- Moderator
- #1
Evin Grant
Moderator
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
- Messages
- 4,433
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 36
- Location
- SoCal
- Website
- www.evingrantdp.com
I came, I saw, I kicked some glass...
Ok puns aside, I did my best to hit all the new lens options out there in one day since I have a few projects going on this week. I'm pretty sure I got all the newly announced lenses but if anyone here saw something I didn't please feel free to add it below.
In the order I encountered them...
Canon:
The new 14.5-60 and 30-300 Canon zooms were interesting, they were definitely light for their size (12.4 Lbs for the 30-300) the breathing was not quite as well controlled as the 24-290 Optimo but it wasn't distracting, the lenses seemed sharp on the Alexa and I don't doubt they'll resolve to 4K but they did not seem to me to have the same snap as other zooms I've used. All the mechanics reminded me of a scaled up Canon 2/3" lens, there's nothing really wrong with that but I think wether these lenses are a real winner will all depend on price. The 14.5-60 may be under $40K according to a retailer I spoke to but I expect the 30-300 to be over $60K. No price was given by Canon themselves.
Angenieux:
The new Angie 45-120 is a gem, I already own the two short DP Optimos so if you sense a little bias you're not imagining things. The new 45-120 T2.8 is not a DP (Digital Production) lens but a regular film Optimo and as such carries a film price tag of $53K. If you have the scratch or are a rental house it's totally worth it. This lens is really gorgeous, no breathing at all, and crisp without being harsh. I've used the entire Optimo line for years now and this lens fills a very nice niche especially for B cam handheld shots where you need to get that little bit farther in than the 28-76, it only weighs 4 lbs.
This little baby is a new .75x wide angle attachement lens for the 15-40 & 16-42 Optimos. It essentially turns your lens into a 12mm prime with some minor barrel distortion and a 6' minimum focus distance. I think this is a very nice solution for those wanting to travel as light as possible and still have an extreme wide angle option. $3500 list price.
Leica:
Again not trying to hide my bias here (I used a Leica X1 to shoot these photos) the Leica Sumilux-C primes are my end all be all prime set. You just don't get how small and light they are till you hold one in your hand. I got to watch some footage shot with them by Tom Lowe and Randy Werrick and it's stunning.
These are the first lenses I've seen that manage to create not just a technically superb image with extremely even field illumination and corner sharpness but also manage to maintain an organic even classic look. And the flares, oh my are the flares wonderful. $180K for a 8 lens set. There will also be a five lens set available for Epic owners but no price has been specified.
Duclos/Nikkor
The Duclos/Nikkor 70-200mm T3 was the lens I was most looking forward to seeing, again just to be clear on my bias I've ordered one already even though there is no actual delivery date. Paul and Matt Duclos are the father and son team behind one of the most highly regarded optical houses on the west coast Duclos lenses, and also remounted and cinevised the 11-16 Tokina that has found so much favor here. This is their next project, a complete rehouse of the superb Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII. If you've used this lens on a DSLR you know it's of Nikon's new breed on "N" nano-coat lenses and is IMHO the best 70-200 made so far by any manufacturer. It does breath a tad more than the Optimo but it's not distracting or even close to as bad as a 10:1 HR. The complete rehouse by the Ducloses is impressively smooth on both focus and zoom (Iris wasn't working yet as this a prototype). It has a proper direction, ample 180º focus rotation with built in gears and the final unit will have witness marks on both sides of the lens body. A 95mm front diameter will allow for clip on shades and a lens support will be available for vehicle mounts and DLR use. Speaking of DSLRs one of the best features is a user interchangeable mount for PL, Nikon-F and Canon EOS. Expected price $11K,
Ok puns aside, I did my best to hit all the new lens options out there in one day since I have a few projects going on this week. I'm pretty sure I got all the newly announced lenses but if anyone here saw something I didn't please feel free to add it below.
In the order I encountered them...
Canon:
The new 14.5-60 and 30-300 Canon zooms were interesting, they were definitely light for their size (12.4 Lbs for the 30-300) the breathing was not quite as well controlled as the 24-290 Optimo but it wasn't distracting, the lenses seemed sharp on the Alexa and I don't doubt they'll resolve to 4K but they did not seem to me to have the same snap as other zooms I've used. All the mechanics reminded me of a scaled up Canon 2/3" lens, there's nothing really wrong with that but I think wether these lenses are a real winner will all depend on price. The 14.5-60 may be under $40K according to a retailer I spoke to but I expect the 30-300 to be over $60K. No price was given by Canon themselves.
Angenieux:
The new Angie 45-120 is a gem, I already own the two short DP Optimos so if you sense a little bias you're not imagining things. The new 45-120 T2.8 is not a DP (Digital Production) lens but a regular film Optimo and as such carries a film price tag of $53K. If you have the scratch or are a rental house it's totally worth it. This lens is really gorgeous, no breathing at all, and crisp without being harsh. I've used the entire Optimo line for years now and this lens fills a very nice niche especially for B cam handheld shots where you need to get that little bit farther in than the 28-76, it only weighs 4 lbs.
This little baby is a new .75x wide angle attachement lens for the 15-40 & 16-42 Optimos. It essentially turns your lens into a 12mm prime with some minor barrel distortion and a 6' minimum focus distance. I think this is a very nice solution for those wanting to travel as light as possible and still have an extreme wide angle option. $3500 list price.
Leica:
Again not trying to hide my bias here (I used a Leica X1 to shoot these photos) the Leica Sumilux-C primes are my end all be all prime set. You just don't get how small and light they are till you hold one in your hand. I got to watch some footage shot with them by Tom Lowe and Randy Werrick and it's stunning.
These are the first lenses I've seen that manage to create not just a technically superb image with extremely even field illumination and corner sharpness but also manage to maintain an organic even classic look. And the flares, oh my are the flares wonderful. $180K for a 8 lens set. There will also be a five lens set available for Epic owners but no price has been specified.
Duclos/Nikkor
The Duclos/Nikkor 70-200mm T3 was the lens I was most looking forward to seeing, again just to be clear on my bias I've ordered one already even though there is no actual delivery date. Paul and Matt Duclos are the father and son team behind one of the most highly regarded optical houses on the west coast Duclos lenses, and also remounted and cinevised the 11-16 Tokina that has found so much favor here. This is their next project, a complete rehouse of the superb Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII. If you've used this lens on a DSLR you know it's of Nikon's new breed on "N" nano-coat lenses and is IMHO the best 70-200 made so far by any manufacturer. It does breath a tad more than the Optimo but it's not distracting or even close to as bad as a 10:1 HR. The complete rehouse by the Ducloses is impressively smooth on both focus and zoom (Iris wasn't working yet as this a prototype). It has a proper direction, ample 180º focus rotation with built in gears and the final unit will have witness marks on both sides of the lens body. A 95mm front diameter will allow for clip on shades and a lens support will be available for vehicle mounts and DLR use. Speaking of DSLRs one of the best features is a user interchangeable mount for PL, Nikon-F and Canon EOS. Expected price $11K,
Last edited:
