from some guy on craigslist for $1200

Anyone out there that has the Nikon adapter, needs to get this lens. Its amazing on the Red camera.. sure the focus throw is really small and the iris has hard clicks, but for $1000-$1500, you cannot go wrong with this lens on your Red.. Optically, it looks as good as my 18-50 Red zoom
 
Yep, just shot some stuff today. Really great lens. Loving all of my Nikons.
 
Steve, do your Nikons, namely the 17-35, shift around by a few mm if you twist the lens barrel? Mine does but its not affecting picture.
 
haven't noticed that. I bought mine new so not sure if that is a factor.
 
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