HVR-A1 plus SGPro plus Nikon Lenses - Am I missing anything?

F

fulling

New member
Hi all,

I'm just about to purchase a SGPro (the bundle that includes all accesories), few lenses on eBay and step up rings to make all work. Am I missing anything?

I think I'm going for these four lens below, what do you guys think about them? I really appreciate any advise you could give, thank you so much:

Nikon 50mm f/1.4 D F1.4 Autofocus Lens
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-50mm-f-1-...ihZ022QQcategoryZ3343QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Nikon 28mm f/2.8 D Autofocus Zoom Lens
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-28mm-f-2-...ihZ003QQcategoryZ3343QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Nikon AF 28-100mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-AF-28-100...ihZ004QQcategoryZ3343QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

500mm Telephoto Lens for Nikon AF Digital
http://cgi.ebay.com/500mm-Telephoto...ihZ022QQcategoryZ3343QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Plus the SGpro r3, SGfollow focus & SGflip module bundle with the 15mm rods support, Nikon F mount and 1x Type 1 lens gear.

Plus the step up ring adapters 37-43, 43-52, 52-72 from eBay too http://stores.ebay.com/jiakgong-DIGITAL

So, that should be it, all of it in order to make this magic happen. Right?


With regards to prices:

4 Lens: 650 USD + 150 USD aprox. Shipping + 19.50 USD Insurance = TOTAL: 819.50 USD (560 EUR / £420)
SGPRO bundle with everything: 1985 USD (1315 EUR / £983)
Step Up Rings including shipping: 15 USD (10 EUR)

Total Cost: 2819.50 USD / 1885 EUR / £1411


Should it all be fine if I go ahead? Any recommendations on the Lens?

Thank you so much!
 
i left you a post explaining everything over at the shoot35 forum - i'll copy it here.....

there are a few problems with your lens choices.....

i don't like ebay either.. i've never used it but my sister uses it all the time, she loves it, but i just don't feel safe with it...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ is a good online store. they ship worldwide and they have cheaper prices then that ebay store. it's basically the largest and most popular photography store on the net.

i've used the Sony A1 with a 35mm adapter (not the SGpro) to make a few short films - you can see one here - http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=122121

the main problem with that camera is it's not too good in low-light. i think it's ISO is somewhere around 70. then with a 35mm adaptor it gets even worse....

if you shoot anything indoors or a nighttime you're going to have a hard time. you'd ideally want the fastest lenses you can afford. the only really decent lens you've got in your set at the moment is the 50mm f/1.4.

with prime lenses you want to stick around the f1.4 mark. nikon make four f/1.4 lenses... the 35mm f1.4 AIS, the 50mm f/1.4 AIS, the 50mm f1.4 AF D and the 85mm AF D

the AIS lenses are the older manual versions of the AF D lenses. they're better for two reasons.. they're made of metal not plastic and they have a larger focus draw.

focus draw is the amount you can turn the focus ring from it's minimum point to it maximum... the larger the better for our kind of work because it makes them easier to focus. the AF D lenses were designed with auto focus in mind so they're a bit harder to focus manually.

instead of the 28mm f/2.8 i'd go for the 35mm f/1.4 AIS if you can afford it... other wise the get the 35mm f/2.0 AF D

the Nikon AF 28-100mm f/3.5-5.6 you selected is a "G" lens... watch out for this... there are three problems with this lens. the "G" means it's designed for a digital SLR camera with a smaller imager than 35mm... basically it means you will have to zoom in more to get rid of vignetting. so it would be the equivalent to a 45mm-170mm lens.

also it doesn't have an aperture ring so you won't ever be able to select your aperture. some of the new nikon primes and most of the new zooms don't have aperture rings. this is something you have to watch out for.

the other problem is it's a rather slow lens and it doesn't have a constant aperture. for zoom lenses you should go for constant f/2.8 lenses.

the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 and the Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8D are i think the only mid range constant f/2.8 lenses you can get brand new that have an aperture ring. they're relatively cheap but some reviewers say they're a bit soft. i don't own them so i can't really comment. i don't think you'll find anything better than these under a grand though. if you can afford to spend more than a grand on one lens, there are much better zooms out there.

the 500mm lens you picked it also a "G" lens... the problems are the same as the other "G" lens... also 500mm is HUGE!!!!!! it's absolutely HUGE!!!! you'd be able to get a close up of someone 100 meters away!!!!!!!!!
and it's an f/8 lens, so you only be able to use it in the middle of a really really sunny day outside.

if you just want a close up lens, i'd suggest the 85mm F/1.4. you can't buy the AIS version brand new any more but the AF D is supposed to be excellent. if you can't afford the 85mm f/1.4, then go for the 85mm f/1.8.

those lenses i suggested are all available brand new from BandH. if you are willing to buy second hand lenses then that opens up a whole other range of options. it all depends on your budget.


all the best
patrick
 
yah, I would stay away from ebay and go with B&H or keh.com ,both have good used sections, I would also try to stick with AI type lenses.

