lens characteristics for 35mm adapters

dougspice

dougspice

Veteran
Hey, I have a very particular question about 35mm adapters: are there specific properties or qualities that I should be looking for in lenses, beyond what one would normally look for? I know about the breathing on still lenses, and that you ideally want the fastest lenses possible, but is there anything else that particular works well, or reveals unusual flaws?

I have a selection of Nikon lenses already, some of which are very good, but I'm not sure they're all suited to this task. I'm also considering getting several Leica R/M lenses, but maybe there are reasons why I wouldn't want to for this application? How much will the lens on the DVX itself be a limiting factor on quality?

Sorry if this has been covered, but I didn't see it.
 
>>>Hey, I have a very particular question about 35mm adapters: are there specific properties or qualities that I should be looking for in lenses, beyond what one would normally look for? I know about the breathing on still lenses, and that you ideally want the fastest lenses possible, but is there anything else that particular works well, or reveals unusual flaws?<<<

Manual aperture CTRL. (Canon needs some “persuasion”) Other than that, no.

>>>I have a selection of Nikon lenses already, some of which are very good, but I'm not sure they're all suited to this task<<<

Yes, they are:
http://dandiaconu.com/gallery/UNIVERSAL-SLR-FOCUS-GEAR-AND-FOLLOW-FOCUS/IMGA1582
They are all good:
http://dandiaconu.com/gallery/UNIVERSAL-SLR-FOCUS-GEAR-AND-FOLLOW-FOCUS/100_1685


>>>I'm also considering getting several Leica R/M lenses, but maybe there are reasons why I wouldn't want to for this application? How much will the lens on the DVX itself be a limiting factor on quality?<<<

That's like inviting Pavarotti to sing at a wedding (of course, if you can afford it...) but it would not make any difference.

The DVX lens is good enough.
The "weak link" is the camera CCD and the NLE system (imo). You can only import/export 720/480 right?
What diff the best lens could do at that resolution?
This image:
http://dandiaconu.com/gallery/album12/felix5?full=1

is a frame from footage. That and more of the same,
http://dandiaconu.com/gallery/Work-samples?page=1

test footage held up VERY well when projected on a 7 ft wall. Lens Nikkor 1.2/55 captured by Panny GS200! ! ! No grain, vivid details to the last hair. DVX + Nikkors:
http://dandiaconu.com/gallery/album08

PD150 + Nikkors:
http://dandiaconu.com/gallery/album31

Roughness of the GG, planarity of the movement (how well it holds at the focal plane) are factors that can influence A LOT MORE the sharpness of the image than choosing Leica over Nikkor (imo)
 
Just picked up 3 primes second hand for my (incoming) letus. All Canon fd lenses.. 24 mm f1.2, 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.8. As second hand they still set me back a bit, but I purchased them from a reputable used dealer here in Tokyo and was able to inspect them all before purchase. Basically I purchased these three lenses on the advice of other board members.
 
Thanks for your answers, Dan.

Well, I wouldn't be buying the Leicas solely for this use, but if I'm gonna buy them, they might as well swing double-duty.

As far as the shots go that you've highlighted, I think a lot of those look pretty soft in my opinion. The ones of the cat, for instance, just lack much sharpness. Of course, I always get jaded when I play with my stills for a bit and then come back to looking at DVX stuff, but I still think it's a valid point. I'd be interested to know which particular lens you shot some of these with.

That's what I meant when I said some of my Nikon lenses possibly weren't suited to the task. I've got the nice 50mm and a very sharp 55mm, I've been borrowing the 85mm so often that I should probably buy it... but then there's stuff like my 17-35mm AF-S. I'm not sure that would have a good home on the front of an adapter, even though it's a phenomenal lens. And then somewhere I have this crappy, soft, featherweight Tamron zoom somewhere. I'm trying to imagine that the quality through that thing would be a lot lower than any of the others, even once shot through the DVX. But am I wrong?

As far as resolution as the limiting factor, I do have an HVX on the way. Granted, any of these lenses are going to far surpass even that resolution, but at what point does it start making a really noticeably difference?
 
dougspice said:
As far as the shots go that you've highlighted, I think a lot of those look pretty soft in my opinion. The ones of the cat, for instance, just lack much sharpness.?
Click to expand...
I am not sure what exactly you expect sharpness wise, or what resolution your monitor is set at, but as long as the finest hair is visible (here and on the screen I saw it projected), I am as happy as I can be. You may also keep in mind that the DOF (on that image) was limited to one-two inches!!! The lens was 1.2/55 Nikkor and I have shot wide open ;1.2! The distance was less than 3ft. At that close distance the DOF is extremely narrow (check the marks on a Nikkor 1.2/55 with focus set on 3ft); if I was to shoot the scene at aperture 16! the DOF of that lens goes from 2.7' to almost 3.5'. That IF I had it set at 16! But the aperture was 1.2 and also, Felix refused to rehearse or go by marks and such so I had to "hunt him" and pull instinctive focus.
That may be the reason why you think is "soft" because the dof is extremely narrow.
Anyway, I am sure you'll do better under the circumstances. Good luck.
 
Nah, it's probably just because I've been organizing my stills, which are razor sharp like nothing the DVX can do. I didn't mean any offense. It may also be BECAUSE you had the lens wide open... although it certainly looks like you had no choice. At f/8 maybe it would be a different story.
 
Dan's got a valid point. If you work out some of the DOF calculations for some of these shots, you'd be shocked how little DOF there is. A 50mm f1.2 shot wide open from 3 feet away has a DOF of only 0.9" INCHES. Most people's heads (well, at least my head) is certainly deeper than 0.9", so you don't see everything in focus.

Shooting a 105mm f4 from 6 feet gives a DOF of almost 3".
 
ncje said:
Just picked up 3 primes second hand for my (incoming) letus. All Canon fd lenses.. 24 mm f1.2, 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.8. As second hand they still set me back a bit, but I purchased them from a reputable used dealer here in Tokyo and was able to inspect them all before purchase. Basically I purchased these three lenses on the advice of other board members.
Click to expand...
holy shnikies, where did you find a 24mm f1.2 Canon FD???
 
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