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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 :)

New Fast Prime Set WOW

The lens design "team" for these is pretty well known by name
 
Andrew Rieger said:
Another problem with Leica: WAY WAY WAY EXPENSIVE. If Leica is involved with these lenses, God only knows how crazy expensive they will be. Leica's fast 50 for stills goes for $10,000.
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But you are talking about a lens that looks great at f/0.95 and weights 700g. BTW, SJ, what is the T-Stop?
 
Nick Burridge said:
Looking at the marketing photos looks like T1.4 to me.
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Nick,

we were talking about Noctilux f/0.95 and not Mystery Primes that are T1.4 also we knew it from the beginning.
 
Still 10,000 is way too expensive for a stills lens. Some pro cinema lenses cost half that.
 
Well yes, but what are your other options at that speed? It isn't just an other still lens, it is an f/0.95, ~T1 lens.

Other f/0.95 lenses may work for certain scenarios, dreams/etc, some may look quite nice, but you'll still avoid inter-cutting them (wide open) with your cinema lenses.
 
Canon had an f1.0 EOS lens that was good (based on the flikr pics I have seen), and it is expensive, but no where near $10,000. Don't get me wrong, Leica may make the best 35mm gear in the world but that price tag has put that remarkable lens out of the hands of almost every photographer in the world. There is a reason why there are so little test images from this lens, because no one has shot with it.
 
I totally agree. I forgot about that Canon, but weren't very few of those made and now out of production?
It doesn't seem like you can buy one any more, and people aren't giving them up. You can rent them though.
One guy on Flick says about $5k used.

Here is a 100% crop but no idea what camera.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmixer/287784406/

Based on the Flickr sample below it does look very sharp. There might be some sharpening added, but who cares at this speed.
It says it was shot on a 5D, so based on the distance and DoF it does seem to be the 50mm at f/1.0 (?)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/squinza/3378575603/sizes/o/

Worth mentioning, the focusing action should be worlds apart.
 
You can rent that lens here: http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon-50mm-f1.0-l/for-canon

It is a wonderful lens. I local photographer I know has one but only uses it on special occasions. It is very rare but a mint used version is still well under 6k. When the Canon mounts come out for the Epic, any used lenses for sale will disappear. Leica is still king, I have a screw mount Leica IIIf and it is my pride and joy. The stuff they make today seems like collectors items rather than cameras based on their price tag. I guess Hasselblad is not much better.

This is a great lens as well if you are a Leica M user: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2009/11/16/the-voigtlander-nokton-50-1-1-lens-review/
 
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Andrew,

have you ever seen my

Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 demo lens on R1 Q & D Test (Vimeo) >>>

It's a very fast, powerful and serious lens.

After the test I asked myself why all other lenses are not like this one,

that is actually a sort of universal lens or it's a 50mm lens (my favorite focal length),

it works pretty good in available light and bright daylight, it's sharp at all apertures

(especially wide open if you compare with others) and it has also an excellent contrast.

That is for what you would pay about $10.000.

Now give you to read two reports from the professional lens analyzer, Erwin Puts:


Read more at review part 1 >>>

Read more at review part 2 >>>
 
I think, as good as they seem, these lenses will remain a "specialty item" mainly because of the lack of 15 in a set and no global support/distribution network.

I may be wrong, but I think pricing them "more aggressively" would be a smart idea. At, say $10k a piece, they would go like hot cakes to individual operators and production companies. I think pricing them "between S4 and Master Primes" is a very bad idea. You do not compete with MPs unless you have a range (set of matched 15 plus zooms), global network of excellent support and superior optical and mechanical performance.

Why would anyone chose Mystery Primes (what primes?) over Master Primes if the prices were comparable?

Randy (or Michael), feel free to shoot my ramblings down with an MTF graph showing over 60% at 50 lp/mm WFO accross the frame or something like that. :tongue:
 
I agree with you Pawel
$10.000 per lens is the magic number that would assure high volume sale.
Even Zeiss and Cooke are trying to get the owner based market without harming their already established clientele...
Rentals only will work if they proof to be the "best", and that will take some challenge:)
 
Don't forget that Band Pro is doing it distribution and they exactly know how the price

should be balanced between all those famous competitor prime sets.
 
Sanjin Jukic said:
Don't forget that Band Pro is doing it distribution and they exactly know how the price

should be balanced between all those famous competitor prime sets.
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Well said Sanjin, this is something that Band Pro is great at, even without me there :-)
 
Michael Bravin said:
Well said Sanjin, this is something that Band Pro is great at, even without me there :-)
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I am sure, Michael, you know how to make good lenses and Band Pro knows how to market and sell them.
I know these are going to be great lenses.
However it will be very hard for buyers to get ROI as the rental market has changed and I find that other high end lenses, like Cooke S4, Master Primes and Ultra Primes, still competing with Zeiss Hi Speed MK2 which take the rental price down.
I find big logic in a $10,000 price for each lens.

David Namir
 
Sanjin Jukic said:
Don't forget that Band Pro is doing it distribution...
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Where is their closest office so that I could put the Mystery Primes on a projector and at least be able to consider them? Arri office is 10 minutes away. I can get just about any Arri product within a week's notice, try and play with it to my heart content before I buy or not. OK, let's try...

Randy, Can I have a set of Mystery Primes for a few days next week to play with in Sydney, please?

Let's see how good their "distribution network" really is. I look forward to be nicely surprised. :beer:
 
David (dudi) Namir said:
I am sure, Michael, you know how to make good lenses and Band Pro knows how to market and sell them.
I know these are going to be great lenses.
However it will be very hard for buyers to get ROI as the rental market has changed and I find that other high end lenses, like Cooke S4, Master Primes and Ultra Primes, still competing with Zeiss Hi Speed MK2 which take the rental price down.
I find big logic in a $10,000 price for each lens.

David Namir
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David

I do not work for Band Pro and am not a spokesperson for The Mystery Primes anymore, but apparently many people have already decided the lenses do represent a very nice ROI. Since the lenses cost more than $10,000 their is hardly logic involved in that price point :willy_nilly:
 
Pawel Achtel said:
Let's see how good their "distribution network" really is. I look forward to be nicely surprised. :beer:
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That was naughty but i agree with you 100% on the pricing. :yesnod:

I think that after the release of the RPPs we all got a new perspective about the true value of our money. The lenses market has completely changed over the last 2 years and any company that is releasing new sets must think very well about how they are going to price them. Aiming their product at the rental houses is not going to make any profit for them with all those other lens choices around.

There is a huge user base thirsty for new glass that knows what they can get from RED and how much. Don't neglect that.
 
Please also don't forget what you get from RED for that money. RPPs are not the same as Cookes and Zeiss lenses, that's why they're cheaper.
 
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