On the still lens front, you have a variety of options. I am addressing this topic from a 40 foot screen digital projection perspective, not a still photography one.
ZEISS ZE PRIMES
21mm-Zeiss-ZE
Zeiss ZE primes rock. Their resolution is spectacular and they are lightweight. Their focus is a little more cinematic then a Canon or a Nikon, so it gives your focus puller a chance.
28mm-Zeiss-ZE
The lenses do breathe, which means they zoom in or zoom out when you rack focus. This asthetetic bothers some people so you should see if you like it and or can deal with it.
CANON L SERIES PRIMES
Canon L Series 35mm
Canon L Series 85mm
Canon L series primes deliver very beautiful, sharp images. They do not resolve as well as the Zeiss primes. So you will loose a little detail and color gradation choices in post. If you are fine with that, then the Canon primes are a great choice. Their zooms are not as sharp as the primes and they don’t hold contrast as well.
Canon L Series Lenses
The Canon EF lenses cannot hold up on the big screen. I used them on the first 2 shooting days of the Navy SEAL movie and they were just plain soft. When I went into color correction, I was not able to have the full range of detail of the 8 BIT compressed color space, that I had with the L series or the Nikons. Canon lenses also have one tricky issue: the endless focus wheel. It is amazing for a still photographer but not a trained focus puller. Companies like Zacuto have put lens stops on their zip gears to try and correct the problem but it is still something to contend with.
NIKON AI SERIES PRIMES
Nikon AI Series 28 mm
Nikon AI Series 50 mm
Nikon glass delivers well with the AI series. They were the cream of the crop back in the late 1970’s and early 1980′s and still are in my book. They deliver images just like the Zeiss in contrast but the glass has a warmer tone. However, their focus range is short like the Canon’s.
LEICA R SERIES PRIMES
Leica 35 mm R Series
I tested Leica and found that they delivered beautiful contrast and color throughout. They felt the closest to the Panavision Primo primes and had more of a cinema focus throw, even more than the Zeiss ZE primes. These lenses resolve so well on the big screen.
HASSELBLAD MEDIUM FORMAT ZEISS PRIMES
50 mm Hasselblad Medium Format
150 mm Hasselblad Medium Format
Hasselblad medium format lenses were very interesting on the 5D. It had the same contrast and color of the Zeiss ZE Primes. You need to check it out. They have an amazing cinema focus throw, but breathe like the Zeiss. I like the large focus markings and the weight, they felt really nice on my Red Rock Micro shoulder rig. As long as you feel comfortable shooting above a 4.0 these lenses are a great choice.
With all of the lens options out there, these are still just tools. The story and the characters are KING! These players all have a back story that never makes it to the screen, but it is the thread, the tapestry that binds the film. Find that thread, follow it to dream and create your next work of art!!!!
Tags: lense choice, Lenses, spon-canon, spon-zeiss
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Hi Shane, I’ve become very curious for your Leica R-list. Would you be so kind to email it to me? If you’re ever in the Netherlands I’ll buy you a cup of coffee (or two)!
Hans. My list of Leica lenses is on the Leica blog below. I would love that cup of coffee. Thank you so much for your support.
In that case, ill bring the pie when your visting the Netherlands ;)
Have you ever used the Contax Zeiss series Shane?
I’ve been using them for a while now and love the feeling they produce!
Hi Shane, thanks for the great site and thanks so much for your openness and sharing your hard earned information with us! Just a quick question if I may.. I am planning on buying either the Canon 50mm f1,2L or the Zeiss 50mm f1.4 ZE and I just wanted to know if you were faced with this choice and could only choose one, which one you would choose? I am after sharpness and the best resolving power.. Cheers mate
Shane, great work on everything you’re doing in the DSLR world. I met you at NAB and you stoked me out with some amazing advice, really gave me a paradigm shift on DSLR image acquisition. I’m getting ready to move forward with a set of Zeiss primes. I keep debating between the ZE’s and the ZF’s which I would have modded at Duclos. I like the idea of the lenses being future proof and having manual control over the iris via the lens. But the added play in the lens mount via the adapter really worries me. I’ve tried both styles and I feel like the ZE’s are much more solid as they were made for Canon systems which is what I would primarily using the glass for. I notice you’re one of the few who hypes the ZE’s. Hows your experience been and why have you chosen to go in that direction rather than the ZE’s? Thanks man! You rock!
