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Nikkon AI-s and Iscorama


Lucian
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Hey guys,

 

I'm looking for opinions on this combo specifically, even better if you have paired them with speedbooster on a s16 format camera (bmpcc or D16). It seems they would make a fast, consistent set, quality, affordable set of matching primes for pairing with the iscorama.

 

Currently I use the usual m42 russian suspects, which are good, but can be inconsistent, slow and not compatible with SB. 

 

Can anyone vouch for these?

 

 

Cheers!

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very helpful reply :)

 

I've actually seen these video's before, lovely stuff, but I never took note of the taking lens. Will re-watch! 

 

The 200mm works with the iscorama?

 

I'm also curious how the heck you managed to get those shots of the burning fields, gorgeous!

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50mm is the widest I've gone, since I use a fullframe Nikon D800.

 

I'd recommend one of the 50mm f/1.8 AI-S or 50mm f/1.8 E-series. I've tried it on the AF-D 50mm f/1.4, but that lens isn't all that sharp wide open and it tends to vignette on a full frame camera. Not bad, but I tend to like the f/1.8's better.

 

I also use AI-S 85mm f/2, AI-S 105mm f/2.5 and AI 200mm f/4. All of these mentioned lenses have 52mm filter thread which makes it easy to mount with filter rings.

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Thanks Lucian! We had a good producer get us access to those field burns. Like always, the camera doesn't do it justice really.

 

Yeah the 200mm works very well. As Dahlfors said, they all have 52mm fronts, making them all anamorphic friendly. And to answer one of your initial questions, our set was purchased at various places around the world, but the glass matches nicely.

 

We're able to use the Nikkor 28mm on the Red at 4k with very little vignetting. I think the crop factor is 1.6x at 4k, I'll need to double check that.

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Very cool. I wonder how the Nikkon's stack up against the Russian MF primes like mir,helios/,jupiter,tair. I love them but now I'm shooting on the digital bolex they are mostly too long to be of use. Speedbooster would bring things back into useful range but theres no m42 compatibility.

 

guess I might try a cheapo Nikkon like the 35mm 2.8 first and see how it looks.

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I've been using the Nikon ai-s 24mm f2.8 with my Iscorama 54 (no speedbooster) & it works really well!

Think i could go wider to the 20mm or even 18mm at a pinch, but am considering the speedbooster & getting the 28mm, 35mm f2.8 & 50mm f1.8.

My only problem is the ton of complaints about badly fitting Speedboosters on the BM Pocket.

 

I've got the same problem with my Russian lenses too - such a pain that the Speedbooster mount options don't include M42, but hoping that EF version comes out v.soon.

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They are making an EF bmpcc (0.58x) apparently. But i'm not holding my breath.

 

The only thing missing from the Nikkons is a decent fast 35mm. the f2.8 is slow, the 1.4 has horrible coma and smeared lights at low apertures and the f2 is also no good for low light as it suffers from bad ghosting.

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... the 1.4 has horrible coma and smeared lights at low apertures...

 

I can concur having seen this in my own 35mm Nikkor copy.  It's slightly less of an issue on MFT but I've shot film with it and its issues fully open are easy enough to see if you look.  I still love the lens a stop or so off the floor though on my GH2.  I fully entertain the notion that I might like it less paired with a Speedbooster because its issues are more pronounced as you get further from center.

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They are making an EF bmpcc (0.58x) apparently. But i'm not holding my breath.

 

The only thing missing from the Nikkons is a decent fast 35mm. the f2.8 is slow, the 1.4 has horrible coma and smeared lights at low apertures and the f2 is also no good for low light as it suffers from bad ghosting.

The f2.8+SB becomes faster & you don't get the problems you find with the faster versions.

But as BR says, on a s16 sized sensor the f1.4 might be fine.

 

Conversely, i'm thinking of continuing my Russian obsession & getting a "Meteor 5-1 17-69mm f1.9 M42" to go with my 54 (which were made to be compatable with zoom lenses), but i've no idea if a 36 will behave well with a zoom. They're cheap & have a lever to change focal length, which seems to produce a smooth zoom (see p.10 of the BMPCC c-mount thread for pics of the lens & pics taken with it).

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Good point, I had not considered the fact that I will only be using part of the lens circle even with the d16 +SB.

 

the d16 sensor with the x0.58 SB  brings the sensor to the equiv 1.74x crop, that sits right between the aps-c (1.6x) and the gh2 (1.86) I will re-check kenrockwells 35mm tests, but the f2 is definitely a turkey due to ghosts.

