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 :)

Luma Tech Illuminas vs. the new Cooke Panchros...a review

Sidney L. Plaut said:
Its cool you like the supers and all... BUT CA (green/magenta depending on where you focus) is very obvious on RED and Alexa.
Click to expand...

Ah. Interesting. I never found them CA-prone, on the contrary. However I have a Canon 8-64 which has been THE Super 16 lens for years and this zoom produces visible CA that can be annoying.

Hans
 
Hans von Sonntag said:
Ah. Interesting. I never found them CA-prone, on the contrary. However I have a Canon 8-64 which has been THE Super 16 lens for years and this zoom produces visible CA that can be annoying.

Hans
Click to expand...

the speed at which you shoot at could influence CA if I remember correct. Wide open theres is CA on the sets Ive used - specially the green/magenta thingy that shifts depending on whether you are focused in front or behind the subject. - maybe it varies theses were mk3 coated/uncoated.
 
Hans von Sonntag said:
What do you mean by coated/uncoated? My set got never re-coated (never heard of re-coated lenses...).

Hans
Click to expand...

I meant with normal coated lenses and specially ordered un-coated, where zeiss have removed the coating, so you get a very special milky/flary look.:)
 
Sidney L. Plaut said:
I meant with normal coated lenses and specially ordered un-coated, where zeiss have removed the coating, so you get a very special milky/flary look.:)
Click to expand...

Ah I see. Yours are uncoated. You get them here at Vantage. But this is a very special species, isn't it? Hardly to compare with normal SuperSpeeds.

Hans
 
At T/2.8, we all got to see what these lenses could do, and thanks for the review.

When it comes to fast lenses, which the illuminas are, fast lenses live or die wide open. Some superspeeds fall apart wide open, as do some other lens sets at varying degrees (abberation and etc on CP.2's and etc)...

So for those who may choose the Illuminas for the speed, we have heard how they handle at T/2.8, but how do they perform at T/1.4?

I never really need anything faster than T/2.8, even in night exteriors (since cameras are so fast now), but I'm still curious.
 
Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
A

So for those who may choose the Illuminas for the speed, we have heard how they handle at T/2.8, but how do they perform at T/1.4?

I never really need anything faster than T/2.8, even in night exteriors (since cameras are so fast now), but I'm still curious.
Click to expand...

To answer my own curiosity on this subject, in my review postings earlier in this thread (page 2 I believe) I posted three full-res TIFs of the Illumina 35mm at 1.3, 2.8, and 5.6. Same chart, same camera setup, same lens, only the iris changes. I had to add a ND.6 for the t1.3 setting. so that may ever so slightly shift the results and it definitely altered the color cast.
 
How much do these various lens sets cost?
 
Great thread Paul! Thank you for sharing.

I do love my superspeeds! They look amazing (creamy...) on my Epic. They are also very small and light which is very advantages when handheld (especially on the right wrist with Epic).

I have found that I have to stay close to a good lens tech to keep them in tip top tune because the Epic will see issues if not. I also try to get to T2 at 5k just to make them play nice together....

Prost,
Rich
 
Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
At T/2.8, we all got to see what these lenses could do, and thanks for the review.

When it comes to fast lenses, which the illuminas are, fast lenses live or die wide open. Some superspeeds fall apart wide open, as do some other lens sets at varying degrees (abberation and etc on CP.2's and etc)...

So for those who may choose the Illuminas for the speed, we have heard how they handle at T/2.8, but how do they perform at T/1.4?

I never really need anything faster than T/2.8, even in night exteriors (since cameras are so fast now), but I'm still curious.
Click to expand...


The Illuminas are top notch wide open. Better than super speeds, for sure.
 
Mark Toia said:
Hi Paul,

Great thread!!!

