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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 :)

Converting Nikons to PL mount... Anyone intersted?

What am I missing here? I thought the new Scarlet took Nikon lenses with no modifications. Are we going with Nikon for cost reasons only or do they provide an advantage I'm not aware of? I have a slew of Nikon lenses I would consider converting if I'm not shooting myself in the foot when Scarlet is out. Thoughts please.
 
Tim Duran said:
What am I missing here? I thought the new Scarlet took Nikon lenses with no modifications. Are we going with Nikon for cost reasons only or do they provide an advantage I'm not aware of? I have a slew of Nikon lenses I would consider converting if I'm not shooting myself in the foot when Scarlet is out. Thoughts please.
Click to expand...
With the proper $500 mount, both the Scarlet and Epic brains can take Nikon lenses. However, They're not recommended for the 2/3" Scarlet since the size of the sensor will crop the field of view, meaning the wide-angle lenses will look telephoto.

You should absolutely be able to use Nikon lenses on the S35 Scarlet, however.
 
Jamie, thanks for taking the time to respond. I read Reduser regularly and recall posts last year when the specs for Scarlet were released a lot of comments on buying the fixed lens Scarlet v. third party lenses like Nikon. At that time many people were thrilled about using there Nikon and Canon lenses. Is this limitation the reason a lot of people are now seeming to be more in favor of the fixed lens package?
 
I would be interested, not with Nikon, but with a few Canon FD lenses.

Canon FD 135mm F2.0
Canon FD 200mm F2.8
Canon FD 14mm F2.8

What's the latest word?

George
 
George A. said:
I would be interested, not with Nikon, but with a few Canon FD lenses.

Canon FD 135mm F2.0
Canon FD 200mm F2.8
Canon FD 14mm F2.8

What's the latest word?

George
Click to expand...

Canon lenses would be nice too since they focus "cine-wise"
 
I would be very interested in a straight Nikon-to-PL mount conversion for the 14-24G. Kind of like what Duclos did on the Nikon 80-200.

I don't have the $$$ for the Ruby 14-24, as much as I would love to buy one.
 
Dear Matthew,

Would it be hard to "cinematize" Canon FD lenses, sort of what you did with the Tokina?

They do rotate cine-wise, they have great glass, usually they are made with metal casing etc.

The PL mount and gears would be easy... how about making the focus throw longer? I guess that's the tricky part, even though the rotation is ok.

Would this be expensive?

Thanks!
George
 
George A. said:
Dear Matthew,

Would it be hard to "cinematize" Canon FD lenses, sort of what you did with the Tokina?

They do rotate cine-wise, they have great glass, usually they are made with metal casing etc.

The PL mount and gears would be easy... how about making the focus throw longer? I guess that's the tricky part, even though the rotation is ok.

Would this be expensive?

Thanks!
George
Click to expand...


Are you referring to older, manual FD lenses?
 
Matthew Duclos said:
Are you referring to older, manual FD lenses?
Click to expand...

Hmmm....

Good call George!

The FDs are in the closet since the day RED announced the FD mount could void the warranty...

BUT
i would love to know how much it'd cost to convert them to PL.

I kept all of them because they are wonderfull lenses.

Exceptional image signature.

The FD images had a wonderfull look i just can't approach with the Zeiss ZFs.

Matthew ?


Antoine
 
Matthew Duclos said:
Are you referring to older, manual FD lenses?
Click to expand...

So what do you think Matthew? Can it be done? Especially increasing the focus rotation, since the direction is already correct. I assume the PL mount and the focus gear won't be a problem, or too expensive.

Best,
George
 
George A. said:
So what do you think Matthew? Can it be done? Especially increasing the focus rotation, since the direction is already correct. I assume the PL mount and the focus gear won't be a problem, or too expensive.

Best,
George
Click to expand...

This is all very simple, in theory.
As with any lens conversion, it can be done cheap and quick. But that's not how I would do it. This is, of course, all theoretical... Increasing the focus throw be a large project. These lenses are helical driven focus mechanisms which means you would have to take the entire lens apart, design and manufacture matching helicals that travel at a rate that allows a 360 degree throw while maintaining travel from infinity to minimum focus distance. All of this while still maintaining the dimensions and tolerances set forth by the manufacturer of the original lens. On top of that, each focal length has a different mechanical design, so each lens would require it's own redesigned focus helical.
Second, the PL mount is simple to adapt to any blank surface at the rear of the lens given the proper physical dimensions are available. However, this would be sloppy and probably wont las very long. Adequate mounting surfaces must be considered to attach a larger mount to in a way that also permits control of back focus adjustment (shims).
So far we are looking at 50%-80% of the original lens housing being replaced. At this point, yes a focus gear would be an obvious, simple addition.
The complication in doing such a conversion (older lenses, not available to purchase new) is the prototyping and designs may vary drastically from model to model considering their age and use. Additionally, is with any production, cost is drastically effected by quantity. RED has made a perfect example of this with their Red Pro Primes. They are awesome quality at a relatively low cost due in large part to their production quantity.
So in short, yes. It can be done.
Will it be cheap, no.
 
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