mercer

Thanks Dustin... empty woods and a deserted campground definitely has a chilling feel to it when you’re by yourself shooting.

@canonlyme thanks I prefer a more muted look like 70s/80s films. But most people prefer the pop of a vibrant, saturated image. I believe the Minolta 28mm f/2... the MD version not the MC version has a CRC floating element for sharpness. The MC lenses have a more dreamy effect where I find the MD lenses have a more modern look to their rendering. But I am a lazy operator and usually shoot everything wide open with a variable ND and I usually use cheap ones because I haven’t noticed that much of a difference in sharpness between cheapies and expensive ones. I also only use variable NDs that have hard stops at either end. So I use the Bower brand for their price, hard stops and very neutral color cast. Well, these cameras are known for their sharpness and I downscale 4K to 1080p for easier editing... so that will make it even more sharper. I actually like softer videos. Quick question... with Canon in your name, why not shoot Canon?

Here’s another video shot on the GX85 primarily with the MD 28mm f2... and a few shots with a Cosmicar 25mm f1.9 c-mount... Looking back at it, it’s way too saturated in most of the shots, but again, it should give you an idea of that lens on the GX85.

It’s on eBay but I only sell in the US. For the amount that eBay and PayPal take from a sale, and for the price of the lens, it’s not worth the paperwork to sell it overseas. If you’re looking for a great Minolta prime, look out for the MD 28mm f/2. I shot this with it on the NX500. I was going for a muted, vintage look, so it isn’t tradition Minolta colors and contrast but it will give you an idea of the lens’ characteristics. There’s also a shot or two from the 24-35mm... the ones of the boardwalk binoculars.

Although it’s fun to experiment with different lenses, for the cost of a 3 day rental, you can be halfway to the cost of ai-s 35mm 1.4 or buy an ai-s 35mm f2 outright. Or it could be money towards a Zeiss 50mm 1.4 ZF.2 which has been reviewed as being pretty close to superspeeds for a still lens. Sure the Otus will blow away those older Nikkors and the ZF.2 but in the end, the owned lens will be a better investment.

I like the desaturated background. Are you saying that the shot is too sharpened and noisy to begin with, or commenting how ML Raw turns off sharpening? Of course, I think I left sharpening at default in Resolve before I converted to ProRes.

Interesting... goes to show you that almost any lens can look good under the right circumstances. I believe the “Beercan” refers to a Minolta A mount zoom. And finally yes, the 24-35mm is awesome. That’s one of the lenses I have up for sale that I regret selling before it’s even sold. I may end up keeping it for Canon Mirrorless though. It’s such a nice little lens on aps-c... basically a 35-50mm... my favorite range. With a Speedbooster on m43 it would be about the same. Actually it probably makes more sense on m43 with a Speedbooster because it turns the kinda slow f/3.5 into a modest f/2.5.

Those are photographs and not 4K screengrabs, right? Either way, they look nice. The motorcycle looks great. Do you have the MD 50mm or the MC PG? I have the latter and I paid $35 for it and it is one of the best lenses I’ve ever owned... especially in B&W. As I said before, I don’t even own a camera that I can use the majority of my Minolta lenses with. But buying one for them sounds like a better idea than selling the lenses... lol.

120p in a 30p timeline? That must’ve been some fast snow.

@canonlyme I prefer the last one the most, which I assume is a Minolta. 3 and 4 seems to render the OOF areas differently, so my guess is that’s the Soligor, or maybe the Beercan? And then the first one has a warmer tonality than MC/MD Minolta lenses usually have, so I’d guess that one is either the Soligor or the Beercan as well? They all look pretty nice though.

Yeah, I definitely need the paint by numbers version of this color conversation.

Matt, I always look forward to your posts because there’s a possibility you are working on a film with a different camera. The interesting aspect is that you really find that narrative sweet spot with every camera you use. The Rokinons are interesting and I’ll be keeping an eye out for them but my only concern is that they seem like they’re big chunk of lenses? Nah, I like the grade it fits with the warm music and location... I just wasn’t sure if the 50mm Rokinon was warmer in tone. For instance, I recently sold my beloved Nikkor 35mm 1.4 because it was just too damn warm... which would have been fine but it didn’t really match my other Nikkor lenses... I ended up spending too much time correcting the images shot with it. I tend to be very intimate with my actors when I shoot. In my films, the camera is a character or narrator, so I prefer to be in the mix of the scene... so anything too wide or too long just doesn’t work for my aesthetic.

Hey Parker, nice work and thanks for the reply. Since switching to FF and back to a Canon DSLR, a lot of my lenses just haven’t worked the way I was used to with aps-c or Micro 4/3... 28mm lenses were my go to focal lengths but now they’re just a bit too wide for most of my compositions. 35-58mm is the sweet spot for me and I could shoot an entire film with one lens in that range. Now I’ve read that the Rokinons are neutral in tone but your video seems warm... was that a grading choice?

I think Mark is saying he has like a half an hour to get in and out, so extra lighting will have to be minimal. I think he does the photos and video... so he basically has enough time for a walkthrough.

Question about Nikkor lenses... a lot of the ai-s lenses were in production for 25 years and some still are nearly 40 years after their release. With the advancements in coatings and manufacturing, has anyone noticed any difference in rendering or sharpness between the earlier serial numbers opposed to the later ones?

