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So: D-mount to Pentax Q adapter stuck somewhere on its road from China, cannot try the lenses.

However, I mounter a freshly arrived C-mount Kern Paillard f1.8 16mm on the Pentax, as I had the C-mount adapter (first picture). I send you some pics, during a short walk in my neighborhood. Unfortunately, still need to practice & understand the settings, but the lens seems OK.

I shot in JPEG mode in the afternoon. Yesterday evening try raw, but with the lack of light, I haven't seen much quality [or need to play with the settings]. Have a good WE !

@kye thanks, I started to read through the C-mount forum, a lot of info, need time to read & digest.

So, delivery finally arrived, Bolex 8B8L and four D-mount lenses: Kens-Paillard Yvar f2.8 36mm ; Switar f1.5 12.5mm ; Schneider-Kreuznach Xenoplan f1.9 13mm ; Schneider-Kreuznach Xenoplan f2.8 38mm. No idea about the quality, but at a first sight looks in good shape. Delivery of the adapter for Pentax Q is delayed unfortunately, so cannot post any real pictures/experiences yet.

Will keep you updated:) I wish you all a nice day, F

@kye: thanks, I think it looks great: sharp image, nice chromatic - looks like a movie:) Just a couple of questions, please:

- did you use a tripod from time to time (e.g. Taj Mahal scenes from a distance)?  

- did you do post production color adjustment/grading?

- with the same lens, was the BMPCC better than the Panasonic GH5? The price of a BMPCC 2nd hand is about the same as the GH5 new (body).

A bit off topic, have you ever used C-mount tele lenses on the BMPCC? I found 2 lenses Berthiot, from the '60s, : Som Berthiot Pan-cinor 2f 17-85mm and Som Berthiot Pan-Cinor 25-100mm f/3,4 [C-Mount], they look rather heavy (2-3kg) and difficult to manipulate. I was wondering if these give good results on a distance.

Alternatively, do you have any thoughts about the D-mount  Berthiot tele 10-30mm f2.8 (smaller, lighter ~380g).

I would like to post a picture of the D-mount lenses I bought, but unfortunately delivery is still delayed... but the Pentax Q has arrived

F

Hello and firstly: thank you for your reactions.

@BTM_Pix: I was referring to the BMPCC (pocket camera), which indeed has a back screen - but from the reviews it seems that it has poor luminosity, hard-to-use menu and no visibility in the sun. Reviewers strongly advised for using an external screen, a sort of view/box finder & external battery - which would increase the budget with another 3/400$ (a lot in my view). But my earlier post was rather vague, sorry.

@rawshooter: I found several ads for used BMPCCs, ranging from ±450-600 USD, sometimes including accessories (e.g. lumix lenses or cage). thanks for your pieces of advice - probably I'm not experienced enough to pick one, let alone to use it to full potential  I must admit that I saw videos on youtube - in the hands of a pro, looks very high quality.

I'm a fisherman & nature lover and during my nature/boat trips I found myself limited by using a GoPro cam with the fisheye lenses. Was ok for snorkeling. Definitely not ok during a natural reserve trip. I must admit I also lacked accessories (original ones - way too expensive IMHO), so using a GoPro Hero+LCD for a 4 yrs and decided it's time to upgrade. The videos I took are relatively ok in good light (summer sun between 9am-4pm) not good in the evening. Basically I would like:

- to get rid of the fisheye effect

- to have a narrow fov, something between a classic 25-50mm. ideally to also be able to change between the lenses.

- higher aperture for darker environments 

- higher resolution (my former GoPro had only 1080), this can be easily achieved now with newer GoPros. I don't necessarily want 4k.

Best, F

@Leslie : thanks very much, I'm reading it - it is informative. I'm also searching the eoshd forum for reviews on the BMCC first model.

However, at a first sight, it doesn't seem for me: quite large, one cannot use the existing screen - but has to buy an external monitor & external battery, has to adjust the settings - and sometimes do post-production processing in RAW. Not sure I have the time & budget for these things... Especially being an amateur:) But it is amazing that the more one reads & discusses with other people, the more knowledge he acquires - so, I'm really happy with the research & exchanges for these past weeks.

- I'll stick to a first check on the Pentax Q-S1, which I just bought. Delivery of the D-mount lenses & adapter is delayed

- Will try later the RibCage kit for the GoPro 4 [a second hand cam is ±150$], and experiment with the D-mount lenses I already bought [kern-paillard and berthiot cinor]. If all goes well & happy with the results - I will consider maybe a modified GoPro 7 Back-bone. (I already own a GoPro Hero+LCD and at 1080/60 fps the movie quality was VERY DECENT in good light)

- I'm also looking into the S-mount interchangeable lenses for GoPro Hero 7, I saw a website that sell specific S-mopunt lenses/ e.g.  5.4mm 10 Megapixel Low Distortion lens. There is also a wide range of lenses from another company Peau Productions - but not sure why, they make it look very complicated.

Thanks to all& will keep you updated! F

dear all: checked on the BMPCC 4k (which was off my budget @1400 Eur), but discovered BMPCC first generation sensor super 16mm.

It had very good reviews, I know that it will not shoot 4k, but as long as quality is very good, I don't care too much (I don't have a 4k TV or screen). I found this camera 2nd hand at prices ranging from 400-550 Eur (~450-600$), which I think is very reasonable. The best part seems to be that due to its small sensor which is very similar to regular 16mm cameras, C-mount vintage lenses may be use (without vignetting) and - also it seems to accommodate some D-mount lenses with some vignetting.

Does anyone have experience with vintage lenses C-mount/D-mount on the BMPCC first generation? thanks a lot!

