Zoom Lens/Prime Lens

T

themaestro

Member
If I use the P+S Technik Mini35 system or the redrock micro I'm still going to need to have a lens with which to shoot correct? I've learned about prime lens, which as I understand are fixed... The smaller the mm eg. 18 mm the wider and less depth of field one gets, and the larger eg. 100 mm the tighter and shallower depth of field one gets. I hear that prime lens kits cost thousands and thousands of dollars... Can anyone recommend a good zoom lens for such systems as the P+S Technik Mini35 or redrock micro? Something under 1000 dollars that can achieve pro results? I don't really understand what the disadvantages of using a zoom lens over a set of prime lenses is... Can someone help shed some light on this subject?
 
Since the issue is trying to achieve the shallow depth of field that one gets in 35mm Cine when using lenses at apertures of F4 (professional Cine lenses are no longer calibrated in F numbers but T numbers, but for this purpose consider them the same thing) you really need lenses that are F2.8 or better. The 35mm SLR zooms that are that fast typically cost more than $1000. A few prime lenses would be much more affordable.

Bill Turner
Schneider Optics, Inc
Century Division
 
Maestro,

When you are talking Ciné lenses, there is no way you could even find a prime for under $1000. Your best bet is to rent lenses from a rental house like Clairmont Camera. Go to their website to see the list of lenses they offer and rental rates. Most of these ciné lenses will be "PL" mount for 35mm/16mm and P+S mini35.
http://www.clairmont.com/catalog/pages/lenses/lenses_main.html

Now the neat thing about the P+S Technik Mini35 and the Redrock Micro35 is that both are available with SLR lens mounts (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, etc.) so you could potentially buy yourself some used prime lenses or one really good zoom at a used camera store. You wouldn't have the geared rings for follow focus attachment though.

The main advantages of primes over zooms is that they have less glass, and therefore are lighter, faster, optically superior (in most cases) and don't "breath" when focusing.
 
Dashwood,

The prime lenses I was recommending were, of course, 35mm SLR primes, not 35mm Cine primes. It seems to me the point of these low cost and "do it yourself" adapters is to allow expermentation and perhaps ultra-low budget video's to be shot that have scenes in them that require the "shallow depth of field look" that many associate with 35mm motion picture film.

Renting cine primes that can cost $10,000 each or more at $100 each per day would not seem to be an option for these users. Providing the insurance required to rent $30,000 to $50,000 or more worth of lenses from a rental house could we also prove to be beyond the means of many for the projects that are being considered.

Bill Turner
Schneider Optics, Inc
Century Division
 
themaestro said:
I don't really understand what the disadvantages of using a zoom lens over a set of prime lenses is...
Click to expand...

I am only speaking of my experience with Canon SLR lenses. I think the zoom lenses do not have as wide of maximum aperture as prime lenses. The fastest zoom I know of in still lenses is f/2.8 vs. some prime lenses which are f/1.2! For all practical purposes I would never want to shoot below an f/4 to control the depth of field. It's very hard to focus a film lens period, and even more difficult the wider the aperture.

Supposedly, focus breathing is also a problem with mass produced zooms.

What it boils down to is owning a lens like the Nikon f/2.8 28-70mm, which is about $1500. You could use primes, but workflow should be much faster with a zoom.

I say Nikon because Canon's (excepting the modified versions from Century Optics) do not have iris rings, which is an absolute deal breaker. If you intend on using a rods-mounted matte box, you need an internal focus, internal zoom lens, which I believe the Nikon is.

I will greatly appreciate clarification if I am wrong on any of the above.
 
I was told the panny anamorphic adaptor isn't compatible with the RedRock Adaptor. Does anyone know if there is some other adaptor to use still lenses and achieve a true widescreen anamorphic picture?
 
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