Prime lens kit, which focal length options would you prefer?

[Mark K.]

Hi guys,

We've just picked up a new 6-lens set of CP.2s (21mm, 25mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm & 85mm) which we'll be renting out when not using them ourselves. But with the announcement of the new 15mm and 135mm additions to the CP.2 lineup, I'm thinking of selling the 25mm and adding one of the new lenses to extend the range of the set.

So I'm wondering which combination holds more appeal to people in general - a 15mm, 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm & 85mm set, or a 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm & 135mm set?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

[Stephen Williams]

30 years ago a standatd set was 24 /35 /50 /85
20 years ago a standard set was 18 / 24 / 35 / 50 / 85
RPPS are 18-100 ( 6 Lenses)

If you want to rent lenses, then going with as close to a standard set makes the most sense, adding a 14 or 135 would be the next lenses of choice.

I would not rent a lens set without a 24/25!

Hi guys,

We've just picked up a new 6-lens set of CP.2s (21mm, 25mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm & 85mm) which we'll be renting out when not using them ourselves. But with the announcement of the new 15mm and 135mm additions to the CP.2 lineup, I'm thinking of selling the 25mm and adding one of the new lenses to extend the range of the set.

So I'm wondering which combination holds more appeal to people in general - a 15mm, 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm & 85mm set, or a 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm & 135mm set?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

[Mark K.]

30 years ago a standatd set was 24 /35 /50 /85
20 years ago a standard set was 18 / 24 / 35 / 50 / 85
RPPS are 18-100 ( 6 Lenses)

If you want to rent lenses, then going with as close to a standard set makes the most sense, adding a 14 or 135 would be the next lenses of choice.

I would not rent a lens set without a 24/25!

So you'd prefer a 25mm T/2.9 to a 28mm T/2.1?

I figured that it'd be best to space out the focal length as evenly as possible across the available range (28mm being dead in the middle between the 21mm and 35mm lenses - as well as a full stop faster than the 25mm). Or is 25mm to common a rental standard to part with?

 

[Stephen Williams]

So you'd prefer a 25mm T/2.9 to a 28mm T/2.1?

I figured that it'd be best to space out the focal length as evenly as possible across the available range (28mm being dead in the middle between the 21mm and 35mm lenses - as well as a full stop faster than the 25mm). Or is 25mm to common a rental standard to part with?

Never used a 28 or 21. Have you thought about the Cooke Pancros?

 

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

I hear the 18mm CP.2 is dreadful, but if not discussing focal range, I have always thought S35mm was best served with something like

18, 25, 35, 50, 85, 100
or if Cooke, 18, 25, 32, 50, 75, 100.

Sometimes wider is nice, sometimes longer is nice, but those 6 cover the typical range. If I were to deviate from that, I'd say a 14mm and 135mm would be nice. In this case, a 15mm would be the one.

But 18-100 is my solid area. Outside of that is usually special cases and not every shoot territory.

That is why I went bonkers when Fujinon announced a LWZ from 19-90. That is close enough to my desired standard range of 18-100. Close enough to make one lens work 90% of the time.

 

[Mark K.]

Never used a 28 or 21. Have you thought about the Cooke Pancros?

I've thought long and lustily about Cooke Panchros, but a set would set me back 2.5x as much as the CP.2s so it's not an option sadly.

I hear the 18mm CP.2 is dreadful, but if not discussing focal range, I have always thought S35mm was best served with something like

18, 25, 35, 50, 85, 100
or if Cooke, 18, 25, 32, 50, 75, 100.

Sometimes wider is nice, sometimes longer is nice, but those 6 cover the typical range. If I were to deviate from that, I'd say a 14mm and 135mm would be nice. In this case, a 15mm would be the one.

