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The Best 16mm Cine Zoom for BMPCC4k? 1080 vs 4k? Zeiss Jena Vario-Tevidon 18mm-90mm f.20

The long forgotten 16mm cinema lens revolution for 4k+ cameras has begun! These lenses have been forgotten as we chase S35 and FF lenses with digital clarity that borders on CGI. Many spend hundred of dollars on Black Pro Mist filters to soften the look of these digital clear lenses which seems counterproductive.

Enter the vintage character filled 16mm cinema lenses which offer not only a wide range of focal lengths but also unique character that is highly sought after. Of course, not all 16mm cinema lenses will work properly and may still vignette in 1080. Most vintage 16mm cinema lenses are made for rigorous production needs and therefore are metal.

The Carl Zeiss Jena Vario-Tevidon 18mm-90mm f2.0 is a great lens that has a 77mm filter thread with geared rings. My copy was professionally adapted for M39 and with an adapter that fit right onto my MFT BMPCC4k and with the sensor mode set to 1080 had not vignetting.

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I’m Back!

It’s been about 3 years since I have regularly posted but after completing my award-winning documentary on the car culture known as Lowriders I am now able to post regularly on this blog.

Documentary poster

First, I want to discuss the Lowrider documentary that has about 90%+ footage shot on BMPCC4k with the Sigma 18-35. About 5% was BMCC 2.5k and the other 5% a mix of Red Raven/Gemini and GH4. By far the BMPCC4k was the most flexible and best performing due to small form factor, great color science and DR! I was able to mount this on a gimbal with the Sigma 18-35 with no problem or shoot at night along a busy cruising boulevard and get great footage.

Second, I recently shot a proof of concept short film that is currently being entered into film festivals. It’s a sci-fi/horror about “El Cucuy pt.1” (The Boogie Man). This was shot on a anamorphic rig Zeiss Classic 50mm 1.4, Red Isco 2.1, Rapido 16a which was mounted onto the URSA 12k! The images are beautiful and I will be posting the full review on the URSA 12k soon.

I also will be doing some lens pairings and my recommendations. If you guys have any ideas please drop a comment or email and let me know. I look forward to being back and writing about our beloved BlackMagic Design cameras!

Martin

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BMPCC4K.tech X LowriderDocumentary.org short: The Blindman

A collaborative effort with BMPCC4k.tech and LowriderDocumentary.org, the short tells the story of “The Blind Man” an automotive upholsterer Mike Perez who is a National Lowrider Hall Of Fame inductee. From the depth of poverty to a sustainable livelihood. Be inspired that we all have a destiny in this life and we all can rise above any current crisis.

We were honored to use the amazing BMPCC6k and vintage Carl Zeiss Jena lenses (35mm 2.4 & 50mm 1.4). The camera truly captures a cinematic image with great color science. The ease of use with Davinci Resolve is a must for any filmmaker seeking to make the best content available.

Thank you BMD for creating tools that allow anyone and everyone the ability to create amazing cinematic images.

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My Documentary Is Complete! 90%+ BMD Cameras

As a one man band I have been consumed shooting and editing this documentary for the last 4 years! But I am so proud to announce that it is completed and has been submitted to one of the biggest film festivals in the world TIFF and there is currently a grassroots campaign to get my work selected. Please follow the documentary social media to get the lates updates.

As an indie filmmaker I only used BMD cameras such as BMPCC, BMCC and BMPCC4k! I did occasionally hire camera operators who used Red Raven and Gemini and I can tell you the footage all goes very well together and BMD footage was amazing in color retention, contrast and dynamic range.

Also, about halfway during editing I was very frustrated with Premiere and I did the unthinkable, I switched to Davinci Resolve and although it created double the work initially to get caught up it was one of the best workflow, tools and ease of use that I could have made. My colorist who teaches at a film school in the UK was also using DR so it streamlined our process and the results are amazing.

I look forward to releasing two small projects one was shot in anamorphic BMPCC4k and the other on BMPCC6k soon, now that I have some time.

Thank you for your patience and positive vibes.

Martin

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BMPCC4k Anamorphic Review Hypergonar 16 STOP, Kowa 16s & Sankor 16d + Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f1.4

As many of us had our lifestyles changed due to the dangerous Corona Virus outbreak worldwide I hope this video can inspire and take your mind off of it for a little while. My prayers, thoughts and concern are for your wellbeing. Stay safe and healthy.

I am officially addicted to anamorphic but unfortunately cannot afford the $3,000-$100,000 to purchase a modern anamorphic lenses such as Vazen, Atlas Orion or Arri Master Anamorphics so I am on the path of using and adapting vintage anamorphic scopes that were originally designed for projectors.

This review is the behind the scenes of the testing that I do to select the proper scope and taking lens combinations. The footage at the end was not sharpened and there was no noise reduction applied just basic curves, contrast and saturation to give you an idea of how the setup works in real life, also it was all shot handheld. and some shots are not in total focus LOL.

Gear used: BMPCC4k Passive adapter Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f1.4 Rapido technology & RAF Camera adapters Hypergonar 16 STOP anamorphic scope Kowa 16s anamorphic scope Sankor 16d anamorphic scope shot at 4k dci, CinemaDNG Raw, cropped 2.76:1

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