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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 :)

NOT ANOTHER LENS TEST ARRR: SONY CINEALTA V CANON CNE V ZEISS

Ulf Krentz said:
Thanks for showing this, I already started to doubt my sanity as everybody praised the Xenars to be perfect. I was not willing to accept this fringing, it really shows its ugly side when you move focus, as the color changes from purple to green in the transition which makes it very noticeable and it is extreme on high contrast edges. The Sonys are also very sharp and start to shine from T 2.8. I´m really happy with my decision. Just worked for a corporate on Saturday and extremely happy with the results. Regarding the coverage, these are meant for S35, so vignetting is there at 6K open gate, but on the 25 and 35 you might get way with either 6KHD or 6KWS. Cheers, Ulf.
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We are in the market for a set of high end lenses and I must confess... I am beginning to move away from the Schneiders (they were my first choice before testing)... they are nice but I do not like the way they render their sharpness.... at the moment I love both the Masterprimes and the leica Summicrons (yes I know these are SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive). Apart from this C.A they render faces in a kind of grubby sharp way while the Ms and the Summis have a sharp creamy character that is delicious.

In my opinion there is a difference between the Schneiders and the Canons and Sonys/CP2, but it is not that significant... a bit more sharpness .... highlights are protected slightly better. However there is a MAJOR difference between the Summicrons/Masters and the low/medium budget end. So it is beginning to look like either a 4 lens Masters set or a 6 lens Leica set @ T2.

What do you guys think?...... appreciate all contrary points of view :yesnod::yesnod::yesnod:
 
I don't see what advantage the Summicrons have except that you could get 6. I'd definitely go for the master primes.
 
They are

1. Just as sharp ... and creamy.... a little less contrasty though
2. They are lighter.... better for Ronin work

Yes and the 6 lens set is tempting as opposed to me butting my head over what lengths to get with the Masters
 
Ulf Krentz said:
Same here, the way the CA is controlled is excellent and and least for my taste they have a pleasing, neutral and cinematic look.
Just my 2ct, any money spent on top might be better invested in crew and lighting ;-)
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I purchased a set of four (24 - 85mm) CN-Es for $9950 excluding VAT so I have a lot left for other things like a great FF and Matte box ;)
 
NOSA OBAYIUWANA said:
What do you guys think?...... appreciate all contrary points of view :yesnod::yesnod::yesnod:
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What are you using these lenses for?

Rental, personal projects, narrative, commercial?
 
NOSA OBAYIUWANA said:
Rentals... commercials... in house projects....narrative work .... everything really.
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Then I would absolutely go with the Master Primes. I don't think the extra focal lengths will make up for the magic and the marketability that MP's provide. Plus the extra stop is always a welcomed bonus.
 
NOSA OBAYIUWANA said:
Sound advice. Just looking at a film shot on our CNEs and they are really soft at 1.5.
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Ive heard that they unfortunately don't quite hold up at T1.5. I've only had the chance to shoot with them once, and I was able to shoot at a T4 throughout, so they preformed beautifully for me.

Just out of curiosity, would you prefer the CN-E's only open to a more useable T2 instead? Or do you think it's better that you can push it to T1.5 even if it has issues?
 
I think you raise a serious issue here... in my opinion the Canons are not usable at T1.5. I know others will disagree. The Sonys are definitely usable at T2.... very sharp... was really amazed .... went back and checked the footage again because I was surprised when I saw how sharp they were in the test against the Xenars.... I thought we got the shots mixed up...but we did not. The Sony 20mm was sharper than the Xenar 18mm by quite a bit (please see the test - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvCcJz2H4Jw ). Now this does not mean that the Sonys equal this performance at all the focal lengths... I am referring only to the 18mm Xenar T2.2 V the Sony 20mm T2.

I guess there are many who would rather have the T1.5 even if it is not sharp wide open..... for me personally, that just does not work. Sharps at T1.3 (with the Masters) means a lot off the production budget. I just cannot stand the CNEs and the Zeiss CP2 speeds when wide open.
 
After looking at the Sonys I am becoming a lot more sceptical about lens prizes..... what exactly do Leica, Zeiss and Cooke do that makes their premium range cost between £10K-£25K? Can someone please explain it to me. And please do not use such bland terms like research and development..... I can hire someone to research anything and pay an exorbitant amount.... what exactly does the money go into? what is the cost prize of actually manufacturing the lense?
 
I think the focus throw on the sony's isn't ideal, a cam system would be much better. A sharp T1.3 or T1.4 is a pretty big step up from T2, especially covering an even bigger image circle like on the master primes. Cooke and Zeiss also have lens data systems. I'm guessing Cooke, Leica, and Zeiss have better overall sharpness, contrast, breathing, close focus and edge to edge performance.

'Name Brand' lens companies who will always be around hopefully to provide service and spare parts. A big market exists that wants that 'name brand' on their set. Those name brands provide 2, 3 or 4 times as many focal lengths in their sets.

I guess you have to decide if those things are worth 10x the price.
 
NOSA OBAYIUWANA said:
After looking at the Sonys I am becoming a lot more sceptical about lens prizes..... what exactly do Leica, Zeiss and Cooke do that makes their premium range cost between £10K-£25K? Can someone please explain it to me. And please do not use such bland terms like research and development..... I can hire someone to research anything and pay an exorbitant amount.... what exactly does the money go into? what is the cost prize of actually manufacturing the lense?
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Nosa, to be fair you should not be looking at the discounted price of the Sonys. They have been at +20K for the set - still miles away from Leica or Zeiss though. Actually I was also wondering why everything you buy for cine work is priced where it is but at some point I started to simply accept it and pay to get professional equipment. It usually is build very well and just works when you need it, which is key for many productions. People say the prices come from the limited count of produced units compared to consumer items, probably some truth in that, may be just some clever business people and representative buildings ( http://www.heise.de/foto/artikel/Leica-eroeffnet-neues-Firmengebaeude-2196095.html ) On the other side, buying those big brands ensures you you get your stuff rented, something I would´t expect from the Sonys.

Cheers

ulf
 
With the way things are going these companies are building castles on sand (just my opinion). It is only a matter of time before a major player builds and sells a lens set of such good image quality that it disrupts the existing market structure. The trend in technology these days is towards cheaper quality products.... look at the Zoom F8 - for years the Recorder manufacturers told us it was not possible to build a machine of that quality for less than £3k.
 
NOSA OBAYIUWANA said:
With the way things are going these companies are building castles on sand (just my opinion). It is only a matter of time before a major player builds and sells a lens set of such good image quality that it disrupts the existing market structure. The trend in technology these days is towards cheaper quality products.... look at the Zoom F8 - for years the Recorder manufacturers told us it was not possible to build a machine of that quality for less than £3k.
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I'd have to say SLR Magic's APO lenses are looking very promising. The 50mm T2.1 has had some very positive feedback, and this is just their first attempt at a PL mount cine lens.

There's a set in the pipeline (another 3-5 lenses) and looking to be sold at an introductory price of $999/lens. Imagine what this company will be producing in 10 years.
 
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