M Joel W

Speed Racer (parts of it), Werewolf: the Devil's Hound (Realizing why they both reminded me of Citizen Kane – style and the subversive anti-corporate messages.)

Thanks again. That makes a lot of sense.

Thank you. Embarrassed to admit I meant something like 81EF or LLD when I wrote 80A. But the difference between 85 and 85B was my biggest source of confusion. Why can using two filters create a problem? And thanks again – I should have looked some of this up but your patience and knowledge are invaluable.

Thanks, David. I have IRNDs already. I just meant between 80A, 85B, 85, etc. I don't really know the difference well enough to know what to pick if I could only choose one filter or which would be used in what circumstances.

I'd also read this about Lubezki and have seen some scans before correction; I believe they were a few stops overexposed. I get the impression there's a lot of sense behind what he's doing but it's evolved over time with synergy between labs, colorists, etc. Those stills look great btw. If I'm to buy one 4x4 filter for film should I go with 80A, 85B, 85?

Don't have much to add, but following out of curiosity. I've heard of bouncing lights into black wrap or shooting through black fabric before for similar scenarios. Seems like the opposite idea but maybe not?

Thank you, David. I've also considered stopping down the vintage lens to t8 or t11 if I can get enough light on the stage so that the optical characteristics will be intact but the "softness" can be added in post. Then shooting a reference at t2.3, which is where I anticipate I'll shoot most of the show. The lenses have horrible curvature of field and a lot of flare but very little CA. But the curvature of field is so intense on the 28mm cine-xenon it might be worth renting a Sigma Art. I recently worked on a show with some green screen second unit inserts that I noticed were shot on anamorphic lenses to match anamorphic plates and spherical lenses to match spherical plates. I guess the single coatings on the cine-xenons would be my concern, that there would be a green cast over the entire image. Of course, I could also just not over-expose the green screen. What do you expose your green screen at? 18% gray through a spot meter?

I'm planning to shoot something with very old lenses (1950s/1960s Schneider Cine-Xenons and Cinegon) and there is a lot of green screen work mixed in, too. Would it be smarter to rent Sigma Art lenses or Rokinon lenses or something for those days and then achieve a "vintage look" in post? Would it make sense to shoot briefly with both so I could re-recreate the look in comp? Thanks!

Hi, I'm looking for the Canon-brand Wide Angle Converter for the Scoopic M. Canon-branded only please. Primary reason is to use it on the Scoopic M. Secondary reason is I want to try putting it on a 24mm FD L and see if it turns into an 18mm t1.5 K35. ?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nf2sm5pz4gjoz5r/IMG_1582 copy.jpg?dl=0 Recently serviced and not used since. Includes a few different plates. Really smooth tripod, but I need a larger one for my camera (Arri Alexa Plus and 300mm f2.0 Nikon). $700 plus shipping. Good deal I think.

Achromatic diopters are SOLD.

Panasonic EVA1 with 2X 64GB V90 SD Cards, 2X batteries, loupe: I bought this used and never really used it. I love the image from it. Not sure how many hours on it, but probably under 200. Missing the monitor shade, but I replaced it with a Kinotehnik loupe that cuts of the edge of the screen just a tiny bit. Includes two V90 cards from Angelbird. I'm sad to sell this camera, I feel it offers a tremendous value but I have no immediate use for it. Also throwing in some Wooden Camera AKS I never did much with. https://www.dropbox.com/s/5y3jmlk7h157nt7/IMG_1568.jpeg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/e190blbw5275gfd/IMG_1569.jpeg?dl=0 $2500 OBO. Schneider Series 9 Achromatic Diopters: I bought the wrong item. Don't know much about these. They're threaded. Nice case, VERY good condition. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ell93o9uj7ny7tn/IMG_1557.jpeg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/4tg9tqeujglyp85/IMG_1559.jpeg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/9wj69adz842eczh/IMG_1558.jpeg?dl=0 $200? OBO. Glidecam Tru Horizon: Better than the fals horizon. Excellent condition. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ltn95gko3w422v1/IMG_1556.jpeg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/pwzmvfsb6qzfsej/IMG_1555.jpeg?dl=0 $200 OBO. 135mm f2.0 FD in “user” condition: Sold this on eBay and had it returned. Mechanically it is good. But there are scratches on the paint and some deep scratches on the front element. However I did not find they had an effect on the image. YMMV. I thought there was no haze but I might see a hint of mild haze under the front element when it is hit at a certain angle, but I see something similar in virtually every FD lens I’ve used. If there’s internal dust it doesn’t show up in the bokeh. I found the optical performance good and very pretty. YMMV. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dd61b9i8iocrkf0/IMG_1513.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/wdhr7zg9z6zf5zd/IMG_1516.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/7gq2bwilpbu629i/IMG_1517.jpg?dl=0 $350 OBO. 25mm f2.8, 35mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8, 85mm f2.8, 135mm f4 Rollei Zeiss Lenses QBM Mount Real German Zeiss with great mix of performance and character. Similar to Contax and standard speeds optically (I’ve owned all three and compared them side-by-side), but with matching single coatings similar to Mk1 standard speeds and more of a consistent look imo than Contax. I love this set of lenses but own too many. Converts to EF mount nicely (I can include adapters). Nice condition. Focus is a bit stiff with all of these. Not too bad but not as smooth as my old Nikons or FD lenses. https://www.dropbox.com/s/6qfwxaj3z1ozo1g/IMG_1522.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/ghxf6rhpmikd1cm/IMG_1523.jpg?dl=0 $700! Crazy bargain.

