If you had 2-3 k to use for lenses

U

Untitled04

Active member
I will be shooting a feature film next year with the gh1, but I am very new to the 35mm thing.

By opting to go with the gh1 instead of the mkii, i have extra money to use for lenses. I would like to know people's thoughts on how best to spend this money.

For the feature, it will take place mostly in urban night settings (so low light). Also, most of it will be in natural lighting. Furthermore there will be more long shots, and not as many close ups.

Help me out if you can. One person advised these three lenses for example:

Voitlander 20mm f3.2 Color Scopar
Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F2
Zeiss Planar T* 50mm F1.4
 
Also, do you think it's necessary to get a matte box and follow focus, because that would then cut into the 2-3k.
 
Hey Mike,

So the series makes that much of a difference? If that is the case, then I guess so. That was just one recommendation.
 
I would recommend some fast Nikon manual primes, like a 20mm @ f/2, etc...wider is good cause of crop factor issue.

I would say yes on follow focus but for me that's taken last priority after lenses, etc.

You don't really need a mattebox you can probably get by with lens hoods, screw on filters and step up/down rings

Oh also make sure the focus rings on your lenses don't move while you're focusing; won't work with the follow focus.

I have a nikon 50mm f/1.4, the kit lens, and a Sigma (Nikon version) 24mm f/1.8 macro. I love these lenses and they seem to do a really great job especially low light.
 
Untitled04 said:
Hey Mike,

So the series makes that much of a difference? If that is the case, then I guess so. That was just one recommendation.
Click to expand...

Different series in the same brand could make a difference. Might be small too. Honestly I don't have much experience with mixing lenses and was only going by what I've been told in the past, which is why I sort of posed it as a question. Maybe someone else could chime in on that.

Untitled04 said:
Should I get the zeiss 85mm 1.4 and the zeiss 28mm 2.0 too?
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Those are completely different focal lengths and it depends on what you're shooting. They'll both come in handy. It's good to have an assortment. I was in a similar situation as you where I had a certain amount I wanted to spend. The more research I did and the more I thought about it, I knew I wanted to do it right. I decided to go with a 21, 28, 35, 50, 85, and 100. Still looking for some of them, but those are my lens choices.

You're not going to get a good assortment of Zeiss lenses for only 2-3k, unless they're the older ones. But from what you listed, I'm assuming you're looking at ZF. If you're really set on your price range you may want to look at Nikon, Sigma, or Canon, or other lenses that will cost less. There's also used lenses that can be found in good shape.

Check out this thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=176736
 
I've had and still has some Sigmas but I much prefer the Nikons. With all "D" lenses you have aperture control and in my findings they are superior optics compared to the Sigmas.

My Nikon 24/2.8D performs like a "normal" lens on the GH1 with 48mm. It's a great lens with just the right amount of short dof. If I wanna go wider I have a 0.45 wide adapter to put on the lens. Somewhere about 12-16mm and F1.4-2.0 would be a dream lens for the GH1 for wide shoots in low light. Nikon 50/1.4D is a simple choice - cheap and great optical quality.
 
It can make a big difference - try to hunt down who makes the lenses. If they are all made by Cosina in Japan (though under the Zeiss and Voigtlander names) you may be closer than you think.

My Tamrons and Nikons are all excellent lenses but they have very different coloration so much so that I would never try to match the two.

If you're just using this for personal shorts or music videos, it's probably no big deal. Problem is that with the GH1 it's so compressed that it will more difficult to do grading than say FILM telecine to HDCAMSR or RED RAW. So best have it match as much as you can while you shoot.

Even studio feature films often mix Panavisions with light Nikon Zooms, Zeiss or Canons depending on whether they need a specialized lens or not. No single lens line can do it all for everyone - it's just the nature of the beast, and why it's nice to have so many choices.



Untitled04 said:
Hey Mike,

So the series makes that much of a difference? If that is the case, then I guess so. That was just one recommendation.
Click to expand...
 
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