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Anyone shoot with the Angenieux 35-70mm f2.5 zoom lens for HD or Canon DSLR HD video?


Rob Sanders

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Anyone shoot with this French made zoom the Angenieux 35-70mm f2.5 lens for HD or Canon DSLR HD video? This French zoom was designed for still photography but it has a lot of cinema characteristics. I have one of these lenses in mint condition and am considering shooting on Canon HD DSLR. Anyone shoot with this zoom lens on Canon HD like the Canon EOS C300 , Sony F3, Red Epic ect with a adapter to Canon EF or PL mount? Any one give it a cine modification?

http://www.ducloslen.../pages/cine-mod

 

 

 

Usability: Film/TV Fashion, Portrait, Macro, Landscape , Product, Commercial

 

Pros: For portrait or still life it has the absolute perfect color palette neither too warm (Cooke lenses) or cool (Zeiss) and perfect softness not too (clinical) sharp.

58mm filter

Lens shade that looks cool and works

Works well with Canon EOS digital (with adapter)

fast f2.5 at the 35mm end

true parfocal zoom

clickless iris control, and the zoom, focus, and iris are all the correct direction for cinema

 

 

Cons: Price, super rare zoom. A white buffalo is easier to find than this lens.

 

Weatherproof/Durability. Horrible. Scratches and dings very very easily because of the early plastic made design barrel (1980s) , not weather proof sealed at all. Vulnerable to shock. Very vulnerable to dust, sand, water and humidity. Basically a "studio" lens or outdoors on a perfect day (no rain/snow/sand...)

 

Vignettes at 35mm

 

Prone to lens flare (can be good or bad depending on your style)

 

 

I have shot with the Angenieux 17-70mm and 10-150mm cine lenses on the Arri 16SB and the focus and zoom have a similar feel as with the Angenieux 35-70mm f2.5 lense.

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Anyone ever use this zoom lens for HD cinema? It doesnt have to be Canon HD (although thats what I shoot with). Any cinematographers that shoot with Nikon DSLR or any HD camera ever use this Angenieux zoom?. Here is a film/tv rental shop in the UK that rents it out if you are not familiar with this zoom:

 

http://www.shootblue.tv/products/35-70mm-f-2.5-dslr-zoom

 

35_70_f25_zoom.jpg

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Anyone?? I know its not a Angenieux Optimo but it is a Angenieux!

 

Maybe if I posted a Zeiss or Cooke I would have gotten more responses. :/

 

Well you said yourself it's a rare lens made for still photography.. and this is a cinematography forum. If no-one responds to your question then that's probably your answer.

 

Angenieux must have made hundreds of different zooms over the years, including plenty for cine use in every gauge available. You seem to have a fair idea of this one's pros and cons already, why not give it a go and let us know how it goes. :)

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I haven't used that particular zoom, but I shoot an Angenieux 28-70 2.6-2.8 on a Nikon SLR. Just got some slides back and it was sharp and contrasty, especially stopped down to 5.6. Shot directly into the sun on a few frames and flare was minimal.

 

I haven't shot any video with it.

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Well you said yourself it's a rare lens made for still photography.. and this is a cinematography forum. If no-one responds to your question then that's probably your answer.

 

 

Great responses guys!!

 

Dom, thats exactly why I started this topic in the cinematography forum. Professional cinematographers have used photography still lenses for cinematography for decades! Even still lenses just as rare as my Angenieux 35-70mm f2.5. That said in general every professional cinematographer will tell you that "cinema lenses are for cinema and still photo lenses are for still photography" however there are a few exceptions and there are only a "handful" of photography still lenses that are the exception and used in motion picture cinematography.

 

Most of these still photography lenses used are either very fast (and rare) telephoto prime lenses (Nikon or Canon for example) or very exotic lenses such as fisheye lenses. An example is the Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 ED IF lens. Here is a photo of one used below with a Panavision camera and an interesting website on Nikon lenses used for cinematography for those that want to read more on still photo lenses used for cinematography. However the caveat is these still photo lenses need cine modification that usually involves adding seamless focus gear, de-clicked aperture movement and change of mount to PL mount.

 

 

But back to the Angenieux 35-70mm. Digital has become a "game changer" and has allowed still photo lenses and cinema lenses to BOTH work well with digital cinematography. Like I said before cinema lenses are the best but there are a few still photo lenses that can be used for DSLR HD and the Angenieux 35-70mm or Angenieux 28-70mm are such lenses. Here are the reasons:

 

 

Reasons why Angenieux 35-70mm zoom is perfect for HD (digital cinematography)

 

Works well with Canon EOS digital (with adapter)

fast f2.5 at the 35mm end

true parfocal zoom

clickless iris control, and the manual zoom, manual focus, and iris are all the correct direction for cinema

 

 

It is very rare to have a still photography zoom lense that is both parfocal AND has zoom, focus, and iris are all the correct direction for cinema but that is exactly what the Angenieux 35-70mm offers. Now is it as sharp as a Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 ZE (Canon)or ZF (Nikon) or Zeiss ZF.2 lenses primes? No, this Angenieux 35-70mm is softer so it would not be "as sharp" as Cooke, Zeiss or Angenieux Optimo motion picture lenses for 35mm motion picture. But for HD digital cinematography this Angenieux 35-70mm f2.5 is a fine cinema lense!