Sage, First off I want to thank you for your kind words and support. It is great to hear from you again, yes I remember you at NAB. Both sets of lens are great. The future proof thing is always good to do. I have to say that after putting together this Leica set I am all about these lenses. Their contrast range matches the Primos perfectly and they are sharp. You can check out my list in the latest Leica Blog. I am veering. In the color correction bay the Zeiss are to contrasty. Losing wonderful detail in the shadow and the sky blows out quicker. I was just on this Amphibious Assault Destroyer this morning shooting Osprey’s taking off on the flight deck. I had a wide shot with the hot kick from the sun reflecting off the ocean, and two Ospreys in the FG. That Leica 19mm was able to hold both. I sent the Leica’s to Duclos and he fine tuned and de-clicked them so that you have your manual f-stop ring. You are very welcome and hope this helps. I keep on gravitating towards still lenses that I feel have the sharpness and contrast of the cinema lenses that I have been using to shoot all of my films.
*Oops, meant to say “Hows your experience been and why have you chosen to go in that direction (ZE) rather than the ZF’s?”
Thanks!
https://vimeo.com/38098309
in this video caleb pike talks about using nikkor lenses on canon dlsr’s and has a very simple way to keep the adaptor from shifting. you may want to check it out.
just in case someone finds these comments section and is tempted to try out those vintage carls zeiss jena lenses that were mentioned above…
I got some of these czj “zebra” lenses, and tested them against my other kit with my One Dollar Resolution Chart:
http://www.similaar.com/lenstests/lenstestsb.html
it turns out:
* the sharpness ranges from pretty decent (50 pancolar, 135 sonnar) to totally awful (35 flektogon), with mediocre in between (80 biometar)
* it is not true that any medium format lens will be as sharp on the edges as in the center when mounted on a 1.6x crop camera (see biometar 80 at f/2.8 and f/3.5)
* they breathe
* they flare strongly, and extremely easily (hood or matte box, plus care when framing bright objects, absolutely mandatory)
* some have a powerful color cast, which is not even consistent throughout the range
on the plus side:
* they’re totally manual, which is good for the long term (they will work on virtually all cameras, present and future, just changing the adapter, as long as the flange focal distance is not a problem)
* they have a super-nice long-throw focus ring: even if they’re not sharper than my tamron 17-50, my shots come out sharper, because whith these I actually get things on focus, while with most stills modern lenses the focus ring allows so little movement that accurate manual focusing seems nearly impossible (for my very limited ability)
* they are super-cheap, you can get the full range of primes, 20+35+50+80+135+180, with fotodiox pro adapters, for under $1200 (for full frame, there’s no cheaper path; for 1.6x crop, long-throw focus and manual aperture still make them interesting)
disclaimer: this is just a hobby for me, so I’m mostly clueless and don’t have an idea of what I’m doing, but hey, the test seems ok to me
Its not always about sharpness its about the overall look of the image. The zebra lenses produce a look that is very pleasing and filmic. I have a set of the Leica r’s 35/2 50/2 90/2.8 100/2.8 app but love the look of the zebra 180mm (field of view of a 270mm) and 80mm (field of view of a 120mm).
I have just started experimenting with some of the different screw mount lenses from the past. I just bought a 55 f2 that is an amazing lens for 30 dollars. The best part is that they are all manual and have nice focus ring action. I would love to hear peoples thought on these lenses. Oh, remember they are only good for aps-c sensors.
Wow, Leica/Ef mount lenses look stellar. I’m going to pick a few up and do some tests, there are many to choose from. Thanks once again for the kick ass advice, Shane!
