Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • 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

Many thanks Phill, I jumped to Xenon wagon after read your review, my first primes set, I´m eager and waitin a macro!
 
KETCH ROSSi said:
Missed this one...

Nice review Phil!!

Pre-ordered a set for the RU discount offer thanks to you... ;)
Click to expand...

Hey Phil, Ketch. What discount offer is this? I too want to preorder a set... Thanks!

EDIT: Also, I am curous how the MTF of these lenses compares to other brands. Namely ultra primes, Canon Cine Primes and even master primes and mini S4i...
 
Last edited:
Unless they release FULL set including 18/14mm and 100mm Macro i am not interested. .. And this will take another year.
If 14/18mm will be $7/8000 i am not interested too.
I would not preorder any lens(camera) without testing it personally. That is crazy .

It took Schneider 3 times to get it right with Cine-Xenar, so lets wait.
 
Jiri Vrozina said:
Unless they release FULL set including 18/14mm and 100mm Macro i am not interested. .. And this will take another year.
If 14/18mm will be $7/8000 i am not interested too.
I would not preorder any lens(camera) without testing it personally. That is crazy .
Click to expand...

Could be your loss. There are some people whose expertise and opinions are worth taking note of. :smiley:
 
I do not think so. So many choices now...;-)
You have to feel your lenses with your hands how they perform and do your own tests for your personal aplications.
What am i going to do with 3 piece set?
 
Jiri Vrozina said:
Unless they release FULL set including 18/14mm and 100mm Macro i am not interested. .. And this will take another year.
If 14/18mm will be $7/8000 i am not interested too.
I would not preorder any lens(camera) without testing it personally. That is crazy .

It took Schneider 3 times to get it right with Cine-Xenar, so lets wait.
Click to expand...

Jiri Vrozina said:
I do not think so. So many choices now...;-)
You have to feel your lenses with your hands how they perform and do your own tests for your personal aplications.
What am i going to do with 3 piece set?
Click to expand...


I totally agree about "feeling things out" and testing lenses for yourself. Big supporter of that actually.

The wide is indeed going to be the real trick when it comes to keeping price and size in line with the rest of the glass in the series. Whether it's an 18mm, 20mm, or 21mm only time will tell. That one is a ways away, but I don't think it's going be freaky higher in price compared to the 25mm honestly. Additionally, think of the larger format you'll be shooting at what the FOV will be. Also, you could easily supplement say a Zeiss CP.2 15mm T2.9 (pretty damn nice optic) in there if you need it tomorrow. Just saying.

It didn't take Schneider 3 times to get the Cine-Xenars right. It took Isco one time to make "good optics" and it too them a few attempts to get the mechanics down. Now they are "ideal" in terms of being the same length and gear distances across the set. And a 14mm has been added to the set even. Believe me. This is the most I've personally spent on optics and I looked at them hard for 3 months before I pulled that trigger.

The upcoming Xenon FF-Prime isn't actually going to be a macro, but close focus will likely land in the 2.7-3 feet range. Suitable for more than a CU on a standard human head, but obviously not a macro lens.

In terms of the first 3 lens kit, when considering say the size of the Dragon 6K sensor real estate, you have 35mm (wide), 50mm (medium/normal), and 75mm (telephoto). Makes sense to me really. 25mm helps a heaps on the wide end. I'd say it's a good starting place for a set and those additional focal lengths not announced that will be out in the future even.

The real thing here is on a price and performance level there isn't exactly anything competing with these. Zunows were once a possibility, but those are ghosts and likely will remain that way for some time.


Terry VerHaar said:
Could be your loss. There are some people whose expertise and opinions are worth taking note of. :smiley:
Click to expand...

Heh. Cheers Terry.
 
Good Points.
Lets see them at NAB.
I do not like to mix other brands.

I wish NIKON would make Cine Glass ;-)
 
Phil Holland said:
In terms of the first 3 lens kit, when considering say the size of the Dragon 6K sensor real estate, you have 35mm (wide), 50mm (medium/normal), and 75mm (telephoto). Makes sense to me really. 25mm helps a heaps on the wide end. I'd say it's a good starting place for a set and those additional focal lengths not announced that will be out in the future even.

The real thing here is on a price and performance level there isn't exactly anything competing with these. Zunows were once a possibility, but those are ghosts and likely will remain that way for some time.




Heh. Cheers Terry.
Click to expand...

as much as i love schneider and would like to go with these....but in almost 30 years of shooting stills i have never owned a 35 50 and 75 at the same time....i like each focal length but as a set it just isn't even close to wide enough for interiors or landscapes (even with dragon the 35 comes out to almost a 40 which i actually really like but it just isn't what i would consider wide) and a 75 can be nice but for an in-between lens i prefer a 55 or 60 or an 85 for tighter shots.....i guess the good thing about these lenses is that with a 35 and 75 you are pretty much covered...take a step back or 2 closer and either way the 50 should be pretty much taken care of....so as a set i just don't see the point...yet...unfortunately because i really, really love schneiders and wanted to like these....
another point is that the competition is catching up everywhere....(i know, i know not a cine lens and all that) but the sigma 18-35 is scary good....crazy, scary good...and the fact that the only better 35 i have seen at this point is the sigma 35 is even crazier....i know, i know not a kit....
 
Has anyone found out which dealers in germany/europe are the first to have them available?
 
Ivan Kovax said:
Hey Phil, Ketch. What discount offer is this? I too want to preorder a set... Thanks!

