The Nikon Non/ Pre AI Series - My favorite vintage pieces of kit

I was experimenting for a long time with vintage lenses to see if any of them would work for my cinematography. Here is what I found:

The Helios is an amazing lens to capture amazing images and the bokeh and flares are great.

However, there is one focal length to choose from, so it's hard to build a cohesive set. 

I do like the Canon FD series. Their look is great, but I've never been crazy about the way that they flare. 

Upon my tests I found one set that I have used extensively on a number of projects, the Nikon Pre-AI series of lenses. 

Most of these samples were shot on either the 50mm F/2 or the 35mm F/2.8. Altogether, this lens set has a very pleasing vintage cinema glass look. With a bit of softness and slight color fringing around the edges that give them an almost anamorphic feel. 

The 50mm has some ghosting around the edges at f2, but is usable with a pleasing, circular bokeh around 2.8. 4 for and beyond is razor sharp, but you lose the circular bokeh, which I don't mind because you get a pleasing hexagonal shape versus something like an umbrella pattern. 

The 35mm has the same ghosting issue at it's widest aperture of F2.8, but is sharp and usable at F4 and beyond. This one seemed to be a bit warmer than the 50mm and 24mm.

The 24mm is probably the least impressive out of the group, but like the 35mm is usable at F4. It has very interesting flaring; a blue, anamorphic-type of flare. I've used it for wide shots and some interesting close ups. 

Benefits: 

A nice, fairly-cohesive set of lenses with a vintage cinematic look, and a very smooth, pleasing bokeh. 

Drawbacks:

The color cast of each lens isn't quite uniform throughout, so a bit of color correction needs to be done in post. 

*A word of caution with the 24mm. The 24mm has a fairly wide field of view, and given these lenses flaring qualities, I would avoid trying any wide shots with a strong backlight or else it will completely wash out the image.

I urge anyone who likes the softer look and imperfections of vintage glass to give them a try. Let me know what you think. 

andrewjfann.com

Don't be a Fanboy (or Girl)

I recently posted a blog about my displeasure with issues that I was having with a certain model of Canon camera and recently, after watching many reviews on YouTube, I decided to remove it.

Canon fans, much like Apple users, basque in the glorious knowledge that their cameras are the best, even in reviews versing other brands, despite the technical specs and performance tests declaring otherwise. I hate when someone gives reviews with a lot of opinion thrown in that doesn't really have anything to do with tech specs or even accurate user experience. Until the time that the D500 came out, I started to refuse to watch any more DigitalRevTV reviews of Canons, because it got to the point that, if he even had to touch a Nikon, he got so whinny and bitchy that it just became unbearable to watch. I don't know, maybe he thought that he was being amusing. A second example is here:

   Canon 5D MK III vs Nikon D800 with Nathan Elson

I generally like the reviews on TheCameraStoreTV, but this time you could tell that it was almost painful to admit that the Nikon D800 was outperforming the heralded, flagship model of Canon, the 5D mk III. Even at some points making comments about how there would be a work around for the Canon in post. Excuses that would never be made for a Nikon if it were coming in at an extremely close second like this.

My point is this: BUY WHAT YOU LIKE!!!

Don't listen to hype or preference. Go by tech specs for what you will be using the camera for, and try to find unbiased user experiences. I use DSLR's mostly for film, and most are great. The Canon 5D mkII-III got a great reputation among indie filmmakers, because it was the first to make high quality video accessible and portable outside of Hollywood. It is a great camera, but so is the D800 (and D810). The D800 has also been used cinematically. It was used to shoot on Dexter and other features:

Nikon D800 Holds Its Own in Hollywood: from Janusz Kamiński to 'Dexter' and 'Wilfred'

I use a 70D & 80D for filming at work - love them! I own a D5500 (Hopefully, a D500 soon) - love it! I've used many DSLR's - Panasonic, Canon, and Nikon. I've gotten great results with all. Use what you like, and what works best for you. Just make sure you use more than one brand before forming an unwavering opinion, and don't be  a douche about other peoples choices. This goes for editing software too!!! I prefer Adobe, but if you use FCPX or SONY Vegas, it doesn't matter!!! Use what you are comfortable with and what you get the best results with. And again, don't be a douche about it.

For great tech spec comparisons between two cameras that you might be considering, I would recommend snapsort.com. They give results based solely on tech specs. Also, try Micheal the Mentor on YouTube. He gives a very thorough and unbiased technical comparison between camera models.

So, to recap, use what you like, have fun, and don't be a douche.

andrewjfann.com