Sage, you are so welcome.
Shane, as I continue to research Leica glass it seems there are many to choose from. You listed a handful of specific lenses in your Leica blog post. I’ve found variations which seem to also be compatible according to the list on pebbleplace.com. I’m looking at a 50mm Summicron f/2 and a 90mm Elmarit f/2.8. Any thoughts on these and can you fill me in a bit as to why the ones listed in your blog were chosen?
Also, what are your thoughts on the Leitax adapters compared to the Fotodiox?
Again, I cant thank you enough and I truly appreciate it. Its really cool of you to take the time to share your knowledge. Sage
Sage, On the blog there are specific links that help me build this exact kit. I pulled form many peoples expertise to find the premiere set. Everyone will have their opinion, but I have these lenses in the field right now and they are blowing me away. So filmic, period. You are very welcome. The Leitax adapters are the bomb, I am changing mine all over as we speak. I will always share, it is the only way I roll.
Mr Hurlburt
Your work is a true inspiration to me, I cannot thank you enough for this incredible resource.
I know you must be bored stiff of people asking you which items of kit they should buy but I have been tearing my hair out recently trying to decide whether to go with Zeiss ZE or Canon L primes for my 5D Mark II. I notice you own both. Do you have a preference or does it depend on the project?
Is it fair to say that Zeiss are better at the wide angles, while the Canons are better for 50mm plus? Obviously it’d be a mistake to mix and match though – ?
My main concern about the Zeiss is that I keep reading that they are soft wide open – is this true in your opinion? If you were looking to shoot a lot of stuff between f/1.4 and f/2 (I know that would be madness by the way!) would you avoid the Zeiss for fear of mushy images? Are the Canons much better in this regard?
Finally, does the short rotation of the focus wheel on the Canons make focus an impossibility? I notice Gale Tattersall has commented that he probably wouldn’t use Canon glass again for that very reason.
Joey G, Thank you so much for those kind words. I am never bored with your questions and insight. I am pushing everyone to Leica right now. With the new Leitax mount and the quality of the still glass, I feel it is the best in the Still lens department in every way. The Canon’s are great from a 35mm and up and you can shoot them in all f-stops. The Zeiss I feel are a little to sharp and make it look more like video. The Canon short focus throw is very tough. I finally figured out how to use it on “Last 3 Minutes,” but that had taken me 13 months to perfect it. Check out my Leica blog, go on eBay and see what they are going for. You will not be disappointed. These get you as close to the Primo Primes as I have found, and they look so good on these cameras.
Hey Shane!
Fist of all – a BIG thank you for your post on the Leicas! Great info, and awsome links.
Just recently got myself a Elmarit 24mm, and I guess I kinda jumped the gun on a Novoflex, seeing that the Leitax seem to be the thing to go for. Also, on my 1.6 crop, the 24mm doesn’t feel wide enough, so I’ll probably buck up for a 19mm soon enough.
Thanks again Shane, keep rocking!
Ivar Edding, you are so welcome and thank you for your continued support. The 19mm rocks. I used that on the Amphibious Assault Destroyer in the middle of the Atlantic as the Osprey’s take off. WOW!! The way it handled the flare and the contrast with the ocean highlight blasting me right down the barrel of the lens.
Hey Shane,
What about Carl Zeiss Jena Lenses?
All best.
Ken Goren, I have looked at those and liked them, especially the flare. Thanks for the input.
Hi. I’ve been preparing a short film for last 4 months. It’s a 10pgs of script but I’ve been putting all my efforts into this project. I’ve got a dp who is a colleague from ACCD and we’ve been discussing over the types of lens that we will use with Canon 7D. The choice of lens is really depending on the final goal of the project and I’d like to get some advice from you.
So the type of project is a narrative short film with $1500 budget and I’m shooting only interior, which is inside an actual trailer home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idcHMYqFGjM it’s the preproduction video that I just shot with my 5d using ef lens.
The goal of the project is to turn it into film festivals. And as you noticed, I have a very small budget.