The K3 is a bit of a mess – the lens has some fungus and something is collimated wrong along the way so that the image in the viewfinder is out of focus as you zoom out, but I am told by the last person who used it that it holds focus on film so they zoom in, focus, then zoom out. The gate looks a little rough and the loop formers have been removed (I think this might be necessary for an S16 conversion). Will take some pictures and PM you. Regardless, I know this isn't a good deal from my perspective but I bought both an LTR-X and K3 a year or two ago and haven't had time to use either! So I would gladly trade for a Nikon adapter and Arri bayonet adapter. (Lmk if you have any other AKS you don't need as I might be interested in those too.)

A year or two ago I believe I saw a few early XTR and late LTR packages sell for around $5k. Or in some cases less. There was a very basic XTR Prod package I think on LA craigslist for around $9k or $10k last year. I think it's more an issue of short supply rather than great demand. No one is in a rush to sell because it would be difficult to find another package down the line. So I think there's artificially low supply and it's kind of self-fulfilling. But at least to me that sounds like a reasonable price for an LTR package today. Maybe a bit more than that – but not much. If you want a K3 that was modified for S16 I have one that is in slightly dodgy condition that I'd let go of for next to nothing... and I know LA is full of rental S16 packages. And if anyone has an Aaton mount to Nikon mount adapter btw I'd be interested.... in fact I would trade the K3 for it.

This is so cool, thanks. I had no idea this existed. What's the widest lens available for S35? Is this it? I believe Century rehoused the Tegea with no other changes and by the look of things the adapter (0.7x presumably) this is bespoke for their rehousing? Or would it work with a regular Tegea? In my experience the Tegea is a dreadful performer wide open, almost like it has a Classic Soft filter on it, and with blue/yellow axial chromatic aberration similar to a Super Baltar. However it keeps lines remarkably straight for an ultra wide angle lens. This looks like a really fun lens. And of course it's not just the depth of field of an 6.8mm lens but the field of view too.

Zeiss S16 lenses are sold.

35mm FL and 35mm Cine-Xenon are sold. Zeiss super speed S16 lenses are on hold. Scoop up the FD 135mm f2.0 and Rolleis before I change my mind.

Sorry to revive a dead thread but have you compared 2.8K ARRIRAW with 2K ProRes4444? I've been working a lot recently with 2k, 3.2k, and 4k (UHD) and 4K+ LF open gate footage. And the difference in sharpness is less than I'd expect although LF footage is clearly sharper. But I haven't had the chance to compare side-by-side (of the same scene, that is) directly. Asking myself if the huge amount of effort that would go into shooting ARRIRAW is worth it. My preference is for a "softer" image but I also tend to use soft lenses (would shoot with standard speeds, cine-xenons, K35s, Lomo standard speed or LOMO anamorphic even though Rokinons look nice on Alexa to me too).

You can stack the cameras on top of each other somehow with a crazy rig. Or find a light that flickers at a certain hz and count the bands from it is what I think some places do.

+1 on post grain overlays being less colorful and that being the apparent subjective preference....

That's a good question. I don't have that background at all. I assume the grain (both size and amount) is governed by individual channel brightness, RGB to correlate with each layer. I think this isn't available for purchase anymore, but I would LOVE to get my hands on it and the author could probably answer any questions better than us here: https://www.matthiasstoopman.com/color-science From what I recall, both Nuke and After Effects have rather primitive grain emulations that work well for composited elements and I think Cinegrain or similar has been used on major features. Or maybe they're more complex than I realize. But they look good. Stock grain elements I do find very monochromatic. Years back I experimented with applying stock grain per-channel vs as a standard overlay. Mixed results.... That any sane person (average audience member) would probably not scrutinize as much as I did! What David says about film being composed of grain is a good point too. Less of an issue on color film scanned at 2K. But I shot some 3200 ISO black and white film and it has the feel of a dithered monochrome image. So might high speed S16 4K scans I imagine. I imagine that would be a difficult emulation to pull off.

It's measurably different using an algorithm that emulates grain vs using cinegrain – but this is a subjective medium. So to an extent it's futile getting mired in technical debates. If it feels right to you, that is what you are trying to convey to the audience. I am fairly confident there are bigger shows using both approaches to grain emulation. (I'd go algorithmic.)

