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Looking for the right set of primes

bart cortright

bart cortright

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hey guys,

Newish to the forum here and wanted to get some opinions on a set of primes to buy.

I'm looking for a bit of an older softer look if possible. My favorite lenses I've ever used on a RED were an old set of ARRI super speeds. Obviously its impossible to completely re-create that with something cheaper but I've seen all the variety of duclos re-housings and was just wondering what would be the advantages to say Leica vs Nikkor vs Zeiss. Generally a lot of the newer more expensive cine primes I've found to be a little too crisp for my personal taste.

Thoughts on what kind of set would be best? Looking to spend somewhere around 5k-15k.
 
Just google contax zeiss, leica r and nikon nikkor. Each lens creates a different look, so it really depends on which one you like best. I have a few contax myself and love them. Every answer you get on here will be subjective, person to person, so it is something you have to decide on. Good luck.
 
Thanks, just went through the survival guide, very helpful! Contax zeiss seem like a the right choice.
 
Contax Zeiss. its the best.
 
I think you will be amazed with the Contax Zeiss. I have had very good fortune buying on ebay from Korea, Japan and China. Seems they take care and pride in their equipment. I have Leitaxed all lenses to Canon EOS mounts and have purchased gear rings from a guy named "Helicopter Sean" also on ebay. Gears fit well and very reasonable.
 
Avoid the Nikons. Difficult to put together a good color matched set, mechanics are a mixed bag. Agree with the aforementioned posts that a decent Contax Zeiss set is achievable.
 
M.Halsell said:
Avoid the Nikons. Difficult to put together a good color matched set, mechanics are a mixed bag. Agree with the aforementioned posts that a decent Contax Zeiss set is achievable.
Click to expand...

What heap of s....
I have two sets, no problems. Mechanics no problem, obviously you must know what you are buying.
Images are really filmic, nice green blacks.
Actually as a vintage lenses, they give you more interesting look then Contax. Nikons AIS are not a sharp wide open as Zeiss.
 
Soviet stills glass is a nice option as well. I have a set with the 37mm, 58mm, 85, 135. I am still deciding which wide to go for. Probably the Peleng 17mm or the zenitar 16. As an altrnative lens set they look pretty great and a set can be had for around a thousand bucks.


Nick
 
I see the Nikkors don´t get much love here, Brandon is spot on, a lot of personal taste involved. I´m really into their classic, organic look. Obviously not suited as overall solution for every job but for narrative work and a vintage look they are high on my list. Wish somebody would offer a complete rehousing including proper cine mechanics.
 
Nikkor Love

Nikkor Love

I have a 30 piece manual focus set from 8mm to 800mm + Zooms. Love everyone about Nikon and they meet my personal vintage needs. But starting a new set in 2016 for production use, I would be partial to the Zeiss optical formula and the consistent mechanics.
 
Totally agree with Nick about going the Russian lens route. I just put together a set consisting of:

MIR-47M 20mm f/2.5
MIR-1B 37mm f/2.8
HELIOS-44 58mm f/2.0
Jupiter-9 85mm f/2.0
Tair-11a 135mm f/2.8

I cinemodded them myself with Cordvision gears, step up rings and front caps. Fantastic company and cheaper than Duclos.

Nick Gardner said:
Soviet stills glass is a nice option as well. I have a set with the 37mm, 58mm, 85, 135. I am still deciding which wide to go for. Probably the Peleng 17mm or the zenitar 16. As an altrnative lens set they look pretty great and a set can be had for around a thousand bucks.


Nick
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
MichaelJQuill said:
Meh, The Zeiss Contax lenses don't have much vintage character imo. Totally agree with Nick about going the Russian lens route. I just put together a set consisting of:

MIR-47M 20mm f/2.5
MIR-1B 37mm f/2.8
HELIOS-44 58mm f/2.0
Jupiter-9 85mm f/2.0
Tair-11a 135mm f/2.8

I Cinemodded them with Cordvision gears, step up rings and front caps. Fantastic company and much better prices than Duclos.
Click to expand...

But as he said he liked the zeiss supers look, so contax would get him the closest to this. I have been reading up lots on russian glass, and find it quite inruiging. I have the helios 44-2, because why not. How do you find these stills lenses compare to the lomo lenses you have?
 
Getting a successful set of specialty or beautifully imperfect lenses can potentially be costly. Very easy to get a dud, unless you can get seller guarantee. Getting a lens that too quirky optically can limit its range of use.
 
Can't go wrong with a good set of Leica Rs. I love mine. For a more modern and very sharp look (but still pretty in my opinion) the Sigma ART lenses are great. They still need to ad a few more choices though, like an 85 1.4
 
I have a set of Zeiss compact primes which may have a similar draw to the Zeiss Contax Primes. While they will be more expensive than Contax Zeiss, the great thing is you can change the lens mount relatively easily.
I have PL and EF mount plus an EF to Micro four thirds adaptor (metabones speed booster), which gives them a lot of flexibility.
No matter what camera or lens mount in the future, I can always buy a set of lens mounts to make the lenses compatible.
I have found that I can rent out my set fairly easily which also helps to pay off your investment - but that may depend on your location.
I live in a small state with no film rental house but generally with all my gear I buy quality 2nd hand and then rent it out to help pay off the purchase.
 
Yes personal preference is a big factor and for me the Leica Rs are the clear stand out.

A set of early 80s Summicrons/Elmarits (F2.0/2.8) will provide that soft vintage film look you're after and the build quality/mechanics are phenomenal, especially for vintage still lenses with their long smooth focus throws.
The faster F1.4 Summiluxes are great too but may be too sharp for the look you've described.
 
I haven't gotten around to doing side by side comparisons of my Russian stills set and my Lomo Superspeeds, but my sense is that they share a lot of the same characteristics.

My brother has a set of Leica Rs and they've got loads of character as well.

Brandon Kelly said:
But as he said he liked the zeiss supers look, so contax would get him the closest to this. I have been reading up lots on russian glass, and find it quite inruiging. I have the helios 44-2, because why not. How do you find these stills lenses compare to the lomo lenses you have?
Click to expand...
 
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