White Balancing with each new lens?

Michael B. McGee

Michael B. McGee

Well-known member
ok, i apologize if this topic's already been discussed. I have a little dilemma. I've been trying to add to my Minolta 35mm still lens set. i recently purchased a lens, which is roughly the same generation as my other lenses, on ebay and its coatings are much warmer then my other lenses. i'm not sure if the contrast is any different. this is a nice lens and i got it for a great price, but i'm concerned about the continuity within a scene if i decide to use this lens with my others. Do most of you WB after you switch lenses anyways? what are your thoughts? should i return it for a lens that matches my current lenses?

thanks a lot!!!

-Mike
 
Definitely white balance with each lens change if you have not tested them....but test first. Every lens will have different MTF curves, however in given lens sets, you may not need to reset white balance. The Zeiss lenses we sell look pretty similar in the 28, 50, 85, 100 focal lengths, but the 35mm f2 does not. In other words, I'd tend to set white balance and leave it alone when swapping everything except for the 35mm. This assumes your ambient/structured light situation hasn't changed of course.

I find lens testing a rather fascinating excercise, particularly when you start comparing them amongst formats. I never truly appreciated how important the 35mm lens choices were until we started testing with "higher end" glass. In some cases, the price doesn't necessarily reflect performance either. For example, our HPX500 is fitted with a 17x Fujinon B4 zoom lens. At $8000 it's pretty sharp, and very clean but it looks decidely flat when compared directly to the Zeiss lens set mounted to the Brevis35. There are compromises everywhere when it comes to every optic so the single best suggestion I could make is to test your lenses carefully so you understand how they behave.
 
Its a tricky issue.
if you white balance with every lens change you can drift your entire look off in unforseen directions.
First because even two white balance done under what seem like identical conditions can surprisingly be a bit different . Under mixed light this could be a nightmare.

Likewise if you are adding a look after the white balance with gels or or cheating your white balance it could become a big pain in the butt and tend to leave you not bothering when under pressure - (like always). Director could get irritated.

If your camera has enough internal control (say an EX-1 or even an HVX) you could test to figure out the difference then compensate for each lens. i.e. a warm lens with less contrast could get a change in gamma and color balance in the menus without throwing the white balance into limbo altogether.

Lenny Levy
 
Thanks Lenny Levy. that's also what i was thinking. unfortunately i don't have an adapter to test these lenses out on. i'm currently looking for someone who owns a Letus Extreme, Elite, Ultimate with a Minolta mount in the Los Angeles area. no one's come forward yet.
 
Last time I looked my own set of old Nikon primes were relatively well matched.
I'm embarassed to say I haven't checked my Nikon 80-200 . I had a Tokina 80-200 that was cooler and less contrasy so I made a small change in my settings for it.
 
Why don't you just shoot some stills and make sure they are all printed exactly the same. Thast will tell you something.
 
It get's a bit more complex yet with an adapter. For example, our fore/aft shields, imaging elements and achromats are all fully coated...and this has an effect on the final image. So test your lenses with the adapter you plan on using!

Lenny, if your 80-200 is the f2.8d (we've got one) then you're quite right on the coolness thing. We tested the 2.8d series for use on "Undertow" vs our old LOMO cine lenses...and the Nikons were never used. Btw, missed my hug at NAB this year...another shooter felt sorry though and stepped in for you :)
 
Dennis Wood said:
I missed my hug at NAB this year...another shooter felt sorry though and stepped in for you :)
Click to expand...

Dennis ...No .. Don't tell me.
I've been cuckolded! Where is he? I'll kill him!

Re white balance. There is no all purpose answer . Pro's and Cons to every solution so you just need to figure it out depending on your particular lenses , your camera with its controls and the nature of your shoot.

Just be aware that re white balancing everytime also has its downsides.

Lenny
 
Thanks Dennis and Lenny. with your advice i think i've made my decision. i'm gonna exchange the lens for one that has similar or hopefully the exact same coatings as all of my current lenses. i love the internet.
 
Michael, always glad to help :)

Lenny, don't worry. Your reign as the 2008 NAB hug-guy is forever immortalized in the Cinevate BTS clip on the front page of our site. If you look closely, there was a moistening in the corner of my eye while talking about it :) Funny how little things like that stick with a guy.
 
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