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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Super Zoom Lenses?

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sbcooler

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If I'm shooting a live event...football game from far away...say 300-400 feet away...and/or I shoot rock concerts from far away...same distance, I have read that professional networks use 70x magnification in their professional lenses.

Who sells this? Where would I look or what would I type to google this. Can't seem to find what I'm looking for?

Does anyone have experience with zoom lenses above and beyond 20x?

Thanks-
 
Note that a rating on a zoom such as 20x or 70x just indicates the ratio of wide-angle to telephoto focal length, and does not indicate the actual field of view. It sounds like what you are interested in is the long-tele range of the lens (unless you also need to take photos of the entire stadium using the same lens).

The large "box lens" used for network sports coverage may actually be 100x zoom lenses, for example the 60 pound (!) Canon 9.3-930mm XJ100x9.3B http://www.canon.com/bctv/products/digi100af.html
 
macville said:
You've got two options...get a lens that's got a 2x extender built into it. What they use for network football games and such are big box lens. Canon and Fujinon both make lens like this. I can't think right now what they are called though...

Matthew
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These are hugely expensive, probably 60-1000K. However, on RED since you aren't stuck with a 2/3" prism system you could get the same angle of view (about 1 degree) with a Canon 600mm SLR lens with a 1.4 or 2x extender. Or if you shot 2K you wouldn't need the extender, using the Birger intelligent mount or a similar Nikon with a nikon dumb mount.
 
Yes you are correct...I am needing something like 1000mm..but I like a large range...so 72x is good enough. I see they sell stuff up to 100x or so...and yes I know some of it is $150K or even a little bit more.

I'm wondering if and what I can get for a lot less..more in the 50K department.

Not sure what the best setup for something like this would be...what cam would be best and then what lenses...I know Fujinon makes these boxes as well.
 
B4 v PL

B4 v PL

To my knowledge all the box (field) lenses you are referencing are designed for use on B4 mounts with prisms to drive 3 2/3 inch chips. You could potentially use the RED or Abekus B4 to PL adapter to get such a lens on the RedOne but it would only cover the center window for 2K imaging applications, not 4K. The stop loss on the adapter will not be an issue outdoors, or well lit indoors, and the greater DoF should actually make it easier to hold focus during a sporting event or concert.

There are longer PL mount zooms on the market, the 24 - 290 Optimo comes to mind, that could be used with 2X extenders and allow you to shoot at 4K. While this would not yield as narrow a FOV as you seek keep in mind you could crop/scale in post.

With the popularity of the RedOne and its inherent cross genre possibilities I am hopeful that one of the lens manufacturers will market a lens that has many of the operational characteristics of a high end B4 mount lens but is natively a PL unit. If that happens I hope to be in line right behind Gibby for the first units shipped :weight_lift:
 
Canon / Century 150-600mm?
 
Options

Options

sbcooler said:
If I'm shooting a live event...football game from far away...say 300-400 feet away...and/or I shoot rock concerts from far away...same distance, I have read that professional networks use 70x magnification in their professional lenses.

Who sells this? Where would I look or what would I type to google this. Can't seem to find what I'm looking for?

Does anyone have experience with zoom lenses above and beyond 20x?

Thanks-
Click to expand...

Canon and Fuji make ENG/EFP not box lenses with image stabilizers 42x13.5mm and more for B4 mount limiting you to 2K but fantastic images and rated 5.6 or better. We shoot with them all the time on Varicams and when our Red is delivered will be first lens attached. (Fuji 42x13.5mm with 2 x extender) You can find them from most rental houses and there are some for purchase on used market.
Good Luck
 
When you say 13mm does that mean with 42x13mm that your max zoom is 546mm? And with a 2x extender 1092mm?

Thanks, just trying to understand how much zoom that is.
 
I thought that the purpose of the offset in the 3 chip cameras (red, green and blue not focusing to the same distance) was part of a compromise to enable those long zoom ranges that you can find for B4 mount lenses for Outside Broadcasting. My understanding has been that it's much more difficult to make those long zoom ranges for single sensor cameras.

Panavision, f.ex., only make their 300X zoom for B4/Panavision F900 mount, and not for their single sensor cameras.

Well, I am not optics expert, so I might be wrong.
 
