Thomas J Tyler

Has anyone had the opportunity to test the new Zeiss 21-100mm (T2.9-3.9) vs Fujinon 20-120mm (T3.5)? Most of my glass is Zeiss, so I'm leaning that way, but I do like having a few more MM pushing me to the telephoto side of things. I also prefer the constant T-stop of the Fuji. Either lens, I'd be buying PL mount, no attached motors, so the price is only a $2500 difference (retail). I'm considering both as more of a run and gun zoom for day to day use. Anyone had any sharpness issues or similar? Positive or negative experiences? I put hands on both, but only in their respective demo booths, so no real bench testing or side by side comparison. The online reviews for both seem great, looks like the Zeiss loses the T-Stop throughout the zoom range, pretty consistently after 70mm. The Fuji drops off a bit in the last few MM of the zoom. Thanks in advance for any input.

I film an occasional stunt sequence, and I can recommend a few stunt coordinators if that helps you out. They will have all the proper training, and assist with both gear selection, rigging and safety. Jeff Wilhelm & Mark M Mosier are both fantastic folks to reach out to on FB. Happy to answer a question or point you to another local stunt coordinator. Plus those guys have been in the business for so long, they can actually help improve your shooting, as they have shot many, many, sequences in the past.

Thanks Mark & Tyler, I appreciate the critiques. I can respond to the cinematography, other than giving suggestions in color, I had nothing to do with post. Tyler- We shot at 120 degree shutter for the higher speed movements in the first combat sequence. On the second fight, we shot at 180 shutter, We were intentionally using the blur to hide some of the stunt gags, as every stunt was shot practically. We didn't have a ton of latitude to play with shutter , we had to shoot the film with and additional 3 stops of ND on the lens so we could quickly go from 24fps to 180fps by just removing the ND. In hindsight, I should have gone with a faster shutter and cut down on the fog to get the desired effect, we were a little heavy handed with the fog to hide our stuntman (The actor did not do many of the stunts) As far as the close ups in combat, that was my choice, our stunt folks were very talented and I wanted to do as little to take away from their performances. The first sequence with the ultra wide gimbal shot was for me, I wanted to keep as wide as possible, avoid cutting, and show the audience we weren't hiding anything. In the second fight sequence we went tighter and faster to try to push the thought that the character was learning to fight. Much more traditional close ups and quick cuts. Mark- The warehouse was not our first choice, but it worked with our budget (near zero), it was an industrial space that was previously an old " and dime". I really wanted the brick walls and grew to love the wood floors. The high ceilings for lighting and the stunt pulls was a big extra. I agree we could have done a bit more on the audio, but as you said, not my department. Thanks again guys!

Passion project, that I DP'd about 7 minutes long. Spiderman Lives: A Miles Morales story. Let me know what you think of the camera, lighting and action. http://www.spidermanlives.com/ or YouTube @

I own a set of the new CP.2s 25mm & 135mm at T2.1 and the Super speeds at 35, 50 & 85mm at T1.5. - The entire set was in the$25K range, Which I think was pretty fantastic. I can say the newer CP.2 lenses are much sharper (for better or worse) than the older Zeiss CP.2 lenses, at identical aperatures. Zeiss says all of theirs lenses are optically identical - that's a statement about their color matching and coatings. Technically anything in the CP or ZF families are "matched". The biggest noticable difference if we are talking ZF lenses is the focus ring. Nothing you do will let you roll focus as easily, accurately, and smoothly on the still lenses. The questions is where you want to spend your money. You know your clients, your work and your wants. Gear purchase roulette, we all play it and then we eventually pull the trigger. I did a bunch of testing in my own workflow. I'm a fan of the Cooke lenses but they were significantly more expensive (and backordered for quite a while), the Schneider Xenons stacked up nicely, but at the time of my purchase nothing beyond 100mm and they were a big pricier for a few objective differences over Zeiss. I went Zeiss because the previous generation worked well for me in the past. I work in a mostly Sony, Raw/S-log work flow, I felt I was getting the best tools for my style of shooting. Also, Please buy your lenses a nice case - no matter which you decide on.

I bought the 16x9Cine (Brand) lens PL to E mount, it has a nice adapter to the 15mm rails for heavier lenses. (Abelcine out of NY has nice pics on their website) Holds my Zeiss 135mm very well, doesn't appear to be any stress on the camera body. I've seen people using the Vocas adapter as well, seems well built. Good luck

JFlack, I have to ask, what lenses you are using? My Fs7 setup uses some fairly stubby primes (Zeiss CP.2) has no problem with the viewfinder. Even my Nikon lenses are OK because the adapter pushes them forward. Comparing the Alexa and the Fs7, that's like comparing vinyl in a Wrangler, to Leather in a Rolls Royce, they both get the job done, but one is much more comfortable. Both cameras (most video cameras ) lose audio in Over/under crank. You can easily hot key a shutter angle. One button, spin wheel, new shutter angle. It has a nearly identical menu to the F5/F55, except no cool side panel. Seems like you need to spend more time with the camera, or the manual. Either way, nothing you do the Fs7 will make it an Alexa although, with some tweaking (and the new firmware), you can get pretty close to the F55. As with all things, personal preference wins, Not many people love the Sony button layout, we learn to adapt ourselves, and our tools. Especially if our clients cannot spring for the Alexa. Joe