ryan knight Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 (edited) howdy, i'm prepping a red shot short in the next few weeks and have some questions about lenses. i recently shot a feature with the red and zeiss distagons. for this film, the director wants the camera close to the actors, to enhance the feelings of closeness and exaggerate the feeling of isolation and foreboding when cutting to wider angles. his favourite lens is a 28mm and something tells me we won't throw on anything longer than a 50mm, expect for inserts. also, the director wants the picture as sharp as possible, to really emphasize facial details and overall textures. so i'm wondering if someone can recommend some primes that may be good for this aesthetic... fast, sharp, closer to subjects and wider lenses (no distortion of course) and good contrast retention when flared. thanks all! Edited March 26, 2009 by ryan knight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Rogers Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 howdy, i'm prepping a red shot short in the next few weeks and have some questions about lenses. i recently shot a feature with the red and zeiss distagons. for this film, the director wants the camera close to the actors, to enhance the feelings of closeness and exaggerate the feeling of isolation and foreboding when cutting to wider angles. his favourite lens is a 28mm and something tells me we won't throw on anything longer than a 50mm, expect for inserts. also, the director wants the picture as sharp as possible, to really emphasize facial details and overall textures. so i'm wondering if someone can recommend some primes that may be good for this aesthetic... fast, sharp, closer to subjects and wider lenses (no distortion of course) and good contrast retention when flared. thanks all! Sounds like you need to look at either Arri Standard Speed, Arri Ultra Primes, or Cooke S4's. All three are basically T2, sharp, and I believe all three are fairly close focus (2') Ultra Primes and S4's are going to be better with contrast with flaring, but of course their rental price is going be at least double the Standard Speeds. Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted March 28, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted March 28, 2009 Matthew nailed it. If you're on a tight budget, standards are nice. If you can spend a little more money, I think ultra primes are worth the price jump. You can get ultra primes down to 10mm which looks just short of "see the operator's nose" wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Brad Grimmett Posted March 29, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted March 29, 2009 The Master Primes are the sharpest and fastest and all the widest lenses focus at 14". My second choice would be super speeds if you're on a budget. S4's would be my last choice since they're considered to be a bit softer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted March 29, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted March 29, 2009 The Master Primes are the sharpest and fastest and all the widest lenses focus at 14". My second choice would be super speeds if you're on a budget. S4's would be my last choice since they're considered to be a bit softer. Brad's right. The master prime series is the sharpest and is very, very good wide open. They're also a step more expensive than ultraprimes and I've yet to work on anything where the gain in cost was deemed important enough not to just get ultraprimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan knight Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Brad's right. The master prime series is the sharpest and is very, very good wide open. They're also a step more expensive than ultraprimes and I've yet to work on anything where the gain in cost was deemed important enough not to just get ultraprimes. great. i was hoping the majority of y'all would say master primes. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan knight Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 great. i was hoping the majority of y'all would say master primes. thanks! .... but we can't afford master primes.... ultra primes it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted March 31, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted March 31, 2009 I've very rarely been on a show that can afford master primes. I love them to death but, unless I know the show's budget is quite generous, I go straight to suggesting ultra primes if I'm asked about it. You'll be happy with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Kerber Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 It has been said that the Ultra Primes 'mesh' better (image-wise) with the RED ONE compared to the Master Primes. I have yet to test this out myself, but possibly you're not losing out if you can't afford MPs. Sorry I don't have specific examples. Maybe someone who's shot with both on the RED can elaborate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member John Sprung Posted March 31, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted March 31, 2009 It has been said that the Ultra Primes 'mesh' better (image-wise) with the RED ONE compared to the Master Primes. You'd have to know the MTF's of the lenses, which aren't on the Zeiss web site that I could find. It could be that they have more resolution than the 4K sensor needs. -- J.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan knight Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 it turns out that our powerful little short that could... simply can't... afford ultras either. what could be the next recommendation? thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Kerber Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Arri Standard or Super Speeds. If you go with Super Speeds, try not to shoot WFO--T2.8 would be preferable for what you're after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Metzger Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Arri Standard or Super Speeds. If you go with Super Speeds, try not to shoot WFO--T2.8 would be preferable for whatyou're after. +1 You could always take a hit on your rate and get ultra primes. I dont think you understand how awesome those lenses are! Also, minimum focus is certainly important, But are you really going to have your characters on the edge of minimum focus at a t2/2.8? That's a whole bag of problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan knight Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 i do know how awesome these lenses are haha, but i don't think the person with the red pen truly does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan knight Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 when it comes down to it, the producer is going to make me choose between the 1.3s and the superspeeds. as i mentioned above, i used the 1.3s, but am looking for something sharper. the majority of the film (all but one scene) is to be shot day EXT. so i don't necessarily need that extra stoppage that the 1.3s offer over the superspeeds, but will the superspeeds render a sharper image than the 1.3s? thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted April 3, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted April 3, 2009 when it comes down to it, the producer is going to make me choose between the 1.3s and the superspeeds. as i mentioned above, i used the 1.3s, but am looking for something sharper. the majority of the film (all but one scene) is to be shot day EXT. so i don't necessarily need that extra stoppage that the 1.3s offer over the superspeeds, but will the superspeeds render a sharper image than the 1.3s? thanks all. I'm not sure what you mean. Superspeeds are T1.3 lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan knight Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 I'm not sure what you mean. Superspeeds are T1.3 lenses. i'm supersorry, i meant standardspeeds 2.1s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Kerber Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Ryan, I'm sure your rental house has both Standards and Superspeeds. You should go there and throw both sets on a lens projector and see which one you like more. You could even do a small test in the prep area or outside in the parking lot to better inform your decision. Even though you may have already shot with both, testing them side by side, looking for differences or similarities will be educational and allow the most confident decision. Since it sounds like the director has a lot of specific imagery in mind, you could even invite him along to the test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan knight Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 Ryan, I'm sure your rental house has both Standards and Superspeeds. You should go there and throw both sets on a lens projector and see which one you like more. You could even do a small test in the prep area or outside in the parking lot to better inform your decision. Even though you may have already shot with both, testing them side by side, looking for differences or similarities will be educational and allow the most confident decision. Since it sounds like the director has a lot of specific imagery in mind, you could even invite him along to the test. t'is the plan. best everyone, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Metzger Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Birger made a PV mount for the red.... Who is tempted as much as I am? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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