Made the mistake of using Zeiss Compact Primes - Now What?

Barry_Green said:
The Compact Primes are good lenses. $4,000 apiece seems a bit much, yes, but they don't have to cost that much. I've got a complete set of 'em, all 7 from 18 to 85mm, in PL mount. I don't use them anymore, so they're just sitting; I'd sell them for $15k for the whole set.
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This is an excellent deal. Someone should take it.
I will be the renegade here and say, that even though they may be considered the bottom of the line for cinema, no other set allows you to so easily switch back and forthe between PL and EF mounts for instance. Further they are one of the few sets that guarantee coverage at all sensor sizes and that is invaluable as sensors evolve. They alslo have great and accurate distance markings - better than most, even ultraprimes. Lastly, I own a set of 6 and some of the are stellar. The 15mm, 21mm and 35mm are really excellent.
 
I had a set of Zeiss ZE lenses (same guts a the CP) and after getting a couple Zeiss C/Y lenses on the cheap, I sold all the ZE's. I also went with the Samyang 35/85 f1.4's as the Zeiss versions are somewhat overpriced these days.

I have a Nikon AIS I really like too. Great optics, less bulky than CP or Samyang lenses with buttery smooth focus throw.
 
The cine lenses are for people who need the big form factor with standard sizes and front rings and whatnot. If you only need the optical quality, there are plenty of great non-cine primes that can successfully compete with the low-end cinema primes (maybe not so with zooms and higher-end cinema primes).
 
Samuel H said:
The cine lenses are for people who need the big form factor with standard sizes and front rings and whatnot. If you only need the optical quality, there are plenty of great non-cine primes that can successfully compete with the low-end cinema primes (maybe not so with zooms and higher-end cinema primes).
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Like what?
 
Almost anything in the $1K-$2K range: most canon L primes, good Nikon primes, zeiss ZE, Batis... Even vintage Leica and Nikon. The most obvious option are the Zeiss ZE primes, which are exactly the same glass as the CP.2 primes. And the Canon cine primes are also just a cine housing for L glass.
 
Samuel H said:
And the Canon cine primes are also just a cine housing for L glass.
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No. They are different. The number of blades (11 blades), more number of elements, difference in construction, different coatings etc make them completely different creatures.

Humans and chimps share close to 99% of the genomes. However, we don't accuse chimps of being humans.
 
They do have a different iris mechanism, but I think the glass is exactly the same optical formula. I can't find any info about elements/groups, though, to do a quick check that might rule out what I'm saying but can't confirm it anyway.
 
Samuel H said:
They do have a different iris mechanism, but I think the glass is exactly the same optical formula.
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I read something to that effect somewhere along the way and would be shocked to find out the Canon cine primes are any different optically speaking than L series primes. As for something comparable (and cheaper than) to Zeiss ZE/ZF, the much older Nikkor primes are identical in terms of optical quality. Samyang/Rokinon primes are very nearly as good optically as L series primes but you shouldn't shoot with them wide open unless you're ok with overall softness.
 
Samuel H said:
They do have a different iris mechanism, but I think the glass is exactly the same optical formula. I can't find any info about elements/groups, though, to do a quick check that might rule out what I'm saying but can't confirm it anyway.
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Chris Santucci said:
I read something to that effect somewhere along the way and would be shocked to find out the Canon cine primes are any different optically speaking than L series primes. As for something comparable (and cheaper than) to Zeiss ZE/ZF, the much older Nikkor primes are identical in terms of optical quality. Samyang/Rokinon primes are very nearly as good optically as L series primes but you shouldn't shoot with them wide open unless you're ok with overall softness.
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Canon has released white papers on their cine primes. Despite the perpetuating belief, they are not the same lenses. They are based on the L's, but they're not "just the same glass in different housings" or "just different coatings".
 
Do you have a link? Because the docs I've found says nothing about the optical design (they just talk about the mechanics).
 
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