Red Rock Canon Live Lens Mount real world test

I dont have the 85 1.2 to test but based on the shape of the lens in pics it should fit just fine - that little box on the adapter doesnt extend out very far and the back of that lens is skinnier. I cant say for sure but my impression is it will fit.

id be happy to test if canon wants to send me one :)
 
snp said:
I have to agree with DustBowl. We've waited almost 5 months since NAB and all we have is a review that talks about a loose screw, a handout photo and a tester not sure about the degree of f/stop change available. Looks like nothing has changed since we saw the prototype and we still don't know the unit price. There's something to be said for having Barry Green, or someone at his level, do qualitative tests on these new products. Perhaps Brian Valente from RedRock could weigh in here as well.

Just give us some timely, accurate facts.
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It does appear that Redrock rushed the announcement of this as well as their remote follow focus. NAB puts a lot of pressure on manufactures to attract customers to their booths. It maybe Redrock over extended themselves on these products.

It does make sense that a company like Redrock would get a little nervous about the future since their 35 adapter program has completely dried up.
 
Hi folks

Some quick answers:

Seth's review is really a "it exists and works in the real world". I don't think he meant for it to be an in-depth technical evaluation.

We haven't yet officially launched the product which should happen in the next week or two. We'll roll out all the details in one place then, but in the meantime regarding some technical questions:

- 9v battery power is a balancing act on added cost and time. it works, lasts a long time, and doesn't delay release. By far the #1-#2 request we received was aperture control and available asap.
- regarding timing, isn't everything a simple matter of engineering? ;) It takes time to develop and engineer products and get it into production.
- f-stop change is at least in 1/3 increments, but as @dcarstens pointed out, depending on the lens and aperture it could go as low as 1/5th. You can count on 1/3rd stop increments.
- (EDIT) Yes the 85mm f1.2 clears the mount and works.
- regarding Sony E-mount, we haven't announced anything here. We did receive some pics from a customer who developed their own adaptation with LiveLens, and they seemed very happy with it. If folks here are interested, reply back and we'll see if we can get permission to post his pics. Looked sharp.
@Grug - it's possible but ultimately the electronics of the af motors in these lenses are designed for "snap to focus" AF for still photography - that kind of solution will never be great for motion work. That's why we opted to create the microRemote which meets all your requirements.


@Paul, There wasn't a rush on announcing a product because we haven't even announced it yet. We previewed a prototype at NAB to see how much interest there was, and it turns out enough that justified us releasing it as a product. Here we are close to release, though even now we haven't yet officially announced it. Worldwide 35mm adapters are still strong, and the M3 is the best thing out there right now. However our product line has grown substantially and is diverse, so if 35mm adapters were to go away tomorrow it would not have an impact on Redrock. That being said, the M3 is still a great product, close to our hearts, and maintains a special "cinema look" that some people prefer over DSLR, etc. To each his own.

The biggest difference between NAB and announcement is that it will be available ;)
 
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Hey guys,

Just want to chime in here. I was testing the LiveLens and it DOES both clear and power the 85mm f/1.2. So everyone with that nice piece of glass can give a collective sigh of relief!

EDIT: Guys this is my bad, tested the aperture, didn't spin the focus wheel and at THIS point it can NOT drive the servo to control focus.
 
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Thanks for clarifying Brian.

And for full disclosure and clarity I have been testing with the unit for a couple weeks now and have had real world great results. It only recently I was cleared to speak about it - now that I can I am telling everyone I know - this is a device to have
 
smelni- will you be posting a video, or just a write-up based upon your tests?

Will your tests be real-world (ie interiors/exteriors), controlled situation (interview-style, product shots, drama), chart-type tests, or what?

When do you expect to do any/all of this?

thanks
 
@groveChuck - just out of curiosity what kind of information are you hoping to see by comparing interiors/exteriors, different shoot styles, etc.? LiveLens mft controls aperture, so while I definitely like the idea of a video (hint hint seth ;) I'm not sure what you would actually see that would be different in those situations.

Cheers

Brian
 
Loren Simons said:
Hey guys,

Just want to chime in here. I was testing the LiveLens and it DOES both clear and power the 85mm f/1.2. So everyone with that nice piece of glass can give a collective sigh of relief!
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That is good news. Must be a tight fit, but a fit nonetheless. Powering the lens is of course even more important than aperture control.

So, how about powering IS in lenses that have it?
 
Smelni,

What they were questioning was if the adapter could spit out enough power to power the focus servo unit in the 85MM 1.2, the unit CAN control the 85's aperture, but at this point can NOT power the servo motor for focusing as my original post suggested.
 
smelni said:
If you dont have aperture control how can you even use the lens
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You're not seriously asking that question, are you?

Not being able to focus a lens because it's focus-by-wire only, and requires power to the lens electronics/focusing motor like the 85 1.2 does, is a bigger problem than having to work around the aperture issue, which has been around since at least the release of the 5DII (when even Canon lenses, on Canon bodies, would have to be twisted off the mount to hold the set aperture).
 
Loren Simons said:
...the adapter ... can NOT power the servo motor for focusing as my original post suggested.
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Bummer, because that still leaves the lens pretty useless. Thankfully it's the only lens of its kind still being manufactured by Canon (the 200 1.8, also a focus-by-wire lens, went out of production a few years ago).
 
mkfotos.com said:
Bummer, because that still leaves the lens pretty useless. Thankfully it's the only lens of its kind still being manufactured by Canon (the 200 1.8, also a focus-by-wire lens, went out of production a few years ago).
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Having a beautiful, totally mechanical FD 85 1.2L myself as my pride and joy on my AF101, I'm at a bit of a loss why Canon decided to go down such an electronic route with lenses, but understand at the same time why you miss using such a fine bit of glass.

Then again, my favourite Canon camera was a totally manual F-1n with a bright microprosm spot metering screen. a total pleasure to shoot with, and so simple.
 
smelni said:
gotcha i didnt know it only wasnt manual focus too
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I had a scare when I bought my first one years ago, and it wouldn't do anything... until I turned on the camera. A-ha! :)

For now it remains a fixed-focus, fixed-aperture, chunk of glass...
 
I am DEFINITELY interested in using this with an FS100 if a solution exists. :) Feel free to private message or maybe start a new thread in the FS100 user area to find out if there is more FS100 interest. I have a bunch of Canon lenses and have been waiting for ANYTHING that can electronically control them. :)
 
bvalente said:
@groveChuck - just out of curiosity what kind of information are you hoping to see by comparing interiors/exteriors, different shoot styles, etc.? LiveLens mft controls aperture, so while I definitely like the idea of a video (hint hint seth ;) I'm not sure what you would actually see that would be different in those situations.

Cheers

Brian
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Brian- sorry I wasn't clear. I wasn't suggesting comparing each of those shooting situations.

I was just asking if a shooting test within one of those different situations would be done- like showing the aperture increments.
Or if outside, perhaps showing how riding the iris looks, or add ND and open the iris, that sort of thing.

Not suggesting shooting in each and every environment.

Seth- I hope you can share this with us- thanks!
 
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