FS7: What is your best lens with your FS7

Hi Lenny sorry didn't quite understand does the tamron 24-70 vc work with the commlite adapter? Have heard reports that it doesn't, has held me back from getting it
 
Re tamron 24-70 & commlite - Mine worked . I'll double check tomorrow tho as I had a lot going on .

Ben. - good idea about e mt as I don't think that's an IS type lens anyway .

I have a 17-55 in my still camera - forgot about it :) - very un- parfocal tho .
 
I recommended it in your other thread but I'll add it here too for others to see. Nikon 17-55 2.8, period. Equal to(in 35mm stills full frame) a 25-83. For doc work your covered no matter what happens in front of you, for the most part. There is a reason Nikon and Canon sell a billion 24-70 2.8 lenses in the pro photojournalism full frame market. Nikon's 17-55 is also very close to being parfocal, at least when being focused at 55mm and zooming out to 17. A regular adapter(non-Speedbooster), Id suggest the Novoflex, very good build and smooth aperture.
 
Actually I have a Nikon 17-55 and it is excellent- very sharp. Hadn't thought to much about out because I really want to get IS for handheld shooting. Maybe not needed for that lens though. At that point though if its Nikon & no IS why not use a 24-70 and have an extra stop available with speed booster?
reverse focus direction but so is Tamron.
 
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Hey Bill is the FS7, Nikon 17-55 with Novoflex a combo you've actually used?

With my F3 and then F5 for the past four years, yes. On every doc during that time it was used probably 80% of the time, primes for controlled sit-down interviews though. I owned the Novoflex Nikon to m43 for my AF100 five years ago and found the build excellent. I use the Optitek Pro-lock adapter with my F5 & F3, it's a damn shame they dont make one to adapt to non-F cameras yet.

Lenilenapi's suggestion of the 24-70 with Speedbooster is probably a good option too. They dont make the Speed for the 5/55 so I never considered it but I generally wouldnt want to put additional glass behind any lens, especially a zoom. Something to consider though.
 
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With my F3 and then F5 for the past four years, yes.
But not an FS7, which is the point. E-mount communication protocol is very different to FZ mount. It would be good to find out if anyone has used this combo successfully because I agree 17-55 is great lens and one thing for sure is these Metabones adapter are very iffy with the FS7 so more options there would be good too.

As for 24-70mm with the SpeedBooster. I have the Metabones Ultra and Canon 24-70mm F/2.8. Optically it's fantastic, but operationally it's very slow to change aperture and sometimes has a mind of its own, even in advanced mode - it's one of the reasons I'm thinking of switching back to Nikon for q mid range zoom.
 
In the OP's other thread he tells us he already owns Nikon lenses and since there is no E-mount communication with Nikon I wasn't even considering it, nor would I if available. Im sure you know this, he may not though, electronic iris/step is a non starter for most doc work. In many situations you HAVE to change aperture while filming and step jump exposure changes are not going to cut it. Operators have been reaching up with their left hand to smoothly change exposure for ever, having that control in a hand grip is awesome when it becomes 100% seamless with zero steps. If one's work doesnt involve changing exposure while filming, go for it, great feature but doesnt it defeat the purpose of having that control at your right fingertips? Rant over, sry. Lol..

Not quite yet actually, haha. I blame Canon going back to the 5D who created this problem and at times acceptance of click step aperture changes(while filming) that new shooters have chosen to accept as ok.
 
I have the fs7k kit with the 28-130 mm lens. It's a good sharp lens, declicked and parfocal so a big step up in operator use from dslr lenses but the one gripe I have is that its a struggle to get a wide quickly in doc situations. I can get around it by using a wide angle lens for a master shot and in drama thats fine but shooting docos you often dont have the time to remove your lens and put on a wide angle take your shot and then re attach your zoom. While I am glad I got this lens - ( show me another parfocal cine lens with this range under ten grand ) I don't understand sony's logic behind making it 28 mm on the wide end. A 20 - 100 mm zoom would have been fantastic. I think a wide more suitable lens must be in the pipeline.
 
Quick question to anyone using Canon glass and one of the Metabones adapters on their FS7: what's the iris adjustment like using the grip wheel, is it any better or worse than the ridiculous native E-mount aperture behavior? Is the wheel any faster or more responsive, or is it just the same as it is with E-mount glass?
 
Im still struggling with lenses.

28-85 nikon and booster wont focus close enough but best single lens.

others - just lenses with strengths and weaknesses.

28-85 in action - just some clips from a doco project - basically Im kind of recording whole songs as oners and need to vary from 'wide' to 'tight' - I did an eight track take on the shoulder!

You might notice that proper manual focus is a big aid


https://vimeo.com/117124909
 
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I don't understand sony's logic behind making it 28 mm on the wide end. A 20 - 100 mm zoom would have been fantastic. I think a wide more suitable lens must be in the pipeline.
They do have the 18-105 also (which has its limitations in correction etc).
And I think that because the 28-135 is designed as a full from lens it's a compromise between what's usefull on FF vs S35.
To me it's a perfect range, I only need powered zoom lenses when shooting live events and anything wider than 30mm is just a waste in most venues then...
I think Sony has already hinted that the 28-135 is the beginning of a new series of cinema focused lenses...
 
