Optitek adapter with manual lenses?

MPB

MPB

Well-known member
i got my optitek adapter a couple days ago and put a nikon g 24-70mm zoom on the camera to do tests and such with the new camera. everything works fine with this lens. i only just now put one of the zeiss lenses on and can't seem to get the iris to work. neither the prolock's iris ring nor the iris ring on the lens will do anything.

i'm going to try to contact Jacek at a decent hour for the west coast, but not sure how reachable he'll be on a weekend. in the meantime, any clues?
 
d'oh! false alarm. i didn't realize the iris position on the lens has to be stopped all the way down in order to engage the adapter's control.
 
I know others here are very happy with the adapter but I'd love to hear your impressions. I've been using the MTF for a while now and while Im happy with it there are a few things that constantly annoy me. BTW, how long did it take to arrive once you ordered it?
 
I have the MTF but made the switch to Prolock last September. Its a bit harsh to compare the two because the Prolock is so much more expensive. If you shoot a lot of documentary stuff and need to adjust the iris all the time fluently, the Prolock is the better choice. It allows for real smooth precise Iris adjustment. The MTF has the tricky screw in the iris ring that constantly want to fall out and does not feel strong enough for constant iris adjustment. But for its money its a quality product. I still have the MTF if somebody is interested, let me know.
 
Just to clarify there are two distinct features that separate the ProLock from the other adapters
1. Positive locking of non modified, stock Nikon F mounted lenses.
As opposed to standard spring tension based F mount Optitek mount turns standard Nikon mounted lenses into "PL" style lenses.
This feature eliminates any lens movement in relation to the camera.
This is especially important when using follow focus, zooming , etc. Traditional (Nikon) F mount has inherent slop in it since it was designed for Still cameras and using controls while recording the image had not been in the (camera mount) designer's scope of work. Simply put traditional F mounts were not made for motion cameras.
BTW same goes for Canon EF, M43, E mount etc.
2. Adapter based Iris control . This is a traditional (legacy) iris ring that is part of the (prolock) adapter that allows for G- lens iris control. Not only it allows to set the iris but does it via standard iris ring with scale, gear (for motor hookup) and is placed in a very accessible manner. The scale on the ring is calibrated in F stops and is very easily and quickly adjustable to match the lens on the camera perfectly.
BTW even for manual Nikon lenses equipped with the iris ring most users end up using the mount adapter iris control (you have a choice of iris control for manual lenses) because the mount iris ring is easier to access, stepless and quicker to use.
Hope that helps...
 

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Jacek,
As yuou know I am an owner and user of course of the prolock.
I was just curious what fotojourno was annoyed with on his MTF. i'm betting its slop in the connection and a loose iris control.
 
Post #5 & 6 pretty much sum it up for me in regards to the MTF. Dont get me wrong, the MTF has served me very well and Im quite happy with it. The ProLock while more expensive seems to address the issue's I've experienced regarding the lens shifting slightly in it's mount when follow focusing and give's you a visual reference as to what f-stop your at with G series lenses. With the MTF, when you decide on your aperture locking it in with the screw one handed while hand held shooting can easily lead to the aperture collar moving and changing your exposure. For studio or controlled environment or on sticks this is less of a problem.
 
Lenilenapi said:
Jacek,
As yuou know I am an owner and user of course of the prolock.
I was just curious what fotojourno was annoyed with on his MTF. i'm betting its slop in the connection and a loose iris control.
Click to expand...

I was writing my response before I saw yours but you nailed it.
 
As opposed to standard spring tension based F mount Optitek mount turns standard Nikon mounted lenses into "PL" style lenses.
Click to expand...
That is so true, if you change lenses often Prolock is the way to go. It is an absolute solid mount. no play whatsoever. as opposed to spring based mounts ( as the original Nikon )
 
Be aware that I did have a strange experience with my Prolock where it got very loose (lens itself was loose) because the internal screws loosened up. Fortunately it was very easy to open up and tighten the screw again but it was very scary. I'm just keeping an eye on it now. I don't really understand why it happened and whether it was sudden and had something to do with trying to release a difficult lens , or it had loosened over time.
The only other issue I have is that my iris ring feels quite tight. Jacek told me that if I tightened the internal screws evenly that shouldn't be and I can send it to him, but I don't want to be without it.
It has always been somewhat tight though. On the positive side this is much better than the loose MTF ring and the resistance is often valuable when riding iris on the fly.

Anyone else find the ring tight?
 
my iris ring feels a bit tight, but it doesn't bother me. the throw is so short that the resistance is beneficial.

i do like the way the lens mounts and locks. it's very stable. yes it is expensive. all the little stuff really adds up, i feel like i've dropped another grand at every turn in building the package. but i'm pleased with the quality of the mount so far. the only niggle is that the mark that serves as the indication of the iris position is a little sloppy, like a scratch in the metal. all the other machining and marking is very precise, so that one mark kinda sticks out.

Jacek got the product out very quickly. i ended up going through one vendor who put all the pieces to the package together for me, but i had talked to Jacek before putting the order through. either way you go, service is quick.
 
We finally have caught up with the demand. Shipping from stock this week. Get them while they last!!!
 
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