Zoom Lenses for FS100

P

paulcurtis

Veteran
Hi,

I'm about to get an FS100, i have an EX1, Nex 5N, Canon dSLR and a drawer full of vintage and modern prime lenses.

I was planning on using mainly my rangefinder glass (the size benefits work for me!) and also i've been slowly collecting Contax Zeiss primes, however i'm wondering that if you were starting from nothing is there a decent zoom to have. On the Canon side i've been very happy with a 10-22mm and a 17-55 f2.8 IS.

I'd rather stick to an F2.8 but i'm not aware of any 'vintage' manual focus orientated zooms with a constant aperture (save for a very rare Leica R)

If i try modern glass (the sony/zeiss zooms could be an idea) then what are the manual focus ranges like and how does the autofocus work (assuming through the LA2 adapter). The Canons above are pretty difficult to focus manually because of their short throw on the barrel. They're mainly AF beasts.

The Sigmas seem to have removed OS on the sony mount...?

I have no idea about Tamron or Tokina in terms of quality.

So modern zooms is an area i'm really not up to speed on, especially their interaction with the FS100.

Perhaps some more experienced folk can help me out here?

cheers
Paul
 
Though it has a variable aperture and not the fastest lens out there, the kit lens 18-200mm is the best zoom lens you'll find on FS100.

I would avoid the Canons unless you're fine shooting with a single aperture setting.
 
I have the kit lens. I really like it for a lot of things. I also have some
old Canon FD lenses. One of my favorites is a 28-90 F2.8.
I will be posting a video from it soon.
 
I have the kit lens. I really like it for a lot of things. I also have some
old Canon FD lenses. One of my favorites is a 28-90 F2.8.
I will be posting a video from it soon. It is full manual so
you control iris with the ring on the lens. Works great !
 
I have the kit lens (18-50) on the NEX5 and don't like it, i find it very high contrast and quite a poor performer. Perhaps the bigger kit lens is bigger but it's too slow.

I'm not planning on using the Canon gear, i may sell it all if i find a good alternative.

The Canon 28-90 f2.8 sounds interesting, i will look that one up.

My questions are really centred on whether any modern AF zoom lenses are practical for manual focus.

cheers
pau
 
manual focus is OK on the Zeiss zooms, with the caveat that it's an endless ring, i use a FF, and have stops on the gear ring - pulling without the FF is OK, long enough throw & wide enough ring to work with.

d
 
The 18-200 kit lens (with the FS100) is a great all-rounder, but manual focus isn't great on it due to the fly-by-wire focus ring. Its variable speed makes focusing to marks impossible, and I find even a simple rack focus comes out jerky. For everything else, though, it really is very good.

For the wide angles you're looking for, the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 is really nice, and woks great for manual focus -- though the throw may not be super-long. The Tamron 17-50 is also nice, and also f2.8 through the zoom range. Both these lenses need the camera to control aperture, and if you use the Alpha mount lens with the LA-EA1 adapter, it will -- albeit slowly, you can't really change aperture while shooting. Autofocus doesn't work (yet, a future firmware update may fix that.) Alternatively, you could get a Nikon mount lens and use an adapter with an aperture control.

FD mount lenses work great on the FS100.

In terms of IS, it comes down to using one of the E-mount lenses. Alpha mount lenses expect the camera to do it, but E-mount cameras expect the lens to do it, so Alpha lens on FS100 means no IS. The Sony 18-200 is superb for this, though.
 
I know it's kind of an odd-ball lens and it's only a wide angle, but the old Nikon 20-35mm f/2.8 is a beautiful lens and can be had for around $600. It has great contrast and very little distortion. Not to mention it's built like a tank (as are most of Nikon's old lenses). I've paired it with a Tokina 11-16mm and have my entire wide end covered with those two lenses. Granted you could probably pick up a 17-55mm and have a more versatile lens, but for the price this setup made sense to me. I've been very happy with the results of both lenses. My only complaint about the 20-35 is the focus throw is a little shorter than I would like it. Other than that, it's very tight and will not play. It's also internal so the lens doesn't move at all during zooming or focusing.
 
paulcurtis said:
Hi,

i'm wondering that if you were starting from nothing is there a decent zoom to have. On the Canon side i've been very happy with a 10-22mm and a 17-55 f2.8 IS.

