Those CZJs are extraordinary lenses, but do you have a pancolar in that collection? The 50 1.8 is the finest vintage 50 I've shot, without exception, and the much rarer (and more expensive) 80mm 1.8 equally sublime!
the Pancolar 80/1.8 is a holy grail :) Recently I bought a medium format set - Pentacon Six TL and 5 CZJ lenses and they're all just fabulous. I especially love the Sonnar 180/2.8 and Biometar 120/2.8 but that's just my taste, they're all incredible.
Awesome video. Love the colours from these lenses. I recently picked up that same Vivitar 28/2.5 actually and love the flare. Looking forward to using it at a wedding if I get a sunset!
There's something very pleasing about this lenses! I love the Pancolar 50 and the Sonnar 135, but also the Flektogons were very nice and versatile in my tests!
Great video! You should really do more. Did you "cinevise" your set at all, with follow focus rings and matching fronts? You mentioned focus pullers, so I wonder how it's been using this set with that - does the follow focus match up on all lenses, etc. Thanks a mill!
Hey man, great video. Have you played with the zeiss jena that are not MC as well? They are much cheaper online and I’m wondering if they are too vintage or why they are so cheap. I have a red monstro and I’m trying to find lenses that will do it justice without maxing out my credit card (any more)
Are you talking about the older Zebra lenses? I know a lot of people really like the look of those. Obviously they are older, and the coatings are different. so they're probably going to have somewhat less contrast, and flare differently. But at the same time, they're basically the same optical formulas, and supposedly the sharpness is still pretty good. The best you can do is just try to find reviews of the individual lenses on different photography forums. I found a lot just by Google searching each lens I was looking to purchase. And then I think there is a really good test somebody did on an Alexa classic a few years ago on Vimeo of a full set of zebras. And I would assume they cover the monstro sensor. The MCs cover the FX9 sensor very well. Very little to no noticeable vignetting even on the 20mm. They also hold their value pretty well, so if you buy one to try out and don't like it, you can probably get back what you paid for it at least.
Do you fint the minimal focus throw of the 35/f2.4 between infinity and 1meter to be restrictive for video? I think this is the only downside of this lens. I find it difficult to manoeuvre the focus above 1m because the minuscule focus throw.
hey man, just wondering if you had problem with a follow focus and any of these Jena. I'm trying to use my Tilta Nano and the focus ring is way too stiff (I'm already using it connected to a v-mount battery for the highest torque). Thanks!
I got lucky that all of mine but the 135mm are pretty smooth and loose. The 135 is so stiff i cant use a ff with it at all so far. But yeah, if they are pretty stiff they probably need a good aervicing/regreasing.
Great summary of these lenses, thanks! I also just bought a set of Zeiss Jena MC and am using a Contax Zeiss 28mm 2.8 to fill the gap. It doesn't exactly match the look of its East German siblings, but it's close enough and it does a better job than the Vivitar in my opinion. I got the Contax Zeiss for about $300.
I have a bunch of contax zeiss starting at 28mm all the way up to 135mm. I need a wide angle option... Do you think the flektogon 20mm can "match" contax zeiss series? Thanks!
@@jd5787 I am mixing them in my productions. I would say they are not a perfect match but close enough for me. The flektogon has a bit more chromatic aberration than the Contax Zeiss 28mm but also a bit more 3D pop. The Contax Zeiss feels a little more creamy but we are talking nuances. I also had the Contax Zeiss 18mm but found it to soft and therefore sold it (the flektogon 20mm is much sharper at least comparing the pieces I had). I also have the sigma art 18-35mm and I feel the flektogon is a better match to contax zeiss. It's difficult to explain but I hope I could help.
