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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 :)

First CP.3 lens for Scarlet-W

Phil, I think (dont remember what exactly) you wrote something here on RedUser that Compact Zoom is another beast (much better) compared with CP.3. But what about CZ.2 vs CP.3? Thank you
 
The compact zooms are insanely good. But each zoom is 20k, so probably out of your price range currently.
 
Domenic Barbero said:
if you have money for one, get a sigma. haha. CP anything sucks. Stay away.
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Wow, says the one how's using CY Zeiss. CPs have been built on decade old designs (CY line etc.) with a more modern coating, better contrast, punchier colours.
If you don't like it doesn't mean nobody else will. CPs are highly popular and a very smart choice for owner/operators since they rent well and get hired all around the world.

And to answer the OPs question, starting with a 28mm is a great versatile choice.
 
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Ben Scott said:
Yup CP2s are probably the most used and most rented cine lenses in the world.
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Exactly. They are basically the Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic of the lens world.

Obviously not as exciting as a vintage sports car, but infintely more practical.
 
I had a chance to play with the Cp3 very briefly at a local dealer today.
First impression, wow they are light. Very light. Ideal for gimbal and drone work. Focus and iris are smooth, smoother than the old Cp2. Although, they feel a little bit "plastically". I guess this is the trade of for lightweight. Can't have it all :-)

However, what I discovered is that these lenses exhibit quite an amount of CA, magenta and green. Quite nasty to be honest.
On the 85mm and 50mm you have to stop down at least to T4. On 35mm stop down to T2.8. The 21mm was the best of all. I am not sure if these sets have flaws. Local dealer told me that they bought the set directly from Zeiss Germany and they are full production units. If that is the case, this is quite disappointing IMO.
I uploaded some R3D files. Please check for yourself. As I said, just turned on my camera and made some quick shots because I was on a run.

Shot on my EpicW beta 6.4.23 with Standard Olpf, IPP2, ISO 800
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9b90qr7bb5q7l6k/AAAbwCyh40RRwZgl57T8E4I6a?dl=0
 
Thai Christen said:
I had a chance to play with the Cp3 very briefly at a local dealer today.
First impression, wow they are light. Very light. Ideal for gimbal and drone work. Focus and iris are smooth, smoother than the old Cp2. Although, they feel a little bit "plastically". I guess this is the trade of for lightweight. Can't have it all :-)

However, what I discovered is that these lenses exhibit quite an amount of CA, magenta and green. Quite nasty to be honest.
On the 85mm and 50mm you have to stop down at least to T4. On 35mm stop down to T2.8. The 21mm was the best of all. I am not sure if these sets have flaws. Local dealer told me that they bought the set directly from Zeiss Germany and they are full production units. If that is the case, this is quite disappointing IMO.
I uploaded some R3D files. Please check for yourself. As I said, just turned on my camera and made some quick shots because I was on a run.

Shot on my EpicW beta 6.4.23 with Standard Olpf, IPP2, ISO 800
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9b90qr7bb5q7l6k/AAAbwCyh40RRwZgl57T8E4I6a?dl=0
Click to expand...

Dang, that's what I was afraid of. No improvement over the CP.2's it seems to my eye.
 
Kenneth C Merrill said:
Dang, that's what I was afraid of. No improvement over the CP.2's it seems to my eye.
Click to expand...

For a short moment I was quite excited when I held them in my hands.
But when I saw these nasty CA on my DP7 Pro monitor ... meh
 
Thai Christen said:
For a short moment I was quite excited when I held them in my hands.
But when I saw these nasty CA on my DP7 Pro monitor ... meh
Click to expand...

It's such a shame. As someone who's interested in investing in some Prime lenses both for myself and for the rental house I sublet through, I was excited about the Cp.3's thinking they would have solved some of that. But it looks like it was too much to hope for. Unfortunately I doubt the Sigma's will rent much in LA, as their name is not trusted and the market is too saturated with other options.
 
Thai Christen said:
I had a chance to play with the Cp3 very briefly at a local dealer today.
First impression, wow they are light. Very light. Ideal for gimbal and drone work. Focus and iris are smooth, smoother than the old Cp2. Although, they feel a little bit "plastically". I guess this is the trade of for lightweight. Can't have it all :-)

However, what I discovered is that these lenses exhibit quite an amount of CA, magenta and green. Quite nasty to be honest.
On the 85mm and 50mm you have to stop down at least to T4. On 35mm stop down to T2.8. The 21mm was the best of all. I am not sure if these sets have flaws. Local dealer told me that they bought the set directly from Zeiss Germany and they are full production units. If that is the case, this is quite disappointing IMO.
I uploaded some R3D files. Please check for yourself. As I said, just turned on my camera and made some quick shots because I was on a run.

Shot on my EpicW beta 6.4.23 with Standard Olpf, IPP2, ISO 800
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9b90qr7bb5q7l6k/AAAbwCyh40RRwZgl57T8E4I6a?dl=0
Click to expand...

That is a shame. Especially because the samples Zeiss brought to the RED Studio event were basically perfect.

So I guess there's gonna be a lot of copy variation to look out for. Ugggghhhh.
 
Thai Christen said:
I had a chance to play with the Cp3 very briefly at a local dealer today.
First impression, wow they are light. Very light. Ideal for gimbal and drone work. Focus and iris are smooth, smoother than the old Cp2. Although, they feel a little bit "plastically". I guess this is the trade of for lightweight. Can't have it all :-)

However, what I discovered is that these lenses exhibit quite an amount of CA, magenta and green. Quite nasty to be honest.
On the 85mm and 50mm you have to stop down at least to T4. On 35mm stop down to T2.8. The 21mm was the best of all. I am not sure if these sets have flaws. Local dealer told me that they bought the set directly from Zeiss Germany and they are full production units. If that is the case, this is quite disappointing IMO.
I uploaded some R3D files. Please check for yourself. As I said, just turned on my camera and made some quick shots because I was on a run.

