From American Cinematographer, A Computerized Conceiving Ada by Mark Dillon (September 1998)
"If you're shooting 35mm and want to move the camera, that alone will take 10 or 15 minutes. With a zoom lens, you can reframe in a matter of seconds. I was not thinking about [the quality of] prime lenses versus zooms at that point. I was more concerned about how quickly I could get certain shots done."
- Hiro Narita, ASC
The cameraman found that the location conditions partially dictated what focal lengths could be used during the eight-day shoot.
"We couldn't go too wide because there was no set. We were using someone's apartment. To give a little visual impact, I tried to avoid the middle range-- a lot of scenes were shot between 24mm and 40mm, with close-ups at 75mm."
- Hiro Narita, ASC
I read, discuss, and discover new things about cinematography everyday. Most of it, I consider incredibly interesting. Everyday I will share one of those things, maybe more if I have time.
Showing posts with label primes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label primes. Show all posts
28.5.09
25.5.09
Ueli Steiger: Zoom Lenses
From American Cinematographer, Monster Mash by David E. Williams (June 1998)
"Other people will disagree with this, but I just love zooms and prefer them to primes at almost every level. That doesn't mean you have to be zooming in and out all the time although I do love to sometimes zoom within a shot but using one allows you to have all the focal lengths in the world on your camera at once. You can create the exact frame you need, show it to the director, and then shoot. The 5:1 and 11:1 Primos are fast enough [T2.3 and T2.8, respectively] I don't like shooting wide open anyway so I used them for most of my night exteriors, and hardly ever used primes.
... Of course, you have to understand the zoom lens to use it properly. For example, you can't become lazy and not move the camera simply because you can zoom in. If you're doing matching reverses with a 24mm lens, you still might have to move a wall because you can't get the camera in behind one of the actors with the 24mm. You can't just creep out on the lens instead, because that's changing the perspective. You have to know what a 24mm focal length will do and how it will compare to the tighter focal length you might use for your close-ups."
- Ueli Steiger
24.5.09
Hubert Taczanowski: Camera Lenses, Positioning, & Movement
From American Cinematographer, Rediscovering Eden by Holly Willis (March 1998)
"We never went wider than a 21mm, and the longest lens we used was the 70mm. I don't use zooms. Although there are fantastic zooms available from Arri and Panavision, I'd rather move the camera. I'm really in love with dollying and pushing in and out and adjusting. My philosophy is that when I'm looking at actors, I always put the camera on a dolly and I always make adjustments, even small ones-- 10" or 20"-- moving the camera left or right to get a better view. It's like when your watching something and someone blocks your view; you adjust by moving a little bit. That's how I approach moviemaking-- not necessarily in dramatic movements, like Scorsese does, but rather back and forth, to the left or right."
- Hubert Taczanowski
"We never went wider than a 21mm, and the longest lens we used was the 70mm. I don't use zooms. Although there are fantastic zooms available from Arri and Panavision, I'd rather move the camera. I'm really in love with dollying and pushing in and out and adjusting. My philosophy is that when I'm looking at actors, I always put the camera on a dolly and I always make adjustments, even small ones-- 10" or 20"-- moving the camera left or right to get a better view. It's like when your watching something and someone blocks your view; you adjust by moving a little bit. That's how I approach moviemaking-- not necessarily in dramatic movements, like Scorsese does, but rather back and forth, to the left or right."
- Hubert Taczanowski
22.5.09
Janusz Kaminski: Lenses on Amistad
From American Cinematographer, Breaking Slavery's Chains by Stephen Pizzello (January 1998)
"The Zeiss 27mm is my favorite lens, and Steven likes it too. We also used the 20mm, 24mm, and 29mm. For closeups or exterior day shots, we'd go with the 85mm, 100mm and 135mm Zeisses. I'm not a great fan of zooms, and neither is Steven, so we didn't use those. Aside from some of the courtroom scenes, I really didn't use specific lenses to create emotions. The scenes involving the boats were so dramatic and realistic that they didn't need much help from the lenses."
- Janusz Kaminski
"The Zeiss 27mm is my favorite lens, and Steven likes it too. We also used the 20mm, 24mm, and 29mm. For closeups or exterior day shots, we'd go with the 85mm, 100mm and 135mm Zeisses. I'm not a great fan of zooms, and neither is Steven, so we didn't use those. Aside from some of the courtroom scenes, I really didn't use specific lenses to create emotions. The scenes involving the boats were so dramatic and realistic that they didn't need much help from the lenses."
- Janusz Kaminski
13.5.09
Edward Lachman: Cooke Panchro Primes I
From American Cinematographer, Mad-Dog Englishman by David E. Williams (November 1999)
Lachman used Moviecam Compacts on The Limey, generally fitted with his personal set of Series II and III Cooke Speed Panchro primes.
"Those lenses were made 30 years ago, which contributed to the look of the film. The Cookes don't have the contrast, definition, or multicoatings that a modern lens like a Primo has. They're softer and more forgiving, so we didn't use any diffusion. Steven also liked the lens flares we'd sometimes get with them. At night, though, I'd use Zeiss Superspeeds."
- Edward Lachman, ASC
Lachman used Moviecam Compacts on The Limey, generally fitted with his personal set of Series II and III Cooke Speed Panchro primes.
"Those lenses were made 30 years ago, which contributed to the look of the film. The Cookes don't have the contrast, definition, or multicoatings that a modern lens like a Primo has. They're softer and more forgiving, so we didn't use any diffusion. Steven also liked the lens flares we'd sometimes get with them. At night, though, I'd use Zeiss Superspeeds."
- Edward Lachman, ASC
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