Nikon Lens Adapter

[Finner]

Hi Emanuel

After you sent me the PM about looking in to buying a steady-cam and seeing your other points I am a little confused. It seems like you are saying that you are interested in directing, editing, DOP and steady cam work as well. I just thought I would mention a few things I have noticed. To be good at everything you mention would be very hard. I currently work as a Director/shooter and splitting thoughts to do a good job at both is a real challenge. I have met a lot of people who do multiple jobs but your choices are very spread out. In fact I personally have never even met a single Steady-cam/DOP guy. The reason for this I think is because being a really good Steady guy takes a lot of work and practice. It is clear to see that you have quite a passion for filmaking but I think you should consider getting more focused before buying a steady-cam. I think you will regret buying a bunch of different specialty job film equipment. Take some time and decide what job you really want to do and focus in on that area. You will be much more successful if you have a focused plan then by trying to do everything.

Some steady-cam guys may be able to add some insight further into this.

[Mike the beginner]

Really good points brought up in this thread :)

Here's my take on it. The main reason (i think) red has given us the opportunity to use different mounts is simply because of the number of people that already own various lenses that are not PL mount. Choice is good right!

It also allows the use of a cheaper set up for those on a tight budget, but have the necessary skills to utilise the cheap still lenses.

It is becoming clear now that the additional mounts will not be similar to the usual mounts that some of us expected ie, a simple flange plate with screws! Exactly what that entails no one but red knows? I happent to think that because of this the mounts will obviously be more expensive than the usual prices for a cheap mount (whatever that is?). I think the idea is to change the mounts when you change the type of production you are doing rather than changing from say nikon mount/lens to PL mount lens etc.

That does not mean you cannot change the mount whenever you like but as stated it will not be entirely risk free.

The more i learn the more i am being swayed strongly to sticking to the PL mount system that comes with the camera. Yes the expense of using PL Cine lenses are considerable, but for my part i have a massive learning curve. Plenty of practice with a proper cine lens i hope will advance my learning curve faster than messing about with cheap still lenses that require even greater skill to track focus with than cine lenses.

My only concern is whether the value of traditional 35mm cine lenses will in fact hold their value? All the evidence says they do and will hold their value long after you have purchased them. However we all know from experience that when something becomes available to a much wider group of people those at the top simply move the goalposts. Whats the+ chances of 70mm lenses becoming the new cine 35mm lens of choice for the big boys?

Michael

[Emanuel A.]

Yes Finner you are a little confused! :) I didn't say I would/will be a steadicam operator! (Nevertheless, I'll play with that :o, be sure of that! Who knows if afterwards I'll do a change of career?... :D)

I said: the polyvalence/multivalency is/will be an imperative for many RED buyers.

In my case, I'll be shooter/director, aside the screenwriting task and my work as producer.

I've been working as lecturer/teacher/instructor etc where I've been in touch with dozens of professionals from all the fields...and learned with them.

I have my own moviemaking business, several (distinctive) companies (or structures) where I'm taking the verticalization route (for sure, you can't know what my work is). I just need to know how each department works where I have my money invested.

In a regular basis we own all the gear with which we're used to work. Even when we hire people from outside as always happens when we need. But we prefer to care of our training policy regarding any personelle. When we invite someone to give instruction here is in order to leave the seed among our staff. Concerning the stabilizer operation, it's a common truth what you said and of course there was and there is no doubts there. Both agree.

My objection is just for the rainbow reason. There are different levels of moviemaking -- that's what I said. My own: art work. And so many methods or ways to get the right place there.

We also work as a (real) cooperative and we are several dozen of professionals crossing different areas of the moviemaking, theatre and other fields to art work related. I hope to have the opportunity to invite you to join one of our workshops in the future as instructor or attendant if you wish. I'm not the typical operator who lives from its gear. The moviemaking is my business (as professional) since 1994, so... But unfortunately, I must play so many keyboards@my_piano... Unfortunately, my dear fellow. However, even not being one-man-show (sometimes it seems so), I wouldn't like to be director (or whatever) in hollywood -- major reason: aesthetical freedom, or more correctly, 'cause both reasons (freedom and aesthetics).

[Finner]

Sounds like you have found a job you really love. I understand where you are comming from now.

By the way do you have a website for your co-op. I would be interested in looking at it.

[Emanuel A.]

Are you sure?

As I could tell you, we are working in the indie filmmaking realm. We are a few but yes, I am the man in charge:

Since I finished the 5-years degree in Law with specialization in Economics [LINK] [LINK] plus the postgraduate diploma in Communication Law (Audiovisual, Advertisement, New Technologies and Copyright Law) [LINK] and a Master in Audiovisual Management with specialization in Film Production [LINK] [LINK] where among others I had opportunity to learn with Fernando Ghia [LINK], Christopher Vogler (former executive at Disney and screenwriting guru) or Claudio di Persia (Sony Pictures Entertainment/Columbia TriStar VP/General Manager, AXN/Sony TV channel founder, former Telemundo Network VP, etc), I've been prepping the future -- that's for sure! But I am a young fellow, yet.

I was Associate Producer working for the national portuguese state TV [LINK] (succeeding my previous TV work) and I prepared the fund raising (to the portuguese film institute [LINK]) of «I Cento Passi» [LINK] -- triple awarded @Venice Film Festival including Best Screenplay.

