Question for Barry

[Noel Evans]

Barry, you think that we will see anything like this developed for the HPX. I think it would be of interest to a lot of people.

http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/color_broch.jsp?model_id=MDL101683&feature_id=12

[Luis Caffesse]

Interesting offering, and interesting move for JVC.
Thanks for the link.


Edited to add:

I'll be curious to see how many of these they sell at their suggested retail price of $4,395.00

[Drew Ott]

I'll be curious to see how many of these they sell at their suggested retail price of $4,395.00

No kidding. I didn't see that... :undecided

edit -- not that it affects me... but they should make this much cheaper.

[Noel Evans]

Well if Pana could produce one for around that price Id be interested.

[Barry_Green]

Hmm, interesting -- it preserves the field of view of a 16mm lens, but not of a 35mm lens. Wonder why they chose that?

And no, you won't see a product like this for the HPX500, because the HPX500 *already* does this. 2/3" cameras have the same (or almost exactly the same) field of view and depth of field as 16mm film.

If a lens adapter were to be developed for the HPX500, it'd give 35mm depth of field and 35mm field of view; there's no reason to come up with an adapter to give it the same FOV and DOF that it already has. But, of course, if someone developed such a product for the HPX500, it wouldn't just be for the HPX500, it'd be for every 2/3" camera out there, since they all use the same mount. The JVC is using 1/3" lenses and IINM, is the only 1/3" bayonet camera out there, so this product could rightly be said to have been developed specifically for the ProHD line (but, presumably, if any other 1/3" cameras came out that used the same lens mount, it should work for them too). But the HPX500 uses the same bayonet mount as the F900, VariCam, etc. So any PL-mount adapter made for 2/3" cameras would apply to the HPX500 as well.

As such, there already is such a product, the Pro35. But it's way more expensive, at $27,000.

Curiously, googling around, I can't find a PL->B4 adapter. I can find the opposite (i.e., you could use 2/3" lenses on a PL-mount body using the Abakus adapter) but there's no easy evidence of someone developing a way to mount PL lenses on a 2/3" camera. There's always the Zeiss DigiPrimes and DigiZooms, which are cine lenses already mounted to 2/3" bayonet mount...

[LighthouseMedia]

Now you COULD through a nice set of digi-primes on that HPX and rock and roll.

[Dan Vance]

"As such, there already is such a product, the Pro35. But it's way more expensive, at $27,000."

But the Pro35 is a ground-glass type imager, while this JVC is an optical relay. So it's more like the Angenieux CLA-35 (PL to 2/3"), which is also an inverting optical relay. Of course, it's about $22,000 too...

[Barry_Green]

Indeed.

http://www.smsprod.com/products/lenses/angenieux4.html

[smelni]

from what i understand an optical relay will not give you the FOV and DOF of the lens you attach - you need an intermediate surface to project the entire image such as a ground glass

[SteadiChris]

just finished shooting a feature on the HPX with Digiprimes and my fujinon zoom and the results are fantastic. The camera is very sharp and has a great cinema look with the digiprimes. I would not recommend shooting anything with the Pro 35 adapter because it reduces resolution visibly. Just rent digiprimes. They were designed for 2/3" cameras and have higher tolerances than even Zeiss Ultra primes.

[k2director]

SteadiChris,
If you get a chance to post any footage, I think everyone would love to see it!

[Dan Vance]

from what i understand an optical relay will not give you the FOV and DOF of the lens you attach - you need an intermediate surface to project the entire image such as a ground glass

Both the CLA35 and the new JVC adapter do in fact preserve the DOF and FOV of the format they are designed for (35mm Cine for the CLA35, 16mm for the JVC). It's true that an "optical relay" doesn't normally do this, but the term 'optical relay' as used here is just to differentiate these from the GG type adapters. Optical relay, meaning nothing in the light path but clear glass.

If you look at lens formulas and optics principles, it seems impossible. I thought so too until I posed it to an optical engineer who told me the 'trick.' Which I won't disclose and spoil it for those who want to figure it out.

Barry: Shhh, don't tell...

[Noel Evans]

just finished shooting a feature on the HPX with Digiprimes and my fujinon zoom and the results are fantastic. The camera is very sharp and has a great cinema look with the digiprimes. I would not recommend shooting anything with the Pro 35 adapter because it reduces resolution visibly. Just rent digiprimes. They were designed for 2/3" cameras and have higher tolerances than even Zeiss Ultra primes.

Thanks for responding Barry. And thanks for jumping in there Chris.