LumaTech Illuminas performance

[Mark Toia]

135mm will be T1.6

Super sweet!

 

[Peter Moretti]

Set of 5 Illuminas with my fancy white sheet backdrop :smile5:

Paul,

What are the barrels made out of? The set I saw about two years ago had barrels made out of hard plastic. Is that still the case? Thanks.

 

[Alexander Ibrahim]

Am I seeing this right ... your 35mm is marked 35/1.2 as in t/1.2?

Did you get the upgraded t/1.2 set I read about?

 

[Martin Stevens]

That is most likely f1.2 and not T1.2.

 

[Paul Nordin]

What are the barrels made out of? The set I saw about two years ago had barrels made out of hard plastic. Is that still the case? Thanks.

Definitely not made out of plastic, Peter. These are really solid, well built lenses. I couldn't tell you exactly what they are made out of. But, they are coated metal, and feel like any of the other very high-quality lens WRT barrel material.

Am I seeing this right ... your 35mm is marked 35/1.2 as in t/1.2?

Did you get the upgraded t/1.2 set I read about?

No upgrade available as far as I know. They are f/1.2, T/1.3.

 

[Alexander Ibrahim]

No upgrade available as far as I know. They are f/1.2, T/1.3.

Yeah, I probably misread then.

Knowing me and my full stop obsessiveness I would probably only open past 1.4 when its unreasonably low light. (Given what an Epic can do at ISO 12800 this may occur only very very rarely.)

 

[Paul Nordin]

what and miss all the fun that last tenth of a stop has to offer?!

 

[Jason Beckwith]

Wow.

Cool lenses.

Congrats, and thanks for taking the time to write this up.

Now take 'em outside at midnight and post some footage or stills!

 

[Paul Nordin]

Stills from Illumina 18mm and 85mm lenses: Berkeley Pier

Stills from Illumina 18mm and 85mm lenses: Berkeley Pier

Here are some stills from clips I shot this evening at the Berkeley Pier just before sunset, sunset, and into late dusk. These lenses are very very bright. Almost all of these were shot at an iso of 320. The dusk shots were wide wide open T/1.3, edging up to a 1.8 would have sharpened it up a lot, but I wanted to show what it does wide open first. The CU shot of the wood wall with the city out of focus was shot in almost dark. The wall face is almost entirely lit by a nearby streetlight (pierlight?), and looks much brighter than it really was.

 

[Sidney L. Plaut]

beautiful flares!

 

[Robert Horwell]

Definitely not made out of plastic, Peter. These are really solid, well built lenses. I couldn't tell you exactly what they are made out of. But, they are coated metal, and feel like any of the other very high-quality lens WRT barrel material.


The barrels don't look as though they are lathed alloy and anodised, like cookes or ultras, they look like pressed steel? would that seem correct your end paul?

 

[Fred Salaff]

Paul,

What are the barrels made out of? The set I saw about two years ago had barrels made out of hard plastic. Is that still the case? Thanks.

Where did you see the S35 Illuminas made of "hard plastic"???? Plastic is too expensive for the Russians!!! lol . We will buy any set of Illuminas made with plastic barrels and give anyone who can show us such a set a FREE set of the new Illuminas!

 

[Fred Salaff]

Paul,

Thank you for the superb samples!

 

[Antoine Fabi]

Thanks Paul!

They seem to be not too contrasty, which is a good thing

Do you have full sun examples ?

Antoine

 

[Paul Nordin]

The barrels don't look as though they are lathed alloy and anodised, like cookes or ultras, they look like pressed steel? would that seem correct your end paul?

I couldn't say for sure Robert, and would just be guessing. That is really a question for Fred. What I can say is they feel solid and well built.

They seem to be not too contrasty, which is a good thing

Do you have full sun examples ?

You should bear in mind that these were shot in the SF Bay Area in summer. That big looming clouds in the background is the offshore fog bank, a permanent fixture here in summer. The fog bank usually comes into shore at night and recedes during the day. Photographically, it means at sunset there is a fair amount of moisture in the air (hence the diffused look). So that plays a part in the lack of contrast in the images.

I'll post more as I am able including CU faces, and more contrasty scenes.

I'll say this in general. I LOVE having the extra stops past 2.8. I was shooting at dusk ISO 320, 120fps, T1.3 with reasonable sharpness. Some shots I did at iso800, T1.3, 300fps, and it was late-dusk when the water takes on my favorite deep indigo hue (makes you feel like you're gazing into an abyss). The full-rez images look fantastic. And this scene at 120-300fps with birds flying is magic. I would not have been able to do that at 2.8 without pushing noise into the shadows. So for this type of thing, shooting into and past golden hour, a fast lens is golden.

Cheers

 

[Mitch Gross]

what and miss all the fun that last tenth of a stop has to offer?!

The difference between a true T1.4 and a true T1.3 is 1/4th of a stop, not a tenth. Then next full stop down from T1.4 is T1.

 

[Alexander Ibrahim]

The difference between a true T1.4 and a true T1.3 is 1/4th of a stop, not a tenth. Then next full stop down from T1.4 is T1.

I was trying so so very hard to avoid being pedantic this time ... focusing on letting things go ...

 

[Tim Whitcomb]

The stills are great Paul... but would LOVE to see some moving images. Some focus racking..

I have been looking at these lenses for 2 years... they continue to improve and I am almost ready to make Fred's day... but I would love to see some motion
shot with your set... as its the most recent set in the wild.

thanks!

EDIT: Fred, not sure where the PLASTIC rumor started, but I had heard that too... from a rental house who said he demoed them 2 years ago.
Questions about their mechanical soundness have persisted. I have not tested a set so its only HEARSAY or FUD.

Paul: How is the focus and iris rings mechanically Paul? Stiff? Loose? Just Right?

 

[Alexander Mitchell]

Paul,

Quick question, do the Illumina's all cover the EPIC 5K frame?

Thanks for the post Paul, look forward to the next one...

Alex

 

[Peter Moretti]

Where did you see the S35 Illuminas made of "hard plastic"???? Plastic is too expensive for the Russians!!! lol . We will buy any set of Illuminas made with plastic barrels and give anyone who can show us such a set a FREE set of the new Illuminas!

Wow, then those were the most poorly finished, badly pitted, metal lens barrels I've ever seen in my life. I saw them in Burbank, CA (again, about two years ago).