NikonGear'23

Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on September 25, 2017, 10:49:44

Title: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on September 25, 2017, 10:49:44
http://vashivisuals.com/dramatic-filmmaking-with-a-2000mm-lens/ (http://vashivisuals.com/dramatic-filmmaking-with-a-2000mm-lens/)

Impressive!!
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Fons Baerken on September 25, 2017, 11:32:28
thnx for the link
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: John Geerts on September 25, 2017, 11:39:10
 Such an unusual view that it's easy to think it has been 'edited'.  Great result.
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Erik Lund on September 25, 2017, 11:48:51
Very nicely done! Thanks for posting :)
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on September 25, 2017, 11:50:41
Puts a new dimension to the expression "compressed perspective" ...
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Akira on September 25, 2017, 12:02:52
This is outrageous!  Thanks for sharing!

I'm not sure if this is shot with the Reflex Nikkor 2000/11.  I don't really see any doughnut bokeh...  Some highlights reflected on the metal parts of the landing plane might look like doughnuts, but I'm not sure.
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Frank Fremerey on September 25, 2017, 13:42:41
Phantastic illustration on how a physical phenomenon can be used for artistic expression. Thank you.
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: armando_m on September 25, 2017, 16:56:33
Awesome

Thanks for the link
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: beryllium10 on September 25, 2017, 17:57:00
I wonder if the film-maker was inspired by Youtube videos like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P9OAng32F0

I don't know what lens and camera were used. I assume you can get something like this with a long telephoto on one of the J1 or V1 crop-sensor cameras.

John
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: pluton on September 25, 2017, 18:56:34
It is unlikely that the old 2000mm Reflex-Nikkor was used for a movie shot in 2011.  As time is available, I will search the cinematography magazines to attempt to find out what lens was used.  The film was shot in Super 35 3-perf, cropping to 2.39:1.
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Frank Fremerey on September 25, 2017, 20:25:47
It is unlikely that the old 2000mm Reflex-Nikkor was used for a movie shot in 2011.  As time is available, I will search the cinematography magazines to attempt to find out what lens was used.  The film was shot in Super 35 3-perf, cropping to 2.39:1.

Keith, I guess only few people here know that you make your living as a professional cameraman for scene shootings in hollywood which is just neighborhood...
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Jakov Minić on September 25, 2017, 22:17:41
Kieth, I am looking forward to your insights.
The scene is dramatic though. Thank you for the link.
To me it does seem that the plane comes in focus while still some distance away from the actors. I would not be surprised if it was shot with an 85mm lens :D
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Roland Vink on September 26, 2017, 06:51:42
I'm not sure if this is shot with the Reflex Nikkor 2000/11.  I don't really see any doughnut bokeh...  Some highlights reflected on the metal parts of the landing plane might look like doughnuts, but I'm not sure.
You can see some signs of donut bokeh, especially if you view full screen and stop at certain points, especially on the reflections from the plane and also in the vertical poles in the far distance. But it is not as obvious as you might expect. Maybe  due to the very long focal length, the bokeh hole caused by the central mirror smaller than usual?
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Akira on September 26, 2017, 07:24:29
Roland, the highlights reflected on the nosewheel support (?) of the landing aircraft don't look like doughnuts.  They should look clearly like doughnuts, if a reflex lens is used.
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on September 26, 2017, 12:57:48
Roland, the highlights reflected on the nosewheel support (?) of the landing aircraft don't look like doughnuts.  They should look clearly like doughnuts, if a reflex lens is used.
#

I was wondering the very same thing Akira, no doughnuts visible...!?
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: pluton on September 26, 2017, 23:50:56
To be accurate, the blogger Mr. Nedomansky stated that he did not know what lens was actually used for the movie shot.
I'm still looking for info about what lens was used.
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: pluton on October 13, 2017, 00:51:22
UPDATE:  By good luck and random chance, I happened upon Hoyte van Hoytema, the man who was the cinematographer of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" today, while he is shooting a new outer space-set movie called "Ad Astra" here in L.A.
He cheerfully answered my question about the famous telephoto shot.
It was a real shot, not green-screen composite, it was a 2000mm lens, it was not the Reflex-Nikkor.  He recalled that it was a Century Optics 2000mm, a line of super tele lenses marketed specifically for cinematography.
The format that movie was shot on(3-perf Super 35 with 2.4:1 A.R.) uses a frame size of about 10.4 by 24.8mm...similar to shooting DX and extracting a 2.4:1 widescreen image from the DX frame.  Suffice it to say that 2000mm yields a very narrow field of view on that camera format!
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Jakov Minić on October 13, 2017, 02:26:52
Kieth, thank you so much for reveling this mystery!
2000mm on a DX like frame shows the skills of the cinematographer!!!
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: pluton on October 13, 2017, 02:46:02
You're welcome, Jakov!
The main concern at that focal length is steadiness...not to have the shot shaky.  They must have used an extremely robust camera mounting: either a heavy tripod or heavy dolly(typically 420 kg) and big heavy pan head(like a Sachtler Video 90).

The shot is very steady, but at the end there is a bit of movement, possibly caused by wind turbulence reaching the camera position.
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Akira on October 13, 2017, 04:21:33
Keith, thanks for the exciting info!  This is amazing!  The guy doing the most challenging job in this particular scene could be the pilot.

Video 90 is a 12,800 USD head!  It well deserves as the support for the 100,000+ camera and lens...   :o :o :o
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: John Geerts on October 13, 2017, 08:33:12
Thanks for the update, Keith. Very interesting.  They used that heavy setup only for one scene?
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: Erik Lund on October 13, 2017, 10:15:20
Thanks for the update! How wonderful your were able to talk directly to the source ;) 2000mm it is ;) Super!
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: pluton on October 13, 2017, 20:41:32
Thanks for the update, Keith. Very interesting.  They used that heavy setup only for one scene?
I don't know the details of the camera equipment package that was carried throughout the production.  The commonly available lenses from their rental house (Panavision) go from super-wides to about 500mm at the long end of a zoom.
Often, a well-financed movie camera department carries a large range of camera- and camera support gear: often multiple camera bodies, lenses, tripods, several different sized dollies, and hundreds of bits and pieces of camera related gear.  It is also possible that this production arranged to rent the super-long lens gear just for the few days it was actually needed. 
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: pluton on October 13, 2017, 20:49:36
Keith, thanks for the exciting info!  This is amazing!  The guy doing the most challenging job in this particular scene could be the pilot.

Video 90 is a 12,800 USD head!  It well deserves as the support for the 100,000+ camera and lens...   :o :o :o
The pilot had the job with the most serious responsibility, I agree.  I'd guess that the plane stopped no closer than 20 meters...might have been farther away than that.
Title: Re: Dramatic film making with 2000mm Nikkor lens
Post by: MFloyd on October 14, 2017, 00:31:33
Keith, thanks for your insights 😊