Shot on my EpicW beta 6.4.23 with Standard Olpf, IPP2, ISO 800
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9b90qr7bb5q7l6k/AAAbwCyh40RRwZgl57T8E4I6a?dl=0
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for posting these, but I hope you sleep well tonight knowing you've completely ruined my night :-). I actually rented a 50mm CP.3 and a Sigma Cine to do a side by side test this coming Wednesday before deciding which set to order. I REALLY wanted the CP.3 to control CA a lot better than CP.2 or ZF has in the past. I don't like how each Sigma Cine Prime lens is a lot heavier than CP3 (how the hell is the Sigma 50mm 2.9lbs?!), but from everything I'm seeing it seems to produce such a better image - and their faster. I have a feeling I'm going to end up with a Sigma cine prime set. Might as well toss in those new 18-35 & 50-100 cine zooms too then :-(

WOW... the more I keep looking at your frames, the more this room is a CA nightmare! Sure, the bright windows and the black back wall are extreme conditions but I can't imagine why it's still THAT bad.
 
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Marcus Friedlander said:
Exactly. They are basically the Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic of the lens world.

Obviously not as exciting as a vintage sports car, but infintely more practical.
Click to expand...

Hmmm.... that description sounds more like a DSLR kit lens to me. Unspectacular build, gets the basic job done...

I would think that a purpose built cine lens, slightly heavy in the hand, solid feel, visually striking with its gears and markings would qualify for a slightly sexier car analogy.

But sure, for belittling things, those extreme comparisons always come in handy.
 
Brent G Miller Jr said:
Thank you so much for posting these, but I hope you sleep well tonight knowing you've completely ruined my night :-). I actually rented a 50mm CP.3 and a Sigma Cine to do a side by side test this coming Wednesday before deciding which set to order. I REALLY wanted the CP.3 to control CA a lot better than CP.2 or ZF has in the past. I don't like how each Sigma Cine Prime lens is a lot heavier than CP3 (how the hell is the Sigma 50mm 2.9lbs?!), but from everything I'm seeing it seems to produce such a better image - and their faster. I have a feeling I'm going to end up with a Sigma cine prime set. Might as well toss in those new 18-35 & 50-100 cine zooms too then :-(

WOW... the more I keep looking at your frames, the more this room is a CA nightmare! Sure, the bright windows and the black back wall are extreme conditions but I can't imagine why it's still THAT bad.
Click to expand...

Sorry if I have ruined your night - and probably of many others too. But I thought I put this out so folks are aware what they are getting into. It really is ashamed because they look so good spec wise.
The room I shot in has difficult lighting but nothing a good lens cannot cope with. Even my 30 years old Leica-Rs performe better in this regard.
Let us know how your test goes with CP3 50mm vs. Sigma Cine. Curious to know if you get the same nasty CA on the CP3 50.
 
AndreeMarkefors said:
Hmmm.... that description sounds more like a DSLR kit lens to me. Unspectacular build, gets the basic job done...

I would think that a purpose built cine lens, slightly heavy in the hand, solid feel, visually striking with its gears and markings would qualify for a slightly sexier car analogy.

But sure, for belittling things, those extreme comparisons always come in handy.
Click to expand...

Often, low end cinema lenses are not much more than DSLR's lenses hahah. Especially the CP.2's which are literally rehoused DSLR's lenses. So yes, they do not feel as purpose built as Master Primes. Which is why they don't get a sexier analogy.

That being said, I don't think calling a set of lenses "infinitely more practical" is belittling them??? Seems more like a compliment from where I'm coming from.

P.S. When was the last time you drove a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla? Both are so staggeringly well engineered, that it is not an insult at all to be compared to them. Importantly though, they don't have the brand appeal of a Ferrari, which is why people disregard them. Even though most people will be better off with a Civic, than a Ferrari.
 
Marcus. I agree; however, there's really no reason Zeiss lenses have to display this level of CA which is the bane of my existence. The expectations I have are reasonable and could be performed by even many rehoused SLR lenses. For example, I would even consider cheap SLR Magic APO Hyperprimes or a new Celere HS set for another our day-to-day set. For shoots, like the 2-day production we have coming up on a backlot in Santa Clarita, we would rent Summicron-C glass - their ability to control CA is astonishing.
 
Brent G Miller Jr said:
... however, there's really no reason Zeiss lenses have to display this level of CA which is the bane of my existence. The expectations I have are reasonable and could be performed by even many rehoused SLR lenses...
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100% agree.

I always expect perfection out of Zeiss, so it's weird to me when it doesn't pan out that way. On the CA front, Zeiss really has no excuse because the CP.3's are mostly T2.1, and not 1.5 like most of their competitors. If you are going to be a stop slower than your competition, then that slower stop has to be rock solid (like mini S4's).

My hope is that it's just a manufacturing issue that Zeiss will work out. Because, unfortunately, no matter how good or bad these lenses end up being, we will all be shooting on them countless times over the next couple of years because producers like the Zeiss brand.
 
Marcus Friedlander said:
...Zeiss really has no excuse because the CP.3's are mostly T2.1, and not 1.5
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Exactly! I entirely assumed CA would be a non-issue because of the stop at 2.1. Later this week I'll be posting my 50mm CP.3 vs Sigma Cine Prime results under a CA stress test.
 
Brent G Miller Jr said:
Exactly! I entirely assumed CA would be a non-issue because of the stop at 2.1. Later this week I'll be posting my 50mm CP.3 vs Sigma Cine Prime results under a CA stress test.
Click to expand...


Looking forward to seeing your tests!
 
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