Advice on a wide lens for Scarlet

[Mike 'Fireman' Ross]

Nikon to Canon adaptor rings work, but only just. For electronic aperture lenses, they're all but worthless.

I don't recall if it has been officially said or not by RED, but I don't think there will be a "cheap" $500 version of the Nikon mount as they have with the Aluminum Canon mount for the cameras.

Jeff, there ARE Nikon to Canon adapter rings that include a lever which gives you manual control of electronic aperture lenses.

As for the RED Nikon mount, from Jarred's May product update:

Nikon Lens mount - Aluminum - Starts shipping in 90 days

Nikon Lens mount - Titanium - Starts shipping in 90 days

So there will be a 'cheap' version. Three weeks or so to go!

Mike

 

[Mike 'Fireman' Ross]

Yeah, that front element is scarily large and exposed! Id hate to use it without a matte box!
Steve

Well I've banged around volcanoes shooting stills with that lens for years. No front element damage, but from the feel of the rings it needs a damn good CLA now:

Nikon 14-24, right in the crater. I needed a respirator; Goddess only know what it was doing to my poor glass!

Mike

 

[Stephen Mulhearn]

Hey guys
Much thanks for all your insights and ideas, really helpful. To answer a question raised, yes I have a matte box (Arri MMB-2) so the front of the lens will be protected. I think my next step will be,
wait for the Red Scarlet mount to come out, buy the Nikon 14-24 and keep it all Nikon. Is any one using that lens with that matte? I was wondering if it can take an ND filter without the lens banging into it?

Thanks again for all the help
Happy shootin!
Stephen

 

[Steve Phillipps]

I used a small matte box on it - Chrosziel MB450 - and it covered fine even allowing for filters in the trays.
Don't have a picture on the Nikon, but this is it on the Red 18-50.
Steve

 

[Dave Blackham]

As others have pointed out, the Nikon 14-24 and Tokina 11-16 are both excellent lenses. Unfortunately, you're in a situation where you're dealing with multiple lens mounts and all the problems that come with it. Nikon to Canon adaptor rings work, but only just. For electronic aperture lenses, they're all but worthless.

I don't recall if it has been officially said or not by RED, but I don't think there will be a "cheap" $500 version of the Nikon mount as they have with the Aluminum Canon mount for the cameras. So you need to ask yourself if it makes more sense to try and buy a Nikon mount version of these lenses, so you can use them on your Nikon DSLR, and still have the ability to kinda use them on the Scarlet. Or if you should buy separate versions of each for the respective cameras.

Without knowing your budget or other circumstances, it's hard to recommend. But these are the best two lenses you're going to find, based on the needs you described. Nikon mount is going to be $2K for Epic/Scarlet... If you already have the Canon mount, it's probably easier and cheaper (and available now) to just buy the Canon mount version of the Tokina 11-16 and be done with it. Canon also has a 14-24 zoom. And while it's comparable to the Nikon version, and a pretty darn good lens, it's not as good overall as the Nikon variant. Most of the Canon fans will see that as blasphemy, but the truth is Canon and Nikon both make excellent glass. They both make very similar lenses in nearly identical focal lengths across their product lines and most are comparable in quality and performance. However, Canon has the edge on some models while Nikon on others. The ones that truly stand out in the Nikon lineup are the "G primes" and for zooms the 14-24, 24-70 and 70-200 are stellar. The Canon counterparts to those lenses are excellent as well, the 24-70 in both camps are about as equal to one another as can be. Nikon edges out the Canon with the 14-24 model and the scales tip the other way to Canon when comparing the 70-200 LII to the 70-200 VR2. Both of those longer zooms are exceptional from each maker and at times I wonder if it's not even the optics that differentiate, but rather the cameras' own internal processing and lens compensation.

Jeff,

Id be interested to know if the Canon 14 24mm lens was released. I don't find it on any of the Canon Sites only a prototype and patent articles. Did it ever make in to product ?

Dave

 

[Steve Phillipps]

Jeff,

Id be interested to know if the Canon 14 24mm lens was released. I don't find it on any of the Canon Sites only a prototype and patent articles. Did it ever make in to product ?

Dave

According to Canon Rumours it won't be until 2013.
Canon lenses sure are creeping up in price, the 24-70 is now £2300, wonder what the 14-24 will be?!
Steve

 

[Maik Müller]

Zeiss ZF 15mm looks alluring.
Preferrably the Duclos modified version.

There is also a cp.2-version coming, it has been announced at NAB2012:

BTW, how does the Canon EF-S 10-22 perform on Scarlet?

 

[Steve Phillipps]

BTW, how does the Canon EF-S 10-22 perform on Scarlet?

I'd be interested to know that too, I had one years ago on a 20D and considering it wasn't an L lens it seemed to perform amazing well, I was very impressed.
Steve

 

[Paramon Ivanovich]

BTW, how does the Canon EF-S 10-22 perform on Scarlet?

i like it very much, not the fastest one, but good for 2-3K shooting
all shot with 10-22

 

[Maik Müller]

i like it very much, not the fastest one, but good for 2-3K shooting
all shot with 10-22

Thats close to what i wanted to read. I want a UWA to get more wider fov for lower resolutions, but for those resolutions the lens must be super-sharp too...

