Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
  • 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 :)

Which lens(es) for Scarlet Dragon? 10k budget.

Dorian Cohen

Dorian Cohen

Active member
Joined
Oct 14, 2014
Messages
38
Reaction score
7
Points
8
Location
Bay Area, Ca.
Website
metriccosmetics.com
Hey all,

I am looking to spend about 10k on some lenses for a Scarlet Dragon. I've done a lot of research on my own, but before I pull the trigger, I'd love to hear any input from the folks here on Reduser.net, as you guys have such a wealth of knowledge and experience.

I have a production company that makes promotional/marketing videos, short and long form documentaries, and the occasional fictional narrative. We have been getting by with Canon DSLRs and L-Series glass, but would now like to take the quality of our work to the next level.

So, if you had $10,000 for glass and a Scarlet Dragon body, what would you do?

Thanks!
 
Where do you find your current L glass lacking?

Which lens mount are you using on the Scarlet?
 
Thanks for the reply!

The Scarlet will have a Canon AL mount.

I have actually been quite satisfied with the L glass on my 5DmkIII. I have the 16-35 f2.8 and the 70-200 f2.8 is II. However, I was recently working with some Zeiss cp2's and I loved the contrast. Should I stick with Canon for color matching, etc. or would you recommend to venture into cine territory with one or two Zeiss primes?
 
I started out using Zeiss DSLR primes with my first RED ONE. I could not stand to use most of the Nikon glass that was available at the time. I cinemized them by dampening the aperture, and adding a focus ring. I shot a couple of low budget features and the contrast was really good. Two years ago I made the plunge into the CP.2 and I bought a set of 8. It was not cheap, but the extended throw of the focus ring and some other features made them much better for the kind of narrative work I do now. According to Zeiss the optics in these lenses are the same as the DSLR but the casings are all cinema standard. After comparing the contract and sharpness of the images I would say that is true for the most part. If your budget is 10G and you want to buy a set of prime lenses then these Zeiss are about as good as you can get for that price. The other option would be to buy a couple of Compact Zooms, but that will cost a lot more than 10G. If you are at all interested, I am selling that set of Zeiss Primes on this forum. There are some pics and if I can find a adapter I might be able to send you some comparisons. Anyway have a look see. Either way I would say that quality glass is quality glass and that is what is important in the end. BTW the new follow focuses that are available on the market now, have reduction gears that allow more accurate focusing of DSLR lenses.

Cheers
 
Mike - I saw that! Scary stuff... but some interesting points all around.

John - Thanks for the offer. I'll check it out.

I am currently looking at the Sigma Art 50 1.4, and the Zeiss 35 super speed CP.2, intending to work towards building up a full set of super speeds. I chose these because they are my favorites that I've worked with. Combined with my Canon 16-35L and 70-200L, I can cover my favorite focal lengths. My biggest concern here, is color and contrast matching. Any other suggestions or recommendations would be much appreciated.

Cheers
 
Yes found the whole thread interesting. Looks like glass isn't' the investment it once was ....so if buying , buy used and cheap with due diligence .

Also with the release of wifi control like Foolcat, focus for lenses with internalised focus is suddenly becoming highly attractive and accurate, on some lenses anyway. IMO this could also impact manual lenses prices in the future ie vintage glass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top