Let's talk glass: Lenses for the AF100!

Jason Allen

Jason Allen

Well-known member
Well, while we're all salivating about the news of the AF100 prototype, I'm curious... what are some lenses that you guys will be using on your AF100? :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

Certainly, the 14-140 is a nice all-purpose run 'n' gun lens, but with a big, juicy µ4/3 sensor and the ability to adapt virtually any SLR lens to this camera (primes, fast zooms, macro lenses, etc), the 14-140 is going to be in my bag for emergencies only, I think.

My shop does a lot of work with lens adapters already, so we have a bunch of Zeiss primes that are going to feel the love. Also, as a photographer by hobby, I personally have a number of Nikon "F" mount lenses (from my D700) and µ4/3 lenses (from my GF1) that I'm itching to use for video on this new rig!

Some lenses that I'm VERY excited to potentially use on an AF100:
-Samyang 8mm f/3.5 fisheye ($300 well spent!)
-Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm f/4 (This one's going to be straight up badass for a lot of ultra-wide-angle situations!)
-Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7
-Sigma 24mm f/1.8 (Nikon F mount)
-Zeiss 28mm f/2 ZF (Nikon F mount)
-Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZF (Nikon F mount)
-Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AFD
-Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZF (Nikon F mount)
-Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 ZF (Nikon F mount)
-Nikon 105mm f/1.8 AIS
-Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AIS
-Nikon 105mm f/2.8 AFS G VR Micro (aperture controllable via a cheap chinese made Nikon-µ4/3 adapter!)
-Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AFD
-Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 AFS G VR1 (aperture controllable via a cheap chinese made Nikon-µ4/3 adapter!)
-Tamron 300mm f/2.8 (Nikon F Mount)

Think of all of the money you're not spending on a Letus35 Extreme or SGpro + Blade and rails... and think how much more light you're going to be sucking in with fast primes and fast zooms!

What is your lens kit going to look like? What are some fun lenses that'll open new doors for your video/film work on this rig? (e.g. super telephotos, circular fisheyes, and tilt shift primes, anyone?)
 
This will be boring for you but,

My set of Zeiss zf.2's and most likely the 14-140.
 
The tough one for me is the crop. My 2 fav's Zeiss 50mm and 85mm 1.4 are now 100mm and 170mm, so I'll have to look for something a lot wider. Even my 16mm is now a 32mm ouch!
 
thekreative said:
The tough one for me is the crop. My 2 fav's Zeiss 50mm and 85mm 1.4 are now 100mm and 170mm, so I'll have to look for something a lot wider. Even my 16mm is now a 32mm ouch!
Click to expand...

Yeah which is why I think the 14-140 is going to come in handy esp. on the wider end.

And whilst you are going to get x2(is that what it is?) equivalent FOV - so your 50mm will go to 100mm FOV, the focal characteristics will remain the same.
 
Noel Evans said:
This will be boring for you but,

My set of Zeiss zf.2's and most likely the 14-140.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I would go with. I got the ZF set, but I'd recommend the ZF.2s for the AF100 because it might actually be able to control the iris, if/when an electronic lens coupler comes out.

Of course, there's always the possibility that Zeiss will announce a series of lenses specifically for the m43 mount. ZF = Nikon, ZE = Canon, so maybe there'll be a ZP for Panasonic m43? I don't know, but I *do* know that today the Zeiss folks brought a sweet Compact Prime in Micro Four Thirds mount over to the Panasonic booth... so you could always go with Compact Primes if you can afford them!
 
This may have been answered before, but just in case...

Anyone know if regular Canon EOS lenses will be usable with the AF100? And if so, would they be manual control only, or would autofocus work? And what about aperture control?
 
Looking at the pics of the sensor, it appears that the 35mm film frame is from movie footage. This means that the horizontal top and bottom of the image run SIDEWAYS across the film with the sprocket holes (and optical sound track) on the side... as opposed to a still frame of 35mm film which uses twice the film area running the horizontal top and bottom of the image longways on the film with the sprocket holes at the top and bottom.

This being the case... does it follow that the lenses from the new (smaller sensor) digital Nikon will fill this sensor without losing focal length? When I switched from my Nikon F3 bodies, I traded my favorite 24mm 2.8 because it became the equivalent of a 35mm not-so-wide angle with the new Nikon digital body. I also got rid of my 50mm 1.4.

The two lenses I would hope to use with the AF100 would be the zooms (12-24 and 24 - 120 AF Nikkor) along with my old 80-200mm (now 120-300mm) and my old 55macro from the old Nikon.

The question is: Do you know (think) if the lenses would be able to be controlled in any way via the camera, and would the focal lengths be changed, and if so, in which direction?

Thanks in advance for anyone's thoughts.

Best Regards
Dale
 
jrv3034 said:
Anyone know if regular Canon EOS lenses will be usable with the AF100? And if so, would they be manual control only, or would autofocus work? And what about aperture control?
Click to expand...
If a mechanical adapter is used, then you won't have access to the lens's autofocus or ability to change the iris. There are mechanical adapters that have a knob that lets you adjust iris.

I have discussed with a certain company the prospect of making an electronic adapter which would allow access to all of the EOS lens's automatic functions, and they said that they are already working on it. So -- I fully expect there to be a fully-electronic adapter on the market, probably before the AF100 is released.
 
