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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 :)

Contax Zeiss Survival Guide

Ben Scott said:
Thanks Derek. Just waiting on the Director to finish the edit and then I can put all the inspiration you and other Redusers have given me when I do the grade.
Click to expand...

Can't wait Ben! Glad you liked the BPM. Love using filtration....
 
Nice shots Ben. Looking forward to some finalized promo stills.

Would also be cool to see frame grabs of any good alternative looks you find along the way, if you end up experimenting with different looks before settling on one/s best suited to the telling of the film/story.
 
Sorry, forgot the circumstances. Just want to see some more RED/Zeiss/Contax shots dammit, lol.
 
Yeah hurry up Nick! We love the sexy stills.

As one of my 2014 vows was to try to make only quality I was a bit upset today that the clients for a great gig I have lined up for the weekend - a real passion piece that could stand the test of time - has decided 1080p and DSLRs will be fine for about 90% of the shooting. I understand the reasoning for it but from a selfish point of view I feel we're on the cusp of a real Field of dreams 'if you build it they will come' moment about 4k acquisition and Red in particular. It's just proving so difficult to get someone to put down the extra couple of hundred pounds that would otherwise go to them or their next project and convince them that 'good enough' isn't 'good enough' and that 'great' should be the new 'good enough'.

*sigh*
 
Ben Scott said:
Yeah hurry up Nick! We love the sexy stills.

As one of my 2014 vows was to try to make only quality I was a bit upset today that the clients for a great gig I have lined up for the weekend - a real passion piece that could stand the test of time - has decided 1080p and DSLRs will be fine for about 90% of the shooting. I understand the reasoning for it but from a selfish point of view I feel we're on the cusp of a real Field of dreams 'if you build it they will come' moment about 4k acquisition and Red in particular. It's just proving so difficult to get someone to put down the extra couple of hundred pounds that would otherwise go to them or their next project and convince them that 'good enough' isn't 'good enough' and that 'great' should be the new 'good enough'.

*sigh*
Click to expand...

I hear you. I worked all holidays...unpaid...on a a very ambitious pitch. Not surprisingly, client would like a more traditional approach, but it's hard not to quietly mourn how fun the first idea could have been. More of often than not compromise is the skill we need to develop the most, but doesn't mean it's always easy.

You'll get em next time Ben. What if you brought on your Scarlet for same price as DSLR? The choice is awful I know, but if you believe that much in the project may be worth it, who knows.

Good luck!
 
Cheers Nick... Yeah there was talk of a bigger budget next time so we'll see. It's a funny old job we do. Most weeks it's both the best AND worst job in the world. Not that I'd swap it for anything now. Not that COULD if I wanted to :)

As an incentive to get on board I already only charge £150 extra for me with the Red kit over and above me with a DSLR kit. Anything more than that and I feel it's a very slippery slope and a race to the bottom, completely devaluing what we do. After the freebies and discounts I've offered in the past on the promise of future glory that have led to nothing I feel it's important that Producers on commercial shoots aren't allowed to think that those levels of production values cost nothing, especially when I've invested so much in providing them.

To be honest I don't think I'm going to get the chance to do anything great unless it is completely self produced and funded. Not a moan, but rather an underlining of part of the 2014 plan.
 
Hello all!
Tomorrow is the last day of shoot of the short film I mentioned here before, and I have to say that I'm really really impressed with the lenses. They are truly great. Both in handling and image wise. I've been using mostly the 25mm and 35mm, sometimes the 85mm and a few times the 50mm. On day two I took out the 28-85mm zoom, and wow, just wow! It's so amazing... and there's this "something" very special about how it renders, I can't quite explain it. But I was so impressed that I've been using it, only in specific scenes... whenever the film is ready I can talk more about my choices if anyone wants to hear it.

Anyway, here's some screens. Later next week, after I'm well and rested, I'll make more technical observations.

Here's a couple of frames from today with the 28-85mm:

filme2.0000397.jpg


filme1.0000000.jpg
 
DAVID BARKAN said:
Hello all!
Tomorrow is the last day of shoot of the short film I mentioned here before, and I have to say that I'm really really impressed with the lenses. They are truly great. Both in handling and image wise. I've been using mostly the 25mm and 35mm, sometimes the 85mm and a few times the 50mm. On day two I took out the 28-85mm zoom, and wow, just wow! It's so amazing... and there's this "something" very special about how it renders, I can't quite explain it. But I was so impressed that I've been using it, only in specific scenes... whenever the film is ready I can talk more about my choices if anyone wants to hear it.

Anyway, here's some screens. Later next week, after I'm well and rested, I'll make more technical observations.

Here's a couple of frames from today with the 28-85mm:

filme2.0000397.jpg


filme1.0000000.jpg
Click to expand...

Glad they are working out David! Agreed about the 28-85. An amazing piece of glass. There's a reason some people called it one of the best zooms ever made when it was released. Massive, heavy piece of glass. Very sharp. Great look. I personally adore the mechanics. Massive focus rotation even on the wide end (28, 35, etc).
 
Lovely stuff David. I've just been putting together an updated showreel after a year of almost exclusively shooting Contax glass and going through this stuff, the footage looks so incredibly cinematic. It's like the first time I played a good guitar after years on crap ones. It instantly made me a better guitar player and everything I wanted to pull off worked.
 
Thanks guys! Getting into detail: those shots are in RedGamma3 and were rated ASA 500, f5.6, with a Tiffen ND/IR 1.2 screw in filter on it, and no SunShade, the shot with the girl I had the lens on 35mm position and the wider one I think it was on 28mm.

Throught the shoot, I've been using the Contax Primes with a Fotodiox C/Y to EOS Pro Adapter, and it has a looseness too it especially with the 25mm and 35mm, the 50mm and the 85mm fits nice and tight, I may be able to regulate it though, when I get back I'll experiment. The 25mm though (not sure if it's because of age) doesn't lock on the adapter and if spun it sets loose, so from yesterday I stopped using it in big camera movements. Again, I think I'll be able to fix it.
I'd definitely recommend Leitax mounts, I haven't used it, but I'm sure it'll work best.

I didn't use follow focus at all, didn't feel the need in this shoot since I pulled all focus myself, not ideal, but it's what I had to work with at this moment.

The cordvision fronts are amazing indeed, they are sturdy and reliable, and I used the screw in 77mm filters, even with 2 stacked up and it doesn't give. It's nice and tight, always.

The Cavision hood is really great, but the rubber part kept falling out quite often, but if careful, it'll hold. I'm thinking of gluing it on.

I have to say, if I didn't have much money to invest, but wanted to start buying Contax lenses, I'd get the 28-85mm zoom, one fast prime (whichever you use the most), and one Macro to start with.

And yeah Nick, the long focus through is really nice.

Another observation is that with the adapter, all primes go past infinity, but not the zoom... not sure why. Again, I'll have to test it out at home with more time.

Cheers.
 
Yep I have about 4 Fotodiox pros and all of them slip to some degree. Considering they are almost as pricey as the leitax mounts they really are a false economy. That said, jamming a ton of gaffa tape into the little clip bit on the adapter helps minimize the slack and slipping. My 25mm slipped the most so that was the first leitax mount I bought.
 
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