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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 Look - Schneider Xenon FF-Prime Lenses

Alex Boothby said:
In the past I've used a "chroma blur" function (Safire plugin on Flame) which blurs just the chroma, but not the value. Many blur tools offer a "chroma only" option, but it's hidden deep in a sub-menu. You can achieve the same thing by switching from RGB mode to YUV and blurring just U & V (not Y).

This is very effective for removing CA but you'll probably want to garbage matte only the problem areas so the rest of the picture is not effected (it will blur skin-tone colour into eye colour, etc).
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Thank you Alex! I will test the procedure as well!
Right now I'm using color selection with desaturation and garbage masks to get it done. But it seems unpractical and I have the feeling there's something better :) so I'm glad to try out whatever you guys suggest.
Thanks!!
 
How would these compare with, say Zeiss Super Speeds? Sharpness? Contrast? Flare? CA? As good/ Same? Better?
 
Dale Launer said:
How would these compare with, say Zeiss Super Speeds? Sharpness? Contrast? Flare? CA? As good/ Same? Better?
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- Sharpness: Depends on the set of Super Speeds, if a decent set SS are sharper and certainly more so stopped down to a comparable T2.1. Across field however the Xenons are actually better in edge and corner performance.
- Contrast: Tricky one. Probably a bit in favor of the Xenons in one way, but the Super Speeds exhibit descent contrast while maintaining a classic look.
- Flare: Super Speeds are certainly are more prone to and have potential for bigger more "exciting" flare.
- CA: Lateral not an issue really. Axial the Xenons exhibit this in high contrast situations, though so do Super Speeds.

The Xenons favor a smoother rendering and lack the micro contrast of say Ultra Primes, but they are more in line with a Leica-esque look. Which is also apparent in the Cine-Xenars as well.

Zeiss Super Speeds have a more classic look and aren't as punchy as the Master Primes or Ultra Primes. A good set is nice and sharp wide open. More so stopped down.

Zeiss more or less over designed their cinema primes and they do indeed perform well on Dragon 6K FF compared to some other glass.
 
Phil Holland said:
- Sharpness: Depends on the set of Super Speeds, if a decent set SS are sharper and certainly more so stopped down to a comparable T2.1. Across field however the Xenons are actually better in edge and corner performance.
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Wait, you are saying that the Super Speeds are sharper than the Xenon FF's? I find that kinda hard to believe considering the SS are 30+ year old design and the FF's are a new design. What about compared with the RPP's? What am I missing here?
 
RPP's are sharper than the Xenons. Then again, the RPP's are an amazing value and an often misunderstood and under-appreciated set of lenses. RED shot themselves in the foot with their first lens offerings being kludgy and glitchy with inconsistent build quality and obvious compromises. This set a reputation for them and too many people simply turned their noses up at the RPP's, without ever trying them. RPP sharpness is mostly better than Ultra Primes and ventures into Master Prime territory for the 50, 85 and 100 mm offerings.

Old Super Speeds vary so much in sharpness, depending on many factors. Age/ condition of the set play a role. Do the lenses still have their coatings intact? Latter MKIII speeds are wicked sharp when properly collimated and cared for. Not quite RPP / Master Prime sharp, but still very much so. Like Phil said, they have a more classic look. There's a more organic or vintage quality to them and they are technically inferior due to their age. They breathe more, show more organic distortion, tend to have less neutral coloring, etc..

Much of this is really hard to quantify without evaluating the lenses for yourself. Take some time, rent some lenses. Visit rental houses and see if you can see or demo/ test some lenses at their facility. Or if you have some good lens dealers in your area that may be able to help. Have no clue where you're located, other than "Southeast US" -- Fred at FJS International is in Hollywood, Florida (lens dealer and more). PC&E (rentals / sales) is in Atlanta...
 
Anyone hear any updates from your sources regarding release of the 25mm and 100mm?
 
Matthew J said:
Wait, you are saying that the Super Speeds are sharper than the Xenon FF's? I find that kinda hard to believe considering the SS are 30+ year old design and the FF's are a new design. What about compared with the RPP's? What am I missing here?
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I'm saying a "good set" of Super Speeds will resolve in line pairs slightly more center frame wide open and more so at T2.1. However, across field of S35 coverage and outside of it the Xenons show their strength in being full frame 35mm designs.

However, as Jeff mentioned above you see Super Speeds that are all over the place quality wise. Fellow Reduser Will Keir actually has a good set of Super Speeds. I might have seen about 20 sets of those over the years. I've seen weirdness on some of those sets.

SS do breathe a bit more and show a bit of their age with classic coatings and other nonsense. Much of their quality comes from the original manufacturing practices on the base elements, much of which has been "outlawed" these days. Which is one reason why certain classic lenses perform surprisingly better than you'd think. Some are just really good designs too. Certain Olympus OM glass comes to mind, though horrible mechanics for motion use.

Like anything cinema glass must be properly maintained and cared for. Some of these sets have literally been through war and that sometimes shows.


Quick thing about Red Pro Primes as Jeff brought them up. The more I think about it the more it's clear. The RPPs were designed for S35 and are indeed perhaps the best price to performance ratio on the market. Not the most compact glass, which some have mentioned in the past. But in terms of resolving power and look they compete with sets much more expensive.
 
Bob Gundu said:
I agree that the RRP are superb lenses. I just can't handle the weight and size. Space is a huge factor for me when traveling and storage now. I need a bigger vehicle and locker. :sad:
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Yes,
weight is important. But i must say for sheer optical quality, weight, price and built quality, Otus range with Nikon mount will be a big hit soon. I would personally get Otus 35,55,85 within 6 months.
 
Jiri Vrozina said:
Yes,
weight is important. But i must say for sheer optical quality, weight, price and built quality, Otus range with Nikon mount will be a big hit soon. I would personally get Otus 35,55,85 within 6 months.
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35mm is well outside of 6 months from now from what I've been told. But who knows. Maybe they will speed things up.

Personally I'll get a set of these likely when they are properly housed and one or two more lenses are announced. They should all end up about a T1.5 when all is said and done.
 
Jiri Vrozina said:
Yes,
weight is important. But i must say for sheer optical quality, weight, price and built quality, Otus range with Nikon mount will be a big hit soon. I would personally get Otus 35,55,85 within 6 months.
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35 and 85 out within the next 6 months? i wasn't aware...definitley worth looking into....
but i think the sigma 35, 50 (and hopefully soon) 85 is definitely worth considering as well....weight, performance, price hard to beat....and the 18-35 of course as well....once the 85 is out it will be 18-35, 35, 50, 85 for about (or less then) 4000$....and competing with otus in terms of performance...
 
I was just told by a knowledgeable source that the 100mm should arrive in June and the 25mm should arrive in July.
 
....once the 85 is out it will be 18-35, 35, 50, 85 for about (or less then) 4000$....and competing with otus in terms of performance...[/QUOTE]


I believe the 18-35 is an APS-C size image sensor. Which unfortunately won't cover the Dragon sensor. Great line up only if...
 
KETCH ROSSi said:
Different resellers saying different things...
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Much like the time leading up to the first set of Xenon's shipping. Everyone had different answers and it seemed that Schneider was giving different answers, depending on which day of the week you asked them!

AFAIK, I'm still #1 in line at Duclos Lenses for the next two…
 
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