Film look...plugs or optics?

I like the convenience of the plug-in grain/35mm/film look stuff. However, I have an achromat and gg with some old canon glass (1.2/1.4/1.8 50mm primes) and the optical result is way superior (to my diminishing eye sight). The downside is that you can't 'paint' the image in post its burned in to the shot. I'm no expert but those who are, could you tell me, what impact the glass had over the film stock in achieving the appearance of hallowed film?
Thanks

Lee

here's a holiday film I shot on an HV30, I still use the adaptor on my dslr when I want the gg's impact on the shoot.
vimeo.com/7224939

Totally here you. Here is my HV30 with a similar setup:

vimeo.com/3607988

I've shot alot with the 35mm adapter. Mainly corporate work. The problem really is the focusing screen is visible and the image is not sharp. And if you really look there is dust all over the place on my focusing screen.

Compare that with my Canon 7D and it is night and day. However, the look of the HV30 with the adapter is still pretty fantastic.

Wow! That same thing. There is a magic in that footage that is utterly peerless. I suppose it's horses for courses but I'll keep the optical option in the camera bag, if for no other reason that I can't afford the modern glass:)! The achromat makes a huge difference in eradicating lens distortions and I have a really fine GG too. Thanks for sharing the footage, infectious smile your Mum has:)
Lee

Oh I did get an achromat:

Here is a paying Gig with the HV30 and 35mm adapter.

www.titan-development.com/hp.html

Very cool:) Do you think that the quality of colours is just that bit richer? I know it doesn't have the pin sharp focus of the DSLR's but colour seems richer, more settled and the entire viewing experience more pleasant on the eye. A great tool. I really liked the tree planting scenes,great composition and iconic images.

The rich colors were just added in post. Actually the interview shot was incredibly dark. I pumped it up as much as I could wouldn't the picture falling apart.

So the day after I got my 7D I shot this:

www.titan-development.com/welcome.html

I didn't realized I needed to turn down the sharpness, not did I know anything about shutter speeds.