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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 :)

Extensive Leica Suumilux-C test

Carlo Rho

Carlo Rho

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Few months ago Band Pro (thanks Reinard!) borrow us an almost complete set of Leica's Summilux-C, we filmed a pretty extensive test and here's the article in English, Original publication on Cameraman Magazine (Spainish)
Hope you enjoy it as we enjoied the lens!

Our DoP's web with all our optics tests:
http://alfonsoparra.com/en/sec/press/research/area/Optics


We had shoot also an Epic Test and a IR filters test on RED, Sony & Alexa, stay tuned, we'll have them translated nest month.
 
Thanks for sharing Carlo, I am waiting for our set, but it´s due 2nd quarter 2013, so it´s nice to read up on the lenses while we wait!
 
Very interesting..

thank you for shareing...

I am suprised by the resolution and sharpness finindings.. "We can see how Leica lenses show less sharpness than Cooke S4 and Zeiss Ultraprime".

anyone else with real hands on expereince (and some good level of impartiality) care to comment on this and the veiling glare results.

thanks again

Michael L
 
For those who need higher res please download the free app of Cameraman Magazine and then buy number 58 (2,99€), the article is published in double language (english/spanish) in pretty hi-res.
If some one want to investigate some particular aspect and needs a couple of our frames in full res we can send them privately.
 
Michael Lindsay said:
I am suprised by the resolution and sharpness finindings.. "We can see how Leica lenses show less sharpness than Cooke S4 and Zeiss Ultraprime".
Click to expand...

We also were surprised...
 
. . . don't let Ketch see this test . . . unless you want to see a very sad panda : - (

Funny how these lenses are backordered until late 2014 (a still moving date). You think they were made from Unicorn eyeballs for what they cost and the ridiculous wait. Shows the power of marketing and myth
 
After speaking with folks at the Leica booth, there's now at least one complete set of production ready Summilux-C lenses in LA. I haven't had much time on them, but I will be putting them up against "other glass" hopefully within the next 45 days. Have to free up some time.
 
Otto Nemenz has dibs on the first 15 sets or some such thing. They'll be getting fat renting them out @$5K / week
 
Josh Beadle said:
. . . don't let Ketch see this test . . . unless you want to see a very sad panda : - (
Click to expand...

May be if he read it all he'll not be so sad... We mesure less resolution than Cooke but is still more than Epic or Scarlet top!
We love those lenses, they're really really Leica, the out of focus is very different from Arri or Cooke.
If you need sharpness and resolution you can always use Master Prime ...and carry them!
We got a complete set of Standard Speed ArriFlex T2.1 from West Germany (so untill '89) and I prefer their look over Ultraprime with Red's cameras. It depends from the job, sometimes you need Sharp&Res and sometimes not.

Backorder is a pain, our reservation is from March '11 for Q2 '12 and untill now not a sign from BandPro.
 
Gunleik Groven said:
You are? :)
Click to expand...

Time to step it up a notch... it´s a long way away, but I am on the list at Bandpro since january ´12 if I remember correctly, tell our friends! (delivery Q2 2013 - estimated)

Good to have stuff to read on this set, I was also suprised on resolution btw, but love the weight/performance ratio!
 
Josh Beadle said:
. . . don't let Ketch see this test . . . unless you want to see a very sad panda : - (

Funny how these lenses are backordered until late 2014 (a still moving date). You think they were made from Unicorn eyeballs for what they cost and the ridiculous wait. Shows the power of marketing and myth
Click to expand...


He he...


Don't worry as we have also extensively done our tests, and in fact Cooke glass is the one that show the worst amongst the tested glass, which included S4, S5, Master Primes Ultra Primes and Red Pro Primes.


Our obvious finding were that LEICA were absolutely the sharpest and with higher resolution then any other glass ever tested before, not only the ones tested.

Master Primes, wer second in center sharpness, but had lots of fail off sharpness on corner to corner same as Ultra Primes.

Red Pro Primes, were Sharp as hell, but resolution wise same thing similar to Master Primes, but just a little above surprisingly not, since the Master Primes are over 10 year old design.

The Cooke glass, not to my surprise as I had already sen this in other sets, was the list sharp of all the tested glass.


The Master Primes and Ultra Primes, big advantage were the fact of been so perfectly super color matched that you could really appreciate how perfect all images rendered in color wise one to an other form both sets.

No so much on the Cooke glass.

Of course Leica glass was no doubt a HUGE hit on all grounds.


Our test were done for our 30 Million dollar movie "RAPE of a BEAUTY" which we were forced to seek out options for it, and I forced production to test all available glass against it to make them understand why I was set to get the Leica Glass for, even so we are still awaiting ours.



So, don't worry, this PANDA boy is very happy were is at with his results and knowledge of the Leica Glass, if Carlo and company are happy with the Cooke glass, good for him, I would seriously doubt all steps taken in this tests if I was him... ;)
 
KETCH ROSSi said:
if Carlo and company are happy with the Cooke glass, good for him, I would seriously doubt all steps taken in this tests if I was him... ;)
Click to expand...

I'm pretty happy for the company!!!
Starting with Mr Robert Richardson that won the last Oscar shooting digital 3D with Cooke glass.

I would love to seriously doubt all the steps we toke in this test to learn how to do it better!
If you have done a comparison test publish it! With pics, graphs and examples we can understand completely your words.

We do like Leica's Summilux-C, we cannot wait the day we'll receive them but this does not implicate that we do not analyze them deeply. Am I the only one that remember that thread from Jim Jannard about SIZE Vs PRICE Vs IRIS pick 2 of them? Leica's won it easily but this doesn't mean that is capable of showing more l/mm than a MasterPrime and for this and I do not think Leicas are worst or better than others.
 
Yousuf Abbasi said:
What's wrong with less sharpness? In my opinion, extra-sharp lenses do not produce organic looking photos.
Click to expand...

There is lots of ways to make the image softer in feel..my favourites are lighting, on lens filtration and Tweaking the debayering and scaleing settings in redcineX (this is a not used enough but is very powerful way of of helping producing silky edge transitions).... One can always soften in post as well (I like this less but it can produce good results)

That said I don't know of anyway to produce a sharp, super clean and high resolution image without sharp glass...

I also really like picking softer glass (for certian projects) but if you are going to limit your self to only one set of lenses I'd not want lenses troubled by vieling glare. I would worry about the colour keying work for example...

I suspect we may be seeing the results of an early set and the internal light traps might improve??

Regards

Michael L
 
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