So basically I can go with L lens or ZE primes w/ 7D. According to your article and review, it seems like ZE primes are much better than L lens series. I wish I can hear from you soon. I have about 2 weeks left before the shooting. Let me know.
P.S. Do you have any comparison video?
JUSTIN, I would try to get your hands on some Leica R glass. The ZE’s are very sharp and contrasty, I feel the Canon L series would do you well, but it is very difficult to focus those lenses. The endless focus ring is a pain. The Leica’s all around are the best still lens that you can put on that sensor. I ran a Leica blog a little while back that has all the glass that we selected. I have loads of comparison video, but not the time to present it.
Hi Shane,
This is great. I wish I had found this earlier. I’ve been pulling my hair out trying to figure out what lenses to buy so this is greatly appreciated. I looked at the prices of the Leica and they are out of my price range for brand new but am wondering about the used ones. I am also curious to know how do the contax zeiss fit into the picture as they are very cheap.
Budget being a concern – this is what I am presently looking at:
(all used) Contax Zeiss Planar T* 1.4 / vs. 85mm vs. Nikon Nikon 85mm F1.8 AIS Lens vs. Leica SUMMICRON-R 90mm f/2
– Is the image quality of the Leica worth loosing the extra f-stops?
Nikon 35/1.4 Ai-S
– the leica and zeiss are presently too far out of my budget
A new Zeiss ZE 50mm 1.4 vs. used 1970′s Leica 50mm 1.4 vs. used 1980′s Nikon 50mm 1.2.
– they are all the same price with different variables.
I know mixing glass probably isn’t the best idea but it is my only option at the moment. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again for this blog and all the support.
Raham
Raham, You are very welcome. Buy Leica, the used ones are great make sure they are in mint condition when buying. I go a whole set off of ebay for under 5000.00. So pick the lenses you will need for your productions. I go a whole slew but you will not need that many. They are the cream of the crop, the best of the best.mmRead the Leica blog and that is all the lenses that rock out. I hope this helps.
Hi Shane, thanks for the invaluable insight, esp. for a noob like me trying to do things on the strictest of budgets.
I’ve decided to go Nikon. Beyond structural subtleties, I’m wondering if you have any preference or if there is any noticeable difference between a Nikon AI lens and a Nikon AI-S lens?
Your thoughts are much appreciatecd
ETA, I love both. They are the cream of the crop in the Nikon line. I put my Nikon lens set together with all AI and a couple AI-S. The glass is excellent.
To start off I would like to say that the old nikon primes are built like tanks, Im using lens that are older then I am that still function like they are new, and creates beautiful images.
I got into the nikon lens as a work around for the original 5d firmware. I first picked on the 50mm 1.4. I loved it, it was a beautiful lens. After looking at the images that I got with an $70 lens, I rethought where I should invest in equipment. I built up nikon prime set from 8mm to 300mm as well as a 2x extender. With the exception of the 8mm 2.8 which is my dads that he used for shooting the aurora borealis way back in the day, all of the other lens were under $150 and most were under $70. The image quality that you can get with a T2i and 105 2.5 still amazes me.
When I set up a friend with a three lens nikon kit I have them go for
24mm 2.8
50mm 1.4
105mm 2.5
Shane, What would you send your friends out the door with??
Also do you have any experience with the 28mm 3.5? out of all the lens that one has the least depth of field, something that I never though I would be looking for, but its a wrench I use a lot.
If anyone is interested here is a link to some of the work on done with each of the lenses
300mm 4.5 on 7d
http://www.vimeo.com/16826811
50mm 1.4
http://www.vimeo.com/10861971
105 2.5
http://www.vimeo.com/17175333
16-35mm 2.8, this is a time lapse taken on the 5d mark II of the Northern Lights in North Pole, Alaska very cool
http://www.vimeo.com/16042968
Most of the lens work with any nikon to eos adaptor on ebay, some of the wider lens (35mm,28mm,24mm possibly others) need to have a metal flange cut off the back. A few screws, and a file later your good to go.
