Nikon "G" 1.4 primes, a mini review...

[Larry McKee]

Many of us are used to doing things the way they have been done for decades. And those methods have been adopted because they work. With the electronic mount, REDMOTE Pro, touch to focus, and face recognition, Epic may offer possibilities many of us have never considered. The electronic tools may not work very well. But, if they do, we may see these cameras being used in ways that would not be possible the way we have always worked up to this point. So, while these new lenses don't have a traditional cine lens build quality or marks, it just might not matter that much when the Epic is fully functional. Time will tell.

[Evin Grant]

I don't get it. I'm sure these G Nikon lenses are optically great. But this is a cinema forum since REDs are cinema cameras.

Won't these G lenses have limited use on a RED since they don't have the cine mechanics? Maybe useful just for Interviews, EPK, ???
I would buy them in a sec if they had excellent mechanics and marks.

In general you are correct but Reds get used in a variety of production types. Once you factor in the electronic control of focus and iris the mechanics of these lenses become much less of an obstacle, and this is very important for productions on a limited budget.

[Julio Quintana]

Once you factor in the electronic control of focus and iris the mechanics of these lenses become much less of an obstacle, and this is very important for productions on a limited budget.

I'm wondering if good electronic glass could be useful even for productions that AREN'T on a limited budget. If the RedMote is as good as many people hope it is, still glass could be a very light weight wireless solution that doesn't require rails to mount bulky Preston motors and such.

[Jay Gannon]

Well the thing is with RED there has been a big change in that there is now a large amount of owner operators/owner renters, and with Nikon Glass you can have a full range of lenses for the price of a single Master Prime, for that reason alone it makes sense to be looking at high end stills glass (Which remember the high end cine glass is based on many still glass tech, look at Panavision Primo's) for purchase.
Got a big production? Rent a set of master primes or a Zeiss Master Zoom.
Got a small production? Use your Nikon Glass. Rent a spciality Macro or Zoom if needed.
Want to take your camera out one evening when the light is nice ans shoot the sunset, glass is there ready to go and so is the camera.

So while stills glass doesnt have the mechanics, its price/performance ratio is off the wall. So it makes sense to me at any rate for RED owners to be looking into it.

[Martin Widerberg]

Evin, did you get the Novoflex with AF confirmation chip?
If so, does it work in practice?

I'm very exited about the eventual possibility to program different focus points on the Epic and have them execute with a puch of a button. Would make difficult camera movement so much easier.

Martin

[Shane Betts]

I got this Novoflex one with the "G" iris ring. Works like a charm on a 5D.


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...apter_for.html

Thanks Evin. I have the same question. Does this adaptor also provide focus confirmation or is it, as I fear, you get either focus confirmation or G lens support?

[Evin Grant]

The mount I have is "dumb", IE no electronics. AFAIK the Canon's can't use autofocus confirmation for video anyway. For obvious reasons I wouldn't use theses lenses for stills on a Canon.

BTW here are some breathing tests on @f1.4 on a 5D...

http://www.evingrant.com/pics/NikonG...mBreathing.MOV
http://www.evingrant.com/pics/NikonG...mBreathing.MOV
http://www.evingrant.com/pics/NikonG...mBreathing.MOV
http://www.evingrant.com/pics/NikonG...mBreathing.MOV

Overall I think the breathing is pretty good for still lenses. Checkout the min. focus at the end of the 24mm clip!

[D Fuller]

Thanks Evin. I have the same question. Does this adaptor also provide focus confirmation or is it, as I fear, you get either focus confirmation or G lens support?

Does Canon require electronics for focus confirmation? That surprises me. On my Nikons, I get focus confirmation with AIS lenses and they have no electronics at all.

[Lee Saxon]

Does Canon require electronics for focus confirmation? That surprises me. On my Nikons, I get focus confirmation with AIS lenses and they have no electronics at all.

As if we needed another reason Nikon>Canon :P

[paul engstrom]

The mount I have is "dumb", IE no electronics. AFAIK the Canon's can't use autofocus confirmation for video anyway. For obvious reasons I wouldn't use theses lenses for stills on a Canon.

BTW here are some breathing tests on @f1.4 on a 5D...

http://www.evingrant.com/pics/NikonG...mBreathing.MOV
http://www.evingrant.com/pics/NikonG...mBreathing.MOV
http://www.evingrant.com/pics/NikonG...mBreathing.MOV
http://www.evingrant.com/pics/NikonG...mBreathing.MOV

Overall I think the breathing is pretty good for still lenses. Checkout the min. focus at the end of the 24mm clip!

Thanks for these Evin! Yeah, not bad for stills. Hello Doggie!