The Secrets of Optics

Mitch Gross

The Secrets of Optics

Mitch Gross
4.5
2h 14m
7 modules (view curriculum)

$349
$149
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  • Total Time:

    2h 14m

Description

Ever been confused by focal length? Lens breathing? How about crop factors? What is the “Cooke Look” compared to that of Zeiss? In The Secrets of Optics you’ll learn the basics of lenses - what they do, how they do it, what types of lenses there are - so you have a solid foundation for selecting and operating lenses.


Subtitles available: English

Modules

06m

Before we get started explaining the ins and outs of lenses, Mitch takes the time to really define what a lens is and how modern lenses came about.


Subtitles available: English

11m

In this module Mitch breaks down focal length, explaining the differences between a wide and telephoto lens and why there’s no such thing as a “normal” lens.


Subtitles available: English

21m

Here Mitch takes us through how the camera sensor size affects our possible lens choice, and how different lenses behave on different sensor sizes.


Subtitles available: English

30m

Ever been confused by the numerous specifications of lenses? In this module Mitch breaks down the most commonly used lens specs, explaining what they mean and showing examples on a wide range of lenses.


Subtitles available: English

32m

Here we look at the lens specifications that manufacturers don’t always give you. Things like focus breathing, zoom tracking, chromatic aberration, telecentricity and more are defined and discussed with examples.


Subtitles available: English

15m

In this module Mitch talks about the various aspects of lenses that give them personality, and why you might choose a certain lens for a certain look.


Subtitles available: English

17m

For the final module in the course we look at specialty lenses and adaptors such as anamorphic and tilt-shift and discuss their application.


Subtitles available: English

About the Educator

Mitch Gross

Educator, Filmmaker, Product Specialist

1 Course

Industry veteran Mitch Gross is the Cinema Product Manager at Panasonic USA. He has been working in the New York film industry for more than fifteen years and has been the DP on more than twenty feature films as well as hundreds of commercials, music videos, documentaries and other productions.

Reviews

5
I learned so much about optics, things that as a regular camera user I couldn't know, and some common miss conceptions that we find on the internet but are not true. Now I have a more clear view about optics and how to use glass for my projects :)
Juan Manuel Acuña Rodriguez
5
A great course!
Philippe Schultz
5
Amaazing!
RAPHAEL FREIRE COSTA REGIS
5
Such a great introduction into the world of lenses, I believe this won't be the last time I watch this course as I continue learning and practicing. Thank you so much, Mitch.
Claudia Marone
5
Instructor was very informative, confident in his presentation, and presented the information in a clear and concise manner! Great Course, Recommend for everyone from beginner to expert.
German Disla
5
Amazing!
Ajay Paul Singh
5
Great technical knowledge, delivery, and everything you would need or want to know camera lenses!
Charles Seay
5
Well taught, and straight to the point. Loved it.
Eric MacIver
5
VERY INFORMATIVE. Actually, important information too.
C.S. Dilip Kumar
5
Awesome course and if you are starting with any course on MZed this is a great place. It gets the basics down solid and describes some deep, in-depth aspects to camera lenses that I never really realized.
Josh Bonzheim
5
Mitch is a great explainer of complex ideas in simple terms
Phill Dixon
5
Great course covering a wide range of Optics for both beginners and professionals in the field.
Keir Suggett
5
I highly recommend this course to everyone interested in filmmaking even if you are not a cameraman or a cinematographer! It really helps to get a better understanding of the communication on set with the camera department.
Tsvetelina Yordanova
5
Contains the information that I wasn't able to find online, at least not in ANY way close to how organized this was. Perfect, concise, but DETAILED, this is so useful for those types of people that like to understand concepts deeply by studying both it's evolution and intricacies.
J S
5
Awesome course. Very informative and educational.
Fidel Ventocilla
5
Great Course although i think it will take a few rewatches to take all the information in properly
Fionnbharr Williamson
5
The teacher is prepared and combines theoretical explanations with practical examples. Recommended if you want to have a technical understanding of lenses.
Alessandro Iannella
5
I really enjoyed this class. I learned new things that will have practical use.
Donald Evans
5
Fantastic...
Tolani Mosweu
5
It's a course like this that really takes a persons knowledge on lenses and propels them past the still image into the acquisition of a moving image through glass.
Marco Marco
5
Great content.
Rodrigo Resende
5
I've learned more in-depth of what I thought I already know about lens to an extent.
Ragunaath Rathnam
5
Very helpful introduction to the understanding of lenses.
Lea Ratliff
5
Very good. Lots of information.
Joel Rivera
5
Great primer on lenses, with many specific details of the construction and specifications that I knew nothing about. I feel like I can more intelligently discuss, test, and select lenses after watching this course.
Sean Edevane
5
Mitch was an amazing teacher, very thorough and extremely knowledgable. Wish he had more courses on here! My favorite so far on MZed.
Matthew Wyman
5
Brilliant short course!
Daniel Grindrod
5
Great!
Łukasz Kucharski
4.5
Fantastic! Would have been great that Mitch explained the hyperfocas distance by using the mentioned Kodak calculator.
Omni Akademija
4.5
Admittedly, I am a detail nerd so I enjoyed the fact that this course introduced lots of very interesting characteristics of lenses that I either didn't know, or didn't understand very well. My future purchases of lenses will be much better informed because of it.
Marshall Cant
4.5
interesting for me even if I'm not a camera man, just a director.
Claudio vita
4.5
Great depth of knowledge, could have added a few more actual demonstrations. Anyways, Good starter.
Aravinth Selva
4.5
Good course. A lot of information about lenses.
Terrell Epps
4
I came to Mzed for the creatives courses and the one I liked is this which is technical. The info I already knew before the course became much clearer and the new info got easy to understand, thanks to Mitch who has a talent for explaining hard stuff in an entertainting and cristal clear way. I only wish the Lens Personality chapter was bigger.
toño lopez
4
Wide range of lens topics covered but the practical examples could have been titled/described better and maybe more examples than just a single female model scene. Also, why does such a professional video series let the intro music be something like 12dB too loud? It's not YouTube, folks. Other than that, very good.
Peter Mankowski
4
The course was informative, and Mitch Gross helped expand my knowledge of glass with his experience.
Mark Kaufmann
4
Great. I really appreciate Mitch's practical, down-to-earth approach. I would have liked to see more actual examples of some of the applications/situations he was talking about.
Steven Erickson
4
Very informative course taught by a very knowledgeable teacher.
Manuela Alarcón González C.C. 1'026.260.114
3.5
Very informative, well worth watching.
Douglas Farrelly
3.5
It's a great course for everyone. My only wish is more example on the live feed from the camera.
Armen Sarkisov
2.5
More theory less practical examples...
RAVI SHANKER KUMMA
2
Muito fraco de exemplos e não tem nada que não de para encontrar no youtube de graça.
GABRIEL ARRUDA
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