David Berrey, I started the same way before the 5D firmware update, the only way to make the camera manual was to put non-Canon lenses on it. I went to Nikon because I had a slew of the old AI and AI-S’s laying around. They looked incredible and I have embraced them on different projects here and there. Thank you so much for sharing all of this information to our co-collaborators.
[...] Still Lenses That Can Grace The Big Screen [...]
I was curious as to the Hassy lenes, and how the edge sharpness was and what
the focal length translates to on a full frame DSLR (5DmrkII in my case).
I like the idea of the added size and weight. things I don’t want when shootings stills but things
I do want when shooting vids…. thanks for all your insight.
shawn, The Hasselblad lenses were very much like the Zeiss ZE and ZF lenses. They had the same cool tone and contrast. I loved the weight and bigger barrel, but the lenses breathed a lot when racking focus. Some of the lenses felt like they zoomed in 2o millimeters.
re: “Some of the lenses felt like they zoomed in 2o millimeters.”
that is interesting.
and what about the focal lengths they don’t translate the same from 120mm to 35mm do they?
thanks again for your insight I am loving your blog.
shawn, I am so sorry I cannot remember. That test for the film Medieval was a whirlwind. Let me look at my notes.
Great thanks I am curious as to how the focal lengths translate.
At least roughly.
[...] is no real practical difference between the two lines, and Shane Hurlbut loves both: “they are the cream of the crop in the Nikon line.” Similar in optical quality, the [...]
[...] f/2.8 doesn’t mean it’ll necessarily look sharp on the big screen. Shane Hurlbut, ASC argues that the only lenses Canon makes that are sharp enough for big screen work are their L-series [...]
Hey Shane
I’m a student at Emerson College, I saw you speak on campus in November of ’09, and have been shooting DSLR ever since.
I shot a film with a 5D and a set of Canon L Series last spring, and I wondered if you would be willing to watch a part of it and let me know what you think.
http://www.vimeo.com/21792459
Thanks for all of your work.
Marc Van Osdale
I posted this about using Nikon lenses with a Red.
Most of it would apply to using a DSLR as well.
http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?57146-Nikon-Lenses-on-Red
I have some old Nikon AI’s, I have yet to try them and now I will based on your recommendation.
Did you check out any of the old Canon FD lenses? Are they worth getting do you think?
John Novotny, The Nikon AI’s rock. The old Canon’s require an adapter that has a piece of glass and it softens the hell out of the image.
Glad I haven’t pick any of those up. Along with my Nikon AI’s I hope to pick up a Zeiss ZE 50mm f1.4.
Thanks Shane.
So basically the Nikon AI’s are the “poor man’s” Zeiss according to your description.
Hi Shane, greetings from Brazil!
I’d like to ask you something regarding Nikon lenses. You know that Nikon (and Pentax) lenses focuses “to the other side” compared to Zeiss, Canon and Leica… what do you think about mixing those lenses together? as a focus puller, I think that this can be critical when exchanging lenses (ex: from canon to nikon) and making focus changes on the fly.
tell me what do you think about this…
thanks a lot Shane!
Hi Shane
first of all thanks for sharing: what you’ve done here is definitely of great value and absolutely not usual among colleagues on this side of the ocean… I’m currently preparing for shooting a HD TV movie in Italy, initially meant to be shot with Arri Alexa; than I’ve run into your work and I found it so impressive that I decided to switch to HDSRL (5D MK2 + 1D ).
Keeping in mind that :
- the HD TV movie (so no big screen, sorry maybe be OT) will be a Christmas on-the-road comedy…lots of interior though…
- the look I’m interested in is a creamy but yet shiny golden one with shallow depth of field, something like the one at the beginning of “Last 3 minutes”
I was wandering which lenses set would be better to choose between Canon, Zeiss CP or Nikon…what is your thought?!
Federico Schlatter, First off thank you so much for your kind words and support. I love Italy and I what I would suggest first would be Leica glass, then Canon. If you need the wonderful ability to have focus gears and iris gears then the CP 2′s will be very beneficial for your focus puller, especially if you are going for shallow depth of field.
