Lenses with Character

S

spgreen65

Active member
I am looking for a lens that imparts a character while filming. I am currently using:
  • 70-200mm 2.8 Nikon
  • 24-70mm 2.8 Sigma
  • 18-38 mm 1.8 Sigma
  • 24mm Nikkor
What lenses do you reach for when you want to add something different?
 
spgreen65 said:
I am looking for a lens that imparts a character while filming. I am currently using:
  • 70-200mm 2.8 Nikon
  • 24-70mm 2.8 Sigma
  • 18-38 mm 1.8 Sigma
  • 24mm Nikkor
What lenses do you reach for when you want to add something different?
Click to expand...

You don't really say what sized sensor you are using. I personally have had a bad experience with Sigma lenses... for 35mm I've used Nikon lenses because we have had them for years... in that regard I currently use a 28mm f/2.0 45 year old Nikon... I use my 14-140mm Lumix which came with my GH-1. I have a c-mount 25mm f/1.9 lense for my Blackmagic Pocket...

For the older lenses, light hitting the lens may cause flare, which I tend to avoid. But some people like that effect... But I mostly use lenses that have 'at hand' which solve a problem, such as the 14-140mm for the 14mm because I don't have a short lens... the 25mm and 28mm which are faster, for lower light situations.

Lenses have never been about some parameters like 'bokeh'... I could care less... or 'creamy'... as noted I have two 'old' lenses but that's what I can afford... the Wife won't let me use her 17-35mm f/2.8 Nikon...
 
Sorry, about the lack of detail. My camera is a APS-C, Nikon D7100. I am looking for something more dreamy, not so perfect, softer, more painting like.
 
If you want to take it this far the Lensbaby Composer Pro series offer a 35, 50 and 80mm that might give you what you are looking for.
 
Not exactly the answer you are looking for perhaps but on my Canon 5D Mark III and Sony NEX 7 I had made an investment in a few vintage Leica Elmarit lenses. I had the 28mm, 60mm Macro and a 90mm. Those lenses looking beautiful on the Canon 5D and even more amazing with a Speedbooster on an NEX-7. They were pretty difficult to work with for my shooting style though so I wound up selling them. I think you can get similar results looking at some of the old Zeiss Contax and Nikkor lenses. The older Zeiss Planar T 50mm for Nikon or Canon is also quite nice.

The only newer lens I have that gets close to this, sometimes, is my ZE 55mm.

If you don't mind manual focus and have a lot patience in looking you can build a fine collection out of vintage glass. Probably not so much with the Leica stuff on a budget but certainly with Nikkor.
 
I have an old pre ai Nikon 35mm f2. It has low contrast and is never so sharp. Definitely not soft in 1080, but shows in comparison to L or zeiss.

now, if you want alot of character, you have to go with lenses that are not optically standard. They have to have things that make them sound like bad lense: vignetting, barrel distortion, flaring, soft, etc. Anamorphics are optically flawed, but are some of the most desired.
 
Lens baby is such an effects lens, that it ends up hardly getting used. Good tool to have around for that occasional shot. Spent $200 on one, and $25 on the pre ai nikon, i have used the nikon a hundred times more than the lensbaby. And i don't even use the nikon much.
 
I will hunt down some pre-ai Nikons. I would love to get an anamorphic, but they all seem like a crap shoot. What are the thoughts on Russian lenses like Jupiter and Helios?
 
For photography lenses, I love the character of Leica R's.

I like some Canon FD's too. I also own a grab bag of old Nikon's and my favorite for character might just be the cheapest one! The 50mm F/2 I have is pretty old and has some great blue flares.

-ryan
 
You might take a look at some of the classic lens samples over at the Get dpi forum getdpi.com. Lots to look at.
 
+1 for Canon FD lenses.

There are many to choose from, tons of them on eBay for great prices, and you can get a full set that will match well with each other.

Search the Forums for the most highly regarded ones.

Kholi recently put his whole set up for sale - that's a perfect list of which are some of the best ones.
 
spgreen65 said:
Those dog schidt lenes look amazing. How hard to adapt PL to Nikon?
Click to expand...

Very very hard.

The shallower the mount, the easier it is to adapt due to the space you can work within. Sony E mount and Micro 4/3 mount are the best examples to come to mind.

Unfortunately Nikon F mount and Canon EF mount are deep because of the need to include space for the (D)SLR mirrors. Thus these depths are very similar to the Arri PL mount depth. This leaves very little, if any, room to adapt. This makes adapters almost impossible.

Also, Nikon flange depth is shallower than PL. Nikon F mount needs the flange of the lens 46.5mm from the sensor. Arri PL mount requires the lens flange 52mm from the sensor. The Nikon F mount adapter would need to actually remove space from the mount. I'd say the chances to find a Nikon F to PL adapter is 0%.

-Ryan
 
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Thanks for the info. It really seems like the DSO lenses are exactly what I am looking for and more. I get the character I want and can even get the anamorphic look as well.
 
You may consider messing (in a temporary manner) with the glass you have..

-Diffusion filtration
-Scratched/cracked UV filters
-tights (womens legwear) over the lens
-shooting through mirrors/glass, bottle tops, crystal balls, kaledesopes
-free lensing (whacking)
-cardboard cut out iris
-filming the GG screen of an old MF camera

S
 
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