If i try modern glass (the sony/zeiss zooms could be an idea) then what are the manual focus ranges like and how does the autofocus work (assuming through the LA2 adapter).
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of the new Sony SAL1650 DT 16-50mm f2.8 lens as it is parfocal, constant aperture, has modern lens coatings, and has a beautiful build quality.
Here is a review on the 16-50 on the FS100: Vancouver Video Production Blog.

I also did a huge FS100 lens shootout for EventDV live.

These resources should probably answer most of your questions. I'm putting my resources into Sony lenses because of the phase detection autofocus that the LA-EA2 adapter will allow.

If you go with the 16-50mm on the wide (and if that is wide enough for you), then I'm a big fan of the Minolta 70-210mm f/4.0 beercan lens (under $200 used) as it too is parfocal, has a constant aperture, and no other lens with that criteria comes close until you go into the $1,500+ range. Then all is left is a 28-75mm lens to give coverage in 51-69mm range that the other two lenses are missing. Sony has a modern SAL2875 lens that fits the criteria (parfocal and fixed aperture) but it is not as nice of a build as the 16-50. It is only $800 but you could also go with a used Minolta 35-70mm f/3.5 (old manual minolta) with a dummy adapter, but you lose the AF.
 
Hey Shawn (cut n paste from a buried thread)
I've been looking at various options for a zoom and the Laea2 and the a mount sal 1650 2.8 might be a viable option for one of my cams. (actually the 28-75 is more the range I need)

Anyway, I'd like to ask a few questions to kind of solidify my decisions.

Do you have a la-ea2? If so is the current functionality similar to the la ea1? (basicly, just get the ability to move the iris, and no autofocus or IS?......on the fs100, A mounts have IS in cam, not lens, correct?)

Secondly, the "special notes from Sony" say this.....
Aperture setting for video capture is fixed at the maximum aperture of the lens or f/3.5, whichever is lower (AF-C).

Maybe I'm missing something but.........what does that mean? If I've got a 2.8 lens, can I only get 3.5? or if I've got a 4.5 lens I can somehow magically get 3.5 out of it? I'm not sure at all what that means???????

Basicly just looking for a good zoom in that (16ish to 55ish) range that I can at least adjust apeture with. (If I get AF or IS, that's just a bonus...)



EDIT.......I found this on the VG10 with la-ea2

Aperture is set to F3.5 when you record movies with autofocusing. When you are using a lens with an
F3.5 or smaller F-stop, aperture is set to the maximum F-stop of the lens. When you want to set your own
value for aperture to record movies, select [Aperture Priority] or [Manual Exposure] in [Shoot Mode],
and select manual focusing. If you change the aperture while recording a movie, the noise may be heard
or the screen may become brighter while the camcorder is processing the adjustment.

I'm not sure but as I read it , if you want autofocus and you're using a 2.8 lens, then you will ONLY get autofocus at 2.8. If you change it to 5.6 (or anything other than 2.8) then it manual focus only.

Third question
Do the SAL 1650 and 28 75 have a decent focus? ie, is it a hard hookup thr the lens or is it similar to the kit lens in that the focus ring just spins and spin with no hard stops?
 
hey @videohog

I'm still a bit confused with the LA-EA2 f/3.5 AF thing. Not sure what happens when you use a larger aperture lens (Minolta 70-210mm f/4.0 beercan) or if you want to close the iris beyond the initial f/3.5 or or faster if your lens allows.

It doesn't make sense to me that you lose autofocus.