EDIT: Also, I am curous how the MTF of these lenses compares to other brands. Namely ultra primes, Canon Cine Primes and even master primes and mini S4i...
Click to expand...


Ivan you can Pre-Ordered the full set by emailing (or PM'ing Phil). I got the 25, 35, 50, 75 & 100.

see Phil's thread about the discount here: http://www.reduser.net/forum/showth...user-Group-Buy-Discount&p=1285363#post1285363

The discount is minimal, yet actually surprised and very thankful to both Phil and his contact to do this for us, and the chance to get this lens in the first group is great, as it will most likely then become near impossible getting them as the line gets longer and longer, and since I am in desperate need of Cine glass that covers full 6k sensor all the way, and I like how this lenses read on paper, I wanted to be amongst the first to have them and take them for a good ride.

I can always sale them if they do not meet my needs, but some how I fill that this lenses will keep me going till I get the Leica Cine primes... ;)
 
KETCH ROSSi said:
Ivan you can Pre-Ordered the full set by emailing (or PM'ing Phil). I got the 25, 35, 50, 75 & 100.

see Phil's thread about the discount here: http://www.reduser.net/forum/showth...user-Group-Buy-Discount&p=1285363#post1285363

The discount is minimal, yet actually surprised and very thankful to both Phil and his contact to do this for us, and the chance to get this lens in the first group is great, as it will most likely then become near impossible getting them as the line gets longer and longer, and since I am in desperate need of Cine glass that covers full 6k sensor all the way, and I like how this lenses read on paper, I wanted to be amongst the first to have them and take them for a good ride.

I can always sale them if they do not meet my needs, but some how I fill that this lenses will keep me going till I get the Leica Cine primes... ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks Ketch. Phil actually PM-ed me as well with the info, so thanks to both you guys. I will definitely be getting them as a PL set. I think these lenses will be instant classics. I just want an 18 now, and I am set.

I wonder if the RED 300mm vignettes with Dragon at 6K?
 
Ivan Kovax said:
Thanks Ketch. Phil actually PM-ed me as well with the info, so thanks to both you guys. I will definitely be getting them as a PL set. I think these lenses will be instant classics. I just want an 18 now, and I am set.

I wonder if the RED 300mm vignettes with Dragon at 6K?
Click to expand...

My pleasure Ivan!

And yes, when this lenses were first on my radar, I sow something special in them, yet did not paid any attention to them as much, since I had been working like crazy in trying to get my own set of FF+ Cine lenses up and going.

But as with life, things change I have immediately jumped on the opportunity to get one of the first sets available, as this will indeed do very well on DRAGON.

Especially good to me is how light they are, nice clean design, read great on paper, and hope they'll not disappoint on camera... ;)


As for the RPP 300mm, if you are referring as to the actual image qualities of the lens itself to handle corner illumination evenly then I can tell you that "IT DOES" there has been almost no light fall off on any of the 3 samples I owned, and it should be the same on DRAGON.

Absolutely love this lens and buying my fourth... Which will travel with DragonM8 and the Xenon's every were... ;)

407725_2561408955105_70240124_n.jpg
 
So, has there been a definitive update on whether the Xenon mounts will be interchangeable?
 
I went over to Hot Rod Cameras Shop in Hollywood today to see if I could get a sneak peak at what kind of deals they were going to have at their "Mattebox Monday" Black Friday/Monday sale this year. No cats could be removed from bags and no peeks were given - however when I inquired about some Xenon FF lenses I found out that I could actually score a much better deal from Hot Rod than from the recent Filmtools Group Buy. pretty surprised because I thought that was a decent deal - but apparently deals are out to be found by those who inquire.
 
I think prices between the various dealers will be fairly competitive once these actually start shipping out to everyone. It seems they're officially in production now and first deliveries should happen in the next few weeks.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
I think prices between the various dealers will be fairly competitive once these actually start shipping out to everyone. It seems they're officially in production now and first deliveries should happen in the next few weeks.
Click to expand...

Alarmingly soon :) Especially to folks like you who pre-ordered extremely early.

I think ordering and dealing with the back-order situation as deliveries come each month and get distributed to various allocation points/dealers is going to be the bigger deal. They'll be possible to get for sure. They are going to be hot for a while though and perhaps hotter once people actually know they exist. Just depends on how good they end up being :)

Just got a an email from the Schneider folks in Germany. I know they are pushing real hard to pump out the first sets. We should hear word really, really soon.
 
Phil Holland said:
Alarmingly soon :) Especially to folks like you who pre-ordered extremely early.

I think ordering and dealing with the back-order situation as deliveries come each month and get distributed to various allocation points/dealers is going to be the bigger deal. They'll be possible to get for sure. They are going to be hot for a while though and perhaps hotter once people actually know they exist. Just depends on how good they end up being :)

Just got a an email from the Schneider folks in Germany. I know they are pushing real hard to pump out the first sets. We should hear word really, really soon.
Click to expand...


I actually have already but almost paid off my set... ;)

And I hear good news on first deliveries, so that makes me happy, and in fact I might just sale off what ever I have left of glass and stick only to the Xenon's till my first set of Leica C. arrive.

This is how confident I am about this lenses, also I might actually end up visiting their manufacturer home in Germany on my way to Leica's new HQ... ;)

I'll report if I do.


PS: Thanks again Phil for setting up the deal!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top