[...] Still Lenses That Can Grace The Big Screen. Artikel menarik untuk para peminat videoshoot dgn HDSLR (seperti saya!) [...]
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Hi… I found a Nikkor 24mm f.2 AI-S for a very good price. Do you think it is a good lense for a 5D, 7D or 60D? I heard it can damage the mirror… is that true?
Thanks for your help
Isaac, that is a great lens, as well as the 28mm AI. You might have to shave the element a bit. Not sure Duclos can do that.
Shane, I love you work and your vision , I have lens question for you.I currently shoot on a t3i and I was wondering with the crop sensor which of the lens should I use for shooting action scenes? I also hope to send this film that is pre production to film festivals,so the lens would need to convert to the big screen. Since I shoot on a t3i and not a 5d that should tell you what my budget is like so any lens advice on the cheaper end would be greatly appreciated.Thank you so much.
Andrew, Thank you so much for the kind words. I would go with a 24mm Leica, 25mm Zeiss ZE, 24mm Canon L series
Thank you so much,I am very impressed not only by your professionalism but how you take the time to answer your followers/fans questions.The knowledge you provide is priceless.
Hey Shane,
Thanks for all you do! I have a question: I was recently shooting with a Pentax K-X (I know, not the greatest camera, but I got a great deal on it and learned a lot from it) and bought a bunch of old Pentax glass. I just bought a Sony Nex 5n, which I am loving, and got a Fotodiox adapter for the Pentax glass. my question is: what do you think of old Pentax lenses? Do they hold up to the Nikon AI lenses?
Does anyone have a opinion on using Rokkor lenses? I know some of them supposedly share very similar optical formulas with Leica lenses from the same era. Since Minolta and Leica worked together to codevelop certain cameras and lenses. I have a way of mounting the Rokkors onto my T3i with no/slight modifications, or loss of infinity focus. No use of a glass adapter either. I have a modified Rokkor MC 58mm 1.4 that I shoot with regularly and prefer it over the Zeiss EF 50mm 1.4 . The first camera I learned to shoot on was a Minolta SRT101 w/ a Rokkor-X MC 50mm 1.4 and would love to know how these lenses generally hold up on the big screen. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-Daniel
Hey Shane, I’ve been seeing a few people using the older Zeiss contax primes. The quality seems really good and they are a bit cheaper in price than the Leica lenses. What are your thoughts on the look and quality of the contax primes, do you think they are any good?
hi shane
just got a 7D this weekend for a video shoot i need to do of the northern lights next month. i’ve got a 17-40L lens but although it’s nice and wide it’s way toooo slow for video on the 7D. I have a bunch of Leica M lenses from my M9 and am thinking of getting one of those adapters on ebay for the 7D. Not sure how well that will work… and if it’s no good I’m thinking about either getting a 28mm F2 ZE lens (and a 50mm ZE later to match it) or a 24mm 1.4L now (and a 50mm 1.2 later). The 7D will primarily be for video and when a Leica M just won’t do (events, sports or autofocus, zoom stuff which a rangefinder just doesn’t do). What would you do in my position?
thanks in advance!
keh, That adapter doesn’t work very well with M mount Leica’s. The Zeiss ZE are a good choice or old Nikon AI and AIS with a fotodiox adapter. For sports the Canon L series 70-200mm IS is an excellent lens.
canon eos review…
[...]Still Lenses That Can Grace The Big Screen | Hurlbut Visuals[...]…
Hi. Thanks for all the great info, Shane. I’ve been lurking for awhile and reading your blogs. I’n not a cinematographer, I’m a writer and filmmaker and am looking to build up a low budget DSLR kit. From my research it sounds like the Nikon lenses are the most cost effective choice, and you seem pleased with the quality (compared to the canon L series)…but I have to admit I’m having some trouble finding the older “a” lenses you mention on ebay. A All the lenses I have found are either AF or AI (which you cautioned against, due to their smaller barrel size and the difficulty of attaching focus pullers to them). Can you give me any more information on the name of the series of lenses you discussed in your nikon lens review? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Shane,
I shoot with the Canon 7D in CineStyle and Neutral picture styles. Just curious, do you ever add any sharpening to the footage in post since you shoot with the Canon 5D neutral setting?
thanks.
