Canon EF lenses as Cinema lenses

Tim Joy

Tim Joy

Veteran
After using those built-like-a-truck 15+ year old nikon and canon lenses, I picked up a newer canon EF 50mm USM lens the other day and was less than impressed with the mechanics of it. Particularly the focus ring, which is not 'locked' to the focus, but spins past the end points. Also, there is a little play in the focus ring before it catches, making a follow focus pretty inaccurate I would think, not to mention if you accidentally focused past the end point and messed up your marks.

The salesman said that all the new lenses are like this in order for the electronic focus to work quietly. Is this true?

Any experiences working with a follow focus on these lenses? Is it worth it?

It doesn't seem like these new electronic lenses are very good as a cinema lens, and maybe I'll stick with the old nikons (their focus travel is a lot less though, which makes pulling focus inaccurate too), but I'm thinking that the image quality will be much better with new canons, especially the L series. ??
 
For serious cinema work, these lenses in their original state, are terrible. Like you said, the relatively loose focus and the generally inaccurate focus marks makes them essentially useless. If 5ft really means 5.5ft, it might as well not even be marked. (Then again, for serious cinema work, the 7D isn't really the best choice either...)

Some of these lenses do have some great optics, though. Some have been rehoused. For example, the widely touted Tokina 11-16mm has undergone a fairly popular PL mount conversion, complete with gearing, de-clicked aperture, and accurate marks.
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I'll be looking to use primarily older manual focus/manual aperture lenses with the 7D.
 
Look into M42 and Olympus OM manual focus lenses for great optics and longer focus throws than the Nikons.
 
Wasn't there a website that would sell you re-worked Nikons and Canons with same size barrels, focus gears and other things? Not the same as rehoused but maybe a step in the right direction? Although I never used them. Is that site still around?
 
Re-housing lenses is very expensive.
Adapters with still lenses will never hit all their distance marks on the lens.
The Canon 7D has no back focus adjustment.
It's why the DSLRs and still glass in general is still very much working around a lot of compromises.
 
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