50MMPRIME LENSES
If it’s a unique, vintage look that you’re after, there’s nowhere better to find it than in a real vintage lens! Of course, Hollywood filmmakers rely on British firms like Cooke to create a vintage-style look with their very modern lenses, or pay a fortune for a matched set of rehoused old glass in new cinema- style bodies. That’s great if you have the budget and want sets of lenses that are all colour matched. But if you’re just after a different look for your film, check out a real old-school lens like the 51-year-old Nikkor S-Auto 50mm f/1.4 lens we had sitting on a battered old camera on a shelf. Similar lenses can go for around £50/$70 on auction sites. If you get a pre-AI version, which hasn’t been modified to work on THE VINTAGE CHEAPIE LENS
BELOW It's soft, especially wide open, and flares hugely in the sun. But it can give your film a characteristic look, for sure! kind to this old Nikon lens, but it's still fun to use. RIGHT The past 50 years have not been too
later Nikon SLRs, then they can be snapped up even cheaper. The lens has seven elements in five groups and the elements are single-coated in an amber coating as the lens was designed for use in shooting black & white film. There are seven straight aperture blades and it weighs in at 325g/0.72lb thanks to its all-metal construction. In use, it’s more user-friendly than the more modern Nikon as it was designed purely for manual focus. But the reality is that our well-battered version was sloppy, so precise focusing was a lottery. Shot at f/5.6, the performance was surprisingly good although not on par with any of the more modern lenses. But shoot it at wider apertures and all sorts of
stuff happens, like loads of barrel distortion, chromatic aberrations, extreme softness at the corners, wide flare and halation if used in bright sunshine; and there’s an odd blue colour cast, too. And that’s what makes it so cool! These flaws add a vintage look and feel to your films, with unpredictable flare and odd internal reflections. It might not be the lens for your next corporate assignment, but can be a great addition to the camera bag for a special project. “Flaws add a vintage look and feel to your films”
HOW THEY COMPARE
Sigma 50mmT1.5 Price: £3299/$3499
Samyang Xeen 50mmT1.5 Price: £1599/ $2495 Aperture range: T1.5-T22 Optical construction: 9 elements in 6 groups, 1 aspherical lens Iris blades: 11 rounded Focus rotation: 200 ̊ Iris: 40 ̊ rotation clickless Close focus: 45cm/17.7in Dimension (LxD): 117.6x147.7mm/ 4.63x5.81in Weight: 1165g/2.57lb Contact: www. samyanglensglobal.com
Zeiss Loxia 50mmf/2.0 Price: £669/$949 Aperture range: f/2-22 Optical construction: 6 elements in 4 groups Iris blades: 10 straight Focus rotation: 180 ̊ Iris: Click-stops or clickless Close focus: 45cm/17.7in Dimension (LxD): 66.2x62.1mm/2.06x2.44in Weight: 320g/0.71lb Contact: www.zeiss.com
Nikon 50mmf/1.4 AF-D Price: £279/$299 Aperture range: f/1.4-16 Optical construction: 7 elements in 6 groups Iris blades: 7 straight Focus rotation: 160 ̊ Iris: Click-stops Close focus: 45cm/17.7in Dimension (LxD): 42.5x64.5mm/1.67x2.54in Weight: 230g/0.51lb Contact: www.nikon.com
Aperture range: T1.5-T16 Optical construction: 13 elements in 8 groups, 1 aspherical and 3 FLD elements Iris blades: 9 rounded Focus rotation: 180 ̊ Iris: 60 ̊ rotation clickless Close focus: 40cm/15.7in Dimension (LxD): 128x104mm/ 5.03x4.09in Weight: 1355g/2.99lb Contact: www. sigma-global.com
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SPRING 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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