Rick
Rick Doyle, Yes we snap up the image in post a bit. Just before it starts to look funky. But do it in post, not with the camera.
Hi Shane,
Just love this article. I had thoughts of building a kit around the duclos nikon 17-35 & 70-200. Seen that some “red” users are going this route I also see you favor the ais over canon, so thought id ask you. My main motive would be to have something flexible for live shooting but sharp enough for potential theatrical projection.
Obviously as a t2i and maybe 7d user, im looking for something that doesnt break the bank, so the “optimo dp’s” are out lol.
Thoughts?
Blake, I have to say. Leica are the way to go. When you put them up they look the most cinematic and give you some wiggle room with there lower contrast.
I assume this wouldnt solve my zoom dilemma?….lol…..they don’t have leica r zooms? correct?
Hey Blake,
Check the top portion of this link.
http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2010/07/03/leica-r-mount-lenses-for-the-canon-hdslrs/
There are links to Leica Lenses. There exists zoom Leica lenses too. I bought many Leica lenses due to Shane’s wisdom. These lenses are awesome.
Blake, yes there are many. Here are my favorites. 21-35 f3.5. 35-70 f3.5 80-200 f4. Order Leitax mounts for them and you are GTR.
Shane,
I know this point is a bit old now but I am in the middle of buying some primes. As much as I would like to invest in Zeiss ZF or ZE I will need to rent for awhile, but I want a good set of in-house primes. Do you think I will be well served with a set of Nikon AI/AI-S’s. How do they stack up against the some of the older soviet primes like Helios, MIR, and the Juniper-9′s.
Justin Phillips, they are damn good. I love them.
In your movie Act of Valor, was there a certain picture profile that you used?
We used the Neutral picture profile.
Lenses For Canon…
[...]Still Lenses That Can Grace The Big Screen | Hurlbut Visuals[...]…
Somehow I think the image of HD is too “sharp”. I like the aesthetics of film (or even DVD). How would I go about this but still using the HD plattform? Softer and older manual lenses? Or am I not thinking clearly. I wanna embrace everything good about this new technology but still move towards the texture of film.
Thank you for sharing all the knowledge and passion of film making through this blog. truly inspirational!
f1 forum…
[...]Still Lenses That Can Grace The Big Screen | Hurlbut Visuals[...]…
Hey Shane, thanks for all you do!
I am the owner of a T3i, and was wondering if you had any opinions on the Olympus Zuiko lenses? I am looking at 28mm and 50mm ones… Thanks!
Tony, I think you do, go on to fotodiox, here is the link http://www.fotodiox.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=eos+to+olympus&osCsid=4a1745cefaa73306cbd8f0fb5152c5a3&x=0&y=0
Thanks? I was asking for your thoughts about the lenses and how you think they would be in the context of using them for the big screen. :)
Oh, I think you may have read the word “opinions” as “options”…
[...] Liste de lentilles photos qui font tout aussi bien pour le cinéma [...]
Hi Shane,
I have got a lot of precious information on DSLR Cinematography from you,
and you are really inspiring me these days into Cinematography.
THANKS A LOT.
Watched ¨ The Last Three Minutes¨ so many times.
I like it very much.
CONGRATS.
I request your great suggestions for the following……
1) I want to purchase DSLR lenses for my canon 5D Mark 2 for a feature film project.The focal lengths are 24mm, 50mm, 85mm and 100mm.
I have read a lot of articles in this subject, still I am in a huge confusion,
- (Now, in this June 2012, when the Canon 5D Mark2 is about 4 years old)
which brand you suggest me, Canon, Leica, Zeiss or any other?
