What zoom-lens to buy for the Sony F5

E

EspenGlomsvoll

Member
A client of mine just bought a Sony F5 (PL and EF mount) and are now looking into glass. They do a lot of ENG style tv work (run n gun), but they also do some tv drama and documentary. Im tempted to suggest the Zeiss LWZ3 21-100mm. Does anybody have any experience with that lens? And what a bout the Fujinon MK set? Does anybody find it frustrating changeing lens in the midle of the shoot, just to get closer (ENG style/documentary work)?
Thanx
 
Great lens the 21-100 but again quite frustrating if you are used to a real 18 to 22 x ENG lens with servo zoom when doing ENG type work, sports, stage based entertainment or anything that requires more than a 5 x lens. Also with that lens you really require a follow focus as for hand operation its 295 degree focus throw whilst beautiful to work with is not really ideal for rapid focus ENG type work.

If the requirement is for 4K work then you are fairly limited in choice, especially when it comes to range, size, weight if price is a major consideration. If the ENG type requirement is primarily for a long zoom HD lens then there are other options. With the F5 you can use the camera's Super 16 center crop mode and use a proper B4 ENG lens with its parfocal , constant aperture and servo zoom capability. Today you can buy good high quality B4 glass at a fraction of the price it was new. You can buy yourself a good second hand B4 HD lens plus a B4 to PL Super 16 adapter for less than the price of the Zeiss. It's not the perfect solution but for broadcast work and many other long zoom lens requirements it's a very reasonable solution. I've had absolutely no complaints shooting in the Sony S16 mode with good B4 glass whilst shooting alongside cameras like the PDW-800s etc.

Bear in mind if going that route that the S16 adapters have about a 1.32 to 1.4 magnification factor so an 18 x B4 becomes a 24 to 25 x lens. There is also a aperture drop of .8 to 1 of a stop with most of the S16 converters. This magnification is necessary to go from the 11mm B4 2/3" image circle to cover the 14.5mm circle of the S16 modes on the FS7/F5/F55.

The bargain buy and I think the best quality of these adapters is the German IBE HDx1.4 of which there are three new ones available on eBay for $999.00 each. These are normally $2.5k from the likes of BHPhoto.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IB-E-HDx1-...h=item1caf984174:g:dE4AAOSw91hbLGJt:rk:1:pf:0

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1311463-REG/ibe_optics_hdx1_4_hd_converter.html

https://www.ibe-optics.com/en/cine/optical-converter/hdx1-4/

Another option is the MTF B4 to S16 PL adapter.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/sear...&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

https://www.lensadaptor.com/b4-23-super16-pl-adaptor.

I'm not shooting with an F5 but an FS7 and have been using the MTF B4 to S16 E-Mount version for the last couple of years or so. Just a different mount. More than happy with the results. Sure it's not a Cabrio but hey you get what you pay for. From a price performance POV it's a hard combo to beat.

Chris Young
 
The Canon 17-120. I’ve never regretted buying it once. There’s nothing else like it in s35. It’s the closest thing we have to a 2/3” ENG zoom lens. Buy it, cry a little when you write the check and then move on and enjoy the hell out of it.

The Fuji 20-120 gets some love, too, mostly because of its price compared to the Canon. I’ve shot with it a few times on a clients Amira and it’s nice, but you don’t have the back-end like the Canon.

I wouldn’t waste my money on the Zeiss in this category of lens if you want something ENG like.

Chris, the image gets magnified with the optical adapters, but the zoom ratio doesn’t change. A 13x or 18x or 22x zoom stays a 13x or 18x or 22x. I have the big brother of the IBE HDx1.4 adapter, the HDx35 and it blows up the image circle to cover the s35 chip(just like the 1.4 blowing it up to cover s16/‘s35 Center Punch’), but the zoom ratio, field of view and effective DoF stays the same as the 2/3” lens on a 2/3” camera.
 
This is very helpful guys! Thanx! Run&Gun, I did not know the image gets magnified with the optical adapters, and the zoom ratio does not change. Thank you for the headsup.
Espen
 
These are worth checking out as well:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...1714c002_cn_e_18_80mm_t4_4_compact_servo.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1292130-REG/angenieux_ez_1_s35pl_ez_1_30_90mm_s35_cinema.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1251350-REG/fujinon_xk6x20_19_90mm_t2_9_cabrio_premier.html

All depends on the tradeoffs you wish to make for price/speed(T stop)/size/reach/wide angle.

Personally if I had a Sony F5 then I'd aim to invest in the Fujinon MK18-55mm & 50-135mm T2.9
 
IronFilm said:
These are worth checking out as well:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...1714c002_cn_e_18_80mm_t4_4_compact_servo.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1292130-REG/angenieux_ez_1_s35pl_ez_1_30_90mm_s35_cinema.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1251350-REG/fujinon_xk6x20_19_90mm_t2_9_cabrio_premier.html

All depends on the tradeoffs you wish to make for price/speed(T stop)/size/reach/wide angle.

Personally if I had a Sony F5 then I'd aim to invest in the Fujinon MK18-55mm & 50-135mm T2.9
Click to expand...

I have a friend with an F5 and Fs7 and he has a set of the MK’s with the Chrosziel servo attachement and he seems to like it, especially for the money. Also a couple of guys have the Canon Compact Cine Servo’s on their Fs7’s that are serving them well. But you’re stuck at EF only, on them. And T4.4...
 
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