Lenses

[jonpais]

Here's a short clip with the GH5 and Sigma 60mm f/2.8. 

 

[webrunner5]

Nice chart for Canon lenses.

https://***URL removed***/products/canon/lenses?subcategoryId=lenses

[Matt Kieley]

11 hours ago, mercer said:

How about Rokinon/Samyang cine Lenses... are they supposed to have a modern look? I know they have some character, which is good, but I’m looking for that clean, sharp modern feel.

Here are a few things I've shot with Rokinon lenses (10, 12, 16, 24, 35):

These are mostly BMPCC, and a couple of NX1 videos, but they can at least give you a rough idea of their quality. I never ended up using it in any of my posted videos (just a couple of tests), but I also used to own the 50mm 1.4. I'd say the 12mm 2.2 (MFT, not the fisheye one of APS-C), 16, and 50 were the sharpest and most modern-looking ones I owned. I shot my latest short film "Chicken" almost entirely on the 16mm with the a6300, but I can't post that yet.

[mercer]

Thanks @Matt Kieley I’ve always loved your work! That Snapshots video looked amazing! That may be one of the best NX1 videos I’ve seen... I never knew you had one.

The 24mm, 35mm and 50mm intrigue me the most... but I would probably just get one, so the 50mm is at the top of the list if I decide to give it a go.

I briefly had the 12mm and 21mm cine versions for micro 4/3 and honestly liked the lenses more than I liked Micro 4/3... lol. 

If you can find anything from the 50mm, that would be awesome.

[mercer]

Question about Nikkor lenses... a lot of the ai-s lenses were in production for 25 years and some still are nearly 40 years after their release. With the advancements in coatings and manufacturing, has anyone noticed any difference in rendering or sharpness between the earlier serial numbers opposed to the later ones?

[Parker]

Hey @mercer The Rokinon 50mm Cine DS lens has been my main go-to for the last year or so, used on virtually all my projects. I wouldn't say it is "super modern," it is very sharp across the frame but not quite as contrasty as say the Sigma art series lenses, which are kind of my benchmark for that ultra-contrasty/modern look. I used to really love my Rokinon 85 (and I still do) but the minimum focus distance on the 50 is so much easier to work with that's it has been pretty much bolted onto my camera since I bought it. Here's a project I just finished up last week that is shot primarily with the 50mm (the wider interview shot and some of the B-Roll is on the Sigma 18-35, so you can see the 50 cuts well with it). 

Password is usu2018

 

[Matt Kieley]

14 hours ago, mercer said:

Thanks @Matt Kieley I’ve always loved your work! That Snapshots video looked amazing! That may be one of the best NX1 videos I’ve seen... I never knew you had one.

The 24mm, 35mm and 50mm intrigue me the most... but I would probably just get one, so the 50mm is at the top of the list if I decide to give it a go.

I briefly had the 12mm and 21mm cine versions for micro 4/3 and honestly liked the lenses more than I liked Micro 4/3... lol. 

If you can find anything from the 50mm, that would be awesome.

Thanks @mercer that means a lot. I had the NX1 in early 2015 and sold it (to someone here on this forum) when I got an apartment with my girlfriend, so I could have some extra money in the bank.  The 50 was definitely nice, even if I didn't have it long enough to use it on a shoot. I did sound for a web series which was shot on the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K with Rokinon lenses. I lent the DP my Rokinon 50mm and he absolutely loved it. I don't think I have any NX1 footage besides the footage of the two videos I posted. I don't save most of my test footage. 

[mercer]

17 hours ago, Parker said:

Hey @mercer The Rokinon 50mm Cine DS lens has been my main go-to for the last year or so, used on virtually all my projects. I wouldn't say it is "super modern," it is very sharp across the frame but not quite as contrasty as say the Sigma art series lenses, which are kind of my benchmark for that ultra-contrasty/modern look. I used to really love my Rokinon 85 (and I still do) but the minimum focus distance on the 50 is so much easier to work with that's it has been pretty much bolted onto my camera since I bought it. Here's a project I just finished up last week that is shot primarily with the 50mm (the wider interview shot and some of the B-Roll is on the Sigma 18-35, so you can see the 50 cuts well with it). 

Password is usu2018

 

Hey Parker, nice work and thanks for the reply.

