Total clarification - Using Nikkor lenses on the RED

[Fergus Meiklejohn]

brilliant tests Evin! Very helpful..

sorry for the dumb straight questions :blush:

Will I be able to use modern nikkor lenses - http://www.europe-nikon.com/family/en_GB/categories/broad/4.html - (with red adaptor) on my RED?

If I put a 50mm Nikkor - http://www.europe-nikon.com/product/en_GB/products/broad/403/overview.html - lens on my RED will it be the same as putting a 50mm PL mount lens on or will it be like putting a 85mm PL mount on there?

thanks so much for the help! I'm sure the answers to these questions are already in the forums I cannie see them :blink:

Also.. is anyone in Europe watching the Eurovision song contest? It's insane as usual :wacko:

[Chris Kenny]

Will I be able to use modern nikkor lenses - http://www.europe-nikon.com/family/en_GB/categories/broad/4.html - (with red adaptor) on my RED?


Yes, except for G lenses. You can't use those because the camera is fully manual, and G lenses don't have manual aperture control rings.



If I put a 50mm Nikkor - http://www.europe-nikon.com/product/en_GB/products/broad/403/overview.html - lens on my RED will it be the same as putting a 50mm PL mount lens on or will it be like putting a 85mm PL mount on there?


A 50mm lens used on Red will be more telephoto than a 50mm lens used on a full-frame SLR, but a 50mm lens is a 50mm lens, regardless of what mount it was designed for. As such, you'll have the same field of view with a 50mm Nikkor as with a 50mm PL-mount lens.

[Fergus Meiklejohn]

Thanks Chris, that's exactly what I needed to confirm. And I like your indie4K blog too... good work!
I suppose that I am like many other Red buyers: I've got a decent stills camera and I've always used a decent camera to take stills, but until now I've never had the chance to own a proper film/video camera. It's a steep learning curve from a Sony Z1 to the RED eh :weight_lift:
I was reading Lance Acord's account of filming Being John Malkovitch, and I was amazed to learn that he used mostly 18mm, 25mm, 35mm, and sometimes 50mm for the close ups. From a stills perspective they seemed really wide angle lenses! I mean, in my ignorance, "close up" in stills photography meant 100mm - 200mm. But it makes sense when I think about it...
IMHO the RED camera couldbe to film-making what the Leica 35mm camera was to stills photgraphy. So now we need to focus on the bloody script..:detective2:

[Júlio Taubkin]

in 35mm cinematography, a normal lens is the 35mm. 50mm is already a short portrait tele. Besides, shooting for a huge cinema screen, people use much wider shots than 35mm stills (that are never printed all that big...).

[Fergus Meiklejohn]

I can't wait to get my hands on the damn camera to start experimenting:meh:
Every time I video something with my little Z1 now, I despair of the entire world being in focus at f1.6
So I reckon I'll get a set of Nikkors, (check out this bad boy.. http://www.jessops.com/Store/s5035/0/Lenses/Nikon/50mm-f12-AI-Fit/details.aspx?&IsSearch=y&pageindex=1&CatId=143&comp=n) but I'll wait until the red cams and the red zoom actually come out so we can test them

[Policar]

in 35mm cinematography, a normal lens is the 35mm. 50mm is already a short portrait tele. Besides, shooting for a huge cinema screen, people use much wider shots than 35mm stills (that are never printed all that big...).

Basically true, but you're pointing out the problem with your own argument. While 35mm and 50mm lenses are both considered of relatively normal perspective (I think Hitchcock preferred the slight wide angle of 35mm; Ozu preferred 50mm since it better mimicked the human eye, but he was shooting on 4X3 so the lens was less wide vertically), it all depends on where you sit.

Your perception totally changes based on the size of the screen and where you are sitting...

That said, my favorite "in cinema" films are shot wide. Spielberg goes up to 200mm but usually stays between 20-30. My favorite TV shows have more close ups, suitable to the smaller screen.

So...it's all relative!

Also, if you sit towards the front (Tarantino) you probably prefer telephoto lenses. But since you're expecting that you'll sit in the front anyway, you probably don't end up using them...

[Brook Willard]

There's a little bit of info on FOV and DOF as they relate to different formats in my FAQ, linked in my signature. The images are down right now [ran out of bandwidth], but the text is still there. Pics should be back up on the 16th.