Arri EF mount

[rob norton]

From Arri's EF Mount page:

"We recommend against professional focus pulling with still photo EF mount lenses with internal focus motors. While rudimentary control of the focus motor of most still photo EF mount lenses is possible with ARRI ECS hand units to set a focus distance, actual focus pulling does not work so well. The accuracy and repeatability of focus marks as well as the smoothness of the focus lens ring motion do not match what is possible with external lens motors and vary greatly from lens to lens.

Does anyone have first hand experience with stills lenses and pulling focus with the EF mount/arri mini (not LF)/Hi-5 for example?

Would a 1st AC pull their hair out or would it be more slightly annoying but still within reason to work this way?

 

[NorBro]

The only place you'll ever see a Canon still photo lens on an ARRI camera is a camera test on YouTube.

Not that I'm personally against it, but just rarely ever happens, almost never in the world where people use those cameras for paid work.

 

[CharlesPapert]

My experience back in the day with EF lenses on DSLR's was very frustrating for the reasons they gave. Marks shift around (due to the fly-by-wire nature of the lens) and those motors are designed to move fast and lock in place, not smoothly and slowly adjust linearly with manual control, so the response is not what a focus puller is looking for.

My solve was to use manual ZE primes, and older Tokina EF mount zooms which had a clutch so they could go full manual with hard stops.

 

[rob norton]

The only place you'll ever see a Canon still photo lens on an ARRI camera is a camera test on YouTube.

Not that I'm personally against it, but just rarely ever happens, almost never in the world where people use those cameras for paid work.

This is only because nobody would dare take BTS photos of an Arri/stills lens combo because it's so uncool.

My experience back in the day with EF lenses on DSLR's was very frustrating for the reasons they gave. Marks shift around (due to the fly-by-wire nature of the lens) and those motors are designed to move fast and lock in place, not smoothly and slowly adjust linearly with manual control, so the response is not what a focus puller is looking for.

My solve was to use manual ZE primes, and older Tokina EF mount zooms which had a clutch so they could go full manual with hard stops.

Thanks for the reality check Charles! Those zeiss lenses were hugely popular for a while. I just thought an extremely lightweight and small set up that still let someone pull focus like normal would be pretty fun to shoot with. I would've thought Arri would make advances in lens mount communication and be able to overcome some of these issues but it makes sense that it'd require a different lens design to begin with. And Arri aren't in the business of selling stills lenses.

 

[morgan_moore]

Im not sure atti can get around the limitatioms of the ef protocol

 

[morgan_moore]

Or the physical flexibility of a bayonet mount

ot the lack of hard stops

 

[Run&Gun]

The only place you'll ever see a Canon still photo lens on an ARRI camera is a camera test on YouTube.

Not that I'm personally against it, but just rarely ever happens, almost never in the world where people use those cameras for paid work.

For NorBro and just for the absurdity of it... An Arri with a $400 85/1.8 (which is actually a pretty good lens).


I bought the EF mount, because all of my primes are Canon CN-E's. And in true Arri fashion, that is the most well built(overbuilt?) EF mount I've ever laid my hands on. It probably weighs a pound, if not more.