Thanks for the vid, that looks really nice. Can you share some full-res-stills?
"Good for 2k-4k-shooting" < does that mean it's not so good for 4k? How bad is the vignetting at 5k?

I'm still undecided between this and the tokina. Hehe.

 

[Werner Jauch]

I read somewhere in the past that it may be possible to mount a nikon lens on a nikon body, set aperture, remove lens and it stays at the set aperture. I'm sure it would be a pain to do but might be worth trying to see if it works as a temporary option until the Nikon mount comes out

 

[Steve Phillipps]

I'm sure it would be a pain to do

If I were you I'd stick with that thought! It'd be a massive pain in the butt, it would drive you nuts.
Steve

 

[Paramon Ivanovich]

Can you share some full-res-stills?
"Good for 2k-4k-shooting" < does that mean it's not so good for 4k? How bad is the vignetting at 5k?
I'm still undecided between this and the tokina. Hehe.

sorry, i was shooting hyperfocal, but it is a really sharp lens,
5K shot @12mm, it is vignetting at 10mm not terribly, but noticeable, was choosing between this one and Tokina too, but now will get both,

 

[D Fuller]

I read somewhere in the past that it may be possible to mount a nikon lens on a nikon body, set aperture, remove lens and it stays at the set aperture. I'm sure it would be a pain to do but might be worth trying to see if it works as a temporary option until the Nikon mount comes out

That will not work. The aperture will open to full wise as soon as you remove it from the camera. Without the aperture activating lever, it'll stay that way.

 

[Vance Colvig]

The 14mm 2.8 Nikon is an AF- D lens and not an AF-S, and although it will work on your D700, the Red Epic/Scarlet Nikon mount will control focus only on AF-S lenses. The Red mount should be able to control iris on all SLR Nikon/Nikkor lenses however. A 17-35mm f2.8 Nikon AF-S does have an aperature ring, so iris can be controlled without the Nikon-Canon adapter with an iris lever as mentioned by 'Fireman Mike", and might be the best bet for your needs. By the way, Fotodiox does seem to provide a screw-in filter adapter and filter for the 14-24mm Nikon, although I think the filter is of non-standard size if memory serves me correctly. The 17mm-35mm Nikon is nice, the 14-24 is spectacular IMHO. Hope this helps. I am also counting the days for the Red Nikon smart mount, but I am not holding my breath. My lungs crave air.

 

[Maik Müller]

sorry, i was shooting hyperfocal, but it is a really sharp lens,
5K shot @12mm, it is vignetting at 10mm not terribly, but noticeable, was choosing between this one and Tokina too, but now will get both,

Thanks a lot, i'm getting closer to a final decision (and yes, the idea of getting both is tempting hehe).

 

[Andrew PC Smith]

This was shot on the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L. It's a fantastic lens. Much better than the 24-70 IMHO, being both faster and slightly less expensive. Looks great on a steadicam too.

 

[Mike 'Fireman' Ross]

I read somewhere in the past that it may be possible to mount a nikon lens on a nikon body, set aperture, remove lens and it stays at the set aperture. I'm sure it would be a pain to do but might be worth trying to see if it works as a temporary option until the Nikon mount comes out

1. As David pointed out, it doesn't work.

2. Why would you ever want to try to do that, when you can get Nikon-Canon adapter rings, anything from cheap and nasty $100 to slightly less nasty $300+, which *have a lever which adjusts the aperture*? Or do it properly and get the excellent Optitek Pro-Lock Nikon mount for the camera, which also controls the aperture? Or wait a few weeks and get the RED electronic Nikon mount ($800 for alloy, $2200 for titanium)?

Issues of aperture control on G-series Nikon lenses are the *last* thing that should influence decisions; it's a solved problem. Maik, just get the Nikon 14-24mm and have done with it; it really is sensational. You will NOT regret it. If I'm wrong about that, I'll buy the damn lens off you, as a spare!

Mike

 

[Paramon Ivanovich]

This was shot on the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L; It's a fantastic lens. Much better than the 24-70 IMHO, being both faster and slightly less expensive. Looks great on a steadicam too.

that's my next one for sure

 

[Maik Müller]

This was shot on the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L. It's a fantastic lens. Much better than the 24-70 IMHO, being both faster and slightly less expensive. Looks great on a steadicam too.

Thanks, that comes in handy. Do you have some more samples?
I like Canon's 35mm f/1,4L, but i'll wait for the 2nd version, which should be announced this year (can borrow the 1st). So i was looking into the 24mm II to start my prime-set, but i'm still totally unsure if i'll go the Canon route. One thing that speaks for Canon's L-primes is the support of AF, but i had unsatisfying results with the lenses i've tested so far (24-105L, 35L, 50 1.4). How does the 24mm II perform on this matter?

Oh and @Paramon Ivanovich have you done some AF-tests with the 10-22?

I mainly want AF for shooting stills (yeah, i know it's disabled during recording @ 5k), but it would be handy for some run & gun motion-stuff too, if i ever get it working a bit better (i always get the pumping/searching for focus, even during recording).