F55: Any reviews on the new Sony 4k prime lens set?

Anyone?

Nobody has had their hands on these yet? I find it very strange that there aren't any reviews on the web that I can find.
 
derbrocks09 said:
Anyone? Nobody has had their hands on these yet? I find it very strange that there aren't any reviews on the web that I can find.
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Sony has a weird hole to climb out of with these lenses. I have no doubt that they are clear, sharp and the mechanics are cleaned up over the last version. Plus they are now more rugged as lenses meant for a lifetime should be. I like that phrase "Cameras for Christmas, but lenses are for life."

The problem is when people go to rent a $20k set of primes they don't think Sony. Instead they think Zeiss or Cooke.

It's a business investment. If people aren't renting them now, why buy them? You'd probably have to rent them for less than an equivelant set of Zeiss to get them out the door. If they're really good the reputation will come, but slowly. Zeiss has been in business for over 100 years with a reputation for precision the whole time. (Not that any lens is perfect.)

I'd buy a set at $10k for my own use, but not at $20k. But that's just me. I think rental is a part of the value of your equipment.
 
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Duke M. said:
Sony has a weird hole to climb out of with these lenses. I have not doubt that they are clear, sharp and the mechanics are cleaned up over the last version. Plus they are now more rugged as lenses meant for a lifetime should be. I like that phrase "Cameras for Christmas, but lenses for life."

The problem is when people go to rent a $20k set of primes they don't think Sony. Instead they think Zeiss or Cooke.

It's a business investment. If people aren't renting them now, why buy them? You'd probably have to rent them for less than an equivelant set of Zeiss to get them out the door. If they're really good the reputation will come, but slowly. Zeiss has been in business for over 100 years with a reputation for precision the whole time. (Not that any lens is perfect.)

I'd buy a set at $10k for my own use, but not at $20k. But that's just me. I think rental is a part of the value of your equipment.
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A comparable set of primes by Zeiss or Cooke (at least comparable in terms of T stop through the whole set) would cost 2 to 4 times more, so in a way $20k for 6 T2 cine primes is an absolute steal.

Out of the budget cine prime offerings (Zeiss CP 2, Sony CineAlta and Canon) my favourite are the ones from Canon, but unfortunately there's no PL mount yet and as a set it would lack the 35mm which I find a very useful lens.

Derbrocks09, as Duke M says, a good set of lenses are for life. Even if someone had reviewd them on the net, if possible test and compare them with your own eyes before you buy.
 
I did see that video but there are no results.

I completely agree on reputation and rental income, but if they are good and glass is for life, then they are a steal if they are good because in very short order their reputation will change IMO.

I like the Canon's too and they have announced a 35mm now but they are considerably more expensive too.
 
When these lenses were first talked about, someone thought that the glass was Cooke, who makes the glass?
 
scocklin said:
When these lenses were first talked about, someone thought that the glass was Cooke, who makes the glass?
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There was speculation of cooke or zeiss, but Sony owns a lens making factory. Hmmm, thinking it's Minolta.

It bothered my that there was no conclusion in that episode too. I also watched SIX! episodes of F5/55 general review that never got around to the promised Alexa comparison. After that I gave up.

I do think the reputation of the Sony primes will go up, but over time. If you can get enough use out of them by yourself they are a great deal. I went the used 5 lens set of all F2 Zeiss lenses route hoping for rental income. I like the modern look of these Sony primes and as I said I'm sure the optics are good with better mechanics.
 
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I did see that video but there are no results.

I completely agree on reputation and rental income, but if they are good and glass is for life, then they are a steal if they are good because in very short order their reputation will change IMO.

I like the Canon's too and they have announced a 35mm now but they are considerably more expensive too.
 
When it comes to glass or any cinema equipment for that matter, a professor of mine back in SC used to say, "you get what you pay for and sometimes less". A six lens set for $21K scares me to be honest. Not just from a rental point of view, but other things such as breathing, COMA and resolution.

