Red Glass

I own the 18-50 and the 50-150. Mechanics are iffy, but the image is sharp and solid.

The newer Red Pro lenses are all solid. Mechanics are great, image is great. They just have issues like focus marks that the top 10% of the market doesn't like so they don't have a lot of demand at the rental level.

18-85 is a beast, and is big enough around at the focus gear that not all follow focuses work with it, so check that if you're thinking about that one. Same with the front diameter of it, it's huge and most people have to use a 6x6 mattebox with it. Note the new O'Connor Obox has a 150mm rear opening, so it too will work with the 18-85 and is very budget and very good for the money.

None of these Red lenses are SO good that they have swayed anybody from using the big names. So they are forever stuck in this second tier land of rentals where everybody is undercutting on rates...that's why they keep popping up used. But they really are great lenses, especially for the money they sell for used.

I've only shot my personal Red zooms on the F3. The rest I've shot on a Red, which I would argue is more of a microscope to see flaws.
 
I own the 18-50 as well and it works really well with the F3, if you wanna see stills (and soon to come HD footage) from the camera with the red 18-50 zoom go to: http://gpcinematography.blogspot.com/search/label/Africa and search around the posts, theres a lot of different grabs. Make sure to click the TITLE of the post you wanna view, clicking the main photo for some reason doesn't do anything. Once you're in you can click the thumbnails to view larger.
 
Hello guys from New York. Just got my Digioptical 18-50, looking forward to trying it when I get home. Thanks for the input on it
 
Nigel A said:
Hello guys from New York. Just got my Digioptical 18-50, looking forward to trying it when I get home. Thanks for the input on it
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You're in my home land! but I'm now I'm in africa... just missed each other haha, how long you there for??
 
Any of you guys have the newer 17-50? Any thoughts? Better mechanics than the 18-50?
 
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That Digioptical looks a lot like the older RED 18-50...are they one and the same?
 
I have the digioptical lens, and the red 50-150mm. They definately are the same lenses.. made from the same place.

Actually, I tried to purchase the 18-50 / 50-150mm digioptical combo from B and H, and was discontinued, so had to pay alot more for the red lens.

So far, they are GREAT.
 
What do you all mean when you say the newer zooms are better Mechanically? what changed specifically?it seems like optics are the same.
 
Guy Jackson DP said:
What do you all mean when you say the newer zooms are better Mechanically? what changed specifically?it seems like optics are the same.
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Optics are not the same. If you handled both you'd understand. The 2nd gen is much sturdier, zero mechanical inconsistency.

18-50 is a rehoused Sigma lens, rehoused by a company with a cinema background. 2nd gen 17-50 is 100% Japanese, but built from ground up as far as I know.
 
18-85mm RED Zoom T2.9

18-85mm RED Zoom T2.9

RED 18-85mm T2.9 zoom

I got this lens to originally use on a Letus Elite with an EX3.

I was delighted to discover that is works exceptionally well on the F3. Perfect corner-to-corner with no vignetting. Very sharp.

When the dealer here in Denver got their F3s for their Sony product hands-on day, the RED was a favorite among many shooters playing with the new rig. The lens held it's own well even against a Fujinon T2.0 zoom at many times the price. (The RED lens is just at $10K, as I recall, the Fujinon was over $80K).
 
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Bob Berg said:
RED 18-85mm T2.9 zoom

I got this lens to originally use on a Letus Elite with an EX3.

I was delighted to discover that is works exceptionally well on the F3. Perfect corner-to-corner with no vignetting. Very sharp.

When the dealer here in Denver got their F3s for their Sony product hands-on day, the RED was a favorite among many shooters playing with the new rig. The lens held it's own well even against a Fujinon T2.0 zoom at many times the price. (The RED lens is just at $10K, as I recall, the Fujinon was over $80K).
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Yeah, I have heard nothing but great praise for the 18-85.

and RED sometimes sells them "battle-tested" (refurbs, I assume). I mean, for 6000 bucks?! http://www.red.com/store/battle-tested/product/red-pro-zoom-18-85mm-t29-i-bt

Granted it is on the heavy side at 10 lbs, but if you have some rails and a lens support....
 
Aside from the ergonomics of longer focus barrels and accurately tracking focus (parfocal) , how do these Red lenses compare with top of the line Nikon ED still zooms which are very good glass?
If the Red's are basically Sigma 's I would guess that the Nikon's will be sharper and of course much cheaper and lighter.

Duclos is already rehousing the 17-35 and the Tokina 11-16

How many downsides are there to the Nikons?
 
The PL mount is really nice. MUCH more secure (as in no shake whatsoever) than the F-mount or EF mount.
Witness marks are very nice as well for pulling and setting focus. The gears built in are very nice as well.
 
The MTF adapter is pretty stable, but everything you've said for me fits the category of the focus barrel which I do understand. What about sheer optics?

I've gone the cheapscape route and just invested in the Nikons but perhaps will come to see the error of my ways in practical experience. Depends on the kind of work you do as well.
 
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