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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 :)

SLR Magic APO HyperPrime mini review

Hi John,

Thanks for the contribution.

Okay, bit embarrassing if i get this wrong :)

I'm guessing that A are the Hyperprimes. A combination of flare characteristics and also the bokeh/rendering. I don't know what B are but they're similar. I notice what i think is a more complicated lens design in the flare and also i think i see blades in the bokeh on some focal lengths. It's smooth as well. C is a modern lens i think, could be sigma or zeiss at a guess. I see aberrations and a more controlled flare, it's also sharper, especially on the last batch. Funnily enough Scott i would say this is the least APO, at least on the first round of examples.

Clearly it's a very IMHO thing this game...

I feel where APOs can shine is with very busy backgrounds, that's where bokeh can get very troublesome with some lenses.

Also i think it would be easier to tell with full res images, which is what i've been looking at. Some of these characteristics are more obvious in the details.

In terms of adapters from an earlier question.

They don't protrude far for PLs so many PL to EF adapters work well. I have a bunch of the C7 adapters fixed on them, so basically they're all EF mount for me

I still need to post that video, realised i haven't yet, will do that later today

cheers
Paul
 
Aaron Lochert said:
IIRC, the 50mm has 62mm threads. The 25mm and 85mm have 82mm.
Click to expand...

The 25 and 85 have 82.

The 50 appears to have two sets of threads, one looks like a 62 and there's a larger set which looks to be 88mm or 89. So i suppose you can step up or down accordingly.

I am using a Misfit Atom clamp on filter holder, 95mm front clamp.

cheers
Paul
 
I would guess that A are APO's by the lack of purple fringe in the Christmas lights . The others, either Contax or Leica R have it in abundance .

These lenses are very interesting at the price . I think a more fair test would be to put them against Outus though the Outus are quit a bit higher priced .

I read somewhere that the SLR Magic are sourced from industrial lenses, doesn't really matter but kind of interesting .

Thanks for the test, nice to see footage from them at this price they seem hard to beat .

Thanks,

Tim


www.tjphoto.net
 
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Timothy Jones said:
I would guess that A are APO's by the lack of purple fringe in the Christmas lights . The others, either Contax or Leica R have it in abundance .

These lenses are very interesting at the price . I think a more fair test would be to put them against Outus though the Outus are quit a bit higher priced .
Click to expand...

Otus is a natural comparison. I don't think the prices are that different really at least not in the UK. 28mm is not really wide enough though (IMHO). On the long end the 135 APO ZE lens is actually a good match. And also with the SLRs too (colour differences not withstanding)

But these are lighter than the Otus and also i think a little more characterful. But out of all the reasonable zeiss offerings the Otus are amazing

cheers
Paul
 
A. APO
B. Primos / Leica R
C. Something way too clinical so maybe Zeiss CP.2 / Sigma ART
 
Interesting to see everyones views. Some nailed it and some weren't anywhere close !

Here they are

A - SLR Magic APO Primes (25, 50, 85)
B - Panavision Primos (27, 50, 75)
C - Zeiss CP2 Superspeeds (28, 50, 85)

It was illustrative to me to see them able to keep good company with these more established and expensive lenses. In my view they're really great value AND they have a pretty unique look. The CP's were markedly sharper to me, not necessarily in a good way, but I guess if that's what you want they do it well. They also suffered the most from CA. The Primos were very pretty, though obviously softer than the CPs. They seem to have very good rendering or geometry on the human face. It's really interesting to intercut the 50mm stills against each other. The face seems to project forward on the primo in some way that's hard to explain.

The SLR Magic APO primes seem to me to be something in-between. They have a warmer look, they're not hyper sharp like the CP's, but are probably a little more zingy than the primos. Their rendering is still pleasant and kind of creamy soft, just not quite as pretty as the Primos. Their micro-contrast seems very nice and subtle.

Breathing and CA seem pretty minimal with them.

Mechanically they are well made and built, I've been using them daily for a few weeks. My two very experienced focus pullers like how they pull and scale. I did notice (and it's in the clip) that the 25mm SLR Magic has a little clunky moment as it gets towards minimum where you can see an image shift. This was repeatable and only as you went though it quickly. If you went slowly it didn't seem to bump as much. I've seen this before in other lenses and it's been dirt in a cam, or it could be a sign of something else. The lenses I have are early versions too so they may not be as "finished". I haven't asked Andrew at SLR Magic about this yet either so he may have an explanation.

Here are some individual DNG frames of each lens including the primos and CP's to compare for yourself in your favorite application.
http://bit.ly/2BTJF7e


Here's the full rendered 12 bit 4K QT (40Gb file)
http://bit.ly/2BTJZTu

And here's the 7GB DNG sequence of the SLR Magic APO 25mm shot
http://bit.ly/2j5e63j

And here's the 20 GB DNG sequence of the SLR Magic APO 50mm shot (did a focus reset in the middle)
http://bit.ly/2j5eHlz

And heres the 15GB DNG sequence of the SLR Magic APO 85mm shot
http://bit.ly/2ksCKeb

Love to hear if anyone sees it differently.

JB
 
Thank you John
 
Timothy Jones said:
I read somewhere that the SLR Magic are sourced from industrial lenses, doesn't really matter but kind of interesting
Click to expand...

I know Andrew and SLR Magic and have had a fair bit to do with the development of these lenses and I’ve used their stills and MFT lenses for many years.

I’ve often heard the same thing but I think it’s one of those rumours that have no basis in truth. I’d love to see the link to where you’ve read this.

My understanding is that these lenses are their very own design and manufacture from scratch.

I know this because there have been iterations and discussions about the exact focal lengths and how they scale.

I don’t know what kind of “industrial” application uses these format lenses if they’re adapated.

