When do cinema lenses really matter?

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Vintage lenses are awesome but when should you use cinema lenses instead? In this video I compare Nitecore Superior Cinema Lenses to my old Canon FD lenses.
Nitecore Test Footage - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZDYg5hsgbSHg6M
Links to lenses:
SLR MAGIC APO PRIMES - bhpho.to/2z7TPpj
bit.ly/2LbqLzC
photo.nitecore.com/CINEMA_LENSES/SUPERIOR_PRIMES
"Roger That" LUT - www.spensersakurai.com/luts/roger-that-lut
Free Musicbed Trial - share.mscbd.fm/spensersakurai
My Gear:
My favorite lenses - ebay.to/2ZQQdRg
Fujifilm XT3 - geni.us/9BJQi
Fuji 35mm F2 lens - geni.us/LEMih
Nanlite PavoTubes - bhpho.to/3dRnORw
Viltrox EF Speedbooster adapter - geni.us/CfGHwP
Shinobi Monitor - geni.us/dkqaV
Tiffen Black Pro-Mist 1/4 Filter - geni.us/p519aA
Rode Go Wireless Mic - geni.us/BOkBruB
Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k - ebay.to/3eeehDQ
Zomei Variable ND Filter - geni.us/dKJLfB
Impact light stands - geni.us/xE1Eu
1/4 6x6 Grid Cloth - bhpho.to/30ZMzW0
Neewer 5 in 1 Reflector - geni.us/PSaABHY
Juicebox V-Mount Battery - geni.us/aPDJEc
#cinemalenses #nitecore #mavo

[@AronBagel]

What I love about cinema lenses is that they're able to give us that somewhat soft, low contrast look without sacrificing sharpness. It's just so pleasing. Out of this roundup, the SLR Magic had the nicest image if you ask me.

[@MarkHoltze]

dope as always dude. Those SLR Magic and Nycore primes....not bad. One thing i've noticed about the Canon FD lenses and the Contax lenses is the contax handle flares much better. They're quite sharp, which I think is the reason I've started to build a cinema set of those over the FD's. I can't promise the FD's won't be my next project however. Great video Spenser!

[@caldera878]

Sounds true. Keep the Canon FD lenses cheaper for the rest of us.

[@MARZILLI]

It’s not as noticeable as you’d think but in most situations when shooting commercial jobs definitely the cinema glass makes more sense...both to get the cleaner look clients generally like and also clients can be weird on set. One time I was using converted Nikon AIS lenses and she kept leaning in to ask me if “those were cinema lenses” I said “YEP” and when the project was done she couldn’t believe how beautiful the piece was... However if I were doing more narrative work with short films I’d consider the lighter, more inexpensive glass like the canon fd which looks amazing and adds a bit of character to the shoot. Nice vid!

[@GuillePozzi]

In both tests I “chose” the FD lenses. I liked the the background bokeh “roll off”

[@AndrewThompson97]

same

[@ChrisKonieczny]

Same.

[@Ladraz]

yesssssssss

[@BlaineWestropp1]

Where can I get the nitecores?

[@summerleung78]

www.cinegeeks.co.uk/nitecore-superior-primes/

[@creatingaphotographer3187]

Your channel gave me the bravery to apply to an Arts uni, with no prior experience, jobs or education. Applied for Photography, Film and Wildlife Doc Production, and got into all three. I owe you, dude. Keep up the great work. Loving seeing your journey around gear, as you keep chancing on gear that I'm eyeing up myself. Seeing someone so far along, and finding your insights is going to great lengths to help me decide.

[@spensersakurai]

Love that!

[@creatingaphotographer3187]

​@@spensersakurai Didn't mean to be cheesy, I just thought you should know! I've never understood why no one on KZbin is shooting for/pulling off the cinema aesthetic, and I happened across your channel whilst trying to figure it out myself. You're lucky you don't live in my town, I'd be picking your brain every two seconds! Too bad for me, lucky for you haha.

[@IndyVisuals]

All lenses did well honestly. You can barely tell the difference.

[@moneytri2525]

I love vintage lens! now that I think about it, I don't use my Helios 44-2 all that much. Time to change that!

[@filmmassa]

The Nitecore/Mavo/Nisi caught my eye too, i did some research on them a while back and discovered they’re the bokehlicious designs repackaged. Also a fan of the SLR magics, but i was surprised just how much i liked your Canon FD’s in this comparison! They all treated the skintone of your wife quite nicely, though the look of her skin varied a ton between lenses. In the past i felt that some Canon FD’s gave skin too much of an orangey tone, but clearly not the case with your copy. Thanks for that great video

[@lasvegasvegas4236]

The FDs look great. Good to know low budget film makers can use truly affordable vintage glass. Thank you for posting.

