My Lens shortlist.

[CamDiver]

OK,
I've been looking around at potential lens options. So far I have come up with a short list of lenses that I could potentially be interested in. I have opted to initially adopt the 2K Windowed format. That said would general concensus agree with these lenses?

Workhorse - Cooke 20-100mm with PL Mount. This lens would also be compatible for use with the 4k sensor I believe?

Wide option - Cooke 9-50mm T2.5 "B" mount (just concerned whether this is a B4 mount as per the specs on the RED site but I'm digging with that at the moment. Is this a genuine concern or is an adjustment from B to B4 mount a physical possibility? Please also tell me if this question makes sense or not).

Super Wide - I have a Century Optics 120 degree wide lens which was designed for use with the Z1 when fitted inside a Gates underwater housing. Seeing as the Z1 has a standard camera FOV of 67 degrees I am wondering if I can find a suitable lens with the same FOV as the Z1 so as to potentially allow for the inclusion of this glass for use with RED. I've written to Gates in San Diego with this idea and they basically said it would take a process to evaluate the entire optical chain from water through to chip sensor in the camera to determine compatibility. Seeing as only two months ago I shelled out $5k for this glass I really hope there could be a way to adopt it to RED.

Do these lens options seem reasonable for 2k windowed format? If not, why?

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[laguun]

hm, good choices, but i wonder why you don´t take the faster angenieux into your planning? the 16mm can be otained *quite* cheap right now (i am afraid they will go up in price once they leave their secret tip status).

for underwater, we usually use the angie 5.3x10 2/3.
FOV is 84.3°, fstop is 2, 1.5 kg.

also i´t has an extender to 106mm...

what we don´t know (as of yet) is if or how they will cover the 2K sensor window, as its slightly larger than 2/3.

another nice (and very small) angenieux lense for your need would be the 9.5 f1.6 16mm. i have no idea if it covers 2/3 or s16, however its a very nice lense to have and i see them often going for low prices. its breathing and ramping quite a bit however.

btw: your underwter shooting style : underwater 35mm dof is something you want to have or do you rather prefer having most things in focus?

 

[donatello]

the cooke 9-50mm 2.5 B mount - that should be a arri bayonet mount .. i believe they still have Bayonet to PL mounts out there ...
i'm not sure if that lens covers 2k ?? for super 16 there are company's that convert it to 10.2-54mm 2.8 so it covers S16 which would cover 2k.

 

[CamDiver]

Hi Laguun,
I'd prefer to have most things in focus. This is a complete minefield for me having never been on the market for such equipment.

I need to go to school !!!

Im doing all I can to learn about the whole camera / lens relationship for the required formats but its taking a while. I come up with what seems a good list to me and then learned individuals such as yourself explain the potential downside to these options. I appreciate this all very much.

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[laguun]

Hi Laguun,
I'd prefer to have most things in focus. This is a complete minefield for me having never been on the market for such equipment.

ok, so dont hurry.
if you want to have things in focus, you would rather use a 16mm/2/3 windowed shooting mode, and lens as well. for underwater quite logical, if i might add that....

I need to go to school !!!

no! as you can see on the internet, opinions and facts might be different. it will be your choice.. its artistic decision, and there is more than right and wrong to it...

Im doing all I can to learn about the whole camera / lens relationship for the required formats but its taking a while. I come up with what seems a good list to me and then learned individuals such as yourself explain the potential downside to these options. I appreciate this all very much.

if you want a high DOF 8that is, most things are in focus) and can live with 2k (i suppose you can) you will rather want to buy S16mm / 2/3 lenses. the S16 are rather inexpensive, compared to 35mm. underwater, i suppose, you will prefer a zoom, as fixed focus (aka prime) might be showing the interesting fish as one pixel or 5.000.000 pixel, as (animals do that intentionally) animals always want to be on the wrong FOV.

also, its quite dark down there (scubadiver myself) and so you want a lens which doesn´t eat to much of the avaiable light... also, the filters etc.... lightsensitivity will be cruicial

so, i would recommend as a starter menu: a nice little collection of 16/S16mm glass with a f-stop below <2. and the diffusion in the water might make you a little bit more relaxed about the resolution... coral reef adventure, anyone?

Cheers,
Mark.

p.s. mark, t´est fracais? si tu veux on peux te louer une ou deux angenieux sans fric pour les essayer, mais ca sera necessaire que tu te rends a berlin pour ca. on a une bonne choix des leneses d´angenieux et des zeiss...

 

[Steen Dongo]

OK,
Workhorse - Cooke 20-100mm with PL Mount. This lens would also be compatible for use with the 4k sensor I believe?

Wide option - Cooke 9-50mm T2.5 "B" mount (just concerned whether this is a B4 mount as per the specs on the RED site but I'm digging with that at the moment. Is this a genuine concern or is an adjustment from B to B4 mount a physical possibility? Please also tell me if this question makes sense or not).

Do these lens options seem reasonable for 2k windowed format? If not, why?

Cheers,
Mark.

I wonder if my old Cooke Super 16 Varokinetal 10.4-52mm would be good enough for 2K ?

Steen Dongo

PICTUREWISE COMMUNICATION
DENMARK

 

[CamDiver]

Hey Laguun,
Berlin c'est trop loin d'ici. Je suis en pleine mer dans la Pacifique du ouest. I'm English by the way !!!

The offer to borrow some glass is an amazing offer but that will also mean having to make the required fittings for these lenses to allow them to be used in conjunction with the underwater housing. That process I believe is not going to be cheap so I am looking for three lenses:

1) As wide an FOV as possible. I would imagine this will be a prime somewhere in the region of 6 - 10 mm and preferably in the f1.6 to f2.4 range max. I'm planning deeper stuff for one main project so I'll need as fast a wide prime as possible due to reduced light at depth etc (or if I can get my Fathoms Engineering 120 degree external adapter to work then no problems).
2) Something in the 20-100mm zoom range hence the posting of the Cooke option in my first post.
3) Tight Macro lens. I wouldn't want to look at having to screw on any close up single element diopters to a 100mm lens as these types of diopters incurr a lot of distortion when at full telephoto. I've just ordered some achromatic diopters from Century so I'll test these out to see how much better they are. On the other hand if I could find an Achromatic filter to screw into the end of the 20-100mm for tight macro work that would save a bucket load of cash.

For the tight work I have just ordered two diver portable 200w HMI light heads with batteries. Jeez.........no one said this was gonna be cheap!!

Thanks,
Mark.

 

[Stephen Williams]

I wonder if my old Cooke Super 16 Varokinetal 10.4-52mm would be good enough for 2K ?

Steen Dongo

PICTUREWISE COMMUNICATION
DENMARK

Hi Steen,

That is a very beautiful lens, It will be a good choice for 2K IMHO.

Stephen