Should invest into S35 Lenses ???

[Phan Duc Cuong]

Hi Guys,

After several years, now I find myself in the market looking a piece of glass to upgrade my current lenses set.

I love Ultra Prime and Schneider Xenar but not sure whether it is a wise decision to invest on them now especially when Red and Arri are manufacturing camera with bigger sensor. I currently own Red Dragon, Cine Altar and Xenon for rent however my client sometime demand better quality so it is time for me to upgrade.

How do you guys think about this ?

a/ Invest $40-50k in glass and it may serve you for several years or

b/ Wait for high quality full frame lenses that might cover Vista Vision for better future proof

Any input is highly appreciate .

Thanks,

Cuong

 

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

I don't think S35mm (or sensors slightly larger) is going anywhere for awhile. Yes there are larger sensor options available, which is great, but just because there is an Arri Alexa 65mm camera, doesn't mean we should start throwing Leica Summilux C's and Cooke S4's out the window. haha. It's still a specialty format at this point.

If you have a need for cinema lenses now, for clients you have now, buy the best lenses you feel are good for what you do and need. Red Dragon at 6k does eliminate the usage of some lens sets or focal lengths, so perhaps when you make your choice you can find a solution to the coverage needs.

My talking points here aren't really about Dragon 6k, but rather Weapon and the hand full of other super large sensor cameras like Arri 65, Phantom 65, etc.

Nobody can predict the future, but I think just because we see some digital large format cameras enter the market, we shouldn't assume the whole market will go in that direction.

 

[Phil Holland]

I'm with Ryan on this. Super 35mm isn't going anywhere. I'd say the vast majority of motion picture work will still be done at that general format size for a long while.

I have glass that covers both S35 and FF35 and switch back and forth a whole lot depending on the job even.

 

[Phan Duc Cuong]

Thanks Ryan for your wisdom words, I enjoyed reading your posts on Cine Lenses from Dvxuser.

Thanks Phil for the advice, I am no doubt on my direction after receive yours and Ryan's input.