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Nikkor 35mm 1.4 - a long, near useless review... with pictures


mercer
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4 hours ago, zerocool22 said:

Thanks!

These shots are great, I recognize the 5D look, which I do miss in newer camera's(hopefully the new R6, R5 will bring it back, allthough I am shooting with an alexa LF this weekend, I hope I dont fall madly in love with that camera ). These nikkor lenses have been on my radar for a long time, but never actually made the purchase. Had some back luck with vintage lenses before. (Still have my leica summicron-r lenses though). I might get these and compare it to the summicrons. (did the same with the zeiss contax, but liked the overal look and handling of the summicrons more, allthough the contax is a stop faster).

 

 

Thanks, after 3 years shooting with just the 5D3 and ML Raw, I'm still as enamored with it as I was the first day and haven't really scratched the surface of what the image is capable of. Once I removed  the need for 4K out of my brain, and accepted 1080p raw as a superior image to consumer level 4K, I stopped chasing rainbows.

If you don't fall madly in love with the LF, then there's probably something wrong with you. Lol.  My ultimate dream is to sell my film and make enough money to rent an Amira or Alexa Mini for an upcoming film. 

Leica Rs are beautiful lenses. They're a little out of my price range so I've never used one. I'd love to try the 50mm f/2 summicron or ultimately the 35mm f/2 one day.

There are so many vintage lenses that add a little extra to an image, IMO. For instance, Pentax Takumar lenses, from the 60s, still impress the hell out of me.

Nikkors lenses are great choices, though because there are plenty of options in their line up for every budget... as long as you don't mind the focus direction.

The 35mm 1.4 was considered one of their "professional" lenses marketed to photojournalists and street photographers. It even has 9 aperture blades as opposed to the traditional 7 blades that most of their lenses have. But the 35mm f/2 can be had for less than half the price and is a great lens as well. My first ML Raw test was shot with the 35mm f/2 and that lens led me to the 1.4. 

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EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

I've worked with more than one professional cameraman / DoP who uses the monopod in a belt pouch technique. With small cameras, all the way up to a C300 in this manner. 

 

On 2/14/2020 at 8:07 AM, mercer said:

If you don't fall madly in love with the LF, then there's probably something wrong with you. Lol.  My ultimate dream is to sell my film and make enough money to rent an Amira or Alexa Mini for an upcoming film. 


If you take long enough to make the film then you'll end up being able to outright buy an ARRI for your next film 😉

Not only is there the crazy talk of an ARRI Alexa Classic for as little as US$6K (or even, I know of one person who got one for only US$3.5K!!! Although I tend to see them usually up for sale for around US$7K to $8K+), but I have even seen an AMIRA sell for under US$15K!!

Working with an AMIRA currently on a film, wish I could own one!!
 

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16 hours ago, IronFilm said:

I've worked with more than one professional cameraman / DoP who uses the monopod in a belt pouch technique. With small cameras, all the way up to a C300 in this manner. 

 

Nah... I'm pretty sure I invented it. 🤪

16 hours ago, IronFilm said:

If you take long enough to make the film then you'll end up being able to outright buy an ARRI for your next film 😉

Haha... movies are not meant to be made by a one man crew. Lol. Thankfully, it's given me a lot of time to rework the script as needed. 

 

16 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Not only is there the crazy talk of an ARRI Alexa Classic for as little as US$6K (or even, I know of one person who got one for only US$3.5K!!! Although I tend to see them usually up for sale for around US$7K to $8K+), but I have even seen an AMIRA sell for under US$15K!!

Working with an AMIRA currently on a film, wish I could own one!!

I've been watching a bunch of Amira videos on Vimeo and they look amazing!!! If I could own any camera, I'm pretty sure I'd pick an Amira.

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Yeah shooting with the alexa LF mini did make me think things over. Its a darn good camera (even the mini is HEAVY kittet out). So honestly thinking about renting the alexa mini (non LF, as its way cheaper, around 300€ a day and I can use my EF mount lenses on it) for more projects and spending less on purchases throughout the year. I do need one good hybrid for photography and random video's though. So a sony A7S III or canon R5/R6 is still on my radar. (but def do not see the need to buying any camera between 8k and 30K) 

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  • 3 weeks later...
1 hour ago, kye said:

@mercer very nice image - deeper colours than your normal grades but it sure works!

Thanks, I'm still having a problem getting my grades to look consistent on different devices. Obviously, I know part of the issue is my MacBook Air's screen. But it's like a tint gets added. Weirdly, it even happens with B&W. So I usually end up tweaking the color accordingly until I find a happy medium.

Since I'm still in production, none of these grades are necessarily a reflection of the final "look" of my film. When I get into post, I'll probably update my computer and my screen. 

Here's a B&W version of the shot...

9995BE39-BA5B-4502-ACA7-047935042517.jpeg

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/6/2020 at 11:25 PM, mercer said:

So, I almost sold this lens again. As addictive as collecting lenses can be, the utilitarian approach can be just as addictive. Luckily, I came to my senses before the lens sold.

Here's another shot from the 35mm 1.4 at f/2 that I processed with an Alexa conversion LUT...

3A1FE1A5-1D7E-42F7-8B61-C305362952E6.jpeg

Hallo Glenn, beautiful creamy tones. Nikon lens shooting a beautiful Canon FD camera! That is what I call camera love.:)

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 3/6/2020 at 10:25 PM, mercer said:

So, I almost sold this lens again. As addictive as collecting lenses can be, the utilitarian approach can be just as addictive. Luckily, I came to my senses before the lens sold.

Here's another shot from the 35mm 1.4 at f/2 that I processed with an Alexa conversion LUT...

3A1FE1A5-1D7E-42F7-8B61-C305362952E6.jpeg

The creamyness of the image and bokeh  i like it 

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