Hey Frequent Swappers.
It's going to depend a bit on what lenses you are using and how you are using them, but generally I would not worry so much about flange focal distance. Unlike a film camera if you are having a problem holding focus over a zoom range or lenses are not focusing at the expected distances you will see the results immediatly on the monitor. It will be simple to check this after swapping mounts. Put on your widest-fastest-sharpest lens, shoot a wall wide open with 5 focus targerts equidistant from the camera, does the lens seem to be in best focus on the center target at the distance indicated on the scale?. Look at a frame in 4k - is the center sharp? the corners? If you are on a zoom, zoom in, still looks good ? You're golden! now practice your awards show speech.
The rear of Lens / PL mount areas are subject to many times more wear and abuse than the nice pristine machined surfaces of the sub mount and the surface on front of the camera body. Keeping the mount area and rear of the lens free from dust and nicks should be your priority. It it's set right at the factory and you don't knock it around it should maintain tolerances for the life of the camera.
For still camera mount lenses, really don't worry. Compared to a PL mount The twist lock bayonet mounts found on Nikons and Canon EOS is inherently imprecise, lenses are not very well marked and most zooms don't reliably hold focus over the range anyway. If you are using still lenses you are probably using eye focus more than taped distances. If you are using a birger mount.... we'll find out what works best.
On film cameras there is lots that can go wrong, the spinning mirror shutter / ground glass / mount and filmplane, all had to be aligned to give reliable results. On some cameras due to sound issues there was a lack of a solid metal to metal mechanical link between all these things. Things could look perfect in the viewfinder and be NG on the film. None of this applies to the Red which has only a mount and a sensor connected by ultra burly metal.
Matt Uhry
www.mattuhry.com
It's going to depend a bit on what lenses you are using and how you are using them, but generally I would not worry so much about flange focal distance. Unlike a film camera if you are having a problem holding focus over a zoom range or lenses are not focusing at the expected distances you will see the results immediatly on the monitor. It will be simple to check this after swapping mounts. Put on your widest-fastest-sharpest lens, shoot a wall wide open with 5 focus targerts equidistant from the camera, does the lens seem to be in best focus on the center target at the distance indicated on the scale?. Look at a frame in 4k - is the center sharp? the corners? If you are on a zoom, zoom in, still looks good ? You're golden! now practice your awards show speech.
The rear of Lens / PL mount areas are subject to many times more wear and abuse than the nice pristine machined surfaces of the sub mount and the surface on front of the camera body. Keeping the mount area and rear of the lens free from dust and nicks should be your priority. It it's set right at the factory and you don't knock it around it should maintain tolerances for the life of the camera.
For still camera mount lenses, really don't worry. Compared to a PL mount The twist lock bayonet mounts found on Nikons and Canon EOS is inherently imprecise, lenses are not very well marked and most zooms don't reliably hold focus over the range anyway. If you are using still lenses you are probably using eye focus more than taped distances. If you are using a birger mount.... we'll find out what works best.
On film cameras there is lots that can go wrong, the spinning mirror shutter / ground glass / mount and filmplane, all had to be aligned to give reliable results. On some cameras due to sound issues there was a lack of a solid metal to metal mechanical link between all these things. Things could look perfect in the viewfinder and be NG on the film. None of this applies to the Red which has only a mount and a sensor connected by ultra burly metal.
Matt Uhry
www.mattuhry.com