Thanks for getting back Barry... That is really encouraging news... I think this will be my next camera after many happy productive years with the original DVX 100. (I currently have three commercials running on broadcast TV and a museum film running daily in a visitor center... all done with the old camera.)
I'm frustrated with the "vaporware" of Scarlett and besides, I've always loved the filmic look of the Panasonic... it's a known quantity.
So that pretty much answers the question on lens control... regarding sensor size and focal length, I think it looks like it would be pretty much the same as the DSLR chip/focal length ratio... correct?
Best Regards
Dale
 
Last edited:
Multi-Media said:
regarding sensor size and focal length, I think it looks like it would be pretty much the same as the DSLR chip/focal length ratio... correct?
Click to expand...
It's nearly the same size as an APS-C DSLR like the 7D or 550D/t2i. It is not nearly as big as a "full frame" DSLR like a 5D, or the APS-H size like on the 1D Mark IV.

Basically, it's practically as big as 35mm movie film. Not exactly as big, but very close.
 
So that pretty much answers the question on lens control... regarding sensor size and focal length, I think it looks like it would be pretty much the same as the DSLR chip/focal length ratio... correct?
Click to expand...

I think you might be jumping the gun a bit on lens control... your 12-24mm f/4 and other AFS lenses with integrated motors *may* have AF via 3rd party adapters, but at this point, I'd assume that Panasonic won't be offering tools to make off-brand lenses outperform their µ4/3 series Lumix lenses!

Also, Nikon AF-D series lenses with "screw-driven" AF will require an adapter to have a motor in order to AF the lenses... so I wouldn't hold my breath about having the 80-200/2.8 AFD focus on the AF100 unless someone gets REALLY creative on adapter design, and even then, I'd expect that adaption to be stupidly expensive.

Currently available, there are inexpensive mechanical adapters like the one pictured below (Nikon "G" adapter on the right, M42 screw mount on the left) that will allow you to control the iris of "G" series Nikon lenses, and to mount Nikon F (pre-AI, AI, AIS, AF, AFD, AFI, and AFS) lenses to µ4/3. You'll have to pull focus though! (pardon the ol' SD cards... this was from a for-sale ad I posted a few weeks ago)
4914859016_193f431184.jpg


About focal length differences... In the same way that your 24/2.8 and 50/1.4 changed focal length going from 35mm "full frame" SLR cameras to smaller sensor DX cameras, your effective field of view on µ4/3 sensors is DOUBLE what you would expect to see from your old 35mm SLR's viewfinder. Your 50mm f/1.4 will be a moderate telephoto with the look of a 100mm f/1.4 lens on a 35mm SLR.

That said, the Micro 4/3 sensor size is very close to the shape and ratio of how movies are shot on 35mm film... you said it yourself. Remember, in movies, 35mm film runs vertically, and you're using 1/2 the surface area that you'd use when shooting film horizontally (google "Vistavision" and "Lazy 8"). If you're using half of the frame, that's a 2:1 "crop ratio" from what you're used to as a photographer.

With any production you're doing on this level, you should have control of your set, so take a few steps backward to get the proper framing you want with your trusty 24/2.8 and 50/1.4! Need to go wider? Panasonic already has a 7-14mm f/4 Lumix lens available that is wicked sharp and stupendously wide.
 
Barry_Green said:
If a mechanical adapter is used, then you won't have access to the lens's autofocus or ability to change the iris. There are mechanical adapters that have a knob that lets you adjust iris.

I have discussed with a certain company the prospect of making an electronic adapter which would allow access to all of the EOS lens's automatic functions, and they said that they are already working on it. So -- I fully expect there to be a fully-electronic adapter on the market, probably before the AF100 is released.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Barry. Very encouraging news. I'm not very interested in using autofocus with EOS lenses, but control over the iris is certainly a necessity.
 
I like Olympus 4/3 lenses for the AF100. With a standard 4/3 to M4/3 adapter, you retain electronic lens controls, at least auto iris functions. Auto focus is a question mark. It depends on the lens firmware that Panasonic will support. But this is a multi-manufacturer standard and they are supposed to work interchangeably across brands.

Their super high grade zoom set would not be cheap, but would get you from 14 to 100mm at F2 and from 90-250mm at f2.8. Optical quality second to none for this format. As good as if not better than most primes.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_digital_slr.asp?section=lens
 
Razz16mm said:
I like Olympus 4/3 lenses for the AF100. With a standard 4/3 to M4/3 adapter, you retain electronic lens controls, at least auto iris functions. Auto focus is a question mark. It depends on the lens firmware that Panasonic will support. But this is a multi-manufacturer standard and they are supposed to work interchangeably across brands.

Their super high grade zoom set would not be cheap, but would get you from 14 to 100mm at F2 and from 90-250mm at f2.8. Optical quality second to none for this format. As good as if not better than most primes.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_digital_slr.asp?section=lens
Click to expand...


I can't believe I forgot about the Olympus f/2 zooms! Those are going to be KILLER for video use.
 
So far my Canon FD lenses and any Nikon lenses I pickup for my D700.

Canon 24 f2.8 ssc
Canon 35 f2 ssc
Canon 50 f1.4 ssc
Canon 85 f1.8 ssc

Nikon 80-200 f2.8 (push pull)


I am holding off on getting anything wider. I really want the FD 14mm 2.8, but finding a good copy is next to impossible.
 
I have a bunch of Leica, Zeiss and Voigtlander glass from my M system which I imagine using on a AF100. Have used them on several 4/3rds cameras before (stills) with great results.
All the way from 15mm to 90mm which would become effective 30 to 180mm in 35mm terms.
I especially love the look of my Leica 90mm Summicron, a fast F2 lens.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top