I don’t believe they are at all, and everything I’ve seen of SLR Magic is that they make them to their own specifications and do it in house.

I think in their very early days when they made “toy” lenses from plastic people assumed they were somehow adapted security camera lenses but once again, I’ve owned several generations of the same lens and have seen them improve their design after lots of feedback.

I have visited big name facilities that make lenses for their own brand and very surprisingly for other major brands. What I didn’t realise that they’re still hand ground. Even when you think of these lenses being mass produced (kit lenses) none of them were. They’re hand ground.

JB
 
Actually Sony is very proud of their nano coatings and molded aspheres. So no- they are not all hand ground. I know that from a Sony US mid management person so it is quite reliable.
 
Jacek Zakowicz said:
Actually Sony is very proud of their nano coatings and molded aspheres. So no- they are not all hand ground. I know that from a Sony US mid management person so it is quite reliable.
Click to expand...

They have all the reason in the world to be proud of their work, as the Cinealta MK2 lenses are gorgeous (though heavier than sin).
 
I think that was the tech used in their e-mount power zooms as well... Technology marching ahead, you add the in camera real time electronic lens correction and the picture is perfect- the lens doesn't even have to be ;-)
 
John Brawley said:
I know Andrew and SLR Magic and have had a fair bit to do with the development of these lenses and I’ve used their stills and MFT lenses for many years.

I’ve often heard the same thing but I think it’s one of those rumours that have no basis in truth. I’d love to see the link to where you’ve read this.

My understanding is that these lenses are their very own design and manufacture from scratch.

I know this because there have been iterations and discussions about the exact focal lengths and how they scale.

I don’t know what kind of “industrial” application uses these format lenses if they’re adapated.

I don’t believe they are at all, and everything I’ve seen of SLR Magic is that they make them to their own specifications and do it in house.

I think in their very early days when they made “toy” lenses from plastic people assumed they were somehow adapted security camera lenses but once again, I’ve owned several generations of the same lens and have seen them improve their design after lots of feedback.

I have visited big name facilities that make lenses for their own brand and very surprisingly for other major brands. What I didn’t realise that they’re still hand ground. Even when you think of these lenses being mass produced (kit lenses) none of them were. They’re hand ground.


Hi John,


I read that on another forum, Cinema EOS so yeah, there was no verification of any kind. i should have known better .

Thanks John, i really appreciate people sharing info on lenses here . It's what makes this site so worthwhile.

I have a lot of interest in their anamorphic lenses . But again, there's not a lot of information available and only a couple tests, and one is pretty bad.


Thanks,

Tim
Click to expand...
 
As John pretty much confirms i don't think these are rehoused anything. I've never seen anything like them and if there were industrial lenses like this then i not sure they'd be very good 'industrial lenses'. I'd read these were designed in house.

I think as i mentioned before they the right design balance for me, they fit perfectly for the aesthetic i like. If they were faster then the trade offs would be perhaps worse OOF performance. If they focused closer then that would need floating elements and therefore the knock on effects of those would affect performance. I think most lens manufacturers these days chase *all* the marketing checkboxes via computer modelling. It's a bold decision to focus on a rendering rather than marketing features and kudos to SLR for doing this. IMHO SLR Magic aren't very good at marketing, and their online image belies the quality of the work.

I will jump on any new focal lengths and i'd read that the new year would bring the 32mm (or thereabouts). They can't make or design them fast enough for me. I'm stuck at the wide end right now. Trying to find something that gives me the same feel from somewhere else. On the long end the 135mm Zeiss APO is pretty good aside from colour matches but the rendering is closer. I keep looking at the 18mm Summicron but then that way lays financial madness... So perhaps not.

As for moulded aspheres, i think this plays into the modern look. You can see in the bokeh circles imperfect moulding very easily. It's my belief that the designs in these lenses use no aspheres but are pretty traditional.

cheers
Paul
 
paulcurtis said:
As John pretty much confirms i don't think these are rehoused anything. I've never seen anything like them and if there were industrial lenses like this then i not sure they'd be very good 'industrial lenses'. I'd read these were designed in house.

I think as i mentioned before they the right design balance for me, they fit perfectly for the aesthetic i like. If they were faster then the trade offs would be perhaps worse OOF performance. If they focused closer then that would need floating elements and therefore the knock on effects of those would affect performance. I think most lens manufacturers these days chase *all* the marketing checkboxes via computer modelling. It's a bold decision to focus on a rendering rather than marketing features and kudos to SLR for doing this. IMHO SLR Magic aren't very good at marketing, and their online image belies the quality of the work.

I will jump on any new focal lengths and i'd read that the new year would bring the 32mm (or thereabouts). They can't make or design them fast enough for me. I'm stuck at the wide end right now. Trying to find something that gives me the same feel from somewhere else. On the long end the 135mm Zeiss APO is pretty good aside from colour matches but the rendering is closer. I keep looking at the 18mm Summicron but then that way lays financial madness... So perhaps not.

As for moulded aspheres, i think this plays into the modern look. You can see in the bokeh circles imperfect moulding very easily. It's my belief that the designs in these lenses use no aspheres but are pretty traditional.

cheers
Paul
Click to expand...

It is too bad that the 25 does not cover Monstro8k at 8k, As that would be wide enough for most of what I need. I am hoping the 32 does cover vv8k. Does anybody know of an APO ff wide other than the huge Otus 28?
 
paulcurtis said:
As for moulded aspheres, i think this plays into the modern look. You can see in the bokeh circles imperfect moulding very easily. It's my belief that the designs in these lenses use no aspheres but are pretty traditional.
Click to expand...

Totally agree Paul!

I hate ring bokeh created by aspherical elements!

It's ugly!

On the K35s for example it's something that really holds them back (for me at least)...
 
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