Redrock and Canon FD lens advice

T

tolawr

Member
Hi,

My name is T.O. and I've been a huge fan of the DVX for the several years that I've been using it. Recently, I came across a craigslist ad for a Redrock M2 35mm adapter with a RR flip as well as a bunch of lenses.

So heres the questions: given the light capturing improvements of the encore as well as the ~$500 cost of the adapter from redrock to upgrade the M2 to the encore, would you purchase the cheaper M2 and buy the adapter for a savings of about $200 on the encore or would you forgo the risk of "used" and go straight to a new rig with warranty?

Secondly, are the included lenses worthwhile for use with the DVX. I know almost nothing of lenses at this point and would be glad to avoid the thousands in investments needed for a basic kit.

Thanks much in advance! Please let me know what you think.

THE AD:

Up for sale is our Redrock M2 film lens adapter kit. This is for the Panasonic DVX and HVX camera's (and others). Includes rails, adaptor plate, shims, glass adaptors, and a full canon lens kit w/ case including:

Also includes RR flip accessory

Canon Lens kit w/ case:

17mm Tokina f3.5 w/ Hoya 67mm 81A filter
24mm Canon FD f2.8
50mm Canon FD f1.4
85mm Canon FD f1.8
135mm Canon FL f2.5
200mm FL f4.5
100-200mm FL f5.6
2x adapter
odds and ends
 
Those lenses are...alright, not bad. I've owned most of those lenses at one point or another and it's not a bad kit to start. The 50mm f1.4 is a pretty nice piece of glass, the 85mm is not bad, although I've always find it a touch soft. The 24mm is ok, as is the 135mm f2.5. The rest are cheap lenses that are really pretty slow so you probably won't be using them much.

On the DVX though, I don't think you get very good result with adapter for a simple reason: there's no way to accurately check focus on the DVX's LCD screen. With only a composite output the only way to get decent monitoring would be via firewire out to a laptop. Be prepared for soft footage.

Also, I don't think this kit comes with a flip module, which will be vital.
 
Thank you for your help in this, Huy. As you describe it, until I have acquired a laptop for monitoring/on-site editing I should probably wait on the 35mm adapter. Correct? This kit does in fact come with a flip module but I don't expect that would influence your advice very greatly considering it has little to do with the LCD or monitor. I suppose my plan will be to continue scouring craigslist for the occasional deal while saving up ~$6,000 for a beefed up Sager notebook.

Historically, with redrocks and other 35mm adapters have prices tended to fall at a reasonable rate where I could expect a fairly large gap between prices now and a year from now? If so, I suppose that would just be one more reason to hold off for a bit.
 
A year from now no one will want an adapter. There are already some cameras on the horizon that promises to deliver shallow DOF so adapter value will fall like a stone. I wouldn't use an adapter with a DVX anyway, SD footage + adapter will pretty much equal mush no matter how well you focus it.
 
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