AF100 for Documentary/Interview

N

Nasser

Well-known member
Hello Folks;

I think I'm lucky to get the 14-140mm as free lens on B&H AF100 offer , I added those items too , mostly for Documentary/Interview shooting :-
  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Autofocus Lens
  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Autofocus Lens
  • Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon DX-Format
  • Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D Lens
  • Cinevate Inc Canon EOS to Nikon Adapter Ring
  • Adaptimax Plus Nikon to micro 4/3 Lens Adapter
  • Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 Micro Four Thirds Lens (not available yet on B&H) :(

Along with my EF glass , till the Birger adapter out hopefully mid July .

Any thought please ?

Nasser
 
Nasser said:
Hello Folks;

I think I'm lucky to get the 14-140mm as free lens on B&H AF100 offer , I added those items too , mostly for Documentary/Interview shooting :-
  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Autofocus Lens
  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Autofocus Lens
  • Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon DX-Format
  • Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D Lens
  • Cinevate Inc Canon EOS to Nikon Adapter Ring
  • Adaptimax Plus Nikon to micro 4/3 Lens Adapter
  • Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 Micro Four Thirds Lens (not available yet on B&H) :(
Along with my EF glass , till the Birger adapter out hopefully mid July .

Any thought please ?

Nasser
Click to expand...
Holy crap. That's quite the kit. I'd recommend a Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 someday to complete the kit. We have it, and the macro focus on it and the distance are fantastic. Other than that, when you get that Nokton, you have a completely rounded kit IMO.
 
You will probably want some kind of LCD monitor - at least 7" for focusing.
And some kind of follow focus.
You do understand that the Nikons will not auto focus with the AF100.
Will that Adaptimax Plus Nikon to micro 4/3 Lens Adapter allow for f-stop control?
You can get Nikon to micro 4/3 Lens Adapters that will allow for f-stop control.
You cannot control f-stop on the Canon lenses (Until the Birger comes out)
 
HVXguy said:
You will probably want some kind of LCD monitor - at least 7" for focusing.And some kind of follow focus.You do understand that the Nikons will not auto focus with the AF100.Will that Adaptimax Plus Nikon to micro 4/3 Lens Adapter allow for f-stop control?You can get Nikon to micro 4/3 Lens Adapters that will allow for f-stop control.You cannot control f-stop on the Canon lenses (Until the Birger comes out)
Click to expand...
SmallHD DP6 good for this purpose? And will you really use a follow focus for run & gun type work? I thought those were more for pre-set shots. Not disagreeing. Just trying to collect information from experienced users.
 
My two favourite lenses when doing interviews are 35 and 50mm in either Zeiss or Voigtländer flavour. I think these two would take me a long way in doing documentary stuff. Put a wireless audio system on the AF and you're all set.
 
Nasser said:
Hello Folks;

I think I'm lucky to get the 14-140mm as free lens on B&H AF100 offer , I added those items too , mostly for Documentary/Interview shooting :-
  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Autofocus Lens
  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Autofocus Lens
  • Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens for Nikon DX-Format
  • Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D Lens
  • Cinevate Inc Canon EOS to Nikon Adapter Ring
  • Adaptimax Plus Nikon to micro 4/3 Lens Adapter
  • Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 Micro Four Thirds Lens (not available yet on B&H) :(
Along with my EF glass , till the Birger adapter out hopefully mid July .

Any thought please ?

Nasser
Click to expand...

My thought is: you need a very strong grip to carry all this stuff!

Really, if you're shooting cinema verite, documentary-style, you might not have any time to change lenses. I have a great set of Nikon primes, but they are rarely used. When I'm working in the field, I'll mount my Nikon 17-55mm f2.8, and bring along the 50mm f1.4 and the 85mm f2.0. The 17-55 is extremely flexible. If you have eight minutes, take a look at this piece, shot entirely with the 17-55:



Best of luck to you. I love to hear that doc shooters are embracing the AF100.

Jeff
 
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Hi Nasser, looks like a great kit. I think adaptamax make great quality product but found the Nikon - m43 plus did not work well with my Nikon 24-70 f2.8 G lens. The rear lens element housing on the back of the lens was slightly too large for the screw on the adaptor to tighten as designed. It will probably work fine with your other nikon lenses and let me know if it works fine on your 24-70 f2.8
 
I find the best focal length for sit-down interviews on the AF100 (for Dateline style head and shoulders) is around 60-70mm. I use the Olympus 35-100 for that, and it's a great lens for that, but very big. The 24-70 will probably be a great choice for that.
 
jdesignhi said:
My thought is: you need a very strong grip to carry all this stuff!

Really, if you're shooting cinema verite, documentary-style, you might not have any time to change lenses. I have a great set of Nikon primes, but they are rarely used. When I'm working in the field, I'll mount my Nikon 17-55mm f2.8, and bring along the 50mm f1.4 and the 85mm f2.0. The 17-55 is extremely flexible. If you have eight minutes, take a look at this piece, shot entirely with the 17-55:



Best of luck to you. I love to hear that doc shooters are embracing the AF100.

Jeff
Click to expand...

That piece looks great!
I'm currently shooting a doc in factories in China, and really identify with the inability to quickly change lenses... I have found that I will shoot the pieces I want on my tokina 11-17, and then go back and shoot on my nikkor 50mm 1.4, or 24mm. It's really difficult, and in some situations found it best to use two cameras (I also have a gh2)...
If I can offer any advice, it would definitely be to get the Nikkor 17-35, and maybe the 35-70 to have the range necessary to shoot in intense uncontrolled environments.
 
but both, the nikkor 17-35 and the nikkon17-55 do not have ois and/or the ability to control the aperture electronically via the camera, right?
i think ois is very import if you do handheld camera ...
 
In the days before OIS, cinematographers learned the fine art of handheld. I believe with the right rig, we too can master that craft. I'm pleased with how steady I've been able to get with my Nikkor 35-70 f2.8 in combination with the CPM Sidewinder rig. It takes some dialing in and practice but OIS IMHO is not an absolute necessity. Having said that, I have to admit that shooting with a Lumix 14mm wide with OIS has in some cases, made shooting handheld in tight places a pleasure - maybe too simple.
 
I use all of those lenses, and do lots of documentary work and interviews. I love the results with a Nikkor 35mm 1.4 on the AF100 and an 85mm 1.8 on the GH2, close and wide at the same time! I do not own a single lens that electronically "communicates" with the camera, nor do I have a desire to.
 
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