[WTB] B4 HD or CINE Zoom Lens

Mike Krumlauf

Mike Krumlauf

Award Winning Filmmaker
I am looking for someone to do me a huge favor. I have a very big (probably my biggest so far) job coming up in June here in Chicago that will require my varicam kit and I am in dire need of an HD or CINE zoom lens. The problem is that I could not spend more than probably 7 or 800 dollars and I know that most of them are still valued at least at 1300 and up. If there is anyone out with with an HD or CINE grade B4 zoom lens they could sell me for cheap i would be in your debt forever. The event I am working is called "The Shermer Club: A John Hughes Fest" which will be showcasing Chicago filmmaker John Hughes (Ferris Bueller, Pretty in Pink, Home Alone) body of teen genered filmed and some cast members as well as Director Howard Deutch will be there.. I am the lead videographer! This is a very big deal for me but I am struggling money wise and this lens would be taken out of a cut of my payment in June. I would be able to purchase sometime around late april or early may, right before the festival. If you are local in the Chicago area, that would be a plus as I could test the lens out and no shipping worries or costs would be included. I really want to do a great job and I don't want something like the quality of the glass I am putting in front of my camera to hinder me in anyway, I want the varicam to perform technically as best as it can.

If there is anyone out there with one of these lenses collecting dust and you are willing to part with it later on this spring, please email me at digitaltproductions@gmail.com

Thanks,

Mike
 
Mike Krumlauf said:
As the title of this post says, I am looking for B4 mount NOT PL. Thanks
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"B4 HD or CINE Zoom lens" suggests that you are looking for a B4 mount lens OR a Cine lens.

"CINE" lens suggests a PL-mount lens.

Greg likely took the title to mean that you wanted a B4 mount zoom OR a PL-mount Cinema zoom.

___________

Back to your need...

I suggest you rent a lens. Can you put the rental on a credit card and that way you can pay off the rental over time? The job is important to you. Rent a good lens. Don't muck around with some ancient lens sold to you out of pity. It's John Hughes, for crying out loud.

I'm not going to ask how it is you ended up with a Varicam but no B4 zoom lens for it. That's whacky, bro. :happy:
 
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Sorry for the confusion, there are "CINE" B4 mount lenses so I thought people would understand. I do own a B4 zoom for my varicam but its a Fujinon SD. Its very good for an SD lens but in some cases on the wider end, the edges can fall soft. I also own a Pro35 Adapter and have 2 PL primes from russia that I use. It does a great job in daylight but in situations like shooting a Q&A with high ranking professionals it will NOT do.
 
Brother, I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't think you're gonna find a lens for that price. A quick eBay search and about the least expensive 2/3" HD lens I found was an old Canon 15x8 w/2x for $1800 and some 17x/18x mid-tier Fujinons in the mid to upper $2k's. I understand you don't have the money, but if you did have more of a budget, there is a lot of incredible glass on there for ridiculously low prices.

Your best bet is probably going to be to beg, borrow or rent for this gig.

Tell you what, though, If I wake up in the morning and I've hit Powerball, I'll make you a sweet deal on one of mine. ; )
 
This is a little bit of a risk, but doesn't look that bad in the pictures http://www.ebay.com/itm/HD-Fujinon-...715027?hash=item2a7af83bd3:g:BXYAAOSwLEtYgvSV Might be able to darken the chips to prevent flare and not even notice the issue. As I say, it is a risk that could turn into a reward. After the job you could maybe have it serviced, but I bet the service is around $1500 to $2500 depending on the rest of the lens's condition.

Piles of green stripe (for CCD) SD lenses for a couple hundred, wondering if one of those would resolve "good enough" to get your job done.
 
Greg_E said:
This is a little bit of a risk, but doesn't look that bad in the pictures http://www.ebay.com/itm/HD-Fujinon-...715027?hash=item2a7af83bd3:g:BXYAAOSwLEtYgvSV Might be able to darken the chips to prevent flare and not even notice the issue. As I say, it is a risk that could turn into a reward. After the job you could maybe have it serviced, but I bet the service is around $1500 to $2500 depending on the rest of the lens's condition.

Piles of green stripe (for CCD) SD lenses for a couple hundred, wondering if one of those would resolve "good enough" to get your job done.
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Well, I went ahead and got that lens for $100. That chip on the front does look pretty narly, here's hoping something good comes from it and I didnt just flush money down the drain.
 
I'd send it to Fuji. If you wait a week or so, I should know about how much they will charge because I have a 1/3inch lens in for service and it has some small chips that I want fixed.

At $100 I think you will be able to get it serviced and use it for a good long time. Contact Tami Amico at tamico@fujifilm.com to get details of sending for repair to Fuji. The only other thing that might be "different" is that it might use mod.6 gears not the "normal" mod.8 gears that cinema lenses use.

One other choice that you might be able to use would be medium format still lenses. The hard part is finding a B4 to XYZ mount adapter. Mamiya 645 lenses should have enough flange distance to work and aren't really to expensive. Not a zoom, but might be an option. I have a bunch of these and could make focus gears for the lenses I have or that you can measure.
 
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