what lenses to purchase

[Joseph Farris]

I've recently purchased a Red and have to make a choice on Lenses. I have gone back and forth far to many times and I'm sure there is no perfect answer but I thought I would see if anyone had a thought that could help sway my decision. I should have around $60k to spend for now.

Here are my options and thoughts thus far:

17-80 Optimo, great lens, fast, good range but not suitable for handheld
15-40 Optimo, cheaper, more sub-rentals, as a single lens pkg. a little short.
16/24/32/50/85 Ultra Primes

My only issue with the ultras is I really wanted to work towards a set of S4's but that is a little out of my price range at the moment. I'm open to other suggestions. My only requirement is that I would like to stick with some type of industry standard glass to hopefully offset the cost through some sub rentals. If I only had $300k this would be a lot easier! Any thoughts to aid in my decision would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Joseph Farris
Director of Photography (IATSE Local 600)
Visions of Light, Inc.
312-829-8244 (office)
630-306-8244 (direct)
joe@visionsoflightinc.com
www.visionsoflightinc.com

[Fredrik Callinggard]

I'd go for the UP set and then when you can afford it get the 15-40mm.

If you buy UP's in the UK you'll get more for the dollar since the £ has dropped severely. I think there's a UP set laying around at Mitcorp if you're interested.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I second that, can't go wrong with the UP's. The S4's are sure nice though... I think the UP's will be a better purchase if you intend to rent your gear, even with the lower cost primes coming onto the scene from RED and others because rental customers will still demand the known names for the foreseeable future. If you don't intend to rent your gear, then take a serious look at the upcoming RED primes and other offerings. I would suggest waiting for the new announcements at NAB before making any final purchase decisions. As for the Optimo zooms. Take a look at the DP Rouge series. Quite impressive and lower cost as they are designed for digital cameras. They will work with the F35, Phantom HD, RED, etc.. The 16-42 Rouge is due in May and looks like it will be a winner. If usage is primarily on RED and possibly rentals for other digital systems, then the 16-42 seems like a much better purchase than the 15-40, IMO.

Anyway, I've been struggling with similar lens purchase decisions lately. I've been trying to decide between the 15-40 or for $15~$20K less I can buy the Rouge 16-42. The Rouge 30-80 is out now and it's a wonderful lens. I also looked at the 17-80 and it's a beautiful lens too, but I would have to rent it out constantly to justify owning it.