Lens included in package?
 

Do you have plans to include any PL mount lens with your package? I have been trying to find some lenses online but no luck... does anybody know where could I find some new PL mount lens? Thanks in advance guys.

If you are looking to find inexpensive deals on lenses, you probably would be better off looking for C-Mount lenses. But if you are really wanting PL-Mount lenses, Zeiss or Cooke are the best out there. I'm guessing that one of the best matches for the SI-2K with a PL-Mount will be the Zeiss DigiPrimes which are designed from the ground up for HD on 2/3" cameras. They ain't cheap though.

Aren't the 'digiprimes' designed to work with the prism separation systems for the 3 chips?
And they are not cheap.
Good quality lenses for 16mm should be good.

The Zeiss DigiPrimes are designed for 3 CCD prism cameras with a B4 mount so they wont really work without an (expensive) adapter. Zeiss make some great primes with PL mount for film cameras – the good news is that they are cheaper than the Digiprimes, the bad news is that a set will still cost more than the SI camera. Illumina make a set (6) of super 16 PL prime lenses for about $16,500 and Canon make a couple of good super 16 zoom lenses.
C-mount lenses are cheaper – the Fijinons will cost about $2,000 for four. They are industrial lenses so aren’t the friendliest to work with but the image quality should be alright.
Good glass costs

Rohan

Indeed, I stand corrected on the digiprimes: B4 mount (though I have seen a set converted to PL), and designed for 2/3" w/beam-splitting prism.

Speaking of lenses for the camera, does anyone have a suggestion for a zoom lens that would approximate the range of a typical ENG lens (ie. 19x6.7)?

Thanks.

BandPro has stated the Zeiss DigiPrimes and DigiZooms will not work with the SI2k. They are designed to work with 3chip cameras with Prisms.

An excellent quality set of prime lenses for a lot less money than Zeiss are
the Optar Illumina. They are s16mm and will work with the SI2K with PL mount adaptor.

I've read good things about them at various forums.
Here is the web site for the only 'authorized' distributor in the world. they are manufactured in Russia. I believe the site is run/owned by the actual developer of the lenses who lives in FL.

http://www.optarillumina.info/optar.html He offers them in Arri or PL mount. If you are going to buy a complete set and soon, ask him about his ebay price.

If you see something on KievCamera, they haven't updated their site. They do not sell them.

Some 16mm lenses for Bolex are designed to work with a prism for some of their newer cameras, I don't think those would work with the SI2K either, but not sure.

I can tell there's still some degree of misinformation. It would be nice to hear from the SI people about this. Thanks.

Keep an eye for good glass and hang to it if you can find it
 

Carlos,
I don't think that there is any missinformation, but more missunderstanding.

As stated in many posts on this site and elswhere, the B4 mount lenses or any other lens designed for 3 CCD/prisms combo are not suited for single chip cameras. They could possible be used with expensive adaptors and many strings attached, but the simple truth is to try to look at lenses designed to project an image on a similar sized window/gate with a diameter around or just above 11mm that the 2/3 chip has. Lenses for 35mm motion picture cameras or 35mm stills cameras could be used, BUT their are designed to deliver a larger image with a different 'circle of confusion' for different magnification factors. The 'inexpensive' stills camera lenses are not the focus puller's best friend: they tend to breath more, their focus scale is between 90 - 120 degrees, while cine lenses rarely have the scale under 300 degrees. Also, most of the stills lenses have between 5-7 aperture blades, which do not necessarily make a nice 'bokeh' and turn strong highlights in strange geometrical shapes (must admit that the worse offender is one of the Zeiss cine (series I or II) lenses that have only three blades - sharp & YUKKK!).

A lot of the future users of RED ONE or SI camera will have to swallow the bitter pill of reality. To buy a lens kit for a camera with this resolution is in the same price range as the camera body itself if not more and I am talking about a sharp enough lens kit - not a very good lens kit, although the 16mm lenses are much more affordable and easier to find.

As cinematographer I choose a lens or a lens kit because:
- it delivers a specific look, with a certain sharpness/softness/contrast combination suited for a certain project
- I need an extra stop, two more hours a day to shoot a scene and the lighting and crew budget outstrips by a huge margin the cost of hiring THAT lens
- a.s.o...

Professional photographers use top of the range glass and change the DSLR bodies almost every 2 years when technology moves on and/or the clients and their specific market require the extra quality.

So, keep an eye for good glass and hang to it if you can find it.

Valeriu, excellent point which is why I mentioned the Optars. You get a set of 6 very fast new primes for under 13K. The guy who owns the distribution rights is willing to deal too. Good used Zeiss MKII would be great if you can find them for a good price.

