Will Leica ever come out with anamorphic lenses?

[Evin Grant]

Thank you for your reply David,

Have you seen any great movies done with any of these lenses?

the best of Nikons AI-S, The best of Canon EF's or any lenses of that level?

I've seen a lot of movies with a ton of all kinds of imperfect CA, blur etc but do not know the specifics.

As an accomplished ASC Cinematographer will you use a Nikon Noct or a Canon 50mm F:1.0 without hesitation and without fear of compromising the quality?

Or a Sigma 300-800mm F:5.6?

I believe Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" was shot using Nikon AI manual lenses on Canon DSLR bodies.

 

[Nick Morrison]

It's not standard. it's more like champagne. Not just take the best grape and make bubble wine. The trick is to have a perfect mixture of many different kind of grapes that all bring in their qualites and in combination with each other makes it great. You do not only have coatings in lenses. They arealso built differently an the materials in the glass used have different indexes. Not even sure its all glas lenses in modern lenses as composite materials are actually faster and has less color tints but scrats more easy and build up more statics... but then you have the anti static coatings and the hardening coatings etc etc. So to make a perfect lens you make a huge compromise. Then when to make a set of lenses that need to match each other etc then things does not get less complex to say the least.

Don't forget modern coatings also user newer materials. Older coatings are said to have some of their "magic" because they used rare earth ingredients that are just impossible to find now. And more lead too, which modern standards frown on.

Not saying older is better, but simply they had access to different materials back then, just as they do to modern, more sophisticated ones now.

That being said, I find it ironic that as coatings/lenses are getting newer, the fascination with older lenses and coatings is only growing. Just this year alone a number of highly regarded movies were shot on vintage glass deliberately:

ALL IS LOST - Alexa with Standard Primes (to cut the digital look)
HER - Alexa with Super Speeds, uncoated Panchros & a K35 zoom
AMERICAN HUSTLE - Film with Standard Primes and K35's (granted this is a period movie, but so are Hitchcock and 42 and both were shot on Ultraprimes).

 

[Mitch Gross]

The look of some of the older lenses is in a small part from the radioactive decay of some of the chemicals used in the coatings. Thorium was used a lot in the early half of the 20th century, and it is why many older Cooke Speed Panchros have yellowed at different rates over the decades. I doubt the optical designers of the time really considered what their lenses might look like half a century or more later.

If you want to know just how different one brand or type of lens can look like from another, just hold them up to the light and compare the colors of the reflections on the elements. he formulations and pairings of optical coatings varies all over the place. There are many different designs.

While still at AbelCine, I held an EXPO event comparing the Lightweight Cine Zooms from five different manufacturers (Zeiss, ARRI, Canon, Fuji, Angenieux). Each manufacturer presented and then we simply compared the lenses by pointing at a subject with some rope light illuminated behind her. The differences between the lenses, while subtle and equally pleasing, was distinct and clear to all who were present. It would be hard to argue that any one was "better" than any other, but they were certainly different.

 

[Ken Wilson]

I'm watching "The Black Stallion" now, simple and nice movie.

 

[Asif Limbada]

I love the look of the summilux's. Can we expect to see some anamorphics with the same look and feel in the future? Has anyone heard anything from Leica?

I don't think they would for next 5 years. (However, I have dibs on it, just in case)

Last time I met them, they said they had orders for the Summilux-C for 3 years. They are still making them slow, because the mechanics and optics of that lens is crazy. There isn't any time for making anamorphic even if they design it.

 

[Ken Wilson]

Phil, Thank you for the very informative reply!

I understand and agree to all you said, very clear and very precise. To the point 100%.