Astro Superspeed lenses from Berlin

[Sanjin Jukic]

The new German primes that everybody here is talking about (even Jan and Kaya) are coming from Astro Berlin.

This information is confirmed to me by several sources from Berlin and Germany.

Those brand new PL lens prime designs are mostly based on old Astro superspeed prime lens designs dated from 50s and 60s of the last (20th) century.

They were famous, high quality and also affordable even for that former times.

Have a look at some pictures here and go for more at the links about Astro Berlin lens design below:

"Astro Berlin was a German optical company from 1921 to 1991.
It was located in Berlin, in what became the Eastern part after the war.
It made cine and still camera lenses as well, some with impressive specifications."

LINK>>>

From Burke & James Katalog Photographic Equipment and Instrumentation, 1963

Astro-Berlin TV-Tachar 1:1,5 75mm No 63667

More>>>

 

[albert rudnicki]

Sanjin Sanjin Sanjin

 

[Grady Wilson]

If these are the lenses that Jan was talking about this would be probably the most disappointing news I have heard in the last year, and I would loose a tremendous amount of respect for Jan (laguun) .

Maybe that is why the name has been more secret than the price and specs of the lenses, because they knew as soon as people heard Astro they would run the other way.

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

If these are the lenses that Jan was talking about this would be probably the most disappointing news I have heard in the last year, and I would loose a tremendous amount of respect for Jan (laguun) .

Maybe that is why the name has been more secret than the price and specs of the lenses, because they knew as soon as people heard Astro they would run the other way.

Nothing bad with Astro, you can still buy old ones at vintage stores and they are pretty good and also very affordable.

Don't think that you could for USD $ or Euro XX.XXX get Master Primes or S4s.

But you'll get something that is very close to the optical quality of big lens brands (but about mechanical quality don't count on it) and also it has a very good price point.

 

[Lucas Agnes]

Most current still lenses ( Nikon and Canon ) will perform better than the old Astros. Some of them actually resolved pretty high resolution, but Astro never really did figure out how to get decent contrast from the design.

If you are buying an old one, watch out for Fungus, Fungus seemed to be naturally attracted to Astros for some reason.

 

[Roberto Lequeux]

I'd love to see what that 2000mm looked like if that is the 1000mm

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Maybe that is why the name has been more secret than the price and specs of the lenses, because they knew as soon as people heard Astro they would run the other way.

Hmmm... Did Astro really have a bad reputation 45 years ago? Does it matter? I find the new primes to be very interesting and I'm all for the added competition in the market. The few images shown thus far look promising. I will reserve further judgement until I can actually put my own fingers on them or unless upcoming example footage shot with them shows excessive breathing, ramping, port-holing on wide focal lengths, etc..

 

[Charles Angus]

I love the pics of the guys using the camera's in that old brochure...

But yeah, I agree with Jeff. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

 

[Mitch Gross]

Sanjin, I'm not what the point is (other than humor) in posting 40 year old product brochures. This has, well, NOTHING to do with the lenses currently in discussion.

I hate to shatter your world, but not all information is available on the internet. And some of the information that is can be either out of date or incorrect.

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

Mitch,

the Internet and the forums like this are the best places for any sort of speculation in a field.

If you know something more (that is not covered under NDA) just post it and we could have a "fun" :wink:.

Also it's about to make the "waiting" time less "wasting" time or more entertaining till NAB.

 

[Jarred Land]

Don't worry guys, Sanjin just bought a Delorean off of Ebay so he is just reading up preparing himself for his first ride

 

[Dan Hudgins]

Computers...

Computers...

We have a 4 element 50mm f/1.8 Astro from about 1918, and it is not a bad lens, made for the 2709 it was "super speed" for the day. It has very strong effects on out of focus parts of the frame, and was I am sure treasured by DP for its unique look as well as its speed. The glass Astro used tends to get a foggy film on it so people think they were low contrast, but you just need to clean the fog off and it gets crisper (maybe harder to do with the coated versions).

The 6 element lenses were more like the 6 element Cooke Speed Panchro and Baltar lenses but f/1.8, the Cooke were 2.0, and the Baltar 2.3. Astro lenses were popular in Europe and for News Reels. In Europe because thay could reduce the electric bill, in Hollywood it was rare to shoot wide open even with the Baltars.

They made lenses up to f/1.0, a C mount Astro just sold for way too much on ebay.

Today I am sure they would run the curves through software to re-compute the curves and thickness to use modern glass types, some of the older glass types are not legal in Europe, with computer optimized lenses you can get maybe twice the resolution for the same number of elements so many of the newer lenses leave an element out, which is not a good idea since the older designs depended on "natural" symmetry to cancel aberrations. So updating a good design from the 50's-60's is not a bad way to make a good lens, it just depends on how good a job you do getting the numbers right and then making the design into a lens, both design and workmanship are important.

I was thinking about the pricing of the new lenses, if you pay $10000 for a 7 element lens that is about $1400 for a piece of glass that maybe costs $5, so how much labor goes into making the finished part? It should be possable to train people in China (some Fujinon lenses are made in China) to make good lenses, sort of that do what Cooke did, make lots of elements and try them together untill you get a good element set, if it costs $20 to make an element and you charge $1400 then you can make 70 elements for every one that you end up using, by random chance you should get a better yeld than that?

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

Jarred was totally right.

And here it is:

Delorean

Astro-Berlin 200mm f/2.3 Pan-Tachar

BTW, in a real life I drive a brand new black VW Tiguan.

 

[Roberto B]

frankly my dear sj what i can't understand is what that astro-berlin pic is doing in between

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Did you install the flux capacitor yet?

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

frankly my dear sj what i can't understand is what that astro-berlin pic is doing in between

Did you install the flux capacitor yet?

Hi all,

it's about to follow the spirit of Surrealism (in movies) and it's about the project/movie that I'm "writing" right now.

It's gonna be shot on RED1 (maybe upgraded with Mysterum-X sensor) that means it will take some time to get realized :cute:

(just because of normally usual funding issues :err.

 

[Julio Quintana]

Hi all,

it's about to follow the spirit of Surrealism (in movies) and it's about the project/movie that I'm "writing" right now.

It's gonna be shot on RED1 (maybe upgraded with Mysterum-X sensor) that means it will take some time to get realized :cute:

(just because of normally usual funding issues :err.

Sanjin, I feel like you and Filmmaker's Gang speak the same code, because I rarely understand what you guys are talking about .

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

Sanjin, I feel like you and Filmmaker's Gang speak the same code, because I rarely understand what you guys are talking about .

Surrealism :cute:

 

[Roberto B]

yeah julio.. lately only by code.. on the other hand we're prepping to be like sj when we'll be grown-up people lol

 

[Sanjin Jukic]

yeah julio.. lately only by code.. on the other hand we're prepping to be like sj when we'll be grown-up people lol

Wunderkind or monster the two categories about identity are mostly used to "bluff" the masses in overall (political) power game(s)... obsolete... and boring...