Since switching to FF and back to a Canon DSLR, a lot of my lenses just haven’t worked the way I was used to with aps-c or Micro 4/3... 28mm lenses were my go to focal lengths but now they’re just a bit too wide for most of my compositions. 35-58mm is the sweet spot for me and I could shoot an entire film with one lens in that range.

Now I’ve read that the Rokinons are neutral in tone but your video seems warm... was that a grading choice?

[Parker]

26 minutes ago, mercer said:

Now I’ve read that the Rokinons are neutral in tone but your video seems warm... was that a grading choice?

Yeah I'm not in love with the grade either to be honest, but I had very little turnaround time for this project, and part of the problem I think was all of the very warm/reddish colored wood of the stage, floor and walls in front of him catching reflections and coloring the environment.  I do wish the skin tones especially were a bit cooler in hindsight though. 

But I know exactly what you mean about sensor sizes and lens preferences; on aps-c, for example, I love the look of 85mm, I like how tight it is and the distance at which people fill the frame and I got very used to that field of view, but on full frame, it's just not the same and I rarely use it. Quite the opposite case with the 50mm though. It's annoyingly tight on aps-c, but I really dig the ease of framing and "normal look" it has on FF. 

[mercer]

9 hours ago, Matt Kieley said:

Thanks @mercer that means a lot. I had the NX1 in early 2015 and sold it (to someone here on this forum) when I got an apartment with my girlfriend, so I could have some extra money in the bank.  The 50 was definitely nice, even if I didn't have it long enough to use it on a shoot. I did sound for a web series which was shot on the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K with Rokinon lenses. I lent the DP my Rokinon 50mm and he absolutely loved it. I don't think I have any NX1 footage besides the footage of the two videos I posted. I don't save most of my test footage. 

Matt, I always look forward to your posts because there’s a possibility you are working on a film with a different camera. The interesting aspect is that you really find that narrative sweet spot with every camera you use.

The Rokinons are interesting and I’ll be keeping an eye out for them but my only concern is that they seem like they’re big chunk of lenses?

5 minutes ago, Parker said:

Yeah I'm not in love with the grade either to be honest, but I had very little turnaround time for this project, and part of the problem I think was all of the very warm/reddish colored wood of the stage, floor and walls in front of him catching reflections and coloring the environment.  I do wish the skin tones especially were a bit cooler in hindsight though. 

But I know exactly what you mean about sensor sizes and lens preferences; on aps-c, for example, I love the look of 85mm, I like how tight it is and the distance at which people fill the frame and I got very used to that field of view, but on full frame, it's just not the same and I rarely use it. Quite the opposite case with the 50mm though. It's annoyingly tight on aps-c, but I really dig the ease of framing and "normal look" it has on FF. 

Nah, I like the grade it fits with the warm music and location... I just wasn’t sure if the 50mm Rokinon was warmer in tone. For instance, I recently sold my beloved Nikkor 35mm 1.4 because it was just too damn warm... which would have been fine but it didn’t really match my other Nikkor lenses... I ended up spending too much time correcting the images shot with it.

I tend to be very intimate with my actors when I shoot. In my films, the camera is a character or narrator, so I prefer to be in the mix of the scene... so anything too wide or too long just doesn’t work for my aesthetic.

[Matt Kieley]

7 hours ago, mercer said:

Matt, I always look forward to your posts because there’s a possibility you are working on a film with a different camera. The interesting aspect is that you really find that narrative sweet spot with every camera you use.

The Rokinons are interesting and I’ll be keeping an eye out for them but my only concern is that they seem like they’re big chunk of lenses?

Thanks!

The Rokinons definitely are not compact lenses. Most have 77mm filter threads and are pretty long/bulky. 

[JordanWright]

I wouldn't recommend the Rokinon lenses, very bulky and I (subjectively) didn't like the image I was getting, however you might like the look of them!

[Matt Kieley]

I got to use my Canon TV-16 25mm 1.4 on an actual shoot (an eating competition show on youtube--my first time directing an episode as well). This was shot wide open.

[Matt Kieley]

About a year ago I bought the Computar 6.5mm 1.8. I knew nothing about the lens, except that it was fixed focus, it was $30, and the seller claimed it covered the sensor of the Pocket. I had written the lens of until now because it was super soft until f/8. Out of curiosity, I decided to try it again, but this time, a light bulb went off in my head. "What if it's soft because it's too close to the sensor and not technically in focus?" So I unscrewed it a little, and everything came into focus, literally and figuratively. It's still not super sharp wide open, but it's what I would deem usable. It gets better at 2.8. 