About 2 years back I wanted to get some CP.2s for my own productions, but decided against it and kept shooting with my ZFs. I rented PL mounts on a project basis, where I would shoot 35mm or Alexa. With the money saved up, I'm getting 4 Master Primes for christmas (would love to get the new Leicas but they don't come in an a la carte option and I almost never shoot below 25mm or above 75mm). Those are lenses of life.
 
da24MK said:
When it comes to glass or any cinema equipment for that matter, a professor of mine back in SC used to say, "you get what you pay for and sometimes less". A six lens set for $21K scares me to be honest. Not just from a rental point of view, but other things such as breathing, COMA and resolution.

About 2 years back I wanted to get some CP.2s for my own productions, but decided against it and kept shooting with my ZFs. I rented PL mounts on a project basis, where I would shoot 35mm or Alexa. With the money saved up, I'm getting 4 Master Primes for christmas (would love to get the new Leicas but they don't come in an a la carte option and I almost never shoot below 25mm or above 75mm). Those are lenses of life.
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The first set of Sony lenses have been tested by Duclos, and Opitek lens shops as well as individuals such as Doug Jensen and many others with excellent results. They are actually sharper than many other cine lenses. I don't think you'll find any issue with resolution, coma, breathing or CA with the Sony lenses. It's not like your dealing with Samyang lenses for a few hundred dollars (which are still good performance per price-wise.)

I'm interested in how the upcoming Tokina PL zooms will turn out. It's kind of funny that the Tokina 11-16mm is widely used and accepted even though it does suffer from some artifacts. It's just so damn wide that everyone will put up with the short comings. The others, well.... we'll see.
 
da24MK said:
...(would love to get the new Leicas but they don't come in an a la carte option and I almost never shoot below 25mm or above 75mm). Those are lenses of life.
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Hello da24MK. You mentioned Leica lenses here. Are you referring to the T1.4 Summilux lenses or the new T2 Summicrons that come in a smaller set of 6 lenses compared to 8 lenses in the Summilux line? Do you require the speed of the Master Primes / Summilux lenses or in todays world of highly sensitive cameras will a T2.0 prime be good for you? The Summicrons are very similar in physical design to Summilux but with a significantly different price point. Summicrons were expected to begin shipping before the end of the year. No new news on that front at this time though.
 
Hi John. You've just asked the $95K question that I'm growing gray hairs over (and I'm not even 30). I've been in touch with Tino Liberatore (Bandpro Munich) who's been awesome and really helpful in giving me info on the Summicrons. As per my post, I was referring to the T1.4 Summiluxes. Those lenses are, well, jaw-droppingly beautiful. If I could buy them per lens like Zeiss or Cooke, this would be a no contest, but I can't afford the entire set.

I agree with you that T2 is good enough for the new waves of cameras coming out, but it doesn't hurt to have a stop in hand. Also, I would like to see how close the Summicrons are to the Summiluxes stopped to T2. For example, Cookes S4s and 5s seem to all share the same characteristics across the board, but the Zeiss Masters and Ultras, to my eyes, are somewhat different.

Like others have posted, glass is for life and with such a hefty price tag I can only purchase it once in my life. I'd hate to make a decision since I love both of em and can only pick one, only to reminisce about the "one that got away".
 
I fully comprehend the long term relationship that DPs have with their lenses, and appreciate the reasons they do. I worked for a large rental company where once a major Top name DP found a set of lenses he really liked, as they all have differing characteristics, they would set them aside - only to be used by that DP... Unless you were able to get special permission... And there was no risk of compromise or date conflicts. You are wise to wait and then buy the best a available in the confines of your situation. These should last you your lifetime. Tino, I'm sure will appreciate the positive comments!
 
derbrocks09 said:
Any first hand comments from fellow DVX-ers out there yet?
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Alister Chapman, who wrote the review in the Sony Community Forum, is well known to most of the people here. Although he's a proponent of Sony products, he's a straight shooter that will tell you his opinion on both pro's and con's.
 
