M2 owners: A question about lenses.

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darwinandpaine

Well-known member
I should have my M2 any day now. I have bought a lens kit consisting of a 24mm, 50mm, 100mm, 135mm, and a 35-70 zoom. My feeling is that any shot requiring a focal lenght beyond 135mm could be shot with the HVX lens, as it has a nice, shallow depth of field at the long end of the lens. Am I correct? Or, do I need to get back on ebay?
 
You`re question confuses me slightly. As you know, the HVX`s lens are 4-55mm, now I`m not sure about the exacts but in film lens terms, the 55mm hvx is more like a 70mm film lens.

So if you ask me, a 135mm should be more than enough as it would be the equivalent to maybe a 150mm HVX lens.
 
Mr. Blonde said:
You`re question confuses me slightly. As you know, the HVX`s lens are 4-55mm, now I`m not sure about the exacts but in film lens terms, the 55mm hvx is more like a 70mm film lens.

So if you ask me, a 135mm should be more than enough as it would be the equivalent to maybe a 150mm HVX lens.
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In 35mm terms, the HVX lens is equivalent to something like 35-420mm. So, technically, 135mm may not be on the long side. But thanks.
 
The longest lens I used on the short I'm currently wrapping up was 85mm, and the depth of field I achieved from it was spectacular. Honestly, I don't think I'd want to shrink the usable focus distance any more from that (granted we were shooting wide open on almost every shot). Unless you have a use for really long shots covering vast distances, I think a 135mm lens will have you more than covered. That's just my personal opinion though.

I would also not prefer to mix M2 and HVX-only footage if you can help it... it's not that the two can't cut together, but they do have different and distinctive looks. The only reason I'm ever going to the far end range of my HVX lens is when I'm trying to milk shallower DOF from it (and that's precisely why you're using the M2 in the first place, right?)
 
Haakon,
This is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I was hoping to get a post from you because I know you do amazing work (that school hallway "licking" scene is still the best HVX thing I've seen). I'm gonna trust you on this one. Thanks a lot!
 
darwinandpaine said:
In 35mm terms, the HVX lens is equivalent to something like 35-420mm. So, technically, 135mm may not be on the long side. But thanks.
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I keep getting mixed answers as to what the HVX's lens is in film lens terms.

Gonna have to really test it out now.
 
Thanks Darwin, the thing is, I just did a test myself and found that a 50mm nikkor strapped to my 35mm film camera was equal to the hvx at 5mm.

So the long end of the HVX should be about 550mm.
 
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After popping on a 35mm lens to my Nikon I found that the HVX definitely doesn't go any wider than maybe 40 or 45mm in film terms.

So basically, multiply the length of the HVX lens x10 and you've got your 35mm equivalent.

I really wish they would've labeled the HVX's lens in 35mm terms instead.
 
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Now here's my question which hopefully you or someone else will be able to answer soon Darwin.....

When connecting let's say a 50mm Nikkor to the M2, is it the same length as a 50mm Nikkor would be on a 35mm camera or is it zoomed in?
 
What Nikon camera are you putting these lenses on? In the DSLR family, only the most expensive cameras show you the full frame delivered by the lens. Most Nikons have a 1.5 multiplication factor, and most Canons have a factor of 1.6.
So, your 35mm lens on a D50 would give you the same field of view as a 52.5mm lens (I hate this by the way, and I've actually considered dropping a ton on money just to get a full-frame DSLR).
On the M2, you're seeing the entire frame as delivered by the lens --- no multiplication factor. So, a 50mm attached to an M2 gives you a 50mm FOV. At least, that's my understanding. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
I am thinking of buying an M2 with a Nikon mount at some point, perhaps to shoot my senior thesis at film school, and I was wondering how they generally handle rack focusing? Do they breathe a terrible amount? Are there any particular ones that handle racks especially well?
 
Giles Sherwood said:
I am thinking of buying an M2 with a Nikon mount at some point, perhaps to shoot my senior thesis at film school, and I was wondering how they generally handle rack focusing? Do they breathe a terrible amount? Are there any particular ones that handle racks especially well?
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Yes they do -- more so on the longer lenses.

It would be impacted, to some degree though, by how far apart your objects (or talent) are that you are racking to/from.
 
Giles Sherwood said:
I am thinking of buying an M2 with a Nikon mount at some point, perhaps to shoot my senior thesis at film school, and I was wondering how they generally handle rack focusing? Do they breathe a terrible amount? Are there any particular ones that handle racks especially well?
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If I understand what you're asking, the breathing has nothing to do with the M2. That would depend on your lens. Some lenses are certainly better for "rack focusing" than others --- I have a Canon lens that would absolutely suck for that. But again, the M2 is just the adapter that allows you to use the different lenses and get that "film look" shallow depth of field.
 
darwinandpaine said:
On the M2, you're seeing the entire frame as delivered by the lens --- no multiplication factor. So, a 50mm attached to an M2 gives you a 50mm FOV. At least, that's my understanding. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
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In theory, yes. You get the same field of view as a full frame 35mm lens with the system.

However, do note that you have to zoom in on the ground glass when you calibrate the M2 with your camera, and depending how far in or out you zoom, that is going to change how much of the picture you're seeing. It's not really a "magnification" crop (for instance, zooming in on the ground glass more doesn't mean you're getting additional optical distance out of your lens), but it will definitely have an effect on exactly "how much" of the picture you see. There were times that I had crucial things on the very edges of my frame that I wanted to be in focus, and the further the camera was zoomed out on the GG, the blurrier the edges became. To compensate, I zoomed in a little closer for some shots and that effectively reduced the amount of the frame I was able to see (if that makes sense). So there's really no "a 28mm is a 28mm is a 28mm" when dealing with the M2. In general, however, yes, you're dealing with 35mm field of view distances.
 
Yeah, I know it would have to do with the lens, not the M2. I was inquiring solely about the lenses, as I have no experience with still photo and I'm unfamiliar with the amount of breathing typical for such a lens. I've worked with Zeiss primes and some random zoom lenses while shooting 16mm and the zoom lenses drove me nuts because usually the breathing was more obvious than the change in focus was.

Sorry that I wasn't clearer.
 
Giles Sherwood said:
I am thinking of buying an M2 with a Nikon mount at some point, perhaps to shoot my senior thesis at film school, and I was wondering how they generally handle rack focusing?
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Here's a link to the post of the "licking" clip that darwinandpaine referenced; there's a lot of racking involved and I think it's a good example for seeing what's possible in that area with the M2:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?p=551076#post551076

Used a standard manual Nikon lens from the 70s that I bought on eBay for $50. All of the lenses I bought were primes (no zooms).

We're just getting a picture lock done this weekend - potentially making some very drastic editing decisions about the ending of the film - but we're getting there! For anyone who's interested, I'm also finishing up the promotional poster - you can get a sneak peak at http://www.thefaithfulmovie.net/poster.jpg. Enjoy!
 
Haakon said:
I'm also finishing up the promotional poster - you can get a sneak peak at http://www.thefaithfulmovie.net/poster.jpg. Enjoy!
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Damn Haakon! Do you have unlimited amounts of talent in all fields? As someone who's made his living for the last twenty years in graphic design, I want you to know that the poster looks fabulous. Great job!

BTW, I don't remember, but that wireless follow focus was how much to buy --- for the whole shebang? Was it under $2k?
 
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