It's all relative I guess.... for some people I know, it would not be an option to spend less than 10k on a single prime for their particular camera setup. Obviously, I am not one of those people. But at the same time, I'm not really sure why spending $1000-2000 on a prime (or a zoom) seems like a lot of money... and I really put emphasis on the fact that I am really not trying to say this and sound like a stuck up dick about it... but I guess, we are talking about [respectively] sophisticated pieces of technology and at the same time - a lot of the same principles of optical science involved with the overall capturing of light from the front of the lens, down into the camera's apature and so forth..... so no, again, of course this is just how I view it - but, for a lens that when paired with the right camera (such as the 5D) and used correctly, can really produce moving images that really not that long ago at all... would require a half a milliion dollar setup/budet or w/e you get my point...
So $1300 - 2000 for these ZE primes? I was stoked when I saw they were that cheap. Before any of this, the only lenses, being mostly primes of course, but zooms as wel... that I would see being used by those I knew in the practice of filmmaking , were of course cine specific lenses. And I never got into any of it enough then, but I was always ware that these cine primes cost anywhere from 10k up all the way to 50k per lens. So, again, it's all relative. But if you are doing something, it makes sense to do it right... And when you can "do it right" for as ridiculously cheap as a little over $3,000 for three lenses that at least have you covered for the majority of scenes you could start out needing to shoot.... ? That's the definition of ballin on a fucking budget!
..I mean, also if I did not know anything at all about all this, just from an observant, kind of normal-logic point of view: I would find it strange that these ZE lenses for example, which are by definition "Photography lenses" - can also shoot and capture video so fucking beautifully. AND while we are at it - yeah, I won't be taking photos very often, but when I do... well that's kind of a massive bonus perk of having a super-high end DSLR camera cinema rig w/ the mark iii - especially combined with the ZE lenses I chose; now suddenly I have the ability in my hands to shoot (some experience definitely helps too, ha..) catalog-quality photos as well. So if you take this into account as well... then the ZEs are actually even cheaper than I had put them into perspective with myself before thinking about it this way distinctively.
I would once again LOVE to have been able to afford basically the same setup of lenses to start out with - like a 21mm , a 35mm and a 50 (and an 85 if I could add one more) , but as the Zeiss CP.2 cine lenses.... Now, I absolutely don't NEED them at all right now. However, there are some serious differences of shooting on a full frame HDSLR such as the mark iii - which again, as the DSLR-video haters , which of course will hate... as that is their job to hate. But, damn... if you can find (very little proper test/comparison footage out there for the mark iii being so new) some of the few excellent video test footage reviews of the mark iii's capabilities and with several different lens tests/comparisons - including the CP.2 cine series.... All I will say is, damn, the differences between even the ZE series and the CP.2 , which as we know are the same zeiss glas... but at least from perspective - there is a damn obvious difference between the two.
Saying the CP.2s would be "stupid to buy" , "a waste of money" etc. is really ignorant IMO.... again, it's completely relative. For myself, at this moment in time: hell no... it would definitely be a waste, ONLY because of what I know I'll be able to get out of the ZE primes. But if you have earned the experience and knowledge, have demanding enough projects/clients/films, and well, more importantly - have the funds to spend on an entire CP.2 cine series kit without it taking away from anything else - then from every single thing I have ever read unbiased on the CP.2s, again -footage comparisons, the one time I have personally had a brief chance to mess around with a couple different CP2s.... they are fucking sick and it's NOT just the fact they also do look aesthetically badass just from a completely vain, outside POV.
And the same goes with the CP.2 series - the fact that they really are a true cinema lens, AND yet are actually made specifically for full frame DLR cameras... yet at the same time, in regards to their optics and just overall features - actually comparable to their "traditional" cine prime counterparts which have been around forever, and like I said: easily cost 10k-50k and up... each.... When you can get a Cp.2 for less than $4000. Pretty fucking incredible if you ask me. That's all I'm saying.
And also, FYI - the rig itself was much more expensive than all three of the primes I bought combined...... Which is a little silly if you ask me, sure... definitely could of charged $1000 less, or at least a couple hundred less, and still made plenty of profit. However, any business that markets & sells high quality "exclusive" products to a small, specialized niche is going to naturally charge a huge surplus. I mean, I would do the same thing. And the funny thing is there really is nothing at all excessive about the redrockmicro rigs... They are actually a lot minimalistic, and simple than you would think. I will hand it to them - upon unpacking everything bit by bit... holding each part, from tiny to huge, you can tell it is a high quality product that is going to last and not give you any issues. And have a high-resell value if it ever comes to that.
*oh and btw, um what kind of school did you/do you go to where half your tuition is less than $4000? unless I read that wrong - I applaud you for finding the most affordable college I have ever heard of, by a far stretch.
damn, i gotta stop posting on this site. Its creepin back like I used to do when i was 16 and shit hah a