@leslie: I guess the ribcage kit price is indeed a bit high (on the other hand, it's innovation: somebody came up with an idea and should make some money out of it:). Anyway, once modified, the GoPro no longer waterproof, so this may raise usage problems for you as a surfer

Hello: I was aware myself of the solution that rawshooter indicated under a) D-Mount to Micro Four Thirds Adapter - it goes deeper into the mount.

There is a nice youtube video of a Kern Paillard D-mount cine lens compared to a modern Sony 18-35mm f/1.8 [price ~EUR 700], adapter is indeed from Shapeways. In my view, the adapter looks a bit clumsy - but the youtube video doesn't mention any problems with the fitting.

@kye: Ok, thanks a lot - I'm not familiar with the Black Magic Pocket 4k. I had a look on Amazon and it's 1200/1300 EUR 🙄(so, this is the price of 2 GoPro cameras modified by Back-Bone:). I thought you referred to a Lumix GH4 or G7, which is also a four thirds sensor & more budget friendly . I saw some recommendations on the web on how to fit a C-mount into a Lumix GH4, via an adapter - looks ok! But of course C-mount lenses are way more expensive than D-mount ones...

Hi kye: I still need to ask you what's a "P4k" ? [Is it a Panasonic 4k camera, like a Lumix G7? I know that the G7 has a four thirds/ 17.3x13mm sensor, and probably one can still shoot on a 8mm lens, with vignette effect]

My clear preference was for an action camera, too - but I think I need to put it on hold for the moment. I also considered buying a cheaper action cam (e.g. an Akaso), and to grind away the metal body & try to fit the D-mount lenses, but honestly the point is to get some good quality, otherwise looks like wasted time.

Finally, in one of my pure idealist moments, I was thinking to try to film on the 8mm vintage cameras that I'm currently try to purchase

Thanks again for your pieces of advice,

Florin

P.S. as a final opinion: from the videos posted with the modified GoPro, in my view there is better quality/sharpness/even color with the D-mount/C-mount lenses than the original fisheye lens.

Hi kye, thanks very much for your answer & clarifications. I was very excited about this project & I did a lot of research these days myself . Besides useful information from this website, I got a very helpful answer from Back-bone. I share below my understanding:

- indeed, the main problem with the GoPro is that its distance sensor-back of the lens [flange distance] is very large as compared to the flange of the C-mount/D-mount lenses (I think about 40mm vs ~12.3mm D/ 17.5mm/C. The sensor is not the main problem in itself, D-mount/C-mount lenses (from 8mm/16mm cameras) cover more or less the sensor.

- what the ribcage kit/ adaptation of the GoPro Hero is aimed at is moving the original sensor forward. so actually, the only option with the original GoPro case is the one that kye tried above: cutting down the metal chassis, but I agree it's rather a serious DIY project, if one grinds away the metal from the chassis - difficult to affix/change the lenses later on & obtain nice aesthetics. If one buys the ribcage kit, which makes things a lot neater in my view, the budget goes up steadily. Also despite comprehensive explanations, the installation of the kit on a GoPro Hero 4: not really easy for an amateur and there is currently no kit available for GoPro Hero 7/8 (Back-Bone may adapt directly your camera in this case or sold one already adapted, but - again - massive increase in budget.)

- so, I think that the easier way to experiment with the vintage D-lenses is to start with a Pentax Q/ Samsung nx mini+ D-mount adapter, as shown by Mattias in the videos above. The Samsung generates probably a lot more vignetting, myself I don't know if it possible to easily remove that from videos without impacting on quality. I found some Italian blogs from 2016 explaining why some results may be still disappointing - but, I will follow this option for the moment, first I'll try with a Pentax Q10 (sensor smaller than Q-S1).

- btw: meanwhile the prices for the D-mount lenses have increased (C-mount evenmore), ebay doesn't seem to offer bargains on good cine lenses as kern-paillard or berthior (minimum 60-70 euros / ~75$)

- so, I'll firstly puchase& try the D-mount lenses with a Pentax Q and check if I like the results. I wanted to try especially videos and then decide whether I'll resume my GoPro modification project. Pentax Q does't have great stabilization, so not sure that the videos will be representative for the lens quality, but - I need to start somewhere.

Thanks again to kye & other contributors on this page & will keep you posted. 

Florin

P.S. as a final opinion: from the videos posted with the modified GoPro, in my view there is better quality/sharpness/even color with the D-mount/C-mount lenses than the original fisheye lens.

Hello kye – was very happy to find your post, thanks! 

I noticed a while ago various photographers using vintage cine lenses on modern mirrorless cameras (@Mattias Burling : thanks for your videos on the Pentax-Q!). I actually wanted to do the same as you, i.e. place a D-mount vintage cine lens on a GoPro since I don’t like the fisheye lens effect, but I like the camera! But since mine is a GoPro Hero+, it is locked in the plastic cage, too much trouble to adapt. So, I’m thinking now to do this with a GoPro Hero 5/6. Since the GoPro Hero sensor size is 1/2.3’’, it seems that D-mount can fully cover the sensor and also C-mount (maybe C-mount lens marginally exceeds the GoPro Hero  sensor?).

I’m wondering how did you advance with your project? Do you have sample videos please? My major question is if one can place an adapter without destroying the original GoPro case.

From what I read: one needs to take out the original fisheye lens. Then, depending how deep is the 1/2.3’' sensor inside the camera – there is first an adapter S-mount/M12 [fits the old original GoPro slot] to CS/C-mount, plus an additional D-mount to C-mount adapter that need to be used. I still didn’t figure it out how would it look like – because for the 8mm D-mount: the distance between lens seat to film plane=12.29mm, while for the C-mount is larger = 17.526 mm. Grateful for any thoughts - hopefully will be able to have a nice kit for my fishing trips videos!

Thanks a lot, Florin