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Uncoated Samyang / Rokinon VDSLR Lenses

J

John Howarth

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For anyone interested, we've just had a set of Samyang VDSLR lenses modified by having the front & rear optical AR coatings removed (believe these are also marketed as Rokinon in the US & other parts of the world). The modification was carried out by Duclos Lenses. Lenses currently in the set are: 14mm T3.1 VDSLR, 24mm T1.5 VDSLR & 35mm T1.5 VDSLR.

Here's a very quick & rough test we've shot using all three lenses: https://vimeo.com/55849397 (Canon 1D used for this, will shoot some EPIC tests soon)

Aside from having the coatings removed, the lenses are very good quality, given what they cost to buy.
 
Hi John, I am curious. Is this a standard thing to remove these coatings on Samyang lenses? Is it because you want a more soft and flarey look? Less harsh contrast perhaps? thanks!
 
Sam Taylor said:
Hi John, I am curious. Is this a standard thing to remove these coatings on Samyang lenses? Is it because you want a more soft and flarey look? Less harsh contrast perhaps? thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi Sam, yes, coatings were removed to make them flare more and give a more retro/vintage look. It was something of an experiment as had no way to tell how they would respond to having coatings removed, but based on results we are getting, it's looking good so far. Still planning to shoot more test footage, including EPIC.
 
So this is the next fad?!!!
God save us. Abortion on lenses. As a lens tech it is really disheartening to see...
 
Suresh Kara said:
looks really nice

where did you get the coating taken off ,was it on london and did it cost much?

cheers

suresh
Click to expand...

Hi Suresh, coatings were removed by Duclos Lenses in the US. You are more than welcome to bring your Scarlet over here & try them out!
 
Jacek Zakowicz said:
So this is the next fad?!!!
God save us. Abortion on lenses. As a lens tech it is really disheartening to see...
Click to expand...

Or how about: as these are mass produced, relatively low-cost lenses, could it not be an attempt to provide a different look/aesthetic and more choice for cinematographers?
 
No worries I can understand the creative desires and appreciate them.
You are customizing your "paint brushes" so to speak.
But make no mistake- this will be abused by hacks to no end. I see a wave of flairy images coming with a very convenient "flair is in" excuse for incompetence.
OK rant over :)
 
i think i'm going to take you up on that after the new year if we are all still alive:)

just spoke to TLS in Leicester, they were talking £300 per lens at a guess for my fd's so i might give one of the cheaper ones a go with brasso see what happens
 
nice! im so glad this was posted, i was just talking to mathew at duclos and he mentioned he had some uncoated lenses out there being tested.
id love to see something really shot, like a real spot with a lit set, or something outside with sun flares. too bad you cant do a test with uncoated and coated next to each other as well so we can see the difference.
Jacek, where have you been, its all about the most filmic flare you can get these days to make video look like film, thats why all the old lead base lenses are so popular now, panchros, baltars, kowas, and yes, choosing your lens is like the new way of us dps to choose our film stock, they all have different looks depending how we treat them, im excited about the new opportunities since our old way of doing things was whisked away from us!
 
This is troubling. Lomo lofi imagining.
Why waste money on a Red camera then?
Having ultra sharp imaging is in direct contradiction to this trend. Perhaps it's a badge of status to have the expensive camera, to validate the look ?
Reminds me of this:

img-pulse1_183118312745.jpg_standalone.jpg
 
Jacek Zakowicz said:
No worries I can understand the creative desires and appreciate them.
You are customizing your "paint brushes" so to speak.
But make no mistake- this will be abused by hacks to no end. I see a wave of flairy images coming with a very convenient "flair is in" excuse for incompetence.
OK rant over :)
Click to expand...


Hah!

Like this hasnt been happening for the last 7 years already!
 
Les Dittert said:
This is troubling. Lomo lofi imagining.
Why waste money on a Red camera then?
Having ultra sharp imaging is in direct contradiction to this trend. Perhaps it's a badge of status to have the expensive camera, to validate the look ?
Reminds me of this:

img-pulse1_183118312745.jpg_standalone.jpg
Click to expand...

Well, why did Gordon Willis put Super baltars on his Film camera to shoot the Godfather series? It fit the mood of what he was going for. Statements like this are silly. Everything in the world shot on a Red should be ultra sharp and hyper clean? The whole point of a RED and its quality is that it will faithfully capture what ever you put in front of it.

for example, Zeiss Superspeeds. Few year ago, known as the "soft little lenses". Yea they were fast, but they were very soft below T2.8, so they were a bit of a contradiction. On film, softness is more apparent. When the 4kRED/5K epic came along, suddenly soft lenses took on a whole new life. The sharpness was coming from the sensor itself. It rendered the image perfectly, including the image defects and quirks.
 
jordan levy said:
nice! im so glad this was posted, i was just talking to mathew at duclos and he mentioned he had some uncoated lenses out there being tested.
id love to see something really shot, like a real spot with a lit set, or something outside with sun flares. too bad you cant do a test with uncoated and coated next to each other as well so we can see the difference.
Jacek, where have you been, its all about the most filmic flare you can get these days to make video look like film, thats why all the old lead base lenses are so popular now, panchros, baltars, kowas, and yes, choosing your lens is like the new way of us dps to choose our film stock, they all have different looks depending how we treat them, im excited about the new opportunities since our old way of doing things was whisked away from us!
Click to expand...

I've been right here in Hollywood. And filmic look is not about flare- trust me.
CHEAP filmic look is, however....cheers
 
its not all about flare, but it adds to it, trust ME. first of all every job i get the director asks for flare, so much so i wind up ripping off the matte box each time, and when i eventually get a nice flare everyone is like "wow, it looks like film now". maybe its not the most appropriate way to go about it and there are many more aspects to being filmic on a shoot, but this is a big one and a crowd pleaser. it takes away from the clinily sharp images that they see out of everyones 5D or Epic. infact the only time im not asked to flare the lens is on a green screen or vfx shoot. as well, if i dont get flares on my shoot they wind up adding them in post! for me as the dp, id rather get it in camera.
 
Hey, they look shockingly similar to a set of old vintage Nikkor lenses I have (from the 1960's) that flare a lot like this.

If you were aiming for a vintage lens look then I would say you have nailed it!
 
Looks interesting, it can defiantly be a useful set given the film. I would love to see it used in a scene soon. Different lenses for different tastes and moods. Them Samyang and Rokinon are actually quite nice lenses, the 85mm seems to be the best of the set, in terms of sharpness and breathing. Have you guys considered doing this to their new 85mm? Either way, congrats on taking the chance like this to a set of lenses. Looks like it will pay off well, for the film you choose these lenses for.
 
Jon Carr said:
Looks interesting, it can defiantly be a useful set given the film. I would love to see it used in a scene soon. Different lenses for different tastes and moods. Them Samyang and Rokinon are actually quite nice lenses, the 85mm seems to be the best of the set, in terms of sharpness and breathing. Have you guys considered doing this to their new 85mm? Either way, congrats on taking the chance like this to a set of lenses. Looks like it will pay off well, for the film you choose these lenses for.
Click to expand...

Hi Jon, we'll be adding 50mm & 85mm to the set shortly. Might also consider the 8mm Samyang/Rokinon!
 
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