All high end digital cinema cameras have smart LPL mounts but Red! Post Nikon why is this still the case?

[Michael Lindsay]

Now Nikon are in charge. Worth asking this again?

All digital cinema cameras have smart LPL mounts but 1! Why is this still the case?

Arri, Sony, Blackmagic all have smart LPL options for the LF top tier cinema offerings. I have checked with both Arri and Cooke and Red can do this with no external cost implications. So why not?

It is great to see Nikon getting autofocus working! This is hopeful.. but be nice for more traditional cinema to get some love, too.

Please, can the next camera have a smart LPL option and internal ND (sat far enough back to allow interesting lens to be used? I would like this in a small body, please!

Red does not make film cameras. LPL bodies are always compatible with PL lenses as we see in all new Arri cameras Sony have 3 smart LPL mount options Red has NONE!!!
If you are a lens manufacturer there are still good reasons to make PL lenses if you can 9for compatibility with film cameras) but as a Camera manufacturer it is dumb to not have a smart LPL option

Sony is well looked after

LPL Mount GECKO PRO for Sony Venice LDS Version – GECKO CAM

www.gecko-cam.com

ARRI LPL Mount v2 for Sony VENICE, VENICE 2, BURANO Cameras

The ARRI LPL Mount for Sony VENICE, VENICE 2, and BURANO allows seamless integration of ARRI Signature Lenses with Sony’s high-end cinema cameras, enabling direct lens pogo connections for full metadata pass-through. This premium mount transmits internal /i lens data from smart lenses or...

woodencamera.com

LPL MOUNT SONY VENICE | Leitz Cine

With more and more LPL mount lenses in the market, the Leitz LPL MOUNT for Sony Venice provides unparalleled flexibility, reliability, and performance by transmitting /i lens metadata to the camera. Combine it with the Leitz LPL to PL ADAPTER for a...

www.leitz-cine.com

A not non-exhaustive list of LPL lens sets would take you to over 15x very different sets of LPL (never PL) CINEMA lenses

ARRI signature primes
ARRI Enso lens
Leitz Elise set
leitz Hugo set
TLS Rangfinder set (also Service vision CANON K50 RANGEFINDER and others)
TLS Mamiya fast set plus other large format rehosued lenses from GL, Zero and others..
Zero optic leitz vintage M set (plus their modern set)
ARRI rental has also over 4 different sets of LPL only lens

Some really good lenses and LPL only are coming out in the next few years…

I know of a very big series that only considered Red for 1 beat till the lens choice (LPL) pushed them Venice.

I guess this will fall on deaf ears... and I'll prob buy a chinese Arri camera next round so it is probably all irrelevant anyway.

Anyway nice to see auto focus working... and I hope Nikon are having fun!

Michael

 

[DJ Meyer]

It would certainly be nice.

 

[M Harvey]

It would be great to have a smart LPL mount option. But just to be clear, don’t all these sets work on a “dumb” LPL set? I have a pretty good Vocas LPL-to-RF that I used to mount Arri Alfa anamorphics on my Komodo (long story, but we needed a C cam). I guess I’m just missing metadata, which could be important for some productions but not the one I was on.

 

[Brian Timmons]

Hey Michael,
It’s a good request and RED should be aware of it.
Please send this to featurerequests@red.com

Sending there will ensure that RED sees it.

From my own experience they do read those requests, share them amongst product managers and engineers at RED, and follow up with you when needed.

Brian Timmons
BRITIM/MEDIA

 

[Michael Lindsay]

It would be great to have a smart LPL mount option. But just to be clear, don’t all these sets work on a “dumb” LPL set? I have a pretty good Vocas LPL-to-RF that I used to mount Arri Alfa anamorphics on my Komodo (long story, but we needed a C cam). I guess I’m just missing metadata, which could be important for some productions but not the one I was on.

Yes, of course, all the lenses work well on a dumb mount... However, lens data is increasing and for a 'smart' forward-looking camera company to not play ball?

Also, if you take me for example, I have all my camera (inc Phantom) set up LPL with adapters to PL. Without a smart LPL, i don't benefit from smart PL lenses anymore. If you look at any of the smart Sony stuff or all of Arri stuff, it all passes Idata (as well as LDS2 for Arri)

I know I am not an important client but red is a non-presence in nearly all cine hire houses in London. The reason is complex and compound but IMHO Red not making it easy was always part of the story.

 

[Phil Holland]

I asked again recently. And the kit that will need to exist is LPL w/ electronics and a PL adapter with electronic passthrough. It would be interesting if the eND could happen in this effort, but it may be extremely difficult.

Email the feature request address that Brian posted.

There are indeed more LPL lenses coming and yes, it is still true the majority of the industry by a large margin isn't LPL, but I think it's import to have a first party to provide quality professional mounts.

There are RF and Z LPL Mounts out there, but lets be honest in regards to what RED has done well with their PL Mounts for DSMC3. There's literally nothing that comes close in build quality or stability compared to those on the market. And design, materials, and tolerances were executed extremely well. They are pricier, but they are the best. And as many professionals learn about a variety of kit and accessories, buy once cry once is alarmingly relevant to mounts.

 

[DJ Meyer]

I would immediately buy multiple copies of an OEM smart LPL for Raptor and Raptor XL