andy lee

flange focal distance....

Nikon is 46.5mm

Contax yashica is 45.5mm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flange_focal_distance

so you can not get an adaptor to make a C/Y fit a Nikon mount

Nikon mount is too long for C/Y

I have larger sensor cameras full frame Canons etc but I do prefer the micro 4/3 system the sensor size is quite close to a super 35mm cinema film frame and gives a very filmic look dof I prefer

large sensor cameras have way too narrow dof for me it , I dont like 1/32" dof at f1.4 on a full frame canon its not really usable for me

read this article on how large full frame sensors can be challenging on set as the dof is sooooo narrow

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2010/02/the-power-of-focus/

if you have a panasonic micro 4/3 lens (like th 14mm or 14-42 kit lens ) the G6 lets you assign aperture control to the function slider/switch on th top of the camera so you can alter aperture while shooting - this is a very useful feature. I like it!

G6 focus peaking seems to work best the sharper the lens is , its very good with my zeiss zooms, its there all most all the time very visable  , not too good on old softer legacy lenses

but it is a very use aid to have 'free' on the camera

I just leave it on all the time now + the EVF on the G6 is superb

thats about right for a Driftwood hack - Mine is 64gb sandisk pro extreme and I get 54 mins record time

so we are just over a 1gb a minuite

trailer looks superb - amazimg cinematography and use of colours

we are just debating lenses here on this thread have a read

http://www.eoshd.com...-set-of-lenses/

I use Canons Blackmagic and Panasonic cameras - I have a more varied selection of micro 4/3 lenses for the panasonic g6 and gh2 as the system will take almost any lens with the right adapter off ebay , more lenses than a Nikon system as micro 4/3 has a smaller flange focal distance enabling it to also take lenses like c mount cctv lenses which are small and light cheap and fast ! so look into that too

I agree JGHarding all fast f1.4 bokeh madness can get very tedious !!

also I am known to bang on about this lens the Carl Zeiss 80mm f2.8 Biometar in Pentacon 6 mount is a simply superb lens

Mine is a 1963 version and the sharpest lens I own , superb for portraits and its a great feel to the image it renders, zeiss glass again

everytime I have to shoot a face close up I use this lens .

trust me the Carl Zeiss are not rebranded sigmas at all - I have the equivilant 28-70mm sigma lens and its nothing like the Zeiss - completely different lens group elements in it and no way near as sharp - that is miss infomation you are reading

zeiss 28-70mm  is very very sharp -asphereic elements- zeiss glass great contrast and color and famous T* coatings - the others you mention are push pull zooms no use for video only stills

I too read all that same miss infomation you have just read before I bought mine and its not true .

The Canon FD 35-105 is a steller constant aperture lens very cheap !!

Cinematographer Oliver Wood shot The Bourne Ultimatum with 2 Nikon Zooms ,

this is from American Cinematographer magazine:

“ I mostly used lightweight zooms that I had specially made from two Nikon digital still-photography lenses, a 28-70mm and an 80-200mm,” says Wood. “Arri in Munich converted them to lightweight cinema-style zooms, and they work quite well. The Nikon glass is brilliant.” Dierken notes, “We called them the Oliver Lenses, and they helped the operators shoot everything handheld with the documentary approach Oliver and Paul wanted. Unlike other zooms, which are either too heavy or too slow, these zooms opened up to T2.8 and were quite light. Arri made the housings in six weeks, and the lenses turned out to be very sharp and the contrast was quite good. [Still-photography] lenses turn the opposite of the way cine-style lenses do, which could have been unpleasant if we’d used a normal follow focus, but with the LCS-3 we were able to just reverse the gears. The lenses worked so well that we ended up shooting 70 percent of the movie with them, and now Arri is making more!”

you can rent one of them from Arri Rental Here

http://www.arrimedia.com/catalog/productlist.php?catalog_id=306

so do think about sharp zooms they are very useful if they have aspheric elements some are sharper than prime lenses too.

also if you are using a micro 4/3 camera like the BMPCC or G6 the Canon FD L series 24-35 f3.5 is another stunning lens

aspheric elements - razor sharp and a very cinematic look it works well with the  FD 35-105mm f3.5

together they make a very usable range from 24- 105mm all constant aperture razor sharp Canon glass

Thanks for your opinions, Andy.

 

I've never really considered getting a lens that isn't a prime, but I suppose it could be pretty convenient if I'm shooting on the go with the pocket camera.

 

How is the focus throw and breathing with the 28-70?

 

Also, it isn't a very fast lens, do you have experience using it on a BlackMagic?  If so how is the DOF?  I would like the ability to shoot some shallow shots.

 

Lastly, do they make one of those speedboosters for the c/y mount?

