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Zeiss Superspeeds

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Koa M. Stone

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Anyone selling a set of Superspeeds? I'm shopping around for a set-something like 18, 25, 35, 50, 85.

Or any other recommendations for a different prime set?
 
wow dude, you are getting your rig set up nice huh. let me know how things are going.
 
I have a line on a "B" speed set. That's a bayonet mount set, but it has been completely rebuilt and serviced and have PL mount adapters, 80mm fronts and delrin focus gears. I think they're asking $25K. Same exact glass as MII and III series but triangular iris.
PM me and I'll try to hook it up.
E.
 
Evin Grant said:
Same exact glass as MII and III series but triangular iris.
Click to expand...

The 18, 25 and 35mm have the same optical design AFAIK. But the 50, 65 and 85mm Mk.II are new designs, true f1.2. The 50mm from the T1.4 set is f1.3, and the 85mm is f1.4.

The Mk.III have different (vertical number) focus scales and gears on the iris.

I think there may have been some slight changes in the coatings and glass, because I've noticed that the T1.4's have a slightly different look than the T1.3. Very slightly warmer and "greener", and slightly more flare and less contrast. This is totally subjective and I'd love to hear other opinions on it.
 
I noticed big differences between the older T1.4 and the T1.3 glass. The quickest way to tell was to stop down the lens fairly heavily. At T8 or so on each lens, the optical quality of the T1.4 lenses just fell apart. Resolution went to crap. Not nearly as bad on the T1.3.
 
Martin Weiss said:
I thought that lenses perform better when stopped down.

There seems always something to learn...
Click to expand...

They do when stopped down a little. Do it a lot and now you're only using a small portion of the glass. That's why the part of the aperture range a couple of stops in and maybe a couple of stops in range is what is commonly referred to as the "sweet spot" of the lens.
 
Mitch Gross said:
They do when stopped down a little. Do it a lot and now you're only using a small portion of the glass. That's why the part of the aperture range a couple of stops in and maybe a couple of stops in range is what is commonly referred to as the "sweet spot" of the lens.
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We did look at a set of "B speeds" 1.4 at one point...

But Jerrod over at Abel was very helpful, and we put in an order today for... Big ups to Abel Cine service :) I can't wait :w00t: Thanks Mitch!
 
tekcin said:
Are you ordering new B Speed 1.4?

I didn't know that was possible.

Tek
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It is not. But occassionally we get some interesting used gear passing thru Abel, which we pass on to clients.
 
Nope, didn't order B speeds, ended up getting something way better from Abel. The glass is not bad with speeds or standards, but the focus marks are so off even collimated... I've used 3 different sets with the same problem. No go for me with these old lenses.

tekcin said:
Are you ordering new B Speed 1.4?

I didn't know that was possible.

Tek
Click to expand...
 
hello every body Stuart here from focus optics. Mitch I have to disagree with your findings you must have had a set that was optically bad from the get go. I have 2 sets of mkII in house and two sets of b speeds and tested all the b speeds at different focal distances and stopped down on all stops including t8 the optical quility does not fall apart like you say they optically get better with more depth of field. these b speeds are optically the same as the mkII just finished testing these lenses and the b speeds optically look great and they match up with the mkI mkII and mkIII. again the optically quility does not fall apart when stopping down they get better.
Stuart
 
I'll back up Stuart here, although you shouldn't be shooting past F8 anyway because of diffraction limiting on the Red. The B speeds I've used held up just as well as any of the MII or III sets I've shot. Many of the older lenses that come around are not in very good shape. I've seen what Stuart does to his optics and it's dramatic, probably as good or better than a factory rebuild.
You have to compare apples to apples here.
 
I wasn't talking about the T1.3 SuperSpeeds that many of us know. I was referring to the much older T1.4 lenses. I found that this glass began to lose resolution about T8 or T11.
 
Stuart has a set of T1.4 "B" speeds as well as a MII set, I have to drop by next week and pick up my Kinoptic so I'll bring by the Red and do a comparison using my Standard T2.1 as a control. I'll post the results in the lens test forum. Maybe were due for an article about all the different Zeiss lens series.
 
I will yield to Stuart's higher authority. It's been years since I've laid my hands on a T1.4 superspeed and Stuart has far greater experience with lenses than I.
 
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