» Posts Tagged ‘lens’
The popular Tokina 11-16 F2.8 has now received the royal ‘cinema’ treatment with complete manual control, de-clicked aperture, pitched and calibrated to a T3. In addition, Tokina also introduces some new glass, get all the info directly from the floor at NAB 2013 from FreshDV: More »
It’s been an exciting week so far, with announcements to please and shock just about everyone. With camera technology changing every time we turn our backs, it’s hard to keep up — but quality glass is built to stay. Read on for the latest lens tech and a concise round-up of the new lenses that showed their faces at NAB 2013. More »
The days when Canon made its prized quality lenses separately for either its bizarre HDV psuedo-progressive imaging camcorders (remember those?) or its high-res digital stills cameras are gone — having bled into the present day. Now, its lenses have a significant stake in the production of 4K digital cinema, and its Cinema CN-E EF-mount line of compact prime lenses will be fully rounded out by a just-announced 35mm prime, due out before the close of the year (that makes six lenses now: 14, 24, 35, 50, 85, 135). Furthering the same professional motion picture mission, Canon has also announced free firmware/software upgrades for automated functions such as Push Autofocus, as well as professional-grade ACES pipeline support for color management. Some updates apply to different cameras than others, so check below for more details. More »
Are you DIY-minded and looking for some useful and simple tutorials? I recently stumbled across Ted Ramasola’s modest website which has a lot of simple step-by-step DIY projects that come in the form of a single JPG image. One of the things that separates Cinema Lenses from still lenses are the de-clicked aperture rings that allow for micro exposure adjustments, as well as the ability to do smooth iris pulls during a take. The older manual Nikon still lenses are a popular choice amongst DSLR shooters, and here is a method for performing a little surgery to de-click the lens. Check out the tutorial below: More »
Sick of lens flares yet? Well apparently people are still catching up, and small companies like Dog Schidt Optiks seem to be able to continue to find a market for themselves. If the name doesn’t do it for you, maybe the lenses will. Dog Schidt is a small company out of England making niche lenses aimed towards photographers and video shooters who want to add some unique character to their images. Boasting sharpness, interesting lens artifacts, and a working process that promises “no two lenses are the same,” jump through for a video and more info: More »
There are now more options than ever for good professionally built lenses, and many of them are exceptionally fast. None of them are perfect at their widest aperture (well, a few come as close as possible), but there are times when you just need that extra stop or two of light, even if you might normally be shooting more closed down. SALT, the Southland Alternative Lens Test, is conducted by a group of professionals who test a wide range of lenses against each other in difficult situations, trying to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each set of lenses. The most recent test, WFO, is specifically designed to push lenses like Master Primes, Zeiss Super Speeds, and Canon Cine lenses at their widest aperture to see how well they perform. Check out the test below. More »
The Kish Optics lenses for the Digital Bolex D16 were unveiled not too long ago, and they are designed to be as inexpensive and sharp as possible for the new camera. The way the team is accomplishing that feat is by making them fixed focal length and fixed f-stop lenses (10mm, 18mm, and 38mm f/4). So while you won’t have as much flexibility as with your DSLR lens, they should be sharper for less money. Jared Abrams at Wide Open Camera got his hands on the lenses, and was actually able to test them on a GH3 — even though the Micro 4/3 imager is a bit larger than the Super 16mm size they were designed for. More »
Blackmagic Cinema Camera, RED EPIC, and Arri Alexa RAW Camera Test Part 1: IR Pollution
If you’ve been using a newer large sensor digital cinema camera, you may have noticed that your image takes on more reddish tones when using increased neutral density filtration. This is related to the way many of these ND filters block visible light, but let in more infrared light which can pollute the image. We’ve seen a few examples showing what IR pollution can do, and today, we have a video comparing RAW cameras, specifically the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Arri Alexa, and RED EPIC, and how each of them handles black cloth when using IR cut filters of different strengths along with increased ND filtration.