Jon
 
thank you

thank you

I don't have enough words in my limited english vocabulary to thank you for your response patrick. I really appreciate it.

I purchased once in the past with BH Photo and had a good experience.

After analyzing what you've said, I believe you're totally right when you say about its low-light issue.

So here goes my new list:
1) Normal AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D Autofocus Lens (Imported) - $259.95 / 177[SIZE=-1]€[/SIZE]
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/97413-GREY/Nikon_1902_Normal_AF_Nikkor_50mm.html

2) Wide Angle AF Nikkor 35mm f/2.0D Autofocus Lens (imported) - $299.95 / 204[SIZE=-1]€[/SIZE]
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/92011-GREY/Nikon_1923_Wide_Angle_AF_Nikkor.html

3) Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto AF Zoom Nikkor 35-70mm f/2.8D Autofocus Lens (Imported) - $459.95 / [SIZE=-1]315€[/SIZE]
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/36956-GREY/Nikon_1963_Zoom_Wide_Angle_Telephoto_AF.html

4) Telephoto AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D Autofocus Lens (USA) - $399.95 / [SIZE=-1]275€[/SIZE]
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/84151-USA/Nikon_1931_Telephoto_AF_Nikkor_85mm.html

Shipping: aprox. $100 / 70[SIZE=-1]€

Total: [/SIZE]$[SIZE=-1]1419,80 / 970[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]€


Any comments or recommendations before I make the move is more than welcome, I really appreciate all of you helping me out :)

Best regards
[/SIZE]
 
Last edited:
do you need a zoom? think about this one... i only have prime lenses. i don't ever need to zoom in a shot. some people like to do it. some people need to to it. some people just like to have the option.

but if you don't actually need a zoom, then you can get a much nicer second hand lens set for the about same price.

for example - KEH.com

35mm f/1.4 AIS - EX grade - $569
50mm f/1.4 AIS - EX grade - $235
85mm f/1.4 AIS - EX grade - $645

total = $1449

i wouldn't have any issues with buying EX grade lenses from KEH. i only stress you buy fast lenses because i know how bad the sony A1 is in low light. a little bit of extra money now will save a whole lot of trouble later...

having all your lenses at f/1.4 is a huge plus. not only because they're fast, but because they're all the same f-stop! this is a huge plus in low light situations because you wont be limited by your slowest lens.

patrick
 
The zoom is not extremely necesary, but its a good one to have in the kit, however having all 1.4 is brilliant certainly.

Not sure about purchasing second hand, have no past experience with Keh. There is a spanish expression that says something like: "cheap always comes more expensive". I rather spend some extra money on getting all new, just in case...

Or does KEH have a good reputation with regards to selling lens in the condition they state?
 
AIS don't have CPU, right? So they are completely manual.

AF ones would do any good with this? As in, would they not be better?
 
ok, found a response to that by Wayne Kinney (shoot35) that says:

Auto focus lenses work providing thay have a manual mode and focus ring, however you are paying for the internal electronic gibbins that you will likely never use. The older manual type lenses are probably your best choice.

A nice 50mm F1.4 is a great choice. A 28mm F2.8 is probably your best bet, for a second lens.

Stay away from the Nikon DX or G series of AF lenses. The DX series does not project a full 36x24mm image, and the aperture remains closed on the G series.
 
the AIS lenses are better than the AF-D. unless you have an auto-focusing SLR camera and want to use them on that...

KEH does have a good reputation. their reputation is that the lenses are BETTER than they state. i have not bought anything from them but i'm days away from buying a few lenses from them.

in the end it's about what you need and your budget.

patrick
 
Last edited:
Thank you very much for all your help patrick, really appreciate it :)

I'm going to think this over tonight and finalize the purchase by the end of the day.

As soon as everything arrives (just ordered the SGPro complete bundle pack), I will try my best to share some footage / stills.

Best regards
 
Budget is 3k Usd, so this fits in the budget perfectly. I have to get some lightings too, but that aint expensive if diy'ing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top