@@pipopipo6477 thanks! You may have saved me a bundle of $ 😁. Interesting to hear that the Jena is sharper than the Contax! Perhapsy next series will be a Jena with a common element to the contax/zeiss and jena series being the 20mm then 😁
@@jd5787 Your welcome..🙂Yes the The flektogon 20mm is sharper than the Contax Zeiss 18mm (at least compared to the 18mm I owned). But it is not necesarly sharper than the Contax 28mm. For some reason they had difficulties in the past to make sharp wide angle lenses and the flektogon is in my opinion one of the sharpest vintage wide angle lenses ever build. Of course modern lenses (including the sigma art 18-35mm) are sharper but also a bit to clean and "sterile" for my taste. Try it and if you don't like it, you will probably have no troubles to sale it again.. This video shows pretty well the quality of the flektogon 20mm in my opinion: ua-cam.com/video/oCGXRiwiE3Y/v-deo.html
@@jd5787 One more thing. I guess you know that allready but it has to be the MC version (Flektogon 20mm f2.8 MC)! The older 20mm zebra ones are not as good...
im just discovering these.. just getting back into filmmaking all together.. Got a Z Cam S6 rig recently and a 20mm Jena Flektagon 2.8... its in PL mount, declicked.. AND,, tonight.. im pleased to say, I bought the 50mm Planar 1.4 HFT... i really wanted the T* MMG version, i hear so many good things, but apparently the Rollei HFT is quite similar. I was also going to get the 35mm 2.8 Distagon..., but learned its the early AG single coated variant... Know anything about those? Ninja star bokeh right..?? The guy I bought the 20mm from is currently modifying a 35mm 2.4 Flektagon that should match well.. I just want one more lens... (okay maybe two, lol) I'm interested in possibly getting the 50mm 1.8 Pancolar.. BUT, today, I learned there is a 16mm 2.8 Distagon HFT... THAT sounds just my taste.. I wanted something very wide, but fast enough.. I'm hoping the 16mm isn't too distorted looking for being that wide.. The Z Cam is a S35 sensor, so I have to take crop factor into account.. That's why I'm choosing wide.. The 20mm should have a field of view conversion to that of about a 30mm... while the 35mm 2.4 would be more like a full frame 50mm.. There are a number of cheaper options out there but, I really want it ready to go with a PL mount and declicked aperture.. It seems non of the Contax Zeiss on Ebay come pre-modified unfortunately... I don't know if I want to risk altering it myself.. a Contax or Rollei 35mm 1.4 would be awesome though... for that triangular bokeh.. its hard to find much information on all of this and there are so many grey areas to cover when it comes to minor changes from lens to lens.. CZJ, AEG, AEJ, MMJ, MMG, Rollei, T*, HFT, etc.. so many facets to it all.. so thank you for making this video..
So, was this footage shot with the Jenas throughout as well? Like the typewriter and lens closeups? Apologies if I missed you saying they were or weren’t.
I might recommend the contax yashica zeiss 25 & or 28mm 2.8 t* coating lens as a replacement to better match the rest of your set. That or the zeiss 28 f2 contax g mount T* biogon. That is of course only if there isn't some equivalent in the Jena lineup
Very cool and funny video. I have the same set with my S1H but the 135mm is a Jupiter. I love it! So cinematic. Back to my work in Canada (québec) enjoy the California sun!
It actually depends. There were alot of different lenses within the same brand, but id say any of the Zeiss Jena (red marking) MC lenses then they should be pretty close. But the heavy hitters are the 20mm f2.8, the 35mm f2.4, and the 50mm f1.8
@@gr_winnett Nice! I shot a feature back in March and the director had the 20mm and the 35mm, I think I'm going to pick up a set this week. Have really liked the look and here in LA, can't seem to find many people renting them.
Great video! Keep posting stuff like this awesome. Subscribed!
Those CZJs are extraordinary lenses, but do you have a pancolar in that collection? The 50 1.8 is the finest vintage 50 I've shot, without exception, and the much rarer (and more expensive) 80mm 1.8 equally sublime!
the Pancolar 80/1.8 is a holy grail :) Recently I bought a medium format set - Pentacon Six TL and 5 CZJ lenses and they're all just fabulous. I especially love the Sonnar 180/2.8 and Biometar 120/2.8 but that's just my taste, they're all incredible.
Awesome video. Love the colours from these lenses. I recently picked up that same Vivitar 28/2.5 actually and love the flare. Looking forward to using it at a wedding if I get a sunset!
Love it! Looking forward to more of your videos!
Great video, my friend! Thank you for your work
There's something very pleasing about this lenses! I love the Pancolar 50 and the Sonnar 135, but also the Flektogons were very nice and versatile in my tests!