This is a guest post by Cinematographer Ryan E. Walters. More »
It sounds like hyperbole, but it’s not. For a limited time, you can get Canon and Nikon lenses from B&H Photo Video at record-breakingly low prices. It may be a bit soon to call it the ‘sale of the century,’ but B&H is now offering up to $350 in savings on Nikon lenses, and as much as $300-$400 in savings on Canon lenses and flashes due to manufacturer-mandated discounts. So what are you waiting for? Read on for the links below. More »
When considering lens options for purchase or rental, certain criteria may stand out to you more than others. This depends on what you shoot most often, or what a project demands. Perhaps as a run-and-gun doc shooter, you simply need the extra stop you get with one 85mm lens for the same price as another that doesn’t vignette as badly. Or you gave up a contrast performance you really preferred in favor of the IS lens of greater overall value. But what if money were no object, and focal length and speed were matched? An aspect you’d find yourself evaluating closely is the way each handles its bokeh, or de-focused areas of the image. DigitalRev’s latest Battle of the Bokeh is a comparison between Canon, Nikon, and Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lenses in precisely this spirit — with some unexpected results. More »
What good is a camera without lenses, especially those designed specifically to take advantage of the format? Digital Bolex has settled on the final design for the body of their D16 camera, which has a Kodak Super 16mm-sized sensor, but they’ve been in development on some low-cost but extremely sharp lenses to go along with the body (designed by Kish Optics). These lenses are probably unlike anything you’ve ever used before, as they are fixed focal length and fixed aperture lenses. Prime lenses with one aperture setting, you say? Absolutely, and they’ve also got a pretty ingenious way of focusing these lenses that will have you running and gunning in no time. More »
Not long ago, we shared some footage of the ‘birth’ of Nikon Nikkor lenses along with some of the basics of lenses in general. The question that follows is one of proper maintenance, both on and off set. Whether you own lenses yourself or you’re getting into camera department work, there are some practices considered standard protocol for keeping your glass clean. Below, professional AC Evan Luzi of The Black and Blue demonstrates how he cleans lenses on set, as well as what supplies an AC should keep on hand for doing so. Plus, if you are a lens kit owner, DIY Photography has some tips for preventing fungus from turning your optical glass into an accidental petri dish. More »
Not all glass is created equal. Some is shaped into things you drink out of. Some becomes windows, windshields, and portholes. And some become the tools you use every day to create beautiful images. Something as insanely resolute as 4K (or even 8K) broadcast and stereoscopic 48fps can only look so good with a junk piece of glass placed between the medium and the image — which can also work great if that’s the type of look you’re going for. Given all this, the birds and the bees of how lenses are made — and function, down to the basics — is definitely something many of us take for granted. More »
Blackmagic Joins the Micro 4/3 Barbecue: is an Active MFT Mount Cinema Camera Cooking?
Just a few short months ago, it was announced that the Blackmagic Cinema Camera would be receiving a Micro 4/3 lens mount option alternative to its original Canon EF mount. Granted, for those of us still waiting on the BMCC to ship, a few short months is no stretch of time to merely shrug off — particularly when the mount announced was to be a “passive” or “dumb” one, meaning electronic control would not be supported for smart MFT lenses. There’s been speculation that this would change — and given Blackmagic’s recent addition to the consortium of companies aligned with the official Micro 4/3 standard, this speculation seems less outlandish than ever. More »
Ever wondered what format, camera model, lens type, finishing format, lens manufacturer, etc. was used to create a certain film? You may have found yourself punching in IMDb as your default movie trivia database, and you may have found some or all such information in the film’s technical specs page — or you may not have. While IMDb has a lot of other coverage to keep itself occupied logging (particularly cast and crew lists), you may find yourself wanting a more detailed and dedicated technical breakdown — enter ‘ShotOnWhat?‘ More »
At this point, solid state image sensors have matched or exceeded film in a lot of ways, including light sensitivity, responsiveness to shadow detail, and overall dynamic range — but that doesn’t mean our chips aren’t susceptible to certain problems previously avoided by the nature of emulsion. Indeed, ‘sensitivity’ nowadays means something different altogether — and with the virtual necessity of neutral density filters as a result, this often means vulnerability to infrared pollution. Unless you like shooting at f/22 or you’re already using the Aaton Penelope Delta, you may also require an IR filter with your ND. AbelCine has recently shared a great rundown of which cameras suffer the most from IR pollution — and what filters work best to correct each. More »
Kevin Good over at CrisisLab has recently published a comparison of both higher end (Canon and Nikon) and less expensive (Sigma and Tamron) lenses common for various types of DSLR shooting — 24-70mm f/2.8 zooms. The test compares overall clarity, both at the center of each lens as well as at the edges, the quality of bokeh, the amount of vignetting, and the ability for internal optical image stabilization. The results of each test were weighted against the going price for each lens, in order to determine which possesses the best overall value. Read on to check out the video — and which lens may have the most bang for your buck. More »
We’ve all been there… it’s the twelfth hour, and you’re Cam Op or DP on a skeleton crew that’s shooting on a DSLR. The director wants that organic, handheld, flowing look, and stopping just isn’t an option because the talent are in the zone. You’ve been shooting on the 50mm a little too much for your taste, and would love to try the 35mm or 85mm — but your lens bag might as well be on the moon with how fast things are moving (and with no AC). What do you do? Wouldn’t it be great if there was a tool to help with your quick run-and-gun filmmaking — to keep your lens choices literally at your fingertips? Well, with the Quikdraw, a new belt-side lens holder that’s seeking funding on Kickstarter, you can have the luxury of lens change speed with some added security. Click through to see a video of the system in action. More »
Samyang (also known as Rokinon in the U.S.), is adding to their cinema DSLR lens line with three new lenses, a 14mm T/3.1, 24mm T/1.5, and a 35mm T/1.5. Since Samyang’s lenses were already all manual lenses, it wasn’t too much of a stretch to add focus gears for a follow focus and declick the iris ring to allow for smooth exposure pulls. They have already released one cine-modded lens so far, the 8mm T/3.8. More »
There have been some developments in the m43 world as of late. The new Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95 lens was recently released along with a hands-on video by Seb Farges, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 takes on the Nikon D800 in a new shootout, and Gabriel Verdugo has been toiling to create a GH2 that uses a Polaroid lens: More »
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