Yeah, if the 18mm CP.2 were better and (covered Full-Frame), it'd be a no-brainer for me, I'd go 18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 135mm. But with the current line-up of lenses, I worry that 15-25mm is too big a jump on the wide-end (from ultra-wide to mid-wide) so I'm thinking I'll keep the 21mm and hold off on the 135mm for the time-being.

 

[David W. Jones]

Send a notice out to your customers about your great new lens package available, and ask their input about which lenses that would like to see added in the future. That way they feel that you are catering to them.

Good Luck!

Dave

 

[Stephen Williams]

I've thought long and lustily about Cooke Panchros, but a set would set me back 2.5x as much as the CP.2s so it's not an option sadly.

.

Are you sure? you had a quote for the Pancros?
I would rather rent a set of Standards, the wider ones porthole wide open at 4k but are fine from 2.8/4 than rent the CP2's that don't have the focal lengths I want. If nobody rents the CP2's then you have not gained anything.

I had a play with the 50mm & 100 , I wished to shoot some watch close ups. The 50mm is so huge with a tube on the front it was quite useless for what I wanted, the 100mm lens moved so much that breathing was a joke. There are better lenses out there.

If there is a FF35 sensor then the CP2's will be useful as you can throw away the wider lenses which are fairly useless as a set, reworking them for S35 does not really cut it. If you after a cheap lens set then there are the RPP's.

 

[Chris Sharman]

I would take the longer set shooting 5k on the EPIC, 15mm is a bit wide for my taste on S35, even more so on the bigger sensor area of 5k.

 

[Mark K.]

Are you sure? you had a quote for the Pancros?
I would rather rent a set of Standards, the wider ones porthole wide open at 4k but are fine from 2.8/4 than rent the CP2's that don't have the focal lengths I want. If nobody rents the CP2's then you have not gained anything.

If there is a FF35 sensor then the CP2's will be useful as you can throw away the wider lenses which are fairly useless as a set, reworking them for S35 does not really cut it. If you after a cheap lens set then there are the RPP's.

Yep, quite sure. Prices for the Panchros are far higher than the CP.2s (for obvious reasons), and given that I got a very good deal on the Zeiss lenses and could only just afford them at that - it's a bit of a moot point.

A set of RPPs was the only other real option, but apart from being terrifically sharp they don't do anything much for me - and more importantly (by most accounts) don't rent out well here (hence my concern with making my Zeiss set as appealing as possible).

 

[Stephen Williams]

Yep, quite sure. Prices for the Panchros are far higher than the CP.2s (for obvious reasons), and given that I got a very good deal on the Zeiss lenses and could only just afford them at that - it's a bit of a moot point.

A set of RPPs was the only other real option, but apart from being terrifically sharp they don't do anything much for me - and more importantly (by most accounts) don't rent out well here (hence my concern with making my Zeiss set as appealing as possible).

CP.2 primes won't rent out well either, which is why you should get the Cookes. When people rent, they rent what they want not what they just happen to own, it's important that you understand the difference.

The big question is do you want a set of lenses that will rent out to people who cant afford to own them, or do you just want to get a cheap set for your own use.

 

[Mark K.]

CP.2 primes won't rent out well either, which is why you should get the Cookes. When people rent, they rent what they want not what they just happen to own, it's important that you understand the difference.

The big question is do you want a set of lenses that will rent out to people who cant afford to own them, or do you just want to get a cheap set for your own use.

If Cookes were an option, I'd consider them. But they're not, so it's a moot point. The lenses arrive tomorrow.

I'm kinda surprised they don't rent out well wherever you are though - I gather they do quite well down here. Especially on productions shooting with Red Ones, F3s, C300s and cameras in that price range (heck the last five Epic shoots I've been on have all used CP.2s, and one in-between them was using ZF stills glass).

So they seem to be doing a fairly good job of cornering the mid-tier section of market from what I can see.

At any rate, if I can rent them out in between my own shoots, that's all I'm looking for - I just want as appealing a set as possible.

 

[Nick Barton]

15 instead of the 135 for me.