I have been looking for “a” or possibly “the” lens for video.
The lens I am looking for is going to be my baseline or bedrock lens for my full frame video camera, my first stop interview lens and my pivot point for all else to revolve around.
The Vespid 40mm was in the mix, but it pushed my funds at the moment and unbalanced my kit, it is also possibly bettered by the new version of itself or the Nisi Athenas and also possibly matched by the new 7Artisan Infinte range for less.
The IRIX 21 or Vespid 21 in ARRI mount would also do, giving me a 42/37/30/21 range on my four formats, but again, money I do not wish to spend.
Also, if I go into a base level pro cine lens, then everything else I have makes little sense.
The other issue is, I have two formats to feed and make choices around. The Vespid and IRIX have the advantage of fitting on all mounts making a total of four focal lengths, but only one at a time. I need a pair of lenses to make an interview set, a third option is even better.
MFT has the excellent Hope 25 and 50mm for interviews. These are lovely and certainly enough matching the raw quality of my stills primes with cinematic mechanics, a lovely look and some decent presence. I have two B-Raw capable cams in MFT, so a matching pair matters if that format is used exclusively.
I could also use my matching 24 anamorphic lenses, or my Olympus and Panasonic stills glass, but at the end of the day, the Hope lenses are my simplest fix.
In full frame however it becomes both easier and harder.
I have a pair of Spectrum lenses, a 35 and a 50, which with APS-C cropping can be combinations of 35-50 and 50-75, but these actually do not match each other brilliantly, having the largest colour cast difference of any two lenses I have. The 50mm is in what I would call my workable kit range, the 35mm an aberrant unit. The 50mm does fit decently with the Hope lenses.
There is also the IRIX 150, a long option, but strong for it. This lens is my best cinema lens by cost and reputation, but it has no mate, unless it comes close to the lenses I have.
My safest bet is the S-Prime Panasonic set.
Of these, the 35 is the special one, it may be the core lens I have been looking for, right under my nose the whole time. It is rumoured to be Leica glass re-housed, but true or not, it is a cracking good lens.
The 35 S-Prime and Spectrum 50 actually share similar colour and are both fun to use, so an odd pairing, but workable, but that is a mute point really as I only have one full frame camera that shoots B-Raw/ProRes HQ at the moment, the S5.
I have taken a chance on some well researched lens sets and mostly benefitted, but some have shone above others.
So, a full frame and two MFT cams with potentially “full noise” B-Raw or at least 4k/10 bit/422/ProRes/HQ, making for a three lens “ideal” set.
As things stand, for a pro interview kit I would go with;
S5 + 35 S-Prime (or as APS-C 50mm) or 50 Spectrum (optional 75) as A-Cam.
GH5s with the Hope 50 (as a 90mm) B-Cam.
G9II with the Hope 25 (as a 50mm), 12mm Vision (24mm) or a stills lens for AF as mobile/C-Cam.
Do I need a “super” lens, a lens that goes into that base level pro cine lens space or will these do? If I did go into one, would I see the difference and would it lead to more and more?