Soften the Canon look.

J

jamesmallonuk

Well-known member
I find the new lenses on the 5d too crisp. Looking at the 7D I imagine it will have a similar look. From peoples experience which lenses would they recomend to give a softer more retro film like image?



I would give my right testicle for the Iscorama but I don't think that is happening anytime soon.
 
get a haze filter or a UV filter and smear some oil on it.. or use crappy Nikon lenses with an adapter..
 
Maybe soft is the wrong word, I'm not after an 80's soft porn look. Just lenses that take away the digital quality of the well.....digital camera and give a more filmic feel.
 
jamesmallonuk said:
Maybe soft is the wrong word, I'm not after an 80's soft porn look. Just lenses that take away the digital quality of the well.....digital camera and give a more filmic feel.
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Right. A number of DPs who shoot on the RED with really sharp cinema lenses seek the same solution - to take the really crisp digital and adjust it a little to look more like film. Among the recommendations that I've read, the Black Pro-Mist (or similar) is nearly always present. The other options I know of remain in post.

Here: http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33953
 
jamesmallonuk said:
Maybe soft is the wrong word, I'm not after an 80's soft porn look. Just lenses that take away the digital quality of the well.....digital camera and give a more filmic feel.
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russian glass is good and make sure ur sharpness and contrast is dialed down
 
anything in the m42 mount will give you that old school look. Especially anything with Super Takumar written on it.
 
The Super Taks are a good way to go. The price cant be beat and they are the easiest lenses to adapt to the the EF mount.

The cool thing about these lenses is that they have a dual character. Wide open (or near wide open) they are sort of softer in a pleasant, dreamy kind of way. Some fashion photogs love these lenses as do their models. Stopped down a bit they get very sharp while not overdoing the contrast.

Some of these lenses have radio active earth elements which over time can result in the glass turing yellow. This will always impact their value. The cool thing is that the yellowing can be reversed by exposure to UV light: sunlight or a flashlight. Google this topic.

I have two radio active (non dangerous) lenses: the 50/1.4 Super Takumar and the 58/1.2 Minolta Rokkor. Both are great, but the Rokkor is truly an amazing lens.
 
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There are a ton of great "alternative" lenses that are worth looking at for Canon bodies. The Alt forum on fredmiranda.com is the place to learn all about this...
 
jamesmallonuk said:
Maybe soft is the wrong word, I'm not after an 80's soft porn look. Just lenses that take away the digital quality of the well.....digital camera and give a more filmic feel.
Click to expand...

Then you should look into old manual lenses Conon ore Nikon. It’s very common in the industry, using RED, 35mm & the third to use older lenses ore modified to get a special look ore a more organic/old look. specially in the digital world. I think you should test out some really old glasses. And then its postproduction of course.

Good luck!
 
jamesmallonuk said:
I find the new lenses on the 5d too crisp. Looking at the 7D I imagine it will have a similar look. From peoples experience which lenses would they recomend to give a softer more retro film like image?
Click to expand...

The simplest solution would be to get the GH1 if you prefer a "soft" image.

Personally, I don't find "soft" ie "mud" ie "out of focus" to be film like.

To each their own. :)
 
I've been using a 50mm f/1.4 smc super tak with my isco 36, works really well on the MKII.
 
The 50/1.4 Super Tak is really nice at f/2. Not as sharp as some of the other lenses but it has very pleasing character. They are also cheap and easy to convert.

Generally speaking most of the Pentax prime lenses are very good. The newer non-screw mount lenses will work with the EF mount but you have to snip off the aperture lever. Some the "A" Series Pentax lenses are rock stars. Perhaps the finest lens I have ever used is the "A" * 85/1.4 lens.
 
Here's some Super Tak footage with a SGblade and Xha1. Not the same as a mkii but you get the idea.

http://www.vimeo.com/6316115
http://www.vimeo.com/6347364

It's the softness from this lens that I love. Plus the slight warmness caused by the yellow tinge caused by radiation from the Thorium in the glass. I also have the 85mm Jupiter-9 Russian lens and its soft look is even nicer.

Here's a non-scientific test of different m42 lenses that includes the Super Tak and the Jupiter-9

http://www.vimeo.com/6316653
 
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