I haven't bought the LA-EA2 yet. I'm waiting for the new firmware so that it will actually work on the FS100 but it does sound like the LA-EA2 will allow smooth iris changes (the LA-EA2 jumps beyond the f-stop and then slams in to the precise f-stop with every change, which sucks for video work but apparently is more precise for repeatable photo work).

The Sony 16-50mm is nothing like the kit lens. The focus ring will allow you to overturn but you can feel a little click when you hit either limit. I think this is a good idea as there are no hard stops to rock your body with but there is a very direct feel to the focus ring still.
 
videohog said:
Secondly, the "special notes from Sony" say this.....
Aperture setting for video capture is fixed at the maximum aperture of the lens or f/3.5, whichever is lower (AF-C).

Maybe I'm missing something but.........what does that mean? If I've got a 2.8 lens, can I only get 3.5? or if I've got a 4.5 lens I can somehow magically get 3.5 out of it? I'm not sure at all what that means???????

Basicly just looking for a good zoom in that (16ish to 55ish) range that I can at least adjust apeture with. (If I get AF or IS, that's just a bonus...)

EDIT.......I found this on the VG10 with la-ea2

Aperture is set to F3.5 when you record movies with autofocusing. When you are using a lens with an
F3.5 or smaller F-stop, aperture is set to the maximum F-stop of the lens. When you want to set your own
value for aperture to record movies, select [Aperture Priority] or [Manual Exposure] in [Shoot Mode],
and select manual focusing. If you change the aperture while recording a movie, the noise may be heard
or the screen may become brighter while the camcorder is processing the adjustment.

I'm not sure but as I read it , if you want autofocus and you're using a 2.8 lens, then you will ONLY get autofocus at 2.8. If you change it to 5.6 (or anything other than 2.8) then it manual focus only.
Click to expand...

It just means that if you want autofocus turned on, you can't go bigger than f/3.5 aperture. For example if you're shooting with a f/1.4 lens, the adapter wouldn't be able auto focus at f/1.4 -- it would revert to f/3.5. Of course you can shoot any other aperture larger than f/3.5 (f/4, f/5.6, f/8, etc) and be able to use autofocus feature. This could be a deal breaker for anyone wanting autofocus feature while shooting wide open with a fast lens. I would imagine the reason for this limit is it would be very difficult for autofocus system to work properly at a very shallow depth of field. You can of course shoot in f/1.4 for example using the adapter but you would have to manually focus.
 
Thank you everybody for your advice.

Does anyone know how the LAEA2 adapter might work with the FS100? For a laugh i did try the 18-55 kit lens on my NEX 5N with autofocus and face tracking. An amusing disaster, it's much easier to manual focus rather than fight an 'intelligent' system as it wants to start tracking the edge of a chair instead.

The wide sony looks very interesting and i think i'll get the 18-200 with the FS100 and if i don't like it i can always sell it.

many thanks
paul
 
Hi Paul,
What adapter are you using for your rangefinder lenses? I've got a set of Canon primes from my Canon VT Deluxe that I would absolutely love to try on my FS100.
I've been using the kit lens as well as the Sony 16mm pancake. Both work well. Any advice on rangefinder adapters? Many thanks. (Don't mean to hijack the thread!)
 
An other option is the Vivitar Series 1 - 35-85 f2.8 - it´s hard to handle since it is a pumpgun lens, but nice glass if you are able to master it.
I got mine for 40 bucks on ebay.

Frank
 
Sony FS100 and LA-EA2 firmware vaporware

Sony FS100 and LA-EA2 firmware vaporware

So I think I'm begining to understand the limitations of the LA-EA2 adapter.

On the NEX line, minus the FS100, it only works at f/3.5, which means you can't use the PDAF autofocus and change the iris. It is one or the other.

Sony just released new firmware for several NEX bodies (NEX-3, NEX-5, NEX-C3 cameras, as well NEX-VG10). It appears that for these older models you need specific firmware matching the body (which might mean you can't use the adapter on a different model unless you change the firmware).

