B4 lens options

[Ken Willinger]

Last night I was working with a Varicam. I really like that camera BTW. On it was a Fuji HD 13X4.5. This is a great piece of glass that I have coveted for some time but the incredible price has put me off. The best price I've seen it (as B stock) is about 19K. It lists for around 25K.

Personally I have been a Fuji lens user for over 25 years. I never took a liking to Canon TV lenses, maybe because I was so used to using Fuji, but always felt the Canons were just a bit too critical. (I was also always partial to the Ikegami cameras. I think the color looked more realistic. Sony color always looked electric to me.) I guess it's all down to personal taste.

In any case last year at NAB I happened by the Angenieux booth and looked at their HD glass. Of course we've all known the Angenieux name forever. When I lived and worked abroad, Angenieux lenses were very prevelent with a majority of the European crews I worked along side of...and of course a lot of the film cameras I saw in the field as well were sporting Angenieux.

As I checked out the glass at the booth, the lenses felt very good. Ergonomically easy to use, color looked great. In fact they looked as good as Fuji or Canon. So I started talking to one of the reps and discoved that the equivelent Wide Angle Angenieux lens to the Fuji 13X4.5 was about 12K. 12K you ask? Compared to Fuji's 25K? For HD glass? Why? That is the question. Is there something inferior about Angenieux glass that I don't know about? You rarely see the lenses in the states. Are the electronics not as good? Do any of you have any info on why these lenses are so much less expensive than their competitors? Would you buy Angenieux to put on your RED camera. I may.

 

[Hans von Sonntag]

Getken,

Angenieux builds the Optimo Zoom range which I use regulary on 35mm jobs (now I got my own Cooke 20 - 100 which is very different). Brilliant, sharp glass. Very expensive glass. Test this zoom, will be great for its purpose. But for RED I don't think B4 adapted lenses are the first choice.

Hans

 

[Ken Willinger]

Getken,
But for RED I don't think B4 adapted lenses are the first choice.
Hans

I guess that depends on what you'll be using the rig for. I know that for a lot of the doc stuff that I do, using film zooms won't cut it. I'll need the servo action that's afforded through the B4 lens set-up. Ideally I'd love to be able to use primes all the time. But that's not going to happen...yet!

 

[Hans von Sonntag]

I guess that depends on what you'll be using the rig for. I know that for a lot of the doc stuff that I do, using film zooms won't cut it. I'll need the servo action that's afforded through the B4 lens set-up. Ideally I'd love to be able to use primes all the time. But that's not going to happen...yet!

Getken,

There are very nice manual fluid zoom levers on the market, Chosziel for instance and also there are electric zoom devices for S16/35mm zooms. So there are possibilities... primes are nice but zooms are nice as well even if you don't zoom. Looks different, feels different, not as sharp, moody. There are so many attributes to fine glasses... Big world. For me it is like vintage music instruments. Most are crap but some are unsurpassed and very special. Perhaps its just me who is just not after the ultimate sharpness and lowest T-stop.

I happily sacrifice handling if I can gain more personal and nicer/better/moodier pictures

Hans