Thanks @Matt Kieley I’ve always loved your work! That Snapshots video looked amazing! That may be one of the best NX1 videos I’ve seen... I never knew you had one. The 24mm, 35mm and 50mm intrigue me the most... but I would probably just get one, so the 50mm is at the top of the list if I decide to give it a go. I briefly had the 12mm and 21mm cine versions for micro 4/3 and honestly liked the lenses more than I liked Micro 4/3... lol. If you can find anything from the 50mm, that would be awesome.

Yeah, I read about the switch. And that AF is reasonably fast for an old AF lens, but it’s very noisy. With my current USM lenses, I’ll sometimes push AF to get my original mark and then I’ll manually work focus. I assume with this lens, I’ll just do all manual... not the end of the world. Thanks, I hadn’t even heard of the lens until about a week ago, so to learn that you own it is invaluable.

Yeah, Pentax, Minolta, Canon and Nikon have always tried to make their lenses match one another at the very least in color. And I think Minolta was a stickler about that. That 85mm is a tough get and pretty pricey. According to the Pentax Lens Database, the f/1.8 version is slightly better but also a little more expensive. I look forward to seeing what you get with it. The first K Mount versions were labeled simply SMC Pentax and they are all the same exact lens designs as the Takumars... minus the Thorium. So you may be able to find one of those to match if you need to.

Thanks, maybe I’ll make it a poster for the film... or part of a collage poster. I really like how those two guys on IG process their photos... Sebastian Kortman and Max Mesch... there’s a dark and clean modern look to some of their images. So I’ve been working on that a little because I think that “look” fits the dark tone of my film... but honestly I still haven’t figured it out yet... I think maybe they have some green in their mids Anyway, of all of my lenses I’ve used, the Canon 35mm f2 IS lens seems to be the easiest path to that look. Of course I think they shoot fuji but I’d imagine they’re shooting raw.

Thanks, I’ve been working hard at improving my craft. Now if I could just find some actresses. But seriously, I am so happy I stopped chasing these 4K cameras. I was never happy with the results. And spending time with one camera for nearly a year now has taught me so much. I’m hoping the 20-35mm will have a decent focus ring since it’s an L lens but in reality with those wide angles, it’s not like I’ll be racking focus or anything... so as long as it holds focus and doesn’t drift... I should be good. I just sold my Canon 24-70mm f/4 and although it was on the slow side, it’s an amazing lens... but since I’m a one man band hobbyist filmmaker, a $700 lens just didn’t make sense. I’ll probably end up building a small set of Canon lenses and a small set of f/2 Nikkors and then I’ll keep a small handful of my favorite lenses... like the Minolta 35mm 1.8 and my Tokina 24-40mm. Hmm, I never knew that about Call me by your Name... nor have I seen it. Thanks for the info... I’ll check it out. And thanks for the lens tips. I’ve had a Zeiss 50mm 1.7 but I think I may have had a bad copy because I didn’t get any of that signature 3D Pop that lens is known for. How about Rokinon/Samyang cine Lenses... are they supposed to have a modern look? I know they have some character, which is good, but I’m looking for that clean, sharp modern feel. I already have plenty of lenses for vintage type looks. Anyway thanks for your help and post some more stuff from your F3... love that camera. If I didn’t need to be inconspicuous when I film, that camera would definitely be on my radar. Every time I try and build a Takumar set, I just cannot find 50mm 1.4 that isn’t yellowed. I don’t thing the 55mms have that problem... but what’s a set of Takumars without the 50mm 1.4.

I was actually referring to the 20-35mm EF version but it’s probably a very similar lens design... maybe even identical. But yeah, this is definitely my thought process. In fact, I could see myself shooting an entire short film with just one lens. Now the problem becomes... which lens. I am looking for a very modern clean prime lens between 35-50mm. I’d love a 50 or 35mm 1.4 Sigma Art but I don’t want to pay that kind of money... any suggestions? I’d love some Leica’s, but as you know... they can be pretty pricey... do you have the 50mm f2 Summicron? For now I am going to roll with my Canon lenses. Hopefully this zoom will be good. I’ve been editing a scene from my short that I shot with the 35mm f2 and I really just love that lens. The color needs a little work yet, but the lens is just special...

Thanks @noone I found one for less than $300 and although 35mm is one of my favorite focal lengths, it still covers the wider range I would never really buy. For car interiors and other tight spaces, it should do me well. And from what I understand it matches color of other EF lenses?

Yup. I saw a little moiré but it could be YouTube’s compression. A nice downscale to 1080p will clean most of that up anyway.

I don’t know... for some reason there is this notion that Canon should not release products that will make money because the consumers can buy something better for similar money? Then the consumer should go out and do just that. Why is it Canon’s fault that people don’t do their research? But also, for the cost, I don’t know if there is really that much better on the market. It’s a beginner’s, aps-c, 18mp DSLR that will shoot Raw photos and HD video. I love Nikon colors but their cheap DSLR’s aren’t the most user friendly for video. And I must assume that this Canon will be as good as, or better than, a t2i. What more does a beginner need?

I get your point but is a metal mount really going to save any fallen entry level dslr from destruction? Unfortunately, we live in a disposable world I like these cheapo cameras. I almost bought a D3400 around Christmas when you could get a kit for $300. I’d like to see what people can do with these limited features.