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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 :)

Zeiss Compact Primes or RED Pro Primes for the EPIC?

RPPS

RPPS

Hi,
Go for RPP's no second thought about it. We are getting our third set for EPIC-M arriving tommorow.
We have done an huge amount of work on these lenses with excellent result.
Check at www.editfxstudios.com
Thanks
Harcharan
 
http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?31477-SALT-Results...-(Part-1-Results)

check out the SALT Lens Tests..both of these were part of the tests..
picking lenses is always a matter of trade-offs..there's no perfect ones.

David Mullen on RPP

The Red Pro Primes were generally excellent, I mean, scary-good for the most part. They seemed a bit on the cool side, more like Zeiss than Cooke in that regards.The Red Pro Primes, to me, seem like the most bang for your buck in terms of cost-to-quality ratio. They seem just like lens sets that cost three or four times as much. But someone should check the 50mm to see if the coatings can be improved in terms of the crisp green ghost reflection. And the 100mm could be improved, but then, so could everyone else’s.​
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Matt Duclos on Zeiss CP

The Zeiss Compact Primes performed just as I expected. Again, considering the price, you get what you pay for. If you're looking for a set of lenses for steady cam or handheld work, consider these lenses an excellent option. Compared to the new crop of primes, these little guys are a breeze to work with. Their resolution was slightly lower than I had hoped for, but they made up for it in their contrast. Their mechanics are classic Zeiss; smooth, solid, and repeatable. Very nice fit and finish. All the lenses use the exact same outside dimensions, which is nice when you want to change focal lengths but keep the same setup. Their iris blades were almost a perfect circle at every stop. The set's variance in speed is a huge caveat. Especially the wide end at T3.5.
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I've been having this same battle with myself for a few days now. Both have some great pros and big cons....

RPPs-

Pros:
Best price/performance ratio for primes IMHO.
Designed specifically for Red sensors.
Sharp across the entire image plane.
Closer min. focus distance than CP2s for the most part.
They look f'in badass...

Cons:
Heavy as hell
Big as hell
Exterior dimensions vary across set (length wise)

Zeiss CP.2's-

Pros:
MUCH lighter (heaviest CP2 weighs 2.2lbs, half the lightest RPP- 85mm is 4.2lbs)
Interchangeable mount (easily usable between many camera formats)
Zeiss mechanics/optics
Consistent exterior size
Better witness marks on focus rings

Cons:
Inconsistent fstop across a set (18mm is only f3.5!! ugh...)
2.1 fstop average across set, RPPs are 1.8.
Supposedly don't resolve as high as the RPPs (big deal on 5k, I would imagine)

I'm still on the fence... To me, the CP2s are great for Epic when considering size/weight. I'd love some input from folks who've actually shot with them.
 
If those are the choices, I'd consider a mixed set.

My criteria is full coverage on the Epic X/M full frame and speed.

I'd go with the RPP's until you get to the wider end. Where the RPP lenses vignette on Epic FF.

I'd skip the 18mm altogether in either set and get the Tokina/Duclos 11-16mm PL conversion.

The Zeiss CP 18mm is a fantastic lens, but its dirt slow at f/3.5 (I don't remember that lenses t stop.)

The RPP 18mm vignettes on Epic FF. I'm not sure ... but I think the next RPP lens size up gives full coverage at FF.

If you shoot 2:1 or wider regularly, but not ANA, then you may reach different conclusions.

I also urge people to consider the Illumina lenses. I am NOT urging you to buy them ... just to consider them, maybe arrange a test.
 
Same dillema here...we've been going back and forth between the CP2 and RPP.....if the RPPs were lighter it would be a no brainer.... The other worry is will the RPPs cover the next sensor upgrade? (dragon?) At the least we know that the Compact primes cover up to Full Frame....so many factors...... tough decision.
The best thing is if RED would create a new set of lighter lenses. ;-)
 
After shooting Epic Hand held with the RPP's I am really looking forward to Zeiss ZE lenses and the Canon Mount.

other than hand held, the RPP's are some seriously SWEET glass.
 
