Nikon to Canon mounting rings for Birger

[Stephen Pruitt]

It has been mentioned that those of us with Nikon glass but who are going to be using the Birger Canon system can, indeed, use this glass with an adapter that fits on the back of the Nikon lenses. There has been some discussion about some of these, but with a lack of real specificity.

I have done a little search, aided by Ken Rockwell, and have found this device:

http://haodascreen.com/Nikon.aspx

Does anyone know if this thing really works as advertised? It may or may not be a good deal, but there is quite a sale on it until the end of the year. I am thinking about ordering a couple of things like this to put on the back of my best Nikons (85mm f1.4 AIS; 135mm f2.0 AIS) so that I can use them on the Birger mount (yeah, I know, no autofocus or remote control capabilities, but at least they will work as great, if dumb, glass). Before I take the plunge, I'd like to know if anyone has any other recommendations for these sorts of things.

Thanks much.

Stephen

 

[Mike Prevette]

They work great if you get a nice one. It's good to have a few for your most used lenses. I have a cheaper one and it's on my 5D right now. Don't waste your time with the ultracheap kind, they aren't very consistent in thickness.

 

[Michael Hastings]

Nikon manuals on canon = good manual backup

Nikon manuals on canon = good manual backup

One thing that may not have been pointed out is that using a Nikon manual lens on the Canon Birger mount is probably the easiest way to have a manual backup solution if for any reason the mount would fail which would mean you have no way to set iris (for instance a broken connector pin or wire on the cable from the mount to the camera). Old Canon FD manual lenses won't work without an expensive optical adapter because the Flange focal distance is too short, while the Nikons work fine. So pick up a good nikon zoom or set of primes (see evin's thread) and you have an instant backup solution.

 

[Kevin Halverson]

...Old Canon FD manual lenses won't work without an expensive optical adapter because the Flange focal distance is too short, while the Nikons work fine...

While it is true that Canon FDs won't work on the Birger mount properly, we do have a solution for those interested in using the FDs with the RED. We have developed a mounting system that properly handles the task without any optics in the path. This system includes a shim-less FFD adjustment and an internal actuator to allow the lens to achieve any aperture setting.

For anyone interested in this, I recommend that they check this thread:

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5224

or PM me directly for additional information.

Kevin

 

[Dustin Cross]

I am pretty sure these adapters don't allow you to use the AF feature of your lenses, so they are kinda pointless for the Birger mount.

Mahalo,
Dusty

 

[chuck colburn]

But there well made.

 

[Kevin Halverson]

I am pretty sure these adapters don't allow you to use the AF feature of your lenses, so they are kinda pointless for the Birger mount.

Mahalo,
Dusty

Canon FD lenses have no "AF feature" as they are purely mechanical lenses. The concept is that they can be used with the RED just not with the Birger mount.

 

[Michael Hastings]

Nikon on Birger

Nikon on Birger

I am pretty sure these adapters don't allow you to use the AF feature of your lenses, so they are kinda pointless for the Birger mount.

Mahalo,
Dusty

First of all the RED does not have autofocus even with the Birger mount - the birger is a "smart mount" in that it has a small computer that simulates a canon SLR body which controls the focus and iris motors, normally via a control knob that is turned by the user. However, neither autofocus or autoiris are available because the RED camera does not have this ability (maybe someday?) The thing to understand is that for Canon EF and EF-S lenses the "smart" mount is critical for iris since the EF lenses do not have an iris ring for manual iris adjustment. Also for this reason we don't have a manual iris backup with EF lenses if the Birger mount were to fail (maybe a damaged cable or connector) . The idea of using the Nikon adapters on the Birger mount is that it creates a suitable "dumb" mount for Nikon lenses and many of the Nikon lenses have an iris adjusting ring - even some of the new ones, and it also lets you use all of the "classic" manual Nikon lenses from the past. So two benefits: 1) use of "classics" if you have them or want them, and 2) Nikkors make nice backup manual solution if the "smart" part of the Birger mount were to fail - keep a couple of manual nikons in your kit as a backup and your birger is at least a nice "dumb" mount for Nikon.

Which sort of leads to this:

While it is true that Canon FDs won't work on the Birger mount properly, we do have a solution for those interested in using the FDs with the RED. We have developed a mounting system that properly handles the task without any optics in the path. This system includes a shim-less FFD adjustment and an internal actuator to allow the lens to achieve any aperture setting.

For anyone interested in this, I recommend that they check this thread:

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5224

or PM me directly for additional information.

Kevin

Kevin: Good that you pointed it out as people may have had the impression that you couldn't use them at all. So for clarification you can't use the FD lenses on the birger EF mount, but you can use them on the red with a suitable (and I believe) much cheaper direct mount. When I say direct mount I mean one where you remove the PL mount and replace it with another mount. From what I can tell, the position of the sensor would allow a direct mount for almost of the common lens types (as far as being able to focus (whether they cover the full sensor depends on whether they are designed for a larger sensor or not). Note: FD lenses are the older Canon lenses before the EOS system came out.

Wikipedia has a nice chart of lens mounts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lens_mounts

Canon EF has a 44mm Flange focal distance (FFD) so any of the lens types with greater focal distances could work on the Birger with the proper adapter (for example Nikon, or Leica R, or Yashica/Contax for which Zeiss made a lot of lenses).

The Canon FD FFD is only 42mm which is why it won't work, i.e. won't focus correctly on the Birger mount.

 

[Dustin Cross]

I know that Red and Birger don't have an auto focus feature, but the Birger uses the AF motors of the lens.

I just wanted to point out that by putting an adapter on a Nikon AF lens and and using it on a Birger EOS mount you have a manual only lens and have lost all the reasons to buy the Birger in the first place.

Mahalo,
Dusty

 

[Bill Goehring]

I know that Red and Birger don't have an auto focus feature, but the Birger uses the AF motors of the lens.

On the contrary, Erik has briefly mentioned upon being questioned in a recent thread that Birger IS planning an autofocus module that is expected to be offered as an addition to the basic Birger electronic mount. But, again, he was very short on details at this point.

 

[Michael Hastings]

I know that Red and Birger don't have an auto focus feature, but the Birger uses the AF motors of the lens.

I just wanted to point out that by putting an adapter on a Nikon AF lens and and using it on a Birger EOS mount you have a manual only lens and have lost all the reasons to buy the Birger in the first place.

Mahalo,
Dusty

OK. I think the point of the whole thread is that there has been a lot of talk about using manual Nikkor's on the RED. RED has their own Nikon mount, Evin has an entire sticky thread about using the old Nikkor manuals, etc. So with the Birger mount combined with an inexpensive ($20-$79) adapter you get a Nikon mount as well - saving you the $500 for the RED Nikon mount AND saving you the need to change mounts.

Erik has indicated that the future in controlled lenses is on the Canon side, hence the Canon preference and the fact that Nikkors can be used as well is a further advantage. (The opposite is NOT true, Canon lenses can't be easily used on the Nikon mount.)