F5: Quick Sony F5 lens question

Sparky874

Sparky874

Well-known member
Hi there, I just read on the Sony UK site something quite interesting regarding the BBC show 'Escape to the country':

Bos has put in the groundwork over the last few years taking ‘Escape to the Country’ from tape-based acquisition to file-based XDCAMs, which eased the transition to the higher-end F5 CineAlta model.

“We’ve shot file-based on ‘Escape to the Country’ since 2007 so have learnt a great deal about file-based cameras and digital workflow and have been HD since 2008, so moving to the F5 was a natural progression and advancement,” says Bos.

A single F5 is used for each programme, with a Canon HJ14 wide-angle lens capturing the action, which is largely based around families viewing a series of properties in the British countryside to decide whether to move from a city environment to the country.

How do you think they are mounting their Canon HJ14 to the camera? This sounds like an interesting lens to use with it?


Thanks, Sparky
 
I am really interested in this for use with my F3 - but there doesn't seem to be much info on it. I was at a shoot recently and I saw someone using one on their C300 - seems like a great option. USed with a HJ14 wide lens - it would cover a great focal length.
 
Based on what I have heard on the Cinematographer's Mailing List, the HDx35 is the best product of it's type. Other units suffer from poor light sealing and a lack of robustness. The quality of the image, apparently, is not degraded to an appreciable amount. I believe there is 1 stop of light loss.

Mitch Gross who used to work for Abel Cine may chime in here if he sees this thread. He was a big proponent of this unit.

Cost is a bit rich for most owner/operators but if you have ENG lenses already, it's the cost of a decent PL lens. So maybe you can justify the cost that way.

Sparky, do you know what would me the equivalent range of the HJ14 in terms of mm to mm size on an S35 camera? Putting one of these and an ENG lens on an F35 would be interesting.
 
Thanks Andrew - I have two nice ENG lenses already so if the image was good, it could be an interesting solution. I just wonder how front heavy or awkward the camera would be to use as the lens with the HDx35 ii adaptor, makes it pretty long and pronounced. If anyone out there is using it with the F3 or F5/55 I would love to hear your thoughts, and even more, see a clip you shot with it!
 
I've seen images from the Sony adapter.

It's ok, but in my opinion from what I saw the image is not nearly as sharp as a modern PL lens. Maybe for exteriors where you can stop down some it gets better. I saw it wide open, and it turned the F55 form 1250 ISO to something more like 300 ISO.

The sharpness seemed to me a lot more like what you'd expect from a previous generation 2/3 camera alike the F900. Not because of the quality of the lens itself, but more from the fact you're taking a lens designed for one sensor size and then maginifying that image for a much larger sensor. It's not going to be a free lunch.
 
I tested the HD35 on a job as a pre-buy. The images were outstanding - I was prepared for some image degradation from all the glass, but didn't see any. The form factor was the deal-killer, not the stop loss, and it's pricey. Obviously it still looks and acts like a 2/3" lens, but my old Fuji 7.8 looked as sharp or sharper than the Sony 18 - 252 which I did later buy which is also an ergonomic challenge, but I don't use a zoom much. For natural history or other tripod centered shooting, it's a great option.
 
Andrew Stone said:
Sparky, do you know what would me the equivalent range of the HJ14 in terms of mm to mm size on an S35 camera? Putting one of these and an ENG lens on an F35 would be interesting.
Click to expand...
In terms of low light ability, depth of field characteristics, angle of view etc then you should end up with comparable performance whether a given lens is on a 2/3" camera or a s35. (Assuming all else equal, and see caveat below!)

Optically, the adaptor will have the effect of multiplying the effective focal length by a factor of 2.7x and lowering the f stop by about 2.7 f stops. But owing to the larger sensor and inherent higher sensitivity the effects will cancel out - hence for any given settings, same angle of view, dof characteristics and low light performance as when used on a 2/3" camera.

Now, the caveat!! I said above "all else equal". What is not going to be equal is that a 2/3" camera is likely to be 3 chip, an s35 will be 1 chip. The larger size of s35 SHOULD be expected to give a sensitivity improvement of about 2.7 stops versus 2/3" - however because of the single chip factor it's likely to be more like 1.7 stops.

So effectively, from an operational point of view, the difference you're likely to notice when moving the lens from a 2/3" camera to an s35 is that you'll have to open the iris ring by about a stop to maintain exposure. In all other aspects, you won't notice a difference.
 
Thanks guys.really keen to try it with the camera on the shoulder. The lenses are light but I guess it all comes down to where you have the view finder positioned. It would need to be quite far forward to be workable, and you'd end a vlock at the back to counter balance it. Pls post some footage if you have one! Best, Sparky
 
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