Bare AF100 Kit To Shoot Out of the Box - What Lenses and Adapters

[AGMedia]

What you won't get is automatic control of the iris

It's not a lack of "automatic control" on Canon EOS lenses -- it's a total lack of iris control. That Redrock thing someone linked to looked interesting -- and if you're already heavily invested in Canon glass that may be the headache worth exploring.

Going back to the "OP" -- the best lens options for this camera are going to be Micro 4/3 lenses, or, a Nikon to micro 4/3 adapter with Nikon mount Zeiss primes (this is assuming you're not going the cinema lens route). Remember -- it's about a 2x crop factor -- so your 50mm Zeiss prime will be 100mm equivalent on the AF100.

The cheapest route will be some adapter for lenses with manual iris controls and used lenses. There's always some guy on this forum who proudly tells the story of the five dollar Nikon prime he bought on Ebay.

The big picture is -- the lens makes your picture. The AF-100 will seem like a totally different camera with each different lens you use. There are some magnificent old lenses out there that you can pick up at low cost -- and there's an ocean of crap out there that will be more difficult to handle while producing genuinely mediocre imagery.

Compromising on the quality of your lens is compromising the quality of your images. If you're on this forum -- it's likely that your images are your business.

Meaning, I'd rather have one quality lens (and work around it) than six pieces of junk.

The bad news is that you need to factor in the cost of quality lenses to the price of this camera. The good news is that the ability to pick your lenses opens up a universe of creative options previously only available through a 35mm lens adapter.

 

[Justyn]

Renting is certainly a great option for me for my feature, but it would be nice to have some staple go to lenses in the aresenal. I think I might be different though in my intention is to buy the 100 or whatever is out there at the time, use it for my feature, and then sell it right away. I'll be inproduction mode and if needed will pick up another camera in the future. We certainly are on the bledding edge just as we were for the HVX.. and that proved to be a very good purchase.

 

[thisisapocalypse]

It's not a lack of "automatic control" on Canon EOS lenses -- it's a total lack of iris control. That Redrock thing someone linked to looked interesting -- and if you're already heavily invested in Canon glass that may be the headache worth exploring.

Going back to the "OP" -- the best lens options for this camera are going to be Micro 4/3 lenses, or, a Nikon to micro 4/3 adapter with Nikon mount Zeiss primes (this is assuming you're not going the cinema lens route). Remember -- it's about a 2x crop factor -- so your 50mm Zeiss prime will be 100mm equivalent on the AF100.

The cheapest route will be some adapter for lenses with manual iris controls and used lenses. There's always some guy on this forum who proudly tells the story of the five dollar Nikon prime he bought on Ebay.

The big picture is -- the lens makes your picture. The AF-100 will seem like a totally different camera with each different lens you use. There are some magnificent old lenses out there that you can pick up at low cost -- and there's an ocean of crap out there that will be more difficult to handle while producing genuinely mediocre imagery.

Compromising on the quality of your lens is compromising the quality of your images. If you're on this forum -- it's likely that your images are your business.

Meaning, I'd rather have one quality lens (and work around it) than six pieces of junk.

The bad news is that you need to factor in the cost of quality lenses to the price of this camera. The good news is that the ability to pick your lenses opens up a universe of creative options previously only available through a 35mm lens adapter.

You could use NDs as a compromise in setting exposure on the Canon L glass, you'll still be shooting wide-open, however, but the Canon Ls are all quite good wide-open. You can also put a Canon L lens on a Canon body, hit the DOF preview button and remove the lens, if I'm not mistaken and it will hold whatever aperture it's at - but that's a pain in the ass.

I feel that its kind of getting strange that we keep talking about the fov "equivalent" as if the basis of comparison should be 35mm FF film - since so many of are using these for indie shorts/features and whatnot, isn't the more appropriate comparison Super35? In which case the m4/3 sensor is very close to the same size?

Aside from shooting "vistavision" or on a Canon 5D, it's not that common to be shooting a film on 135 size stock. Those are really outliers compared to shooting Super35.

 

[Justyn]

I think that there when you spend 6k on a camera body, you have to atleast have either electronic connections to the lenses and be able to control iris and such through the camera, and or shoot with glass that has the Fstops on the outside of the lens, otherwise what's the point. As it is, most of the DSLRs are so frustrating in how they compromise all of the tools that we've come to love in a camera. Not having built in NDs, no zebras, no wafeforms, etc. As much as the final image can be glorious, it's also highly frustrating.

I'm looking to get some solid glass and then rent when I need other things... Renting glass is a good solid option and pretty cheap too.

 

[Razz16mm]

The Micro 4/3 to standard 4/3 lens adapters from Olympus and Panasonic do carry the electronic lens controls for 4/3 lenses. You only lose the auto focus function for now. Iris control is maintained.