I said it a thousand times before, sony has no idea what they are doing with these products and those lenses prove it. 20K NOT including tax, for a set of lenses no one trusts... I trust the longevity of cooke and zeiss for they have certified repair techs all over the world, and MANY many many places you can rent from and buy from. These sony lenses... do not.

They are almost 100% sure its mentolta glass... When was the last time that company was known for optical goodness?... crickets much? My point is, there are many tried trusted and true lens packages you can buy for 20K that gets you name brand glass that people trust, love, know, and service.

These lenses no body knows, trusts, or services. So you're buying a 20K gamble. I'm sure they are very nice, but so are a lovely set of cooke S2-3 rehoused primes. I'd buy a set of cook rehoused speeds over these new lenses any day of the week and at the same price you're getting a great deal.

The ONLY thing that could have saved these lenses were to offer them up as individual lenses for sale like Zeiss, Cooke, and alike, allow you to do to build your collection at your own pace and budget.

I only use about 3 or 4 lenses for any given shoot. I shoot with 18, 35, 50 95% of the time... I dont need to spend 20k + on focal ranges I dont need. I can buy 3 ziess speeds and get glass people know and the ones I WANT.

If I could buy Sony primes for just the ones I want at a GOOD price, I'd do it. But they dont, so they lost me as a buyer, and im positive I'm not the only one. They most likely lost a lot of potential buyers just because you cant buy them individually.

plus.... their marketing people suck. no clue what they are doing.
 
FilmDude said:
I said it a thousand times before, sony has no idea what they are doing with these products and those lenses prove it. 20K NOT including tax, for a set of lenses no one trusts... I trust the longevity of cooke and zeiss for they have certified repair techs all over the world, and MANY many many places you can rent from and buy from. These sony lenses... do not.

They are almost 100% sure its mentolta glass... When was the last time that company was known for optical goodness?... crickets much? My point is, there are many tried trusted and true lens packages you can buy for 20K that gets you name brand glass that people trust, love, know, and service.

These lenses no body knows, trusts, or services. So you're buying a 20K gamble. I'm sure they are very nice, but so are a lovely set of cooke S2-3 rehoused primes. I'd buy a set of cook rehoused speeds over these new lenses any day of the week and at the same price you're getting a great deal.

The ONLY thing that could have saved these lenses were to offer them up as individual lenses for sale like Zeiss, Cooke, and alike, allow you to do to build your collection at your own pace and budget.

I only use about 3 or 4 lenses for any given shoot. I shoot with 18, 35, 50 95% of the time... I dont need to spend 20k + on focal ranges I dont need. I can buy 3 ziess speeds and get glass people know and the ones I WANT.

If I could buy Sony primes for just the ones I want at a GOOD price, I'd do it. But they dont, so they lost me as a buyer, and im positive I'm not the only one. They most likely lost a lot of potential buyers just because you cant buy them individually.

plus.... their marketing people suck. no clue what they are doing.
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That's quite a rant, but doesn't answer his questions. Is it Minolta glass? That's been the rumor since Sony bought Minolta, but no one has been able to say for sure. On the other hand, Red lenses have been rumored to be Sigma and/or Tamron glass. Both are second tier lens makers, but that doesn't mean it's bad glass.

The ability to rent the lenses out is different than the desire for good to great images from the lenses. Alister said they are extremly sharp and without other artifacts. Their mechanics are also much improved and quite solid in this set. I believe Alister when he says that. Heck even the plastic Sony lenses were sharp and had long focus throws.

Will a set of Zeiss or Cooke rent more readily. Yes, at this time. Will the Sony lenses become more of a name brand? If they do it will be over a long period of time.

Could Sony market these lenses (and their othe products better)? Yes. They just aren't into hype.

Are these lenses made to be servicable unlike the prior Sony lenses? Probably since these are all metal instead of plastic, but you'd be better served asking someone like Matt Duclos or Jasek at Optitek. A quick email or two would probably resolve that question.

Quite frankly too rehoused lenses can be a gamble depending on the skill of the technician.

The gamble is not whether these will produce great images. The gamble is whether they will become more rentable, more brand name.
 
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