F5: New B4 Mount for F55

powervideo

powervideo

Well-known member
New B4 Sony LA-FZB1 with the F55. This will breathe a lot of life into those HD ENG zooms gathering dust. More info on FD Times. Although looking at the specs, it has an optical path that works like a 2.59x extender. I had hoped Sony might have used the new Centre Scan Mode like they are doing with S16 on the F5/55.

B4.jpg
 
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A B4 lens with an a adaptor should have a bigger zoom range than any available stills lens and more than the $34k cabrio

The look would be about the same as 4-5.6 on S35 glass - which is quite little enough DOF for a 'cinematic' look

Also these lenses have nice focus travel, are parfocal, fixed Tstop across the range, and have zoom motors (if you care which I dont)

This really makes the F5/55 a dual use camera - you can do events/runNgun or swap to primes for the 'cine' look and to let more light in
 
I was hoping for the center scan as well. Dang.
Adapters like that are already available...I have the MTF PL version and it's far from elegant.

Maybe the Amira will do it right?
 
Wouldn't the HDx35 work better? It keeps the field of view.
The only other issue would be powering the B4 lens. Sony's adaptor would presumably pass the power through whereas the HDx35 needs an auxiliary power cable.
If The Sony were cheaper than HDx35 we would have a winner ;)
 
gregpen said:
?...
If The Sony were cheaper than HDx35 we would have a winner ;)
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lets not forget money isn't everything. This adapter does not require use of the PL mount on the camera. The added weight and length of the Abakus or IB/E adapters is not to be ignored, nor the fact you don't have to have a separate power cable for the lens. There is value in loosing those things, lower weight, better COG, cleaner camera...
 
HD Gear Guru said:
lets not forget money isn't everything. This adapter does not require use of the PL mount on the camera. The added weight and length of the Abakus or IB/E adapters is not to be ignored, nor the fact you don't have to have a separate power cable for the lens. There is value in loosing those things, lower weight, better COG, cleaner camera...
Click to expand...

You can change the PL mount of the HDX35 MK II for a Sony FZ (or any other common camera mount). You have to buy these mounts apart, but it does make the IBE more versatile in that respect. In terms of length I can't imagine it being longer (I would have thought the distance to the image plane should be the same in both adaptors). It is thinner (due to the lack of electronics) which makes it look a bit longer.
 
The MTF B4 adapter requires a doubler in the B4 ENG lens to fill the frame, for example of a super 35mm sensor. Given this Sony adapter will work in conjunction with firmware in the F55 that will allow it to shoot in center crop (windowed) mode, optically what is the difference then between the MTF B4 and Sony B4 adapter?

*Edit: It is NOT given that the new adapter will work with the 2k windowed/cropped mode on the F55 camera - this was a pure assumption on my part an looks like I might have been incorrect about how these two things might work together.
 
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From the Sony website: "Almost the same angle of view as that using with a 2/3 camera."

This is always somewhat confusing to me. Is angle of view the same as field of view?
And since the focal length of the lens is magnified by 2.6X with this adapter, how can the angle of view remain almost the same?

So my B4 4.5-59mm wide zoom would become about a 11-154mm S35 equivalent...or about the same field of view as it would have on a 2/3" camera?

Finally, since it's an FZ mount, I assume this will work with an F3 mechanically but how about electrically?





 
In the Sony forums they had said:

"Q13 : Does the angle of view change?

Almost the same angle of view as that using with a 2/3 camera.

Q14：Does the focal length change?

It will be magnified about 2.6x."

I know from watching the MTF B4 adapter video by Alister that the MTF itself only does 1.5x magnification and then relies on the 2x doubler in the ENG 2/3" lens to get a total of 2.5x magnification. Again, the 2.5x magnification is required to take the 2/3" image circle and ensure it covers the entire super 35mm sensor.

If the Sony is going to do the 2.6x magnification right in the adapter itself, then A.) you can bet it will cost far more than the MTF adapter, B.) it will cover the entire super 35mm sensor and should work on any FZ mount ie. F3, F5 and F55.

Having said that, if the new firmware for the F55 is going to allow shooting in a 2k cropped/window mode for s16 lenses or 2/3" ENG lenses then really all that's needed is a physical adapter to mount the lens with maybe a 1.5x magnifier. It would not cover the entire super 35mm sensor, but since the camera will eventually be able to shoot in a cropped mode then the result would be a full 2k image when the camera is in 4k mode.

I'm just speculating of course, and trying to understand if the new firmware will work in conjunction with the new B4 adapter.
 
Well that's another good point. The image size of S16 and 2/3" aren't all that different, are they?
Wouldn't a windowed sensor and a purely mechanical adapter be a better solution?
 
JCummings said:
Well that's another good point. The image size of S16 and 2/3" aren't all that different, are they?
Wouldn't a windowed sensor and a purely mechanical adapter be a better solution?
Click to expand...

Go try 2K mode on a Red and get back to me.

(answer: not always. Usually much softer than using whole sensor)
 
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