I’m downsizing and selling some gear I have realized I likely won’t have the chance to use. I’m trying to make back what I paid, not make any more money. Reasonable offers will be considered. Schneider Cine-Xenon 35mm f2.0 in Arri Standard mount (pending sale): In very good condition. Recently serviced. The tab to slide between hard stops and smooth aperture ring is missing. Otherwise works great. Lovely vintage look with good center sharpness. But with swirly bokeh and curvature of field. I also have the 28mm and 40mm focal lengths and find this redundant. $375 plus shipping. https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ssyu1hp1z7njcn/IMG_1489.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/8i0f5gkhz70tuos/IMG_1491.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/dbr7my5nawr1pdq/IMG_1492.jpg?dl=0 35mm Canon f3.5 FL Converted to PL Mount: I bought this from a forum member. Beautiful tiny lens in great shape with a nice conversion. Mounts on Alexa despite wide mount. The FL lenses have golden coatings similar to Kowa Cine-Prominars. Very compact. Nice lens. https://www.dropbox.com/s/7cg5psxxgq3yf13/IMG_1499.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/acuytg4lz6rayyd/IMG_1500.jpg?dl=0 $350 plus shipping. 25mm t1.3 Mk1 Zeiss Super Speed for S16 w/ PL Mount Conversion: In very good shape. Semi-permanent PL mount conversion. (I can’t figure out how to remove it by hand but a lens tech should be able to.) Mechanics are good, optics are good. 80mm front. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ud706ii9bh47276/IMG_1501.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/9v124v88k08bzza/IMG_1502.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/5b5qhzwx5b86377/IMG_1504.jpg?dl=0 $1400 plus shipping. 12mm t1.3 Mk1 Zeiss Super Speed for S16 in AB Mount: I bought this from a forum member. In good shape optically and mechanically. I have two and don’t need this one. This is by far the nicer copy of the two I own. Easy to adapt to PL mount. 80mm front. https://www.dropbox.com/s/m7ddkpdk25fgjnx/IMG_1505.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/o6rf16bicaajf3n/IMG_1509.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/tqe3b48ai6t5hel/IMG_1510.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/0u8ouad25pwp4oj/IMG_1511.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/ny77ufe6ulgc1my/IMG_1512.jpg?dl=0 $1200 plus shipping. 135mm f2.0 FD in “user” condition: Sold this on eBay and had it returned. Mechanically it is good. But there are scratches on the paint and some deep scratches on the front element. However I did not find they had an effect on the image. YMMV. I thought there was no haze but I might see a hint of mild haze under the front element when it is hit at a certain angle, but I see something similar in virtually every FD lens I’ve used. If there’s internal dust it doesn’t show up in the bokeh. I found the optical performance good and very pretty. YMMV. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dd61b9i8iocrkf0/IMG_1513.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/wdhr7zg9z6zf5zd/IMG_1516.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/7gq2bwilpbu629i/IMG_1517.jpg?dl=0 $350 plus shipping. 25mm f2.8, 35mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8, 85mm f2.8, 135mm f4 Rollei Zeiss Lenses QBM Mount Real German Zeiss with great mix of performance and character. Similar to Contax and standard speeds optically (I’ve owned all three and compared them side-by-side), but with matching single coatings similar to Mk1 standard speeds and more of a consistent look imo than Contax. I love this set of lenses but own too many. Converts to EF mount nicely (I can include adapters). Nice condition. Focus is a bit stiff with all of these. Not too bad but not as smooth as my old Nikons or FD lenses. https://www.dropbox.com/s/6qfwxaj3z1ozo1g/IMG_1522.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/ghxf6rhpmikd1cm/IMG_1523.jpg?dl=0 $900 plus shipping. (I’ll throw in some EF mount adapters.) I also have (but have yet to photograph): Glidecam Tru Horizon $180 plus shipping excellent used condition Miller Compass 20 $700 plus shipping (recently serviced) Panasonic EVA1 kit $2700 plus shipping excellent used condition with two batteries missing monitor hood. Can add two V90 cards for another $100

In Arri standard mount, 10mm f1.8 does not, but in C mount it might? In Arri standard mount, 16mm f2.0 Cine-Xenon does not? But gets close? 16mm f2.0 cinegon I think does? Not sure about f1.4 cinegon (I'd guess it does) or C mount lenses. 25mm cine-xenon does. The 35mm format lenses (18mm f1.8 Cinegon, 28mm Cine-Xenon and up) do but 28mm 2.8 Cine-Xenon I think vignettes a bit on S35, but I still love it. (I think all the recent Cooke S3/S2s cover not just S35 but 3.2k Alexa!) If you want to buy a 35mm f2.0 Cine-Xenon pm me!

As others mentioned, the feel will be smoother and the resolution drop and grain grow more with post zooms. I also notice the depth of field getting shallower or feeling shallower with optical zooms vs post zooms. I think it's a pretty subjective choice what you can get away with if that's what you're wondering. If you're looking for tell-tell signs, smoothness, increasing grain size, and for me the depth of field not feeling shallower (or bokeh not being bigger perhaps is a more accurate way of putting this technically) is another sign on a long enough zoom. Sometimes you'll also get shifting distortion characteristics over the zoom range in an optical zoom.