It's quite obvious that a full frame camera is coming in 2015.

Lens roadmap for 2015 - cut and paste from sonyalpharumours

Zeiss 35mm f/1.4:Has no OSS (but you really don’t need that on fast wide angle lenses unless you shoot video with it)
Has finally an perture ring with 1/3 stop markings
likely also a clickless option (to select on lens)
It’s a big but not to big lens. Get the Loxia 35mm f/2.0 if you want something compact.
Has newly developed responsive actuator
to ship in March 2015
non-reliable pricing info: 1399 Euro


Sony 28mm f/2.0 G:
comes along dedicated converter range (16mm Fisheye and 21mm)
to ship in February 2015
non-reliable pricing info: 499 Euro (both converters should cost 229 Euro each)


90mm f/2.8 G OSS macro
90mm macro hands-on pics
you can turn off OSS with a dedicated on lens button
focus limit switch and focus hold button on the lens.
AF/MF clutch
to ship in March 2015
non-reliable pricing info: 999 Euro


24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS
24-240mm hands-on pics
to ship in March 2015
non-reliable pricing info: 1099 Euro
 
Quick question to anyone using Canon glass and one of the Metabones adapters on their FS7: what's the iris adjustment like using the grip wheel, is it any better or worse than the ridiculous native E-mount aperture behavior? Is the wheel any faster or more responsive, or is it just the same as it is with E-mount glass?

Some lenses are OK, some poor, some unuseable.
 
Some lenses are OK, some poor, some unuseable.

OK, I was going to wait until Weds, when I collect my new FS7 - but I'd kinda like to know now.

Liam, have you used any of the following lenses with the current FS7 firmware and a Metabones? If so, would you mind letting us know how they fared, please?

Tokina 11-16/2.8 EF
Canon 16-35/2.8
Canon 24-105/4.0
Canon 70-200/2.8 II
Canon 100-400/3.5-5.6

Cheers,

Ben.
 
Ben,

Tokina 11-16 works well - on Metabones Ultra this is useable 14-16mm
Canon 16-35 works well.
I don't have a 24-105, but my 24-70mm MkI is shocking.
Canon 70-200 2.8 IS MkII works well.
I haven't got a 100-400, so don't know about that one.

Along with my 24-70mm, I had major issues with 85mm 1.2, 50mm 1.2 and 24mm 1.4. 14mm and 35mm 1.4 work well, as do both 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.4. It seems my Metabones has it in for the heavy L series primes, just as well the lighter, cheaper alternatives look great!
 
They do have the 18-105 also (which has its limitations in correction etc).
And I think that because the 28-135 is designed as a full from lens it's a compromise between what's usefull on FF vs S35.
To me it's a perfect range, I only need powered zoom lenses when shooting live events and anything wider than 30mm is just a waste in most venues then...
I think Sony has already hinted that the 28-135 is the beginning of a new series of cinema focused lenses...

I have the SELP18105. Even that one has a 35mm equivalent FOV of 27-158. Still not wide enough for many of us.

And far be it from me to miss an opportunity to say the correction should work in 4k and UHD, but doesn't.

Y'all take care,
Robert
 
Re Nikon Lenses with metabones:
No problem at all. Of course they don't talk to the camera , but they don't need to as all Nikon G adapters have a mechanical ring to adjust iris.
I believe for some reason the Metabones might be listed as Nikon F adapters but have no fear they do have an exterior iris ring. Plus they also have markings that you can use to approximate f stops in your mind. Not as good as the Prolock which really showed you your actual f stops but better than no markings at all. Seems snug enough but no match for positive lock on the Prolock of course.
One annoying little glitch is that if you typically would set the lens iris to say f22 and then use the adapter iris for control (since its click less) it doesn't quite open all the way . the last 1/2 or 1/4 stop you need to open the lens iris a touch. This could be annoying for shoots where uyou are wide open, which is often. I found this on both the normal metabones and the speed booster.

Unfortunately with all these adapters you have to pick your poison - Smooth Iris , Image stabilization, near Parfocal, and direction of focus ring.
Only way to get Image stabilization is with Canon lenses & Steppy Iris .
Nikons are smooth iris & generally best for near parfocoal quality but no Image Stabilization & reverse focus
Sony E-mt lenses have much smoother iris (many more steps) & image stabilization but weird manual focus.

Has anyone tried Sony A mt lens into an E Mt adapter? -is the IRIS steppy? A mount doesn't have IS. I might try the Sigma 18-35 this way .

HELP - What's a GUY to DO ? Please follow my lead and petition Metabones or anyone else for that matter to make a Nikon adapter that powers the image stabilization!

I've been using Nikon for years and love the lenses, but miss the image stabilization a lot. My current feeling is that producers seem quite tolerant of steppy iris and you don't always need to adjust it for small increments. On the other hand shaky footage sucks and image stabilization gives your handheld more reach and you're lookin' good. That's on virtually every use of the lens. So i'm going for the IS.

Some of the EF lenses don't play well with Metabones and need a Commlite though and some just don't play at all.

lenny
 
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