Your imput on MiniPrime choices

[Jimmy Odom]

I'm trying to narrow down my selection of the mini's and it seems that I can only squeeze out enough from my budget to afford x3 of them. So if you had your selection of the three seeming that you'd want a wide nromal and tele lense which would you get.

I'm kinda hovering over the thought of the 8mm, 16mm,and 25mm. But still not sure.

Just was curious of you guys' thoughts on this.

 

[Sterling Wescott]

I would take the 6mm over the 8mm, but otherwise that's the selection I would choose.

 

[Zhibo Lai]

6, 16, 25 sound good too me, though I am a sucker for that 50mm look. But don't forget that they announced a discount for the entire set. We'll have to see how much of a discount it'll be.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

I agree with 6, 16, 25

In super 35 terms, that is like having a 15, 40 and 60mm lens, after that, you could use ff35 still lenses to get longer lengths due to crop factor.

 

[Lee Saxon]

If you buy the 8 there are gonna be times when you say "I wish I could go a touch wider but there's no room to take two steps back"

If you buy the 6 there are gonna be times when you say "I wish I could go a touch closer but there's no room to take two steps forward"

I suspect the former will happen a zillion times more frequently than the latter. Go with 6!

after that, you could use ff35 still lenses to get longer lengths due to crop factor.

Especially since Nikon/Canon offer f/1.2 50mm's while the Miniprime one oddly jumps up to t/2.9 (which is maybe around f/2.6ish?)

 

[Alex Mack]

Try this - a sigma 30mm 1.4 instead of the 25
Then either the 8 or 6, and a 16.
Personally, I would rarely have use for the look of a 6, but 8 yes.
Then a tokina 11-16 2.8 for your zoom.
And of course any 1.4 nifty 50 will do fine.

Remember the kit pricing for the cinema too.

 

[Jimmy Odom]

Try this - a sigma 30mm 1.4 instead of the 25
Then either the 8 or 6, and a 16.
Personally, I would rarely have use for the look of a 6, but 8 yes.
Then a tokina 11-16 2.8 for your zoom.
And of course any 1.4 nifty 50 will do fine.

Remember the kit pricing for the cinema too.

Alex can you elaborate on the kit pricing your referencing.?

It would be AWESOME if they had the package as buy 4 mini primes and you save enough that you get the 5th one free. If that were to happen then I'd probably have enough for the entire set, and would sacrafice one of my unneccesary modules to make that happen. But of course I'm not sure what my money will be able to get me EXACTLY until we hear straight from Jim or Jarred. Then and only then will I know where I can penny pinch and where i'll be able to splurge.

 

[J Davis]

Personally, I would rarely have use for the look of a 6, but 8 yes.

6mm will be the same field of view as a 15mm on a 7d / t2i
8mm will be the same field of view as a 20mm on a 7d / t2i

I think you will find the 6mm is invaluable for indoor work. That should be every filmmakers number one mini prime to buy

 

[Alex Mack]

To J, there is this idea that focal length is interchangeable with subject distance (not to say you're espousing that); the idea is that you either zoom out, or walk backwards, and vice versa. But for the aesthetically driven, they are not the same. To use a certain focal length is to impart a certain meaning on the shot. To me, indoors says 'telephoto, cramped', and outside the opposite. I want them to look a certain way. The user David M noted on here the same idea, that very wide focal lengths have a fun house feel and are not aesthetically ideal for most shots. I'd just design the shots and the feel around what the room allows (within the aesthetic boundaries of the scene's meaning). Ideally this would be addressed pre-prod, so I'm not struggling to get my desired focal lengths. Not saying I wouldn't use a 6, just rarely when the scene's meaning calls for it (like at the grand canyon).

To Jimmy O, JJ verified that a cinema kit with all necessary modules would be sold at a reduced price similar to the fixed. Someone on here also wrote that they read someone from Red saying the full cinema lens kit would be sold at reduced pricing as well. That second point is secondhand, but the first is 100% solid. So savings are definitely on the way.

 

[J Davis]

To J, there is this idea that focal length is interchangeable with subject distance (not to say you're espousing that); the idea is that you either zoom out, or walk backwards, and vice versa. But for the aesthetically driven, they are not the same. To use a certain focal length is to impart a certain meaning on the shot. To me, indoors says 'telephoto, cramped', and outside the opposite. I want them to look a certain way. The user David M noted on here the same idea, that very wide focal lengths have a fun house feel and are not aesthetically ideal for most shots. I'd just design the shots and the feel around what the room allows (within the aesthetic boundaries of the scene's meaning). Ideally this would be addressed pre-prod, so I'm not struggling to get my desired focal lengths. Not saying I wouldn't use a 6, just rarely when the scene's meaning calls for it (like at the grand canyon).