[@weightlessfilms5651]

I don't think Canon FD can be overstated. Bang for buck, once they've been converted to EF and have a follow focus ring, they're just incredible. In my opinion, the SLR Magic is an easy skip. I think the skin tones looked atrocious on them; and by atrocious, I don't necessarily mean inaccurate, I mean how un-flattering it appeared. There's a reason why higher resolution isn't approached with as much enthusiasm in the cinema world; we don't need to see every single pore lol. Skin tones looked much better on the Canon FD, and the overall aesthetic of the FDs is fantastic. Where I think FD shows a clear weakness is their lack of sharpness. Her eyes looked just too soft. And that's where the Nitecore really crushed it. The skin tones were still flattering, contrast looked good, and the sharpness hit exactly where it needed to. But you're comparing $200-400ish vintage lenses to $2000 cinema glass, so no big surprises, really.

[@roosterandguppy2373]

Thanks for your work on this channel. I have just got the BMPCC4k and this is the spot to get lighting ideas from a filmmaker! Its so annoying to see all of these wedding videographers and 'camera reviews' from people who don't make shorts or features....., When you test 5 cameras in a month you are not thoroughly exploring all of the workarounds and nuances of the equipment... The Alexa didn't get to where it is now by putting out a new model every year. Pros who had to work with it every day for years and the feedback eventually made it a great product.

[@CineMilledUSA]

Everytime you said nightcore all I heard was Nikkor! Hehehe..... the nitcore seamed you have more saturated skin tones.... personally I liked the FD better....

[@brennanmartignoni4192]

I enjoyed the nitecore the most except for how saturated and magenta it was compared to the other two lenses

[@NeonCucumber]

I def picked B right away for the first scene! The most depth and subtle softness to draw you into it being more theatrical.

[@gkochanowsky]

Spenser, I am a giant noob. All the images looked good to me. If you ever run out of ideas for topic videos would you consider going through those images and educating us as to the differences by pointing them out on the images?

[@DapperDop]

Super subjective, but the SLRs are no slouch. I’m shooting for a pitch deck on one. Considering making a short with a set. Those APOs are really hard to beat in its price range.

[@fulcifan6946]

I would love to see you do a video mimicking the looks of old films such as Taxi Driver or even some of Fulci’s films that Sergio Salvati shot which have a very distinct look.

[@chriseyrewalker]

Awesome as always! Been starting with vintage glass recently and love it. Which other vintage glass do you recommend?

[@edgardolmartinez]

How is you viltrox speed booster working with the autofocus in your Fuji camera?? I know the lenses are manual focus but have you used one with auto focus??

[@spensersakurai]

Havent tried any autofocus lenses on it. I hear its not great.

[@edgardolmartinez]

@@spensersakurai I have it and it worked ok on my xt-3 but when I tried it on the xt-4 it did not work at all. And I wanted to know if you had similar experience because it's really jumpy the autofocus

[@saintmanuel]

I have a set of Rokinon/Samyang/Walimex Cine-Lenses that I like a lot. So depending on the look I want, I either use this set or my Sigma 18-35 and 50-100 combo. Overall, I think if time is a really important issue and every second on Set counts, having a uniform lens form factor is a huge benefit. otherwise, the look you need/or like is probably more important I guess.

[@benpossehl]

Thanks Keaton (and Spenser) for this video! I am personally a huge fan of vintage lenses. I have a set of Nikkor AI-S primes (20, 28, 35, 50, 85, 135) that have been my workhorses for years now. Really wanting to try the FD's and Leica R primes.

[@impatrickt]

SLR Magic FTW

[@ILaxative]

how the heck do you order the lenses from nitecore i clicked the link but its only giving me specs about the lenses..

[@roosterandguppy2373]

btw.., what i your opinion on shooting the BMPCC4k in 120fps on a 120fps timeline (no slow motion) ? AM I hallucinating or does this camera look more compressed? I feel like it could be better than shooting in 4K ...., It might just be me.

[@FuDziWuDzi]

I liked the color and the level of sharpness on the Nitecore. The vintage is great but a bit softer for me and as you said more washed out. I was personally disappointed in the SLR magic footage but maybe it’s not fair to judge it based on only this test. Great video and thank you for the effort 🤙🏼

[@hoozentroger]

I noticed B was different from the other two. It had that washed out, low contrast feeling to it so I knew its going to be the vintage. I like this the most because the skin rendering is beautiful, the other two feels too saturated orange/red. I wonder if its just because the canon is less saturated and colder overall and is easily fixable post....

[@ruff1draft]

Spencer did you use all these lenses on the Panasonic S1h

[@TomaszNowak90]

What about Samyang/rokinon cine lenses (not XEEN, this cine cheap version). Have you tested them? Looks like great deal between vintage lenses and expensive cinema lenses.

[@spensersakurai]

Haven’t really used the Xeens but like once. Don’t remember if I liked them or not. Obviously didn’t leave an impression.

[@krishkono7788]

I do enjoy the Canon FD lens look, but the shadow to highlight transition of the Nitecore lens was pretty sweet too

[@shridexdigi1982]

I prefer the Canon FD

[@danieleorlandi1488]

Hey dude, I really appreciate your work! Did you have te chance to try the Sirui 50mm x1.33 Anamorphic? It seem the first affordable option for an anamorphic lens, it would be really interesting to know your opinion on that!

