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Why so many RPP set are on the market?

Clovis Libert

Clovis Libert

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Hello,

I've noticed that there is a lot of Red pro primes on the market lately, more than any other set of lenses, (see the market place) their price have dropped significantly, you can even find set of 6 for 11 500$... O.o
As far as i know i like the look of the RPP, they are very low contrast, and provide nice flares, the only bad point is that thy ae a bit heavy for T1.8 lenses
I was wondering what you guys think about them and if there is a reason why so many user sell their's.
 
Great lenses if you ask me. Most are moving toward full frame however. Also, some of the lenses don't even cover 6K.

redDragonCoverage_redProPrimes.png
 
Contrast on RPP is pretty high if you ask me. (D'ailleurs t'aurais pu me demander direct !)
But the flare is not nice actually. it seriously changes depending on the angle, some are ok, some are not.

Rpp are the best bang for bucks. The only reason I will be selling mine is because I'll have a Leica Summicron set soon.

Pros :
Picture. They are masterprime level.
Aperture. especially now with all these camera.
Size. I don't like small lenses, I don't have room to work with my accessories.
Price. Can't beat them in the used market.

Cons :
Meter focus scale lacks a bit of marks. can't say about the Imperial, but it looks like they are more complete.
Obviously the weight of the 18-25-35mm.
The 18mm is softer than the others on the edges.
 
I thin they are very nice - but Bob nailed it.
 
Well, I'd say they are indeed on par with Ultra Prime resolving power or fairly close to it. Which makes them a hell of a deal.
 
I don't know, but I suspect they don't rent well. If you are going to rent, go top dog. For owner ops they are a fantastic lens. Also, they cost not so much new that people are suspect. Kinda like Xeen. People ask the question "How good could they be at that price?" In our business, we charge what we think we are worth, but part of that equation is the equipment. We can charge the client big dollars if we bring high dollar gear. When things get cheap, not so much.
 
Scot Yount said:
I don't know, but I suspect they don't rent well. If you are going to rent, go top dog. For owner ops they are a fantastic lens. Also, they cost not so much new that people are suspect. Kinda like Xeen. People ask the question "How good could they be at that price?" In our business, we charge what we think we are worth, but part of that equation is the equipment. We can charge the client big dollars if we bring high dollar gear. When things get cheap, not so much.
Click to expand...

This...
 
I'd like to pose a tangential question: if you're an owner-operator, would it not be better to have a proper 4K camera and very sharp lenses than a semi-professional 4K camera and extremely sharp lenses?

IOW, if you want to save money, you can be smart and use RPPs. In comparison, adapting $100 Nikkors or Takumars would not be smart. If you want really good 4K RAW, you still have to shell out more than just a couple of thousand for a Sony A7rII (as good as it is, it still isn't pro-grade, and neither is any still camera).
 
Bob Gundu said:
Great lenses if you ask me. Most are moving toward full frame however. Also, some of the lenses don't even cover 6K.
Click to expand...

Who are these "most" who are moving over to FF-lenses? Prosumers? Local videographers? I've yet to see the actual professional cinema world moving away from S35...
 
Gunleik Groven said:
This...
Click to expand...

Agree Gunleik and Scot, but also for me, for owner-operation, I would have jumped for the RPP's long time ago if there were wider lenses in the set. Also, when contemplating the Sony's currently going for cheap, the lack of wider lenses are stopping me. In an ideal world, an RPP 16mm or Sony 16mm would be great.

Hmm... are Ultras only way to go, if you want modern """cheap""" PL primes with wide-angle options?
 
Jon MIchael Puntervold said:
Who are these "most" who are moving over to FF-lenses? Prosumers? Local videographers? I've yet to see the actual professional cinema world moving away from S35...
Click to expand...

Almost every RED owner I know in NYC has their own set set of modded EOS glass (and some of these DPs are major talents in Union). For small jobs (interviews, etc) they can be great. Also ideal for Gimbal work, where small size and large image circle are premiums.

Even Alexa Mini now comes in EOS...
 
Jon MIchael Puntervold said:
Hmm... are Ultras only way to go, if you want modern """cheap""" PL primes with wide-angle options?
Click to expand...

In TV land they are still THE workhorse. Reliable, very sturdy, good marks, high resolving, AC friendly and a big range to chose from. The new Summicrons still start with 18mm which is for many not wide enough, the Summilux-C haven a 16mm in their set but they are in a different league.

Hans
 
I think the price drop of the Sony's have affected the used RPP market quite a bit. I almost bought a set of but when Sony slashed their priced I went with them. They seem to be very similar in term of performance with they Sony's having an edge on coverage.

Just a thought.

But yeah, neither rent well. Great for owner ops.
 
I used them once & only once as I did not like the flairs. That was enough for me.
 
Troy Bakewell said:
I think the price drop of the Sony's have affected the used RPP market quite a bit. I almost bought a set of but when Sony slashed their priced I went with them. They seem to be very similar in term of performance with they Sony's having an edge on coverage.

Just a thought.

But yeah, neither rent well. Great for owner ops.
Click to expand...

The Sony lenses are a stop slower aren't they? How sharp are they wide open?? I have been interested in seeing these since you first brought them to attention here on REDUSER.
 
Bob Gundu said:
Great lenses if you ask me. Most are moving toward full frame however. Also, some of the lenses don't even cover 6K.

redDragonCoverage_redProPrimes.png
Click to expand...

This is kinda misleading. Maybe people are shooting the full sensor in 6k, but I would imagine that most are not. From what I see on different shoots, people tend to be shooting 16:9 HD. While technically the 18mm doesn't cover 6k HD, it's a tiny amount of faint darkness outside the TV action safe in the corner that unless you were doing white cyc work, I doubt anyone would ever notice. The 25 and 35 easily cover 6k HD also.

I think the reason a lot of people are getting rid of their RPP is that they are big and heavy. So much lower end work these days needs smaller, lighter cameras. I tried to get rid of mine after I bought some Xenon FF's, but the market isn't there so I sold my Xenon's and kept my RPP's. Except for the size, weight, and flairs, I absolutely love them.
 
When I was looking at purchasing a set of the lenses in the subject, I canvassed the usual suspects, as regards need and ability to service/repair those lenses. Anyone have experience/information on that front?

Thank you very much

Fury
 
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