 

@Bioskop, is your f2.8  reasonable wide open, if it is then should be work at f2 very nicely on the SB. the 1.4 looks like it has lowlight issues until stopped down to f5 which makes it unusable for me.

 

Very interested to hear how your 54 + zoom taking lens works out.

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The only thing missing from the Nikkons is a decent fast 35mm. the f2.8 is slow, the 1.4 has horrible coma and smeared lights at low apertures and the f2 is also no good for low light as it suffers from bad ghosting.

 

Depends on what you're looking for. The AF-D Nikkor 35mm f/2 is faster than f/2.8 and will perform better than the f/1.4. AF-D lenses have support for autofocus - but can be operated fully manually. The downside is that they don't have the nice fully metal construction like AI-S lenses.

 

Then, for Nikon mount at 40mm, also with 52mm filter thread, there's also the Voigtländer 40mm f/2. A very sharp, fully manual all metal lens. The color rendition of the Voigtländer should match the Nikkors.

 

Either of above mentioned, in addition to the excellent AI-S 28mm f/2.8, are my recommendations for wider than 50mm.

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Dahlfors: really!? the AF-D Nikkor 35mm f/2  can be operated manually, even aperture?! That lens has superb reviews but I did not think it would be usable with an iscorama.

 

I usually avoid modern lenses as they are mostly too clinical for my tastes, but this might be worth compromising on over the 2.8

 

28mm is too wide, I vignette with 28mm on the gh2 so I will surely on a 1.76x crop. Even 35mm +isco on the gh2 can be a problem if you stack too many diopters and ND :P

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Neither the BM Pocket nor the Digital Bolex are low light monsters - especially the DB, but the pocket's ASA 1600 is fine & cleans up nicely if you really have to.

Unless you're filming in a field with no lights, the f2.8 is fine & with a SB even better.

If you're really worried, then get the 28mm & crop out any mild vignette that you might encounter when using diopters.

 

Found this on Vimeo - obviously not low light, but exactly the lens pairing of Iscorama+Nikon 35mm f1.4:

 

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Dahlfors: really!? the AF-D Nikkor 35mm f/2  can be operated manually, even aperture?! That lens has superb reviews but I did not think it would be usable with an iscorama.

 

I usually avoid modern lenses as they are mostly too clinical for my tastes, but this might be worth compromising on over the 2.8

 

28mm is too wide, I vignette with 28mm on the gh2 so I will surely on a 1.76x crop. Even 35mm +isco on the gh2 can be a problem if you stack too many diopters and ND :P

 

Yep. All the Nikon AF-D lenses have aperture ring. They have electronic contacts providing info and autofocus support on newer Nikon camera bodies with AF motors - but they retain their manual operation and backwards compatibility with old manual film cameras like Nikon FM2 / F2 etc. Which means they'll work nicely with adapters on any other system.

 

The manual focusing feel is not fully as good on AF-D lenses as on the all manual AI/AI-S lenses, but it's alright.

 

@Bioskop:

Wow. Never used that 35mm f/1.4, all I know is that it has its issues (coma, soft corners).. But seems like it really can shine if used properly on a smaller crop camera!

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Very cool, thanks for the info! Manual focus need not be great as it's "set and forget "when using with the iscorama as you focus with the isco.

 

Re the 35mm 1.4, the footage looks great, i'm not surprised though as this lens mostly turns into a turkey  (crazy smears and blobs around lights) f1.4 to 4 when pointed at hot light sources, i.e night filming.. supposed to be quite excellent for day shooting!

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Ahhhh, that might also explain why I haven't seen as much of its ills on my GH2.  When I pulled it out I mostly shot daylight footage.  I originally bought it as part of building up a small Nikkor set for use with my Redrock Micro M2 adapter and DVX100b but at the same time I bought my GH2 I got my Century Optics anamorphic adapter.

 

I ended up not touching my 35mm again for the longest time because I had to be too stopped down on it with the anamorphic and I liked the look of my 24mm f/2 better with the adapter (which I could shoot at f/2.8).  Not until pulling it out for this spec industrial/commercial spot had it left my bag and all of that was daytime footage.  I opened up some of it to maybe f/1.4 but it was never in a really high contrast or night scenario.   For that stuff, it was gorgeous, back in the service department of this Honda dealership.  They had this great, even, daylight balanced light all through the shop.

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It also, at least when you're at full size, has a kind of dreamy curved bokeh that almost seems to burst from the center of frame.  Some people hate that so it's something to also be aware of.  Some samples from shooting film on my Nikon n90s (at the Cockrell Butterfly Center, Houston Museum of Natural Science):

 

1236106_10153264139520183_521366373_n.jp

601754_10153264139250183_1830587639_n.jp

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