Meanwhile, I finished in Filmmaking a BFA in Film Editing and a MFA in Film Directing [LINK] general links: [LINK] [LINK] where I could do part of my education with the Spielberg's E.T. editor Carol Littleton [LINK] (as far as my own native editing background is concerned) or with her husband, the well known hollywood DP John Bailey [LINK] or my fellow countryman Eduardo Serra [LINK] (strictly concerning the cinematography education field) among others even beyond the film school, such as Krzysztof Kieślowski's editor Jacques Witta for example. As well, studies in Film History and Aesthetics a few years before during my law graduation in the local University [LINK] (in portuguese language).

As instructor, I've had contact with the education and training areas, as for instance, into two higher education institutions where, as lecturer or professor at the media department [LINK] [LINK] [LINK] [LINK] I began my teaching career on filmmaking subjects beyond the movie business.

During these years, they have been several the entities which I had contact ex. Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival [LINK] where I began in Portugal or in Spain [LINK]. Or still the professionals with who I have been working with. Carlos da Silva (ex-director of Cannes MIPTV and former collaborator of Luchino Visconti, Claude Lelouch, Jean Gabin, Gérard Depardieu, Ben Kingsley, George Sluizer, etc) with who I began @ arthouse production as apprentice. Or José Álvaro Morais, one of the best promises of the european cinema -- the future Manoel de Oliveira for my fellow countrymen and women, missed unfortunately.

These days? We are developing an investement in the field of the digital cinema. Personally, I am working at the consulting area where beyond the fundraising sector, I have been invited and contacted for some professionals of this business, pursuing local opportunities at the European Union's level and international cooperation (or joint ventures), as for example, during the last edition of the Lisbon Village Festival [LINK] where with Antonio Bottiglieri, director of the italian national state TV RAI's [LINK] and its technical research department, under request and insistence of the italian side, I could offer my humble contribution to the beginning of the negotiations for the european Qube's expansion [LINK] [LINK] along 2006.

Here is a sum-up of the sum-up related to what already happened 'cause on my future projects I don't confess not even to the walls of my office. ;-)

[Alex Boothby]

It is odd timing that in the last couple of weeks I had begun to shy away from the idea of using the forthcoming Nikon lens mount for all of the reasons mentioned in this thread. I have a Red zoom reservation and would like to avoid time consuming and technically daunting lens changes.

Unfortunately I am on a limited budget and am looking for affordable PL lens solutions.

Dumb Question - PLEASE HELP: would something like these refurbished Nikon and Canon primes work with RED's PL mount?

http://www.rplens.com/products.htm

At the bottom of the page they sell an adaptor for mounting these Nikon and Canon primes to a P+S Technik mount. Could I simply purchase a Nikon or Canon to PL adaptor instead of changing the physical mount? Could I then change lenses fast and avoid the back focus and alignment issues discussed above. Finner? Stephen? Anyone?

[Finner]

Sorry

I don't know anything about thes lenses or if there are adapters to make them work? The site looks pretty informative so if you e-mail them they probably can give you some answers. If you get some info on them throw it up on this thread.

Also I don't think setting up your camera with a NIKON mount would be that bad a THING. I just don't think it is something that a person should adopt and do often. But if you set up your RED to run nikon and change to pl every so often I would think you would run in to very little problems.

[Sanjin Jukic]

Go back to DSLR experience and the latest anti-dust system implementation in the Sony Alpha camera:
"One of the more interesting features of the camera is the new anti-dust system for the image sensor. Many long time DSLR users know the problem - sensor dust. When changing lenses it is inevitable that a minor degree of dust enters...find its way to the sensor filter surface. The dust will show up as faint blobs in images which naturally accumulate over time and it´s an annoying task to remove these traces via an imaging application. Cleaning the sensor yourself is possible but it´s not exactly a fun aspect to do so and there´ll be always some images affected before you become aware of the problem. In order to provide some protection Sony implemented two improvements - a special anti-static coating applied to the low-pass filter in front of the sensor and a mechanism to shake off dust by taking advantage of the image stabilizer. This is similar to Olympus´ well-proven anti-dust system but the shake frequency isn´t quite as high thus less efficient. Unlike Olympus the Alpha activates the anti-dust shaker when switching off the camera. You may debate whether this is smart or not but this way it has no negative side-effect on the startup time of the camera."
http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/dsl...ndex_sony.html

Also brand new Canon 400D has got built-in anti-dust system.

Sooner or later the RED should get its own built-in anti-dust system(??!)

Speaking of the RED ONE dust issues....have a look at the picture below



The original picture and more like this you can find at

http://www.cinematography.net/Red/Gr...ies/RGB_56.tif

I don't know. I am a bit confused. What you think?

[Alex Boothby]

Sorry

I don't know anything about thes lenses or if there are adapters to make them work? The site looks pretty informative so if you e-mail them they probably can give you some answers. If you get some info on them throw it up on this thread.

Thanks Finner. But just to clarify - in general - do Nikon to PL Adaptors exist and would they be a fast a safe alternative to replacing the actual mount (ie. always keep the PL mount on RED , but just use quality adaptors to attach your Nikons.) I suspect the answer is yes, but I'm far from adequately informed. :)

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I don't know. I am a bit confused. What you think?

I saw that too and in a couple other of the greenscreen tests. Splotches in the greenscreen color or lighting, obscured by DOF? Dirt on the lens? Dust? Lens fungus? I played with that same picture the other day and it keyed cleanly, but it's something to ponder -- especially with the topic of discussion here.

I plan to use my Nikkor lenses with RED and will be getting the Nikon mount. But I don't expect to change mounts often at all. Only on the rare occasion I decide to rent better glass for a project. And I will do that whole project with rented glass and the PL mount. At some point I hope to switch over to all PL mount hardware, but have to use what's available/affordable to get going, eh?