1.8

2.8, with the lens unscrewed even further for a close-up (that's my finger "focusing" in the top right corner, it's not vignetting). It's pretty loose when unscrewed, so I need to figure out a shim solution for this.

You can see the lens is distorted, and it's not as nice as the Cosmicar 6.5mm (wish I still had it) but this would be a lens I would use for very stylized shots.

[canonlyme]

Hey guys, this one is for you to guess. I am currently completing my minolta vintage lense set for gx80 and as it seems it's an endless road. Anyway, I will just let you decide without saying something about the lense. 
These are pictures from a minolta 135mm 2.8 (60Euros) minolta beercan 70-210 f.4 (80 Euros), minolta 70-210 4.5-5.6 (6 Euros) and a cheap soligor macro zoom. Which one do you like most and can you see the difference? I know the conditions change a fair bit...  

[mercer]

@canonlyme I prefer the last one the most, which I assume is a Minolta. 3 and 4 seems to render the OOF areas differently, so my guess is that’s the Soligor, or maybe the Beercan? And then the first one has a warmer tonality than MC/MD Minolta lenses usually have, so I’d guess that one is either the Soligor or the Beercan as well?

They all look pretty nice though. 

[canonlyme]

Not quite correct, but pretty good guessing ! Will explain if nobody else is giving his guess anymore. 
By the way, I am already quite happy with the way the minolta 35mm 2.8 and 50mm 1.4 render colors. I just did a quick edit. First pic is 50mm second pic 35mm. The 35mm made the already nice scenery 20 mins ago when the sun was going down even more beautiful. Incredible sharpness too. 

[mercer]

Those are photographs and not 4K screengrabs, right? Either way, they look nice. The motorcycle looks great. Do you have the MD 50mm or the MC PG? I have the latter and I paid $35 for it and it is one of the best lenses I’ve ever owned... especially in B&W.

As I said before, I don’t even own a camera that I can use the majority of my Minolta lenses with. But buying one for them sounds like a better idea than selling the lenses... lol. 

[canonlyme]

Yes, they are photographs  I will do 4k screengrabs once I get the speedbooster. I have got the MD50mm 1.4 version. So about your guesses: 
1. Picture one and two are the cheap 5 Euro minolta 70-210 f4.5-5.6
3. Is 5 Euro Soligor which I am going to sell. 
4. Is manual minolta 70-210 f.4 (is it the beercan, even if it is manual?) 
5. Is minolta 135 2.8 which should deliver similar/slightly better results two 4, but the picture is a bit unfair. 
Apart from sharpness, which is better with the heavier lenses, the 70-210 f.4.5 still allows to blow out of focus easily. 

So I guess it is fair two say that for run and gun it won't the picture quality won't make a huge difference. I was going to sell the cheap minolta but than realized that it only weighs like 200gram, so one third of the other two minolta lenses. Because of that, I am thinking I should maybe keep it for the next travel film, because for run and gun it might be handy if I get sick of heavy lenses.
I still might keep the 135 2.8 because its speed is handy for paid gis like indoor events. The f4 70-210 allows for great zoom flexibility while travelling with the same quality though. 
Last but not least I am looking for the best wide lense. It would be really nice to have that option of a range of 20mm without hurting my tight budget too much. I have the 35mm and a 28mm with a bit of fungus so far. You can recommend the 24-35mm right? The prime 24mm might be to dear. 

At the end of my shopping rally I have to look in the mirror and say: It's not about the gear :D 

[mercer]

Interesting... goes to show you that almost any lens can look good under the right circumstances.

I believe the “Beercan” refers to a Minolta A mount zoom.

And finally yes, the 24-35mm is awesome. That’s one of the lenses I have up for sale that I regret selling before it’s even sold. I may end up keeping it for Canon Mirrorless though. It’s such a nice little lens on aps-c... basically a 35-50mm... my favorite range. With a Speedbooster on m43 it would be about the same.

Actually it probably makes more sense on m43 with a Speedbooster because it turns the kinda slow f/3.5 into a modest f/2.5.