mercer

Have you ever used that 24-85mm? I vaguely remember you posting some shots from an older EF lens but I think it may have been an even cheaper one... the 35-105mm or something?

Of course, I continue my path of hodge podge lenses. And weirdly enough I think my next lens purchase may be the humble and cheap 24-85mm 3.5-4.5 EF lens. At slower apertures it seems like a candidate for a plastic fantastic with fast AF and a good all arounder to match with my 28mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.8. But back on topic, I wonder how well, or if, the FD 50mm 1.2L would match with more modern EF L lenses like the 24-70mm f/4 zoom. @BTM_Pix

They are nice little lenses. Years ago I never had any luck with them but last year I bought a modified 50mm 1.4 and I was stunned by it. It matched my ef 28mm beautifully. But then stupidly I sold it. But then a couple of months ago I found another one that was modified and paid a stupidly cheap price for it. And this copy was better than my first. But last night I saw how cheap the 1.2L was and I couldn’t resist... so expect a bad and fast 50mm FD lens comparison in B&W in coming weeks. If it’s only moderately better than the 1.4, I’ll just sell the 1.2L for a nice little profit... but from what I have read, there is not a nicer manual 50mm lens than the FD 50mm 1.2 L. We shall see. Interstingly, the 135mm f/2 gets pretty good reviews as well...

@BTM_Pix yeah I thought the same thing and asked him over in the Magic Lantern forum. In the US, there’s a company called Simmod that offers a full Cine mod for FD Lenses using Ed Mika adapters so if all looks okay with the lens, I’ll send it their way. I may have to charge up the batteries on my EOS-M to test out the lens... maybe I’ll give the new experimental EOS-M build a test while I’m at it. Btw even with the cost of the mod, I’ll be cheaper than what most versions of the lens sell for on eBay... by a good bit actually.

Very interesting! I recently learned that Canon K-35 cine lenses were most likely cinema versions of their FD L and SSC lenses. I know K-35s are highly regarded and even received an Academy Award in 1977 and to hear they have a direct lineage to their FD counterparts is pretty cool.

So on my quest for the best manual 50mm lens, I just bought an FD 50mm 1.2 L lens, for a great price, that I plan on having converted to EF. Everything I’ve read about the lens has been stellar. Are there any owners of the lens that can confirm, or deny it?

@Andrew Reid I think I remember reading that you have the Canon FD 50mm 1.2 L converted to EF? I just bought one for a song and was wondering if you’ve used it with your 5D3 and ML Raw?

Unless Panasonic combines the GH6 and GH6s into one model and then delineates the G90/95 as a mini GH5, I’d have to agree that not much will change. In an odd way, Panasonic and even Sony went too hard, too fast with 4K and other features that now they have a stagnant lower tier with no tech to expand it. At most, expect G9 video specs. I’d love to see some of the GH5 specs filter down like better 1080p codecs and bitrates but they have to save something for the FZ5000.

They say cameras add 10lbs... what does that translate to in inches?

I think the Good Book was misquoted and it should have read... “Jesus died for your lens.” And not for your sins.

Go with the GH5. Nothing against the P4K, it’s a great camera but it will require more of a learning curve and more to get her going. With the GH5 you can be up and shooting right out of the box. I think for what you’re looking for, you’ll be grateful to have the IBIS. And the P4K isn’t going anywhere. In 6 months to a year, you can probably get one used for around a thousand or less if you want more of a cinema camera than the GH5.

@Kisaha another consideration are the Zeiss Classics... they used the same glass in the ZF and ZE versions as they do in the CP.2. With a Cine mod from Duclos or Simmod, you’ll have perfectly usable cinema lenses with that Zeiss look. You can easily get a couple primes, in your favorite focal lengths for around the same money as the Samyangs. Another option, which may make the most sense, since you’re going with the Olympus 12-100, is to go with native Olympus primes. The 17mm 1.8 is a glorious little lens and that manual focus clutch is like using a proper focus ring. Now if you’re looking at the Samyang lenses because of their Cine Lens characteristics... declicked aperture and lens gears... then why not buy the 85mm used and see how you get along with it and then build a set of individual primes as you need them. I think the problem with the Samyang lenses is quality control... so if you buy the kit and the 24mm is wonky, do you have to return the whole kit? As far as IQ goes, I found this video from the Samyang 24mm shot on an FS7. I think it’s a beautiful image. I already posted it in the lens section, so sorry for the repost if you’ve already seen it. So basically, I think you have lots of options and I think that these lenses are as relevant as any lens. I mean, a lot of DPs are using Nikkor lenses from the 60s, so if a 50 year old lens can still be relevant, I cannot believe that a 7 year old lens wouldn’t be. @AlexTrinder96 nice work... which Xeens did you use and how do you like them? Also what camera were those shot with?