The lastest Illuminas are great. but here is the only real problem with them. But not enough to discourage me from purchasing. (I have)

POST PRODUCTION.
The Lens flare from the Illumines look great, the flares create a very beautiful mood, I love it in fact. BUT!!!!! you if want to do a special effect shot, matt paint or 3d composite shot etc.. then you are in a world of hurt if you have lens flare over the shot, and shooting 3d. you end up with 2 lots of flares not one.
Composting over or under a flare can become very very annoying to say the least.

You can cut flare away, box out flare, matt box, barn door it etc.. but again, that can become tiresome as well on set when your in a rush.
But that all said, you don't get flare in them unless you push light directly into them like the tests you did. but they are susceptible to it more than others.... but it's looks cool on the same breath.

I have a creative bunch of lenses and the Illumines fit in the category, they are like my bright art lenses.. I have hasslebald shift and tilts etc.. all great for creating a gorgeous mood. This art mood is what my clients pay for.
And .. I have a set of Primes that are flare resistant, just in case I want or need a shoot FLARE free for any super clean effects shots. Or if I use the Illumines, I just make sure I cut any flare from getting near the lenses elements. So in fact you can use them for anything,but just protect the lens from light when you getting critical with a shot.

Note: Good all rounders
THE RED PRIMES are amazing flare resistant, pin sharp, little to no distortion, they are really worth looking at. Seriously, they are real giant killers. F1.9 ( I wish they were 1.2 myself) but very very cheap horse power. mechanically perfect, F1.9 is still very bright.
I put these side by side with Master primes all the time, I can never see the difference.

Thats my 5 cents worth.
Click to expand...

Since when do you rush a special effects shot, 3d composite shot or anything close to that? I have been a DP for 42 years and have used all sorts of lenses in that time...in film and video production and tried to discipline myself( and others) to use the tools available to us to control light and not have it control you, whether it be by matte box, flagging or finding some other good solution (like using your assistant's body to block light when you are "in a rush"). If you purposely direct light at an unprotected lens you are going to get flare...and if you judge the overall quality of a lens based on this test you can be throwing a beautiful baby out with the bath water. I have never spoken up much on this forum but I have experienced a great deal in our business, beginning as an unqualified "schlepper" in 1969 to becoming a full fledged DP within a short time, working mostly in 35mm film production with Arri cameras and Zeiss lenses. But I have used almost all the older and newer lenses from Angie and Cooke. Now, along comes the Illumina lenses which are really gorgeous when actually shooting real life (rather than charts) and are faster than T1.3 (which is very obvious to anyone who has shot with them or tested them), are wonderful optically and are sold at a price less than one third of the "big guns" and which most people could not tell apart from the results!
 
this is a great thread.

Does anyone have a physical size & weight comparison?
Would be interesting to know how much smaller and lighter the Illuminas are to the Cookes and RPP's
Also how accurate are the focus marks and what are is the close focus on the Illuminas?
 
roryhinds said:
Does anyone have a physical size & weight comparison?
Would be interesting to know how much smaller and lighter the Illuminas are to the Cookes and RPP's
Also how accurate are the focus marks and what are is the close focus on the Illuminas?
Click to expand...

From http://www.lumatechinc.com/S35.html

18mm T1.3 : 1.5 Kg (3.3 lbs) length: 135mm
25mm T1.3 : 1.5 Kg (3.3 lbs) length: 135mm
35mm T1.3 : 1.23 Kg (2.7 lbs) length: 119 mm
50mm T1.3 : 1.15 Kg (2.53 lbs) length: 115mm
85mm T1.3 : 1.55 Kg (3.41 lbs) length: 116mm

Close focus distances:
18mm: 10"
25mm: 10"
35mm: 14"
50mm: 2' 2"
85mm: 3'
 
roryhinds said:
so in the end which have you gone for Paul?
Click to expand...

They both really have nice images. But, I'm going with speed. The slight gain in image quality that the Cooke Panchros have in the end is not enough to outweigh the big gain in brightness the Illuminas have. So for me, for an all-around, every day lens, I'll be frustrated less with the Illuminas.

phew...only took about a year to make that decision. :cheers2:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top