Zeiss vs Canon / Prime vs Zoom

[Heezzi]

When I started shooting with the Letus Extreme I noticed a slight focus drop as opposed to the bare EX1. However the quality of the image for emulating film made me choose the adaptor route.

Later I purchased Nikon lenses (28mm, 50mm, 85mm and 35-70mm zoom). After starting production, I wound up mostly sticking with the zoom because it is so versatile.

The camera zoom is set to 74 and the camera focus has been adjusted for that zoom setting. All has been taped for safety. I also taped the gain button to no gain so as to avoid any accidents (I once shot accidentally at 9 gains which added a lot of grain).

Now I recently looked at all my dailies and noticed the focus. It looks fine but often on the soft side. It is difficult to tell when the DOP is the problem but generally I wonder what this is going to look like projected on a big screen. Could it be too soft? This raised a few questions which I would like to discuss here. All experienced opinions would be welcome.


What does this sort of setup look like when projected on theater big screen?
Is the adaptor/EX1 setup good enough for a feature in the first place?

Is the Letus Extreme softer than other adaptors?

Are zooms sharp enough for a feature or should one stick with prime lenses?

Should one avoid standard brands altogether and go with Zeiss?

What is the rest of your setup? Lenses will make a difference. The better the lenses, the better picture quality. It's like being a pro photographer and using cheap zoom lenses. It isn't going to work.

Check the web for comparison photos. The ones that stand out will be quality lenses.