Great video! You should really do more. Did you "cinevise" your set at all, with follow focus rings and matching fronts? You mentioned focus pullers, so I wonder how it's been using this set with that - does the follow focus match up on all lenses, etc. Thanks a mill!
Thanks, I've enjoyed the video a lot! Really nice image. BTW where did you shoot it? Where is this amazing place?
Hey man, great video. Have you played with the zeiss jena that are not MC as well? They are much cheaper online and I’m wondering if they are too vintage or why they are so cheap. I have a red monstro and I’m trying to find lenses that will do it justice without maxing out my credit card (any more)
Are you talking about the older Zebra lenses? I know a lot of people really like the look of those. Obviously they are older, and the coatings are different. so they're probably going to have somewhat less contrast, and flare differently. But at the same time, they're basically the same optical formulas, and supposedly the sharpness is still pretty good. The best you can do is just try to find reviews of the individual lenses on different photography forums. I found a lot just by Google searching each lens I was looking to purchase. And then I think there is a really good test somebody did on an Alexa classic a few years ago on Vimeo of a full set of zebras. And I would assume they cover the monstro sensor. The MCs cover the FX9 sensor very well. Very little to no noticeable vignetting even on the 20mm. They also hold their value pretty well, so if you buy one to try out and don't like it, you can probably get back what you paid for it at least.
@@gr_winnett Thanks for the in depth response!
Cool! Thanks for taking me out with ya via this video.
Do you fint the minimal focus throw of the 35/f2.4 between infinity and 1meter to be restrictive for video? I think this is the only downside of this lens. I find it difficult to manoeuvre the focus above 1m because the minuscule focus throw.
hey man, just wondering if you had problem with a follow focus and any of these Jena. I'm trying to use my Tilta Nano and the focus ring is way too stiff (I'm already using it connected to a v-mount battery for the highest torque). Thanks!
I got lucky that all of mine but the 135mm are pretty smooth and loose. The 135 is so stiff i cant use a ff with it at all so far. But yeah, if they are pretty stiff they probably need a good aervicing/regreasing.
Great summary of these lenses, thanks! I also just bought a set of Zeiss Jena MC and am using a Contax Zeiss 28mm 2.8 to fill the gap. It doesn't exactly match the look of its East German siblings, but it's close enough and it does a better job than the Vivitar in my opinion. I got the Contax Zeiss for about $300.
I have a bunch of contax zeiss starting at 28mm all the way up to 135mm. I need a wide angle option... Do you think the flektogon 20mm can "match" contax zeiss series? Thanks!
@@jd5787 I am mixing them in my productions. I would say they are not a perfect match but close enough for me. The flektogon has a bit more chromatic aberration than the Contax Zeiss 28mm but also a bit more 3D pop. The Contax Zeiss feels a little more creamy but we are talking nuances. I also had the Contax Zeiss 18mm but found it to soft and therefore sold it (the flektogon 20mm is much sharper at least comparing the pieces I had). I also have the sigma art 18-35mm and I feel the flektogon is a better match to contax zeiss. It's difficult to explain but I hope I could help.
@@pipopipo6477 thanks! You may have saved me a bundle of $ 😁. Interesting to hear that the Jena is sharper than the Contax! Perhapsy next series will be a Jena with a common element to the contax/zeiss and jena series being the 20mm then 😁
@@jd5787 Your welcome..🙂Yes the The flektogon 20mm is sharper than the Contax Zeiss 18mm (at least compared to the 18mm I owned). But it is not necesarly sharper than the Contax 28mm. For some reason they had difficulties in the past to make sharp wide angle lenses and the flektogon is in my opinion one of the sharpest vintage wide angle lenses ever build. Of course modern lenses (including the sigma art 18-35mm) are sharper but also a bit to clean and "sterile" for my taste. Try it and if you don't like it, you will probably have no troubles to sale it again.. This video shows pretty well the quality of the flektogon 20mm in my opinion: ua-cam.com/video/oCGXRiwiE3Y/v-deo.html
@@jd5787 One more thing. I guess you know that allready but it has to be the MC version (Flektogon 20mm f2.8 MC)! The older 20mm zebra ones are not as good...