[@ChrisJDavisorg]

My preference would be vintage optics cleaned and rehoused in modern housings. Find the feel you like visually, but have them tailored for cinema use. When we buy our house, soon god willing, I’m thinking of getting a metal lathe to make my own housings. Solve the problem. At the source so to speak.

[@SunDevilThor]

I honestly couldn't tell the difference.

[@Photographicelements]

If it’s a full-frame lens, shouldn’t it have an LPL mount instead of a PL mount? (PL was created for Super35).

[@pantone877]

I like the look of the Nitecores but is it just me or was there color shift between the Nitecore 50 and 35? The 50 looked a bit red compared to the 35 (and all the other lenses).

[@nicklong7442]

Which FD lenses do you own? And if you were to build a cinema lens set, which would you choose? Also, I definitely prefer the Nitecore. It looks a lot like the lenses from Arrival. Although the price of FD's is just incredible!

[@lovefirst6157]

Just like you said I really like the canon fd and the nitecore lenses. I actually prefer the fd over the nitecore in this scenario for sure. Would you be willing to try a minolta md 50 f1.7 also

[@ruff1draft]

Would I be able to get this colour grade on my future Panasonic Gh5s and Nikon D5500

[@ruff1draft]

Spencer do you own the Canon FD 70-210 lens.

[@BrC8018]

Unrelated to the lens ttest lol, but what stand/clamp do you use for your LED tube light? I'm looking to find a cheaper and lighter alternative for mounting my 2' Quasar than getting a C-stand with grip heads.

[@spensersakurai]

It came with the Pavotubes

[@taekwondum]

Can you make a video about focusing with the vintage lenses and how to set up a focus puller on the xt3

[@AriIsenberg]

Just heard about Iron Glass... specifically this "custom" lens: ironglassadapters.com/product/soviet-rehoused-lens-set-58mm/ Thoughts?

[@AxTechs]

That's so strange, I just recorded a video, and I didn't click record on the mic.

[@carouselvisualmedia]

3 from 3 haha, SLR Magic has the most pleasing image and bokeh to me, the Nitecore has a strong magenta shift to my eyes

[@yogajoeguy]

You’re one of the top two, in depth camera & Lens tutorial channels. (Is your wife drunk yet!) I just had to say it.

[@mrdady9038]

What Did the camera and the lens you used to shoot this video i love it

[@rinusworldzm]

Hey Spencer. Great video man. I love the cinema lens look but I have a natural bias towards vintage lenses. I love those. The character they have man. I love it. Vintage

[@samhaboush865]

Actually, the FD seemed smoother and more cinematic. That said the Cinema lenses felt more clinical. And the slr magic as too warm for my taste. Not too sure how accurate the skin tone was on all of them but at any rate, I guess it all depends on what your doing.

[@OneCheapEric]

Haha I've been there for sure. I've sat down and accidentally unplugged mic prolly five times.

[@amauzoho2156]

Do try to be as minimalist when you are doing gigs or personal projects?

[@diyrecordingacademy]

They all looked fantastic!

[@creativeaperture3058]

TRY IRONGLASS! if you havent already

[@adamasx5303]

plz do more vids about mavo lf.. im truly debating getting it and saving a bunch of money or a used red epic-w

[@TheGalacticWest]

he just threw photographers under the bus like it was flipping on a light switch. Ha.

[@konukuauleki]

how do you upload such a high quality video but that it is so small in size?...

[@spensersakurai]

File size isn’t small lol

[@SurajBoddu]

@@spensersakurai how many gigs was this video?

[@kenzwa]

Rehousing FD Lens: www.pstechnik.de/lens-rehousing/canon-fd/

[@coudik]

i thought you were talking about NIKKOR lenses!! :D

[@FOBulous976]

SLR Magic lenses punch above their weight class. The only problem about with them and the Nitecore lenses is getting them serviced. A lot of US lens service centers won't touch them.

[@sam6000]

Why did your wife change her hair? I think it looked nicer before like in the panasonic s1h video. She's still beautiful though:)

[@zsoltcselenyi622]

The focus breathing of the talking head shoots and the last shoot at the end is really bad. Which lens was used to those shoots? I do use the new Panasonic S Pro lenses and those are incredibly good lenses. All S PRO zooms are parfocal and no focus breathing at all! The linear and adjusts focus throw is also a great feature!

[@brakmaster]

I liked the Canon FD better. The look is much more organic.

[@roehaus1]

Your talking about lenses and using autofocus at the same time?

[@IlSinistero]

Well, when youre in front of the cam and alone, autofocus is great. The examples of the lenses he showed surely werent filmed with autofocus - I wouldnt even know how that should work with a cinema lense...

[@mt1990sweg]

You really like that green tint don't you man.

[@paulnordin5219]

breathing is problematic

[@663]

Fell in love with your wife beautiful eyes

[@pardeepmeena9515]

Firstt bro

[@pardeepmeena9515]

@Tomy Fernández 🙄

[@sebastianmorales6849]

Bloated video