Abel has a Canon 40x10 with doubler and image stabilization. Beyond this and the Fuji 42x you find the Box Lenses. You can find some of these other beasts, commonly referred to as Box Lenses because of the enclosures around the optics, from big video houses such as Wexler. Please note that these are VERY large and VERY heavy, and are designed specifically to integrate only with crtain tripods, such as the Sachtler 80 or giant Vinten heads. The pan and zoom controls are located on pan arm extensions (you operate the camer from in back) and these extensions will only fit pan arms from these tripod heads. No, an O'Connor 2575 will not properly work. Our Canon 40x and the Fuji 42x will work just fine on the O'Connor or similarly beefy head.
 
Rental

Rental

sbcooler said:
Who rents these massive zoom lenses...anyone in LA?
Click to expand...

I usually rent the Fuji 42x from VER in Atlanta but they have locations all over U.S.

Have fun!
 
Blair S. Paulsen said:
With the popularity of the RedOne and its inherent cross genre possibilities I am hopeful that one of the lens manufacturers will market a lens that has many of the operational characteristics of a high end B4 mount lens but is natively a PL unit. If that happens I hope to be in line right behind Gibby for the first units shipped :weight_lift:
Click to expand...

Amen to that, brother...

With convergence of styles and equipment, I think there is a distinct and viable market for 35mm zoom lenses that look like, have features like (servozoom units), and operate like B4 2/3" HD EFP/ENG zooms. I've been making that suggestion to lens manufacturers every since RED was first announced in December 2005. At the Fujinon NAB booth there was a PL mount 35mm cine lens prototype under glass in the middle of the booth. Fujinon and Canon B4 2/3" cine lenses use basically the same glass as some of their B4 2/3" HD EFP/ENG zooms, the big difference being the addition of a servo zoom unit. Perhaps that's the next step...

Back in 2005 myself and others suggested to RED that RS232/12v capability be included on RED ONE - and it was included in RED ONE. Due to that, when I use B4 2/3" HD EFP/ENG zooms on my REDs now (with the RED B4 adaptor), and the RED auxiliary cable that joins the hirose cable on the lenses to the RS232/12v on RED, I have full powered zoom and record button function on the lens itself. Now I want that functionality on a PL mount 35mm lens on RED - servozoom and record start/stop.

Vast portions of the motion media industry shoot their productions in various genres at usual apertures between f4 and f11, using single operators sight focusing. A lot of them would love to shoot 3k/60fps with a 35mm, servo-equipped lenses, and mobile, sight-focusing crews.

Myself and many others have had no problem sight focusing RED ONE for eight months of usage now. Convergence isn't an easy concept to embrace for most film-style traditionalists, but technology has enabled multiple alternative shooting styles and procedures.
 
Mike Prevette said:
Canon / Century 150-600mm?
Click to expand...

I've been using my Canon FD 150-600 zoom on my REDs for several months now - with excellent results. Mine has the Century PL mount conversion only - the rest of the lens is stock as Canon made it. I use this lens for long focal length shooting of sports and nature.
 
The longer focal length B4 HD EFP/ENG zooms our company owns are Fujinon 42x9.7 and Fujinon 22x7.3. I've use both of them extensively on our REDs, using the RED B4 adaptor, RED EVF, RED Drive, and RED B4 cable from the lens hirose to REDs RS232/12v bus to enable powering of the lens servzooms.

We own an O'Connor 2575, which I've used for these setups with RED, but for more mobile production with these lenses on RED I also use our Miller Arrow 55.

The 2k results with these lenses has been excellent.
 
There's a 150-600 on ebay right now. There is also a Canon 800mm for sale. I think I saw them both under "Arri".
 
If there is a lense that says 150-600 or 800mm...can I put a doubler or extender say 2x...on it...so I can get twice as close or twice as much zoom?
 
sbcooler said:
If there is a lense that says 150-600 or 800mm...can I put a doubler or extender say 2x...on it...so I can get twice as close or twice as much zoom?
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Most times yes. Generally best to use the extender that is sold by the company that builds the lens. Sometimes a manufacture will offer extenders that are for a given focale length range of their product line. So they will have more then one series of extenders for sale. Different brands offer different magnifications such 2X ( you loose two stops of relative aperture) 1.7X 1.5 stops lose, 1.4X 1 stop lose. So I would say chances are good that you can use an extender on either of those lenses. Using an extender with zooms can be iffy sometimes. Best to think of that big "zoom" lens as a variable focale length lens and not assume that it is going to hold focus as you vari the focale length range.
 
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