Which R1 Nikon Mount do you prefer?

[Tom Greenberg]

Thinking about buying a used R1 MX and want to use Nikon lenses. I know there are several Nikon mount options out there...any thoughts on which one is the best?

 

[D Fuller]

OptiTek ProLock. Without question.

 

[Mark Phelan]

OptiTek ProLock. Without question.

I agree, and I don't even have that mount on mine but know folks who do, i.e. Steve Sherrick. Bomb-proof. I have the original RED/Underdahl version and it works fine, but is nothing quite as substantial as the OptiTek.

But the Nikon mount I know I will prefer is the non-existent one for the Epic. That's going to be my favorite whenever it shows up.

 

[Vance Colvig]

I have an Optitek Prolock on my R1MX. Beautifully made, solid as a rock, so solid in fact that I no longer use support rods for my 70-200mm f/2.8 G lens. It is unnecessary to "declick" Nikon AI or AI-s lenses so as to cinevise them, and provides full iris control of all "G" lenses. Not having tried any other Nikon mount except the one sold by Red, I can't say this is the best one, I just don't know how one could be made better for the R1. My 2 cents.

 

[Tom Greenberg]

Thanks for the info, guys! The Optitek mount looks great, but I wasn't sure if it was worth the extra $$. I am especially concerned about construction quality and how well it will hold up under heavy use. BTW, Vance, how easy is it to change from the Optitek back to the RED PL mount and vice versa?

Also, is the Optitek mount "RED-approved"?

 

[Vance Colvig]

Yes Tom, the Optitek mount is approved by Red. The mount is quite robust and should last well beyond the life of the camera under heavy use. It takes about 5 minutes to change from PL to Optitek mount after you have done it a few times. The most amazing thing is that I do not have to re-back focus when I change mounts. This quite surprised me, to say the least. One of my frequently used lenses is the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 in a Nikon mount where back focus issues would be evidenced through the zoom range when wide open, and back focus is right on. I must say that when I received my Red Nikon mount I was quite disappointed for what I got for $500. The Red mount is nothing more than a Nikon extension ring female screwed to an anodized aluminum tube with 8 screw holes and a small slot for the flimsy lens release tab. Soon the lens would rotate ever so slightly when pulling focus which was a real pain. Since I was an early Red adopter ( sn 269), the Red Nikon mount was the only one available at the time. When I heard about the Optitek mount, I snapped one up and never looked back. I consider it the best money I have spent on my R1. Hope this helps.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

Tom, you will be very pleased with the ProLock. Everyone else has covered the reasons why. It does exactly what you want it to. Worth every penny.

 

[Tom Greenberg]

Great information, fellas! Optitek definitely sounds like the way I should go. Guess I need to start saving my pennies...

 

[Justen Nguyen]

Tom, might I also reccommend the A-Mount from Allstar. They're here in forums. The A-mount is a universal mount of sorts and allows you to mount several different kinds of mounts. Very handy if you have more than just nikkor lenses. I currently use pl and r lenses interchangeably with that setup. There's also an f mount, and contax mount as well.

 

[Brigham Edgar]

I'm selling my RED Nikon mount with the underdahl conversion to adjust the iris on electronic Nikon lenses for $400 including shipping...PM me if interested.

 

[Federico Rizzo]

If you want to use a lot of lens with different mount, the Allstar mount system is the way to go. You may change lens on location with no problem.