To Jimmy O, JJ verified that a cinema kit with all necessary modules would be sold at a reduced price similar to the fixed. Someone on here also wrote that they read someone from Red saying the full cinema lens kit would be sold at reduced pricing as well. That second point is secondhand, but the first is 100% solid. So savings are definitely on the way.

I know exactly what you mean asthetically but you can't back up if their is a wall behind you, try shooting 1:2.39 in a normal sized room at 20mm on a 7d and you'll soon realize you need to go wider

anyone can go tele on a 2/3 inexpensively, just use still glass. It's going wide is where options get limited. I'm telling you, that 6mm will be irreplaceable and invaluable for narrative.

 

[Alex Mack]

Maybe you've got a point when it comes to cropping as an option, after all, its 3k.
I usually don't use a wide master shot - rather a bunch of claustrophobic close ups of intense lines from the actors, and then cut to the next scene. We'll see...

 

[Lee Saxon]

But for the aesthetically driven, they are not the same. To use a certain focal length is to impart a certain meaning on the shot.

I agree with this in theory. The difference between shooting an actor's close-up with an appropriate "portrait" lens vs getting 3" from the actors face and shooting them with an ultra wide angle, carnival funhouse style.

That's like 25mm vs 6mm though. A 6mm and an 8mm are pretty interchangeable.

But at $950 each, no big deal, you can buy both if you disagree. What I don't understand even a little is people who buy entire Master Prime sets. You need maybe a third of them. You wanna buy a 25mm and 27mm? No. Incorrect. You're fired, DoP.

 

[Jeremy_Sawatzky]

hey fellas, sorry to interrupt here but i need to know which of the primes you guys would recommend for outdoor nature cinematography. im talking wide mountain shots, as wide as possible and 2nd the ability to get in nice and close to small details such as a leaf. 3rd i will shoot some downhill mountain biking, the rider being closest the the camera at maybe 5 - 6 feet. 4th i know i probably cant get this from red but a good quality zoom lens is also essential. which primes would u guys recommend for this? and which options do i have for zoom lenses? thanks alot guys

 

[J Davis]

A 6mm and an 8mm are pretty interchangeable.

I'm sorry Lee but I have to completely disagree with this statement. There is a huge difference between 6mm and 8mm on a 2/3. Huge.

If there wasn't RED wouldn't make two separate lenses. The difference is the same as going from 15mm to 20mm on a crop dslr

Remember at longer focal lengths a change such is this is barely noticed,
but on the wider end, every millimeter changes field of view exponentially.


edit:
this is a quick rough calculation but I worked out 6mm on a 2/3 is 74 degree field of view
and 8mm is about 53 degree field of view. Someone please correct me if these calculations are off.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

I agree that the 6mm will be the most valuable lens in the miniprime stable. unless you are displaying in 16x9, you will want to letterbox and then the 6mm will really come in handy. My only problem is with the fact that the miniprimes have their own unique mount. Say I want to switch from miniprime to cine lens, I will need to change the mount. If the miniprimes used a standard pl mount like super16 lenses, I would not need to change the mount in the field.

 

[Jimmy Odom]

Maybe someone will make a MP to Cine Mount. That way we wouldn't need to swap out mounts in the field

 

[J Davis]

My only problem is with the fact that the miniprimes have their own unique mount. Say I want to switch from miniprime to cine lens, I will need to change the mount. If the miniprimes used a standard pl mount like super16 lenses, I would not need to change the mount in the field.

very good point

I wonder what the flange distance on the MP mount would be? I bet its small. Which make me wonder if the EOS and F electronic mounts RED spec'd at $500 will actually fit on top of the MP mount like an adapter instead of replacing the mount. That would speed up changes with still zooms that I use like the tokina 11-16 or EFS 17-55

 

[Petr Dvorak]

Miniprimes will be great, but still pricey for me so I'm looking for new modern type C mount lenses with hi resolution which will be a lot cheaper.

 

[J Davis]

... I'm looking for new modern type C mount lenses with hi resolution which will be a lot cheaper.

Have you got any links?
For c mount everything I've seen costs more when bought new, than the mini primes pricing -- or its a lens for a security camera.

 

[Christopher Polis]

I know exactly what you mean asthetically but you can't back up if their is a wall behind you, try shooting 1:2.39 in a normal sized room at 20mm on a 7d and you'll soon realize you need to go wider

anyone can go tele on a 2/3 inexpensively, just use still glass. It's going wide is where options get limited. I'm telling you, that 6mm will be irreplaceable and invaluable for narrative.

For wide using still glass, maybe something like the Olympus (4/3) or Panasonic (µ4/3) 7-14/4 lenses?