2) I live in Kerala, South India.
Here we have rich rainy days from June to October and the atmosphere is always filled with humidity. Hence camera lenses are very easily damaged here with FUNGUS.
(Protection against dust & moisture is also an important factor for me )
Are the L series lenses EFFECTIVELY protected against dust & fungus as the Canon Company claims?
Raghu. Thanks for the kind words and support. In your case I would recommend going with the Canon L series glass because of the weather sealing on them. We used them on Act of Valor where they were doused with salt water, rained on, used in the jungle, and responded perfectly.
Hi Shane,
thanks for your blog and all these answers, i learned a lot from you and its
great to hear some insides from a professional
i have a concern and i hoped u could help me
i want to get a zeiss zf 35mm distagon for my eos 650D, but i couldnt find any. manual aperture is quite good for dslr filmmaking so i thought about buying a zeiss zk 35mm with pentax mount instead and adapt it to my eos
the problem is i dont know if the zk is the same as the zf and if it really has a full manual aperture ring
should i buy the zk lense or just get the ze and set aperture over the camera?
chris, thank you so much for your kind words and support. I would go with the Zeiss ZF so that you have manual aperture then you will need to get them de-clicked.
Hi Shane,
Thanks for great post and very informative blog. Keep up the good work and thanks for finding time to do it. I’m shooting with FS100. I’ve shot with old ZEISS C/Y 35mm, 50mm, 85mm primes but they are starting to have some problems due to the age. I’ve decided to sell them and replace with either Canon L or Zeiss ZE paired with Metabones adapter. You said on the blog entry that ZEs are better in resolving, but someone asked on comments which would be the dream setup of lenses between L and ZE and you went with Ls there. I have canon 24/1.4L from before which i’m going to keep and for the wide end will go with Tokina 11-16mm. Probably will add L zooms to the set too. Now would it be better for me to go with Canon L primes to keep the set having mostly same brand? I don’t know if mixing 35,50,85 ZEs with Canons would produce so much different look that it would be better to go with Canon L? You also got the impression that Ls are softer and less contrasty. For grading wise, wouldn’t the bit softer image and less contrasty L be actually better? Are the ZEs in all their greatness same time making the result look more video like? So the big question is ZEs or Ls? I don’t take still photos.
Tuomas Sebastien, you are very welcome, thank you for your kind words and support. In all honesty I would go with Leica R glass, but if you are down the Canon L road then stick with them and stay away from the zooms. Only primes. Zooms are too soft. I did a post on the Leica R glass and compared to the price of the L series primes you will get a bigger bang for your buck.
Shane, Thank you for replying. I was ready to go with Canon Ls, but now here in Beijing’s BIRTV expo I met a boss of a local company who does Zeiss ZE cinemods. Basically the lens inside is Zeiss ZE and they rehouse it with results similar to CP2s. Most amazing thing is that they build a smooth aperture ring from scratch (Yes on ZE, they don’t mod ZF lenses)… A REAL APERTURE RING!!!! You can change the aperture manually on any camera that can be adapted to take EOS lenses. Since they are ZEs they also focus the same direction with cine lenses. The modification works on all primes except 50&100 macros since macro lenses have different internal design. All the modifications will have the aperture and focus gears on same place so changing lenses is quite easy, although some of the lenses are physically longer than others so matte box probably still need to be moved a bit. The lenses’ physical extending when focusing happens within the rehousing so the actual length of the modded primes doesn’t change when focusing. I tested them a bit and they felt very solid. After the mod you loose the ability to change the aperture from the camera though, so it will be manual aperture only from the aperture ring. So I guess I’m going ZE after all and will dump my 24mm L and get ZE 21mm to replace it… then starts the saving for ZE 15mm. (I was lot more excited on these lens mods than the Chinese $6000 Alexa copy Kineraw S35 that was demoed on the same booth.)
Tuomas Sebastien, that sounds fantastic. The 21mm is their best lens in regards to sharpness. I think the 15mm looks good as well.