I sold our set of Red primes. The reason was (for rentals) very few people asked for them and I found myself talking customers into them when we ran out of Zeiss sets. And looking forward with Epic and the other smaller cameras we rent out, its a size and weight balance issue. The Red primes seemed to fit the "scale" of the Red-one, but they are massive on the Epic. Id look to smaller/lighter lens choices, then you can strip everything down to a smaller size when its needed. With Red primes your stuck in a bigger and heavier mode, where you will need a big battery out the back to counter all the front weight, and or a sliding base plate just to be able to center the balance over your tripod head.

Id open up your search to include Super speeds. A nice set of "speeds" continue to be a great set of lenses and investment.

Small and lightweight is one of the fantastic attributes of this new Epic camera, i'd hate to give up any part of that ability. I loved the Red primes myself but the size and weight is a real issue worth considering specially with Epic.
 
If those were my choices it would be a no-brainer to get RPPs. They are reasonably fast and have a nice crisp image. Thier size may be a hinderance for handheld, but not any more so than a Master Prime. I've seen the RPPs projected at 4k on a 40' screen at Red Studios, and I'm a believer. They hold the throne in thier price range. If you can up the budget some, Cooke Panchros, Luma Tech Illuminas, and Angineaux DPs stiffen the competition. After some hands on testing, I decided on the Luma Tech S35 Illuminas. There ultra-prime-like size, incredible speed, sharpness, and character will work perfect as my general workhorse lenes.
 
I waffled for a year and settled on RPP. I shoot very little HH and generally get booked for labor and my gear follows. RPP on R1 MX, F3, FS100, 7DPL, and I think I've only shot below a T4 a few times.
 
Have to same problem. If zeiss would come out with a 21 or 18 T2.1 the decision would have been made. But i emailed them, and they said making a full frame (24x36) wide angle lens the size of a compact prime is close to impossible at T2.1 speed.

So a question to red: are you guys working on new smaller rpp maybe ;) that would make the choice easier.
 
Can anyone here confirm that they've actually worked w/ Illuminas? When I saw them a little over a year ago, I was appalled at the build quality of the barrels. Maybe they've changed? Every now and then someone mentions them, but is anyone actually using them?

I'd love to hear feedback on these lenses from people who are using them or at least tested them in some manner. Thanks very much :).
 
Lets talk metadata.

This is (if not now it will be) a very important factor.


David.
 
Max M. said:
Have to same problem. If zeiss would come out with a 21 or 18 T2.1 the decision would have been made. But i emailed them, and they said making a full frame (24x36) wide angle lens the size of a compact prime is close to impossible at T2.1 speed.

So a question to red: are you guys working on new smaller rpp maybe ;) that would make the choice easier.
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There is only one FF35mm (24x36) lens that is a pretty fast:

"The Leica Summilux-M 21 mm f/1.4 ASPH. is the first and only 21mm small camera lens with this lens speed."

2010122912223.jpg


LINK>>>
 
Sanjin Jukic said:
There is only one FF35mm (24x36) lens that is a pretty fast:

"The Leica Summilux-M 21 mm f/1.4 ASPH. is the first and only 21mm small camera lens with this lens speed."

2010122912223.jpg



Isn't it the case that M lenses won't work with Red or other cine cameras because of flange depth issues (as M is for rangefinder style cameras)? I haven't seen any R lenses on the wide-end quite as fast. Any insight on this, Sanjin?

By that same token, does anyone know if, by some feat of design and forethought, there will be any ability to properly mount M lenses on an epic while maintaining a proper focus distances?
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Peter Moretti said:
Can anyone here confirm that they've actually worked w/ Illuminas? When I saw them a little over a year ago, I was appalled at the build quality of the barrels. Maybe they've changed? Every now and then someone mentions them, but is anyone actually using them?

I'd love to hear feedback on these lenses from people who are using them or at least tested them in some manner. Thanks very much :).
Click to expand...

I've tested the latest version of the Illuminas. Quite a bit more refined than the version you may have seen a year or so ago. Price for the set of 5 lenses is in the neighborhood of $35,000. You can see my full writeup at:http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?59647-Luma-Tech-Illuminas-vs.-the-new-Cooke-Panchros...a-review&p=775529&viewfull=1#post775529

I'm expecting my set to arrive early next month
 
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