Red Pro Prime Lenses

[Giray Izcan]

Hello everyone,

I have a shoot coming up on 35mm. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with RPPs. Are they any good in terms of resolution, witness marks, etc.? Thanks in advance.

[Dom Jaeger]

I've serviced a few sets, they're very sharp but DoPs tell me they have ugly flare and bland character, and from the little tests I've done I agree. According to the ShotOnWhat site they were used on Contagion and Lockout, but serious productions generally seem to avoid them. They're what happens when lens designers chase numbers like high MTF scores but are blind to the subtler challenges of a pleasing image.

 

The build is pretty solid (very heavy) but the focus markings are poor, the witness mark is overly thick and I've noticed the wides tend to develop backlash in the focus mechanism. Some people get Duclos to add focus marks or rescale them. They should be quite cheap to rent I imagine.

[Giray Izcan]

Dom,

Thanks for your response. I heard that 18mm lens doesn't clear the mirror shutter. Are RPPs even compatible with Arri 35mm cameras? Thank you.

[Matthew Rogers]

Dom,

Thanks for your response. I heard that 18mm lens doesn't clear the mirror shutter. Are RPPs even compatible with Arri 35mm cameras? Thank you.

I've owned a set for almost 5 years now and for the price they were impossible to beat-It's a different story now (but everything changes with time, right?) I would agree that the flare is not all that great. I don't think they are bland, just very neutral. The witness marks are dead on if the camera is backfocused correctly, but on digital, witness marks are less useful since it doesn't have the leeway that film has.

 

No, the 18mm doesn't clear anything with a physical shutter. It sticks out quite a bit.