Let's not get carried away with the optic discussion as most $500 photo lenses perform marvelously.

You do not need the so-called "high end" glass to get high-end results becuase the "low end"glass performs miracles.

Sure, but pulling focus is a pain with still camera lenses, and if you use EF lenses, focus settings may or may not repeat, and with any still lenses, you've got steppy iris rings that make it impossible to adjust it smoothly as part of a camera movement.

And then there is the focus breathing that makes no difference in still photography but forces you to create workarounds when shooting video.

The above video lens kits have taken care of all those problems.

If you bring $20k worth of glass to a shoot on Canon 7D or 5D then there is something wrong with the logic here...

I had some input on these prime lenses today.

1) From our local lens fanatic: These are not matched lenses. Procede with caution, you could do your dough. A set of matched primes should at least all be the same T stop.

2) From someone with a 1D who bought a set: They're garbage. The CA is horrid.

Bob.

Which one?

Are you talking about the RED kit (presumably not?), Band Pro's Mystery prime kit, or the Zeiss kit?

I believe the one that was being discussed was the "ZE" series, if that makes any sense.

It's certainly a bit confussed and I've not followed this through very carefully. The manufacturers in this area seem to go to some lengths to confound potential customers. If I've not got it muddled up Zeiss appear to have made a set of primes for still cameras and also they or someone else are fitting Canon mounts to a set of primes originally released in PL mount. Certainly both comments related to a set of primes made by Zeiss to fit Canon cameras, definately nothing to do with lenses made for the Red.

My general feeling is buying lenses at these pricepoints should always involve the option to return them for a no questions asked refund based on independant testing.
I certainly don't want to spread any undue FUD rather just put a bit of a damper on what could be unwarranted enthusiasm. Paying to get lenses tested isn't cheap but it is compared to what they cost. It does seem that you can get lucky and buy cheap lenses that are a true bargain and someone else can buy the exact same and get a set of lemons or a mixed bag. Quality control seems to be a large part of the cost of the real top shelf optics.

Bob.

If you bring $20k worth of glass to a shoot on Canon 7D or 5D then there is something wrong with the logic here...

Why? Is that worse than a $10K HD camera with a $1K lens? And if the glass is rented, the cost is negligible compared to all the other stuff in a production budget.

If you want the contrast rendition that the large formats offer, the next step up from the $2,500/$1,500 5D/7D is the $17,500 RED One which matches the 7D's sensor size but falls short of the much bigger 5D sensor.

My general feeling is buying lenses at these pricepoints should always involve the option to return them for a no questions asked refund based on independant testing.

Amen to that, but renting is the safest of all, if you take the time to get the lenses tested each time (which is key for larger productions).

What impressed me the most at Panavision's HQ in Woodland Hills (besides the happy horses in the corral across the street :O) was the way they meticulously check out and test every camera body and lens before each rental. Nothing is left to chance, no waiting for a trouble report, and that is a real part of what you pay for.

This is a timely thread for me.

I have an EX1 at work with all the accessories (lights, sticks, glidecam rig, wireless mics etc). But I've been looking at doing some freelance projects and want to do that "bigger" look for them (I have a lovely little SONY HD Handycam which does a good job - it's just a lot of effort to keep the image from blowing out (and interlacing is a hassle).

I rented a T2i from a local shop since I have some Canon lenses for my Rebel XSi. The T2i is like a mini 7D with far superior video. That said, there are definitely some limitations. I loved that I could shoot WAY zoomed in and get get resolution out of a 300mm (480mm equiv) lens. I loved being able to shoot with my EF-S 11-16mm Tokina...shooting at 11mm is a bit surreal, but would have its uses. The big hassles are zooming (which I rarely do except for twitch-cam style shooting anyway), pulling focus (erg!), and the audio really requires an external recorder and sync up in post (there's no way to turn of the AGC on the T2i, so if you're shooting in a variable environment (quiet/loud) you'll get pumping).

There are a lot of things you CAN do with these cameras, for sure, but caution: to really be able to do all the "video" things you expect, you'll be spending extra money to add the functionality (especially audio) that they don't just have. They are, after all, still cameras with video capability.

My two bits: for the hassle of shooting stills with video cameras, you can expect roughly the inverse amount of hassle shooting video with a still camera.

As for me, a week of noodling around with the T2i has impressed me. Full 30p and 24p video is impressive...but still not as impressive as the stills it produces with good glass. It's tempting, but...

...I think that a Canon HF S20, Panasonic TM700, or SONY CX550V might be more suitable for my lower demand needs in these smaller projects (though I still can't believe SONY dump zebra stripes on the 550V...I mean, WTH?!). And OT: if you haven't seen the imagine stabilization ton the CX550V...go to a SONY store and take a look. It's like voodoo.

Today, a new PL mount prime lens kit from 18 to 100 mm with all f/1.4 primes, mmmm...

These lenses are superior to any lenses Band Pro’s team of experts has yet seen

After much anticipation, Band Pro is proud to introduce Leica Summilux-C lenses – a groundbreaking new line of PL mount primes designed to deliver ultra-high optical performance for film and digital capture.

Sounds pricey, but there is no question that the latest generation of cameras has breathed new life into the world of optics.

...and here are comparison test notes for just about every lens that can be put on a 5D, quite useful information:

Hurlbut Visuals

...and field notes on 5D camera stabilization for music video and military shoots.

Shane confirms what I have seen, that the 5D produces more subtleties than the 7D.

It's those subtleties that I have always appreciated in larger format still cameras and appreciate today (at a lower level) in my 2/3" video camera.

From a Canon rep quoted above re Canon vDSLR shooting:

Always set the camera to spot meter for video. Something about spot meter makes the video circuit play nice with the lower 1/3 of the signal range… AKA less noise and macro blocking.

[Adobe RGB is a bigger color space (about 50% bigger) than sRGB, which was meant to be a lowest common denominator for the PC CRT monitors commonly available in 1996.]

Comparison

For those that may have missed this elsewhere:

House season finale shot on Canon 5D!

Can't wait to see this!

- Ray
Underground Planet

That is a big WOW!

I marked the evening of May 17 in my calendar...

This show has put quite a bit of work into developing their look also, using GenArts Sapphire to effect a very subtle glow on the white lab coats, and a number of other little details.