Would love to know what settings you’re using on the FX9
@@SDA-Sound So all of that should have been DCI 4k in the Cine EI mode on, so locked to SLog 3.
Wow! Now I know why you like those lenses so much! Such a highly detailed softness to them I could of sworn that was 5.8 or 8k
nice video, what's the name of the first song used?
im just discovering these.. just getting back into filmmaking all together.. Got a Z Cam S6 rig recently and a 20mm Jena Flektagon 2.8... its in PL mount, declicked..
AND,, tonight.. im pleased to say, I bought the 50mm Planar 1.4 HFT... i really wanted the T* MMG version, i hear so many good things, but apparently the Rollei HFT is quite similar.
I was also going to get the 35mm 2.8 Distagon..., but learned its the early AG single coated variant... Know anything about those? Ninja star bokeh right..??
The guy I bought the 20mm from is currently modifying a 35mm 2.4 Flektagon that should match well.. I just want one more lens... (okay maybe two, lol)
I'm interested in possibly getting the 50mm 1.8 Pancolar.. BUT, today, I learned there is a 16mm 2.8 Distagon HFT... THAT sounds just my taste.. I wanted something very wide, but fast enough.. I'm hoping the 16mm isn't too distorted looking for being that wide.. The Z Cam is a S35 sensor, so I have to take crop factor into account.. That's why I'm choosing wide..
The 20mm should have a field of view conversion to that of about a 30mm... while the 35mm 2.4 would be more like a full frame 50mm..
There are a number of cheaper options out there but, I really want it ready to go with a PL mount and declicked aperture.. It seems non of the Contax Zeiss on Ebay come pre-modified unfortunately... I don't know if I want to risk altering it myself.. a Contax or Rollei 35mm 1.4 would be awesome though... for that triangular bokeh.. its hard to find much information on all of this and there are so many grey areas to cover when it comes to minor changes from lens to lens.. CZJ, AEG, AEJ, MMJ, MMG, Rollei, T*, HFT, etc.. so many facets to it all.. so thank you for making this video..
also, where can i get lens hoods for these Jena lenses? like my 20mm..
i love how you grade your videos! Id love to see a video on that if you ever have the time. Cheers :)
So, was this footage shot with the Jenas throughout as well? Like the typewriter and lens closeups? Apologies if I missed you saying they were or weren’t.
Yes, everything in this video, aside from the one shot of all the lenses, were on the Jenas.
@@gr_winnett Thank you! Also, great work!
You clean the lens?
It's radioactive Thorium.
Not sure which one(s), but Paul Thomas Anderson used this glass in Phantom Thread.
How many models of Zeiss jena lenses are there that can work on a red camera after modifications. ?
man you are amazing, i want to take my work to full time production exactly like you.
You got the lenses from Morocco ?
This is amazing!
I might recommend the contax yashica zeiss 25 & or 28mm 2.8 t* coating lens as a replacement to better match the rest of your set. That or the zeiss 28 f2 contax g mount T* biogon. That is of course only if there isn't some equivalent in the Jena lineup
Quality production video!
Great footage! What bit rate did you film this on? And what other 20mm lens would you recommend? Please do a tutorial on how you light a scene.
Too much lagging till you appear on screen in fact I slept in between 😀 but other than that it's interesting video on Jena lenses
Very cool and funny video. I have the same set with my S1H but the 135mm is a Jupiter. I love it! So cinematic. Back to my work in Canada (québec) enjoy the California sun!
what's the list of full lens set?
It actually depends. There were alot of different lenses within the same brand, but id say any of the Zeiss Jena (red marking) MC lenses then they should be pretty close. But the heavy hitters are the 20mm f2.8, the 35mm f2.4, and the 50mm f1.8
@@gr_winnett Nice! I shot a feature back in March and the director had the 20mm and the 35mm, I think I'm going to pick up a set this week. Have really liked the look and here in LA, can't seem to find many people renting them.
Just great. Make more bad UA-cam videos. I really enjoyed this one.
have u try nikkor 35 f2 ais ?
Looks like a young Nick Frost ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's pronounced yay-na, not genna...