Cinematographer Dave Perry pits the Schneider Xenon FF 50mm lens against the Zeiss CP.2 Super Speed 50mm lens.
Schneider Xenon FF 50mm vs. Zeiss CP.2 Super Speed 50mm from DavePerryCinematographerLLC on Vimeo.
An Unscientific Test of the 50mm Zeiss CP.2 Super Speed and 50mm Schneider Xenon FF
I've been considering upgrading my lens package for a while but it wasn't until I was recently hired as a B-Camera operator to shoot pickups for a 2016 feature film that I really made the decision to take the plunge. The camera I used had a Angenieux Optimo 24-290mm T2.8 Zoom. I'm certainly not in a position to plunk $87k down for a lens. However, I decided that it was a good time to invest in some industry recognized cinema glass that would last a life time.
I Finally narrowed it down to 3, the Sonys, Zeiss CP.2s, and Xenon FFs. I rented a 50mm Zeiss CP.2 and Xenon but could not find a rental house that had a Sony. I was really leaning towards the Sonys though because of the price for the six lens set. I decided not to go for them because of size, weight, less name recognition, and PL mount only. Name recognition is not a huge issue for me but the fact is, as lame as it is, some people are more comfortable going with a brand that has wide name recognition. I frequently have requests for equipment rentals. I wanted to have something with a little more recognition. The Zeiss and Schneiders both have EF and PL mount options that are interchangeable. That was appealing to me because of flexibility between camera bodies if I rent a camera and options for people interested in renting the lenses from me.
My final choice was the Schneiders. I ordered a 25mm, 50mm, and 100mm. The full review can be found at
https://daveperry.net/zeiss-cp-2-super-speed-vs-schneider-xenon-ff/