DVX100 Compatible Lenses

[N.L.Santiago]

Hey All,

I recently purchased a DVX100 and am curious about the availability of compatible lenses. I know that Century Optics has a couple of models but I am curious about using something like a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens or any other prime lens. I am looking for a lens that can give me shallow d.o.f. at a reasonable price. I'm assuming that I could use that Canon 50mm lens as long as I have a step up ring. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

-Nik

 

[Alex H.]

I'm assuming that I could use that Canon 50mm lens as long as I have a step up ring.

That won't work. The DVX has a 72mm screw-mount surrounded by a bayonette mount. These will not work with 35mm lenses, which have proprietary mounts for their specific manufacturer of SLR cameras. And a step-up ring is still going to leave you with a screw-mount that's incompatible with 35mm lenses. Plus, the 35mm lens itself will not pass an image on its own that the DVX can record. It must have a ground glass between the 35mm lens and the DVX lens. Using an achromat (macro lens) attachment on the DVX, you zoom in and macro-focus on the ground glass.

To do what you want to do, you need to get a 35mm lens adapter. The really good ones are costly (Letus, RedRock), but you can get some very nice results from some of the lower-cost versions (like Jag35), or you can make your own DIY version using plans widely available on the 'Net.

The challenge with 35mm adapters is that the image comes in upside down, just as it does when it hits 35mm film, or the imaging chip in a DSLR. You'll need a flip adapter as well, or an external LCD monitor with the flip function, in order to shoot while monitoring your image correctly.

What you can get as far as lens attachments without a 35mm adapter are fisheyes, macro adapters, anamorphic adapters, wide-angle adapters, and telephoto adapters.