 

Thanks.

yes metabones do make a c/y mount speedbooster - these Carl Zeiss lenses have 2 aspherical elements they are sharper than my primes ..I kid you not! rediculously sharp - like a PL mount cinema lens

focus is 180 degress turn from o- infinity and practically no focus breathing at all its a superb lens

I shoot alot of narative stuff and bear in mind cinematopraphers like Freddie Young rarely went above f3.5 on films like Lawrence of Arabia ,Dr Zhivargo , Ryans Daughter etc etc , I find f3.5 great for actors as they hit thier marks, if I want super fast narrow dof I use my c mount lenses f1.4 pentax 25mm etc

Carl Zeiss Varios Sonnars C/Y mount and N mount are my fovourite right now - and amazinglly sharp so great if you buy a BMCC

also Yashica ML 24mm and 28mm are made in the same factory as the Carl Zeiss sonnars and the Yashicas are widely regarded as Distagon equivilants - very sharp superb lenses

again in C/Y mount

this lens is insanely good - very very sharp and renders great filmic images

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ext-Contax-Carl-Zeiss-Vario-Sonnar-28-70mm-F-3-5-4-5-T-MMJ-MF-Lens-C-Y-Yashika-/271292010605?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item3f2a43906d

also small and light - great for run and gun hand held plus a very useful zoom range - parfocal too

C/Y mount can be used on loads of cameras with the right adapter

I use on my Canons and Pansonics

the G6 has let me revisit alot of great c mount lenses that I only used for outdoor night shooting on the GH2

(at night they are fast and you cannot see the vignetting as much on the gh2 !! as its dark ! a simple trick to disguise it.)

but with the G6 having a x2 crop these lenses now dont vignette so Im now using them alot more

They all have great character and look very filmic

I like the Wollensak 25mm (1 inch) f1.9 cine raptar made for Bell and Howell 16mm cameras

I picked this one up in Los Angles while working over there (attached to a free 16mm Bell and Howell camera)

its a very well made, 1960s (brass body chrome plated) and the glass has a super quality to it

great Bokeh and superb for shooting faces.

get one if you can

there is one on the bay here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wollensak-1-inch-1-9-cine-raptar-c-mount-lens-micro-4-3-/261267777932?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item3cd4c5e98c

dishe

here is a review of the Pentax 25mm with lots of test photos for you to see

the reviewer is using an Olympus E-P1 , he a stills photographer but all his comments are valid and correct for video too

On a G6 it does not vigntte on a GH2 it does slightly vignette on the corners

http://www.efixmedia.de/photography/2010/03/04/cosmicarpentax-251-4-c-mount-tv-lens-review/

also check out the Wesley 24mm f1.4 - another super lens

we have just debated both these topics on these threads have a good read. one of these is your thread!

http://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/3537-g6-vs-gh3-vs-d5200-vs/

http://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/3586-cheapest-camera-for-perfect-green-screen-work/

talking about the genius Jack Cardiff my I recomend this dvd all about him and his techniques its a gold mine of infomation

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/jack-cardiff-cameraman-NEW-SEALED-DVD-Fast-Post-UK-STOCK-Top-seller-/360768211742?pt=UK_CDsDVDs_DVDs_DVDs_GL&hash=item53ff760b1e

ebay ..you will find something cheap - I dont use flash as Im shooting video!!!

try some photography forums for more advise - I can help with lights but flash cheap best place is ebay

g6 has alot more menu options not on the gh2 - so i turn off most of them so its all manual the camera does not do anything for me

oh yeah forgot and 99% of the time at 1/50 sec shutter

all my lenses are fully manual - and use NDs outdoors too

g6 takes much better stills than the gh2

as for lenses well there are 100s you can use on the G6 - what are you planning to shoot

good standard lenses are

Yashica 24mm f2.8 in C/Y mount ......a Distagon equivilant lens

Pentax 24mm f1.4 c-mount - no vignetting on g6 - vignettes on gh2 - bokeh magic !!

may favourite lens is Canon FD L series 24-35mm F3.5 ASPHERICAL - image is very cinematic and stunningly sharp

this is my main go to lens

Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnars are suberb

I like the 28-70mm

and the 24-85mm in contax n mount - with 2 aspheric elements this len is unreal so sharp ! we are talking PL mount cinema lens quality here

ps - n mount adapters are about £90 !! ouch !

perfect for the Canon L series  FD 24-35mm and 35-105mm both are constant f3.5 super sharp lenses I use alot

Thanks for all your input, guys. Could you elaborate on what makes the G6/D5200 better than the other models, despite similar specs on paper?

 

And, does bit rate matters in terms of video quality? One reason that makes me consider the GH2(hacked) is that it's capable of very high bit rates. 

 

To Andy Lee: That's one of the reasons MFT system got me interested. My question is, when I do get a bigger budget, should I look at a bigger sensor size as the priority? Or is the system design much more important?

I personally an sticking with Panasonic and their micro 4/3 system -

btw you should know Panasonic have done a superb job with the g6 making a picture quality better than my hacked gh2s

...... my gh2s are running driftwood 150mb/s 1 gig per minuite files

with the G6 pansonic have made a camera image better than the gh2

I shoot on the 'natural' picture profile with contrast a-3 and saturation at -3

I use 24p and AVCHD