Zeiss CP.2 at DVinfo.net

Roger Pinto · July 4th, 2013, 11:03 AM

Pardon my posting about Zeiss CP2 here on Canon Blog, as I couldn't find appropriate section to post my query.

1. Is Zeiss CP2 lineup 4KReady
2. Why is that a still say Canon L glass shoot approx. 21 MegaPixel (or say 21K??? Am I right here) on 5D2 but wouldn't quality for a 4K shoot

Thanks

Sabyasachi Patra · July 5th, 2013, 11:58 AM

21Mega pixel is not 21K
You multiply the pixels in the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the sensor to get the total Megapixels
For eg:
4K is 4096x2160 = 8.8 Megapixel
UHD 3840x2160 = 8.29 Megapixel
Full HD 1920x1080 = 2 Megapixel
8K UHD is 7680x4320 = 33.1 Megapixel
the 5D Mark III stil image is 5760x3840 = 22.1 Megapixel. Since the horizontal is 5760 you can call it 5K or 5.5K whatever. Definitely not 21 or 22K.

The good Canon L series lenses are able to shoot nice 4K. The challenge of still glass for filming is different. A lot of the popular L series lenses have lot of chromatic aberrations, distortions, purple fringing etc. It would be difficult to remove all that from video, though we can remove most of those in still photography. It is fine for web use, but when projected in a large screen the distortions scream at you. For eg. if you are shooting a high contrast scene with some object against the sky. At times with some lenses you find the edges have purple fringing. That looks ghastly. Similarly, a L series zoom lens like 16-35 at 16mm can show up straight walls as curved. Ofcourse you change the focal length slightly and it vanishes. So one has to understand the limitations of the lens.

It is also a fallacy to say that a lens is not sharp enough. At times people go back to those. Also, if I point a Canon 100mm f2.8 L IS USM macro lens at a heroines face and shoot, she will kick me as all the pores and blemishes in the face will show up. People also shoot through scrims to soften the image or use soft focus filters.

When I am shooting wildlife, it is a different story, as I use the sharpest L series lenses. No leopard or elephant is going to see my footage and kick me for showing all the pores or hairs on their body.

While choosing the lens we should focus more on the characteristics of the lens like contrast, colour, bokeh etc.

One challenge with the still lenses is mechanically they are not as great as the cinema lenses. Focus pull is smooth in cinema lenses. And variation among still lenses are much more compared to that between cinema lenses as tolerances are better in cinema lenses.

Cinema lenses of one brand will give you similar characteristics. So matching scenes is not a challenge.

I won't hesitate to shoot 4K with the zeiss CP.2 lenses if that is made available to me. Personally I have decided to go for the Canon Cinema primes.

Roger Pinto · July 6th, 2013, 05:17 AM

Personally speaking Zeiss CP2 are future proof vs Canon Cine Primes as with changing mounts I can easily swap EF to PL to other available or required. Rest c an be of individual choice &utility.

Also was wondering since I use C300EF currently, how would a uprez HD to 2K stand up on Large cine projection (using 2K)

Craig Chartier · July 9th, 2013, 03:22 PM

A clean set of CP's are hard to beat,regardless of the camera format. And they are probably the best bet for a starting out shooter who may well be shooting several different cameras each with different mounts.

As for your other question, I can only answer with another question. How do you want it to look..? Recorded formats have been projected on large screens since forever. 7D&5D footage along with go pro and super 8 mm film have all made it to the big screen. Even dvcam was used exclusively on the movie Open Water. If I remember correctly. So what is the look your after? Not so much the format maybe.

July 4th, 2013, 11:03 AM	#1
Roger Pinto Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: India Posts: 98	Zeiss CP.2 Pardon my posting about Zeiss CP2 here on Canon Blog, as I couldn't find appropriate section to post my query. 1. Is Zeiss CP2 lineup 4KReady 2. Why is that a still say Canon L glass shoot approx. 21 MegaPixel (or say 21K??? Am I right here) on 5D2 but wouldn't quality for a 4K shoot Thanks

July 5th, 2013, 11:58 AM	#2
Sabyasachi Patra Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Delhi, India Posts: 507	Re: Zeiss CP.2 21Mega pixel is not 21K You multiply the pixels in the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the sensor to get the total Megapixels For eg: 4K is 4096x2160 = 8.8 Megapixel UHD 3840x2160 = 8.29 Megapixel Full HD 1920x1080 = 2 Megapixel 8K UHD is 7680x4320 = 33.1 Megapixel the 5D Mark III stil image is 5760x3840 = 22.1 Megapixel. Since the horizontal is 5760 you can call it 5K or 5.5K whatever. Definitely not 21 or 22K. The good Canon L series lenses are able to shoot nice 4K. The challenge of still glass for filming is different. A lot of the popular L series lenses have lot of chromatic aberrations, distortions, purple fringing etc. It would be difficult to remove all that from video, though we can remove most of those in still photography. It is fine for web use, but when projected in a large screen the distortions scream at you. For eg. if you are shooting a high contrast scene with some object against the sky. At times with some lenses you find the edges have purple fringing. That looks ghastly. Similarly, a L series zoom lens like 16-35 at 16mm can show up straight walls as curved. Ofcourse you change the focal length slightly and it vanishes. So one has to understand the limitations of the lens. It is also a fallacy to say that a lens is not sharp enough. At times people go back to those. Also, if I point a Canon 100mm f2.8 L IS USM macro lens at a heroines face and shoot, she will kick me as all the pores and blemishes in the face will show up. People also shoot through scrims to soften the image or use soft focus filters. When I am shooting wildlife, it is a different story, as I use the sharpest L series lenses. No leopard or elephant is going to see my footage and kick me for showing all the pores or hairs on their body. While choosing the lens we should focus more on the characteristics of the lens like contrast, colour, bokeh etc. One challenge with the still lenses is mechanically they are not as great as the cinema lenses. Focus pull is smooth in cinema lenses. And variation among still lenses are much more compared to that between cinema lenses as tolerances are better in cinema lenses. Cinema lenses of one brand will give you similar characteristics. So matching scenes is not a challenge. I won't hesitate to shoot 4K with the zeiss CP.2 lenses if that is made available to me. Personally I have decided to go for the Canon Cinema primes. __________________ Wild Tiger Productions http://www.indiawilds.com/about.htm

July 6th, 2013, 05:17 AM	#3
Roger Pinto Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: India Posts: 98	Re: Zeiss CP.2 Personally speaking Zeiss CP2 are future proof vs Canon Cine Primes as with changing mounts I can easily swap EF to PL to other available or required. Rest c an be of individual choice &utility. Also was wondering since I use C300EF currently, how would a uprez HD to 2K stand up on Large cine projection (using 2K)

July 9th, 2013, 03:22 PM	#4
Craig Chartier DVi Contributor Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Austin Texas Posts: 374	Re: Zeiss CP.2 A clean set of CP's are hard to beat,regardless of the camera format. And they are probably the best bet for a starting out shooter who may well be shooting several different cameras each with different mounts. As for your other question, I can only answer with another question. How do you want it to look..? Recorded formats have been projected on large screens since forever. 7D&5D footage along with go pro and super 8 mm film have all made it to the big screen. Even dvcam was used exclusively on the movie Open Water. If I remember correctly. So what is the look your after? Not so much the format maybe.