Lens possibility

M

Mark Smith

Veteran
I have a set of schnieder 35 mm primes from back in the day. The lenses are small, t 2.0, manual evything and really nice to use. With these lenses the AF is really a small camera, and fun to use hand held. I know the current style is to have scads of cables and widgets hanging off the camera but that isn't my style. I'm all about simplicity.seems like some lens manufacturer could seize the opportunity to make a series of modern Schneider Cine Xenon lenses that would find the price slot under the CP primes and probably sell a bunch of lenses that would be a dream to use on these compact HD cinema cameras like the AF and the Sony cameras.
 
I totally agree... Those old Schnieders were made for handholding cameras like the 35IIC.. If you look at production photos from the 60s nobody (outside of the studio) was using follow focus, front boxes or even matte boxes... The butterfly focus wings on those lenses are nice too - if you know the particular lens, the position of the wing gives you a rough indication of where it's focused...

It would be nice if some manufacturer would offer lenses, primes and zooms, specifically for these light cameras. I'm really amused when I see people piling on stuff to make an AF look like a Panaflex. Why would you do that if you don't have to?
 
The 28mm, 50 mm & 75 mm schneiders that have are completely sweet. If there was a 16 or 18 mm in the same size and style, T 2.0 life would be good. If there were modern versions of these lenses with some of the benefits of modern glass, and mechanical design but priced under the CP primes, how cool would that be?
 
It would be nice if that happened, wouldn't it? The lenses available now are way too big for this camera.. Attached is a pic that a friend just sent me. That's me in Haight-Ashbury in 1966 with a IIc and, I think, a 16 or 18mm WA lens. I had two other lenses in the pocket of that leather vest...
 

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"Far out" would actually be more period correct for the people represented in that pic, "groovy" was more Hullabaloo...

Nostalgia aside, the point is that, although I do appreciate the ability to use my old Leica and Canon lenses with the AF, there are some places where proprietary MFT lenses would be preferable... Myself and others have gone on and on about the need for a good lightweight zoom, but, as was pointed out above, a good set of T2 primes in a realistic size, and at a realistic cost, would be nice too. Again, I just hope someone at Panasonic is listening/
 
I truly love the completely manual feel and operation of these old schneider lenses. Because the lenses are so small and light they afford a style of manual operation that the large modern primes do not, especially when shooting hand held. The iris and focus controls are close at hand, maybe even too close, but better that than the way they are on the modern primes which larger, have wider spaced focus and iris rings
 
Mac said:
Mark: Have you found a good Arri std - MFT adapter?
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What I am doing is using a ARRI STD to pl mount adapter on the lens and then I have the letus pl to MFT adapter on the camera. I settled on the letus because the price was reasonable and it has adjustable flange focal depth without shims. I have a couple of the ARRI STD to pl adapters so I can keep a couple of lenses ready for use.
 
The only factor that keeps me from investing in PL lenses is their size. They're burden to travel with, & I'd love a set of compact T2.0 lenses.
 
Well, there's more than that actually. This camera was touted as an affordable alternative. Once you start spending lots money on lenses you may as well be looking at an Arri (which I have actually considered if it wasn't for the cursed obsolescence).

The line is, lenses are an investment that will move from camera to camera, so it doesn't matter what they cost - well, tell that to my seven super16 lenses, or my two B4 lenses. There is no longer lasting stability in this business. Not long ago you could spend lots of money on an Aaton or a Sony Betacam and know it would be near state-of-the art for years to come.. Now you're lucky if it's months to come.

So, to take advantage of the AF you use Nikkors, or in my case, Leicas and Canons. You try to work with the old lenses because they have aperture rings and focus normally (you can actually feel movement between 6 feet and 2.5 feet). You make do with the pathetic and unconscionable offering of zooms.

If I had a set of old Schneiders like the ones mentioned here I'd use them every day (I don't, unfortunately - and I'd prefer a direct Arri Std to MFT adapter).
 
My schneiders have been sitting on the shelf for a while but since I got my letus pl mount I have been working them into my shooting kit. Just wrapped a shoot for a pilot in buffalo and I used some lumix lenses and then mixed in my schneiders for when I had to really do some sweet focus pulls and with some Dana dolly moves . 3 schneider cine xenons take up the same space as my Olympus 35-100 in my camera case. I'd really like to have a modern version of these lenses, the new schneiders weigh 5 lbs a piece and these little cine xenons are a dream for shooting hand held.
 
Yeah, the new Schneider Cine Xenons are *not* a dream for shooting handheld. They're as big as the camera and almost twice as heavy.

I lobbied for the manufacturers to make a small lightweight zoom; didn't ask for a small modern version of the classic primes but that would have been a great thing to ask for.
 
Ya think it's too late to ask? There is a serious need here and it's not as if Schneider would have to re invent the wheel.
 
Barry- I love the idea of "classic primes" . Give us a set of that includes a 15 to 18 mm and we're good to go. Who do we call at Schneider to advocate for this concept?
 
Looks like Beastie Boys Set for Sabotage :) Seriously looking at the AF100 and a lens option like this would go a long way towards helping me. My daughter is seriously looking at film school as an option (15 years old), shes used my 7D for the past year but it would be nice to put a more 'conventional' camera in her hands. Would be nice to have a lens option like this.


http://youtu.be/z5rRZdiu1UE

Steve
 
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I would love to have the set of Schneider back that I let go of seven years ago. I must add I let them go for fraction of what they are worth today.
 
Mark Smith said:
Barry- I love the idea of "classic primes" . Give us a set of that includes a 15 to 18 mm and we're good to go. Who do we call at Schneider to advocate for this concept?
Click to expand...
I saw them all at NAB. I would say that the place to go would be IBC; let's find someone who's attending who can make a good presentation to them; I am certain that they will be attending IBC.
 
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