I read on another forum that buying can actually be cheaper than renting.
If you take care of the set, they hold their value when you decide to sell. Just a higher cost of entry.

Something to think about.

u can get the optar lenses at below 8k with some dealers like kievcamera.com ...cheers

Welcome to the forum Ernest and thank you for a good pointer.

Ernest, Kiev no longer sells them and is not an authorized distributer. I called their office in Atlanta and got that info straight from the salesman.

Thanks for the warm welcome,Valeriu and the update on lens, joe... juz happen to browse thru k*evcamera..was looking at those t/s medium format lenses..i think there's a couple of resellers going for under 8k if u do a go*gle on it...(* they don't pay me so no full names)

B4-lenses, as has been listed here on this list and in our FAQ on the website, are not a good idea . . . not without the Abekas adapter.

So what kind of price are you looking at, if you are thinking of a single lense solution?

Jason, they are available with PL mount.

You can get inexpensive teeth for lenses from underwater photographic housing manufacturers . It is very easy and cheap.

So there is nothing in terms of a single lense in the 2000-4000 dollar range?

This is what Jason is refering to:
http://www.siliconimaging.com/Digita...aging_faq.html

Will you be supporting B4-mount (Sony mount) lenses?

No, not directly, although an adapter can be made from the built-in c-mount. The reason for our decision is that B4-mount lenses are not designed for the single focal plane of a single-sensor camera, and as a result can produce color fringing and other optical aberrations that will not be apparent on lenses designed for focusing on a single focal plane. We strongly suggest the use of film-style PL-mount lenses such as those from Arri, Cooke, Angenieux, Zeiss, etc.
-Steve

Are there any you recommend in terms of a single lense solution from these companies, in my research I am only seeing sets?

If you don't like Zeiss or Cooke glass, for starters - some inexpensive options:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-KODAK-SI...QQcmdZViewItem
(with help of a Stanley knife, plumber's 1" tubing, bluetack and gaffer tape)

or a more elegant one:

http://www.lensbabies.com/index.php?r=GSLensbaby

...and you allways can upgrade later.

Anything that is in the higher class of 6-8000 for single lense?

A single Optar prime lens is around $2-3K. A set of 4 lenses is $8K.

You can also purchase a brand-new Fujinon PL-mount zoom lens (like the one used for the Aaton A-minima) for $8-10K.

Thank you. Are there any exact models i should be looking at in terms of the Optar prime lenses? How do these compare with the fuji lenses?

And should i purchase the 16mm or 35mm?

How would these go in terms of suiting the camera?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zeiss-Super-16mm...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ZEISS-10-100mm-T...QQcmdZViewItem

They seem to be running a new special, 6 lenses for 11,700 usd. Posted on Ebay and Mandy.com

Who is they?

The authorized dealer that sells the Optar Illumina prime lenses.
Here is the home site.

http://www.optarillumina.info/optar.html

Following these threads with great interest; regarding lens costs, I do wonder if the still-shooter example holds...

I've been shooting fashion and product for a decade or so, and have a big pile of Nikon bodies, from the 8008 up to the recent digitals (and about to upgrade again).

But I've bought ONE lens in the past 6 years or so, an extra-wide zoom to cover the smaller digital SLR chip. My old 80-200 2.8 and 80 1.8 Nikon AF glass... well, those two lenses just seem to have "soul". When I need a 300 or 400 2.8, I just rent 'em... it's not that often, and frankly the 300 doesn't look much nicer than my 80-200 zoomed in; it's more to impress the dang clients!

Point being, (other than specific lenses designed for smaller digital chips, or internal silent-wave focus motors) there haven't been many earth-shaking changes in lens design to match the amazing strides in bodies and capture. Some glass just seems to "have it", even if it's got a tad of aberration or softness. Investing in a few lenses, if done with some research, can be more prudent than constantly renting.

Which leads me to one more point about the "digital age": the fact that, in still OR video, you can be editing something you shot 2 minutes ago --LITERALLY -- that fact has opened up more pure creativity for me than ANYTHING ELSE in decades of working. No more costly and time consuming processing and scanning, no more "making decisions" about where that money is best spent, just instantaneous creative play. When I own one of these babies -- a red, an SI, an HVX or whatever... I'm the kind of guy that's going to want enough gear to be able to grab some footage, some backgrounds, some textures, do an effects test, whatever -- as instantaneously and worry-free (from a budget standpoint) as I can.

Which mean I'll be doing some lens shopping...

I know this post is about 6 months old but I thought I'd note, just for the record, that kievcamera.com seems to be a porn site now.

EDIT: Perhaps http://www.kievcamera.net/ is the company that was being referred to earlier. It actually does seem to sell lenses

There has been a few exchanges on various forums about this and it appears that they aren't the agents and don't actually sell the Optars.