 

There are few places that will do cine-modification with still lenses such as Duclos Lenses on the USA West Coast and Century Optics. I spoke with Matt Duclos and I showed him my Angenieux 35-70mm lens who said it was just below that of the new Zeiss Planar ZE, ZF... lenses however he mentioned the color of the Angenieux glass would be beautiful!

 

I am aware of the limitations of using of using "still photo" lenses for cinematography (digital or film) but this Angenieux zoom is a rare exception and a much better choice to todays AF zoom and prime lenses such as Canon and Nikon normally used in HD DSLR.

 

Anand - thanks for chiming in BTW! As this this a cinematography forum let us know how it works on Nikon DSLR HD digital video I will do the same with Canon and lets post screen shots for everyone to see. We are probably the only ones with this rare Angenieux zoom so I am sure everyone is curious how these lenses hold up to todays still photo primes zoom with digital cinema!

 

Century Optics/ Scheneider Optics

https://www.schneide...y.aspx?CID=1100

 

Cine vs Still Photo lenses

http://matthewduclos...vs-cine-lenses/

 

 

 

 

 

nikon_300f2EDIF_1992_close800775.jpg

 

Nikon lenses used in cinematography

 

http://www.company7....kon_0300f2.html

Edited by Rob Sanders
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi.. I have the Angenieux 35-70 and I use it on 5d mark II and (soon) on 5d mark III.

 

I have compared it with Canon 24-70 f2.8 L (first version) and Canon 24-105 f4 L and the Angenieux was the winner in sharpness, detail and colour.

 

I think this is one of the best zoom lenses you can use to make videos with Canon EOS cameras.

 

Giacomo

Italy

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Hi.. I have the Angenieux 35-70 and I use it on 5d mark II and (soon) on 5d mark III.

 

I have compared it with Canon 24-70 f2.8 L (first version) and Canon 24-105 f4 L and the Angenieux was the winner in sharpness, detail and colour.

 

I think this is one of the best zoom lenses you can use to make videos with Canon EOS cameras.

 

Giacomo

Italy

 

 

 

Giamomo from Italy thank you for chiming in! Now we have three digital cinematographers in this thread that shoot with the Angenieux 35-70mm f2.5 / 28-70mm f2.6 zoom lenses. Most of my favorite movie directors are from Italy....Federico Fellini, Sergio Leone, Michelangelo Antonioni, Bernardo Bertolucci... and more, so many genius movie directors from Italy!!

 

Your results have matched mine, the Angenieux 35-70 / 28-70 zoom rivals that of Canon L zooms in that zoom lens range with sharpness, detail and colour. I have shot with the Canon 24-105 f4L zoom. As I mentioned before as for HD cinematography the Angenieux has iris control, manual zoom, and manual focus are all the correct direction for cinema. Its very rare for SLR zooms to have this as most SLR zooms lens have a backwards direction and have to be modified to go in the correct cinema direction.

 

Here is some more info and photos from "IndianaDinos"

http://eos-5d-markii.blogspot.com/2011/05/ang-35-70-f25-33.html

 

I also have the same kit: Angenieux 35-70mm f2.5, luxury wooden box (mine is red but it also came in black), velvet pouch, two lens hoods, manual...ect.

 

Hopefully one of us will have some time to post HD digital video examples for everyone with the Angenieux 35-70mm / 28-70mm with the Sony F3, Red One, Canon 5DMKII, MKIII , 7D , C100, C300...ect. and other Canon EOS HD cameras.

Edited by Rob Sanders
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  • 4 months later...

I really thank you Rob for your reply... but I am so far away from Fellini and Sergio Leone :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

However... yes, the Angenieux is a fantastic lens... I try to post here my last work, made with this lens:

 

 

Every shot on this work was made with Angenieux 35-70 (except the wide shots that I made on steadycam with a Walimex 14mm).

 

It was made at 720p 60fps (for slow motion) with Canon 5d mark III

 

I hope you will like it. :rolleyes:

 

(the work was made for the new Coca-cola contest on eYeka... the same where I won the first prize last year ;) )

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi guys

 

Just to tell you that I put my Angenieux 35-70 on sale.

 

It is on eBay:

http://pages.ebay.it/help/sell/maximumPP_FAQ.html

 

 

I sell it because I don't use it so much (because I am used to shoot with fixed lenses)

 

It is in perfect conditions and it comes with original box and original hood.

 

Feel free to contact me for any informations! ;-)

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