PL or EF... your first-hand experience in today's industry

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

Schneider Xenons are available in EF. So are everyone's favourite affordable cine lenses, Samyang. Then, there's the Tokina 11-16mm.

Ah, the Xenons huh? Didn't know that, or at least didn't remember. Not sure I've seen them in the world not PL.

Let me first state that there is not any specific technical data or standard upon which a lens is granted the title of 'cinema Lens', and I am to assume that different people have different opinions on the qualifications, and thus is a more-or-less subjective view, supported only by popular agreement.

In my professional opinion, Samyangs/Rokinons are not cinema lenses, in the traditional sense. They, like many, simply market the lenses as cinema lenses when in fact they are modded manual photography lenses. Now, I'm not saying they are bad to use, or not going to get a job done. I'm just saying I would not put them in the same classification based on their design.

I would say the same about the useful and common Tokina 11-16mm. I have used the Duclos modded version multiple times for specific uses and to good results, however it's not a cinema lens for many reasons. However, the company (Tokina) is making strides in their housings with the Cinema ATX rehousings, which do approach a level of design which begin to enter the threshold of where I distinguish properly designed lenses for cinema use.

There are many new full rehousing projects which do a decent to good job and help bridge the gap and blur the lines even more. As of now, this is where my opinion stands on the modded lenses.

 

[leeburnett]

When I see lenses like the older Lomo cinema lenses that mostly seem to come in PL mount, and go for a third or less of Zeiss CP.2's, it makes me reconsider.

The amount I can save on these lenses means I can get a C300 or equivilant instead (and I'm hoping there will be more price drops on used C300's in the next few months.

That being said, do I need a PL mount camera to use PL lenses? If I was to get an EF mount camera body such as the c100, what issues would I run into using an EF to PL adapter like the one below?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PL-Mount-to-Canon-EOS-EF-7D-5D-Mark-II-Adapter-/190400780047

 

[David W. Jones]

Sorry, but quality Lomo cine lenses in proper working order with stainless steel PL mounts are not that cheap.

 

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

That being said, do I need a PL mount camera to use PL lenses? If I was to get an EF mount camera body such as the c100, what issues would I run into using an EF to PL adapter like the one below?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PL-Mount-to-Canon-EOS-EF-7D-5D-Mark-II-Adapter-/190400780047

Well as mentioned, EF mount is not as strong, thus adding an adapter to the mix is making the mount even less sturdy and increases the risk of dramatic image shift noticable during focus direction changes or anytime the lens may 'flex' in the mount.

Additionally, you will want to make sure the adapter can be shimmed. Cinema lenses pride themselves in having very accurate and repeatable witness marks for the focus puller to utilize. It's the reason professional assistants can pull focus without a monitor! If the adapter is not properly machined to tight tolerances and matched with a lens mount which is also machined to tight tolerances, there can be a small discrepancy in the flange depth. This will cause the witness marks to become inaccurate to varying degrees, depending on how off the flange depth is. In addition to focus mark accuracy being lost, if the flange to sensor distance isn't exactly at 52mm, than you lose the parafocal quality of a cinema zoom, meaning one can focus at telephoto but when zooming out, focus will not hold.

When camera manufacturers make PL mount lens mounts for their cameras, they make the flange depth very accurate and have (should have) strict tolerances to ensure it is accurate. They also take into account the different thicknesses of glass between the flange and the sensor (OLPF thickness differs by manufacturer and other considerations are made such as internal ND filter glass, etc.)

So I will stress that a shimmable lens mount is likely necessary to ensure that once you make your camera PL friendly, you gain all the advantages of PL mount lenses. If you buy a random adapter online and put it on a DSLR, and all the focus marks on a proper cinema zoom come up accurate and the focus holds through the zoom, consider yourself super lucky.

For those interested in testing, wider lenses focused to farther distances will tend to show the most discrepancy in a flange depth issue.


Additionally, if your PL lenses have i/data or LDS information contacts, you will loose that ability with an adapter, however, even some PL mount cameras don't offer this.... (looking at YOU Canon) Not a big deal, but a disadvantage for not using a native PL mount, as most offer at least i/tech pins.