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Gear ring for Zeiss ZF 100mm

Nils J. Nesse

Nils J. Nesse

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The Zeiss ZF lenses are popular here these days, so maybe someone can help.

I'm looking for good focus gear rings for my ZF set, but the challenge is:

The 100mm lens' focus barrel moves in and out when you focus. Unlike the other ZF lenses.The barrel moves approx 25mm out when you focus from nearest to infinity.

Has anyone found a gear ring for this lens? I guess it would have to be very wide.

The ZF 100mm is probably the best lens in the set, and is officially "the first photo lens with ARRI/ZEISS Master Prime optics from Hollywood's movie industry". So I'd like to use it.
 
A very common still lens that was converted to PL back in the day was the Contax/Zeiss 100mm macro. Usually rental houses cut gears for these lenses that were very long, like 50mm of geared stock. Most places that do this can do it very easily.

I don't have any contacts for this sort of thing in europe, but I would think Les Bosher in the Uk would be a good start.
 
Hey Nils, I am about the Zeiss ZF glass, from what I remember reading its just Zeiss branded but actually made in japan, not the german optics? Not that anything is wrong with this, I love my old vivitar nikors...just wondering how people like the Zeiss ZF compared to the nikons?

Sorry, not to get off topic...I would think getting a custom gear would be the trick as well. I will let you know if I find someone who can.
 
The set-up I've seen most often is not a wide gear on the lens, but a wide gear on the follow-focus. The Zacuto FF has a wide-gear option specifically for still lenses. I think it is at least 30mm in width.

Nick.
 
Mike Prevette said:
A very common still lens that was converted to PL back in the day was the Contax/Zeiss 100mm macro. Usually rental houses cut gears for these lenses that were very long, like 50mm of geared stock. Most places that do this can do it very easily.

I don't have any contacts for this sort of thing in europe, but I would think Les Bosher in the Uk would be a good start.
Click to expand...

What kinds of places would have geared stock like this? There aren't many cine oriented rental houses around here. Maybe someone like RPLens could do it, but I would prefernot to ship my lenses halfway around the globe.

Haskell said:
Hey Nils, I am about the Zeiss ZF glass, from what I remember reading its just Zeiss branded but actually made in japan, not the german optics? Not that anything is wrong with this, I love my old vivitar nikors...just wondering how people like the Zeiss ZF compared to the nikons?
Click to expand...

There's another thread comparing the ZFs favourably to Arri Super Speeds. The lenses are produced by Cosina to Zeiss spec, and every lens is allegedly quality controlled by Zeiss people before it leaves the factory.


Suede said:
The set-up I've seen most often is not a wide gear on the lens, but a wide gear on the follow-focus. The Zacuto FF has a wide-gear option specifically for still lenses. I think it is at least 30mm in width.
Click to expand...

Hm, I wonder if Mr. Von Badinski could make wide gear for the Inclino I've ordered..?
 
Hello,

I noticed in another thread that someone had the gears done at RP Lens (http://www.rplens.com) for about $130-$140? a lens.

Ah! Here is the thread. The comments are about half way down the page.

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=13760&page=13

Gears were $135 per lens. 80mm Step Up rings and Zeiss Lens cap was $62 per lens. http://www.jsinteractive.com/sensor/
Peter Sensor I believe is the owner. Very nice, standup guy. You can probably figure our your own step ups if you want to save a few bucks. I went for convenience ;)

Mark Pedersen
Click to expand...

I'm looking to get my 100mm Macro-Planar F2.0 and the 50mm F1.4 done there. I like these lenses so much I'm going to cancel my Birger order and just get a few more of them and leave my Canon stuff on the 1ds.

Best!

ATF
 
Thanks ATF,

ATF said:
I like these lenses so much I'm going to cancel my Birger order
Click to expand...

That's just what I did. And ordered the Viewfactor follow focus instead.
 
The Zeiss ZF lenses are very, very nice. I like that with the included shade they are each 80mm fronts (except the wide angle, I think). So no need for bump up rings for a mattebox. Zacuto -- on my suggestion, may I add -- makes a 1" wide gear for their followfocus. But I believe Arri and Chrosziel make these as well for their follow focuses.

Years ago, Stuart Rabin at Focus Optics made me Delrin rings for my Zeiss Contax lenses that I used on my old Aaton package. Because some of the lenses breathed so much I asked him to make some of the gears rather wide, which he did for a relatively small additional fee.
 
Thanks Mitch
There have been several quiestions about gear rings lately (it's not just me). Maybe Abel should conquer this market segment? All the people buying ZFs will have to buy gear rings somewhere.

The problem with the products from Zacuto, Redrock, SGPro etc is that they won't allow 360 turn. Some of the ZF lenses need this. (25mm and 50 macro) The problem with RPLens (and similar) is that I have to send the lenses to him.

Someone should come up with a more elegant solution.
 
Mitch Gross said:
The Zeiss ZF lenses are very, very nice. I like that with the included shade they are each 80mm fronts (except the wide angle, I think). So no need for bump up rings for a mattebox. Zacuto -- on my suggestion, may I add -- makes a 1" wide gear for their followfocus. But I believe Arri and Chrosziel make these as well for their follow focuses.

Years ago, Stuart Rabin at Focus Optics made me Delrin rings for my Zeiss Contax lenses that I used on my old Aaton package. Because some of the lenses breathed so much I asked him to make some of the gears rather wide, which he did for a relatively small additional fee.
Click to expand...

Yes, Arri has a 35 tooth .8 module. "Gear for lenses with axial movement of focus ring" K2.47557.0. It is almost an inch long, and we got it for the problem that LDS lenses have with the FF4. This fits the FF4 (and all Arri FF units).

Hope that helps. I didn't know that lens doesn't have internal focusing like the others. Thanks for the heads up.

M
 
As Mitch mentioned, you might give Stuart a call.
Here is my Zeiss 60mm Macro which I asked Stuart to install a wider gear on.
 
Want some lens to go with that gear?
 
FRAME said:
I am thinking in the cinevate's gear. Will THIS work?
Click to expand...
It will work with the other ZF lenses, but not the 100mm. Unless you have a wide gear module on the FF, like the Arri in the post above. It will do some cosmetic damage to the metal barrels.

Mitch Gross said:
Years ago, Stuart Rabin at Focus Optics made me Delrin rings for my Zeiss Contax
Click to expand...

Thanks, I sent Stuart an email.
 
Nils J. Nesse said:
Hm, I wonder if Mr. Von Badinski could make wide gear for the Inclino I've ordered..?
Click to expand...
We're going to have wider gears available but its going to be a month or so after we ship. The volumes on the wider gears are substantially lower than the normal width gears so they will probably not be super-cheap. I'm guessing around $75 each, the standard gears are going to be around $25 each.
 
Excellent Curt, Viewfactor rocks! :)
 
Nils J. Nesse said:
Excellent Curt, Viewfactor rocks! :)
Click to expand...

Not only do they rock. They are all ridiculously good looking.

Can't wait for your gear Curt. It is amazing me how many really good companies are being built around the red community. It's cool to see not just red shaking up the industry.
 
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