I’ve recently been paying a little more attention to these lenses and from what I’ve seen, they seem to be great bargains. Depending on your usage, I don’t know if the Cine versions are worth the extra cost over the stills version, especially since stuck aperture blades are a common complaint online. From reading your other posts, it seems you’re planning on using these with the P4K, so I assume you are doing some narrative work with them? For the cost of the kit, I wonder if the Fujinon zoom would be another option? Of course, I don’t know when the M4/3 version will be available. For the money of the Cine kit, you could easily put together a Nikkor kit and have them modified. Or you could get a Sigma 18-35mm modded. Hmm... tough call. But honestly, based on the title of your post, you’d probably be better off going with native lenses or the Sigma 18-35mm.

Even though the Takumar has fungus, I still think it’s the winner. The Minoltas look good too but the Tak and Pentax just has a little more... oomph. Maybe it’s just me, but you really do adjust fairly quickly to the different focus directions. But, I believe I shot with a lot of Nikkors and Pentax/Tak Lenses when I first started, so in some ways that direction feels more natural. Sorry to say, even with the cheap price, the Petri is the big loser here. Cool test. Thanks.

Holy crap, that’s the deal of the year!!!

Do a search for “Captain Hook LUTS” and you should find something that will work in Premiere.

It sounds like some kind of anamorphic... maybe something with internal reflections causing a flaring effect... or even a fake anamorphic?

I think I’d rather have the still version... same glass with a better focus ring... I don’t use a follow focus and I don’t care about a clickless aperture. Plus they’re cheaper. But I’m still on the fence about them. I’ll probably pick up an 85mm eventually, since that seems to be the cheapest option into the Rokinon/Samyang line.

Idk, I think I’d rather have the form factor, battery life and electronic ND of the FS5. With the Raw update and ProRes Raw, you’d have a tiny beast of cinema camera. Anyway, I’ll happily pay you the price of the P4K for your FS5, though.

Well, I’d agree about production value and I’d agree with lenses in our price range, however I wouldn’t necessarily agree with professional cinema lenses. Cookes and Primos and Super Speeds are used for specific productions for specific reasons, so I don’t think stopping it down will mitigate that. But yes, in this instance, it is a valid point and since I found this video from this old thread... ... there’s a good chance that the director did just that as he describes stopping down his lenses to get the best resolution when shooting ML Raw. But as we all know, it isn’t easy pulling focus on a 1.4 lens, so if you can get this type of quality stopped down to f/4-5.6 with a super fast 24mm 1.4 that costs less than $400... then I’d say that’s a pretty good lens to have in your arsenal.

@BTM_Pix I am fairly certain your collection puts mine to shame, but if I was more into photography, I would keep a lot more lenses... I mean buy a lot more lenses. Is 135mm your favorite focal length and which is the best you’ve ever used... if you had to pick one off the top of your head? I’ve been eyeballing the Nikkor f/2 but it’s such a huge lens and goes against my desire to only own small lenses. I may buy a Samyang 85mm to test against my Nikkor because I think the Samyang is considerably smaller. I’ve even thought about buying that Canon 70-200mm f/4 L lens but the size is turning me off. But I digress... I’m not even sure I own any 135s... hmm... I used to have a couple but never fell in love with them. I may have an old Rikenon or late Canon FL/FD when they issued the rubber grip but before the new bayonet mount. While I have you, how are the Samyangs outdoors? Do they flare a lot?

I found this video online as I was researching Samyang/Rokinon lenses. According to the description, it was shot on an FS7 and the Samyang 24mm 1.5 cinema lens. So obviously this look or quality isn’t all about the lens but I think it’s pretty obvious that the 24mm holds its own.

Is it? Dang, do you guys still follow a gold standard. That is a great price.

That looks like a great lens, but I haven’t seen one cheaper than $500.

@BTM_Pix cool story... see there’s depth to my filmmaking... Since you were a recording engineer, can you get me the rights to the song? Acker Bilk was British right? So you probably know/knew him. Speaking of, I’ve almost bought the Samyang 85mm about 3 times since your test... but I’m resisting.