The newest NEX bodies don't require any firmware update (NEX-5N, NEX-7 and NEX-VG20)
Sony Blog post with firmware links here

What is a bit confusing is this line:
The firmware update applies to E-mount models launched prior to Oct 2011, so models getting the firmware update include the αNEX-3, NEX-5, NEX-C3 cameras, as well NEX-VG10 Handycam Camcorder and even a model in our professional camera line, the Sony NEX-FS100U.

As I read it, this implies that the FS100 should also have LA-EA2 firmware in this release but there is no download link.
My feeling is that because the FS100 is part of a different Sony division they announced firmware but it won't be available until early 2012. I've heard that 03/12 is the target.

I also understand that the firmware for the FS100 will allow both smooth iris changes and PDAF at the same time. At least this is what Juan Martinez has said publicly. No word on if there is a f/3.5 limitation (I hope not) but there is a 1/3 stop of light loss because of the translucent mirror. I've asked Sony for a clarification but haven't heard back at this point.
 
Last edited:
Postmaster said:
An other option is the Vivitar Series 1 - 35-85 f2.8 - it´s hard to handle since it is a pumpgun lens, but nice glass if you are able to master it.
I got mine for 40 bucks on ebay.

Frank
Click to expand...

I bought a Vivitar Series 1 28-90 F2.8 FD mount (although in another thread I heard that it may ramp to F3.5 at the 90mm end).
It's a pretty nice lens, I got it on ebay for $50. It too is a 'pumpgun'. Here is a video shot entirely with it, so you can
judge for yourself how it looks. I personally like the look, but decide for yourself. All shots are totally ungraded without
even exposure adjustments in post. This is straight off the camera:

http://vimeo.com/33798772
 
ShawnLam said:
So I think I'm begging to understand the limitations of the LA-EA2 adapter.

On the NEX line, minus the FS100, it only works at f/3.5, which means you can't use the PDAF autofocus and change the iris. It is one or the other.

Sony just released new firmware for several NEX bodies (NEX-3, NEX-5, NEX-C3 cameras, as well NEX-VG10). It appears that for these older models you need specific firmware matching the body (which might mean you can't use the adapter on a different model unless you change the firmware).

The newest NEX bodies don't require any firmware update (NEX-5N, NEX-7 and NEX-VG20)
Sony Blog post with firmware links here

What is a bit confusing is this line:
The firmware update applies to E-mount models launched prior to Oct 2011, so models getting the firmware update include the αNEX-3, NEX-5, NEX-C3 cameras, as well NEX-VG10 Handycam Camcorder and even a model in our professional camera line, the Sony NEX-FS100U.

As I read it, this implies that the FS100 should also have LA-EA2 firmware in this release but there is no download link.
My feeling is that because the FS100 is part of a different Sony division they announced firmware but it won't be available until early 2012. I've heard that 03/12 is the target.

I also understand that the firmware for the FS100 will allow both smooth iris changes and PDAF at the same time. At least this is what Juan Martinez has said publicly. No word on if there is a f/3.5 limitation (I hope not) but there is a 1/3 stop of light loss because of the translucent mirror. I've asked Sony for a clarification but haven't heard back at this point.
Click to expand...

I would guess that the firmware update (for the Laea2) will be incorporated in the firmware update for the FS100 (the update with the 4-8 time expanded focus/pic profile etc) so there is only 1 update for the FS100.
(that way you won't have to reload the la-ea2 update after you do the firmware update?????) Have to wait n see......
 
I have the canon FD 28-85mm f4 and 70-210mm f4, I don't really ever shoot under f4-5.6 so these are awesome, especially with the FS100, slow lenses don't make a difference. I have been checking out the Carl Zeiss line of lenses, I've been looking at a set of ZF primes, do zeiss make a manual set of zoom lenses??
 
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