In what lens mount should I invest?

Hi @!

I need your advice.
The question is simple: in what lens mount should I invest?
I know it's a common question but the reason I ask is:
for the time being I have been shooting with bmpcc with metabones speedbooster and Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 EF mount lens (I'm happy with the results).
The new camera I want to shoot is the new bmpcc4k which I pre-ordered the day it has been announced.
Therefore since a lens is for life I want to know if I should invest in EF, PL or MFT mount.
If EF then I will use it with speedbooster (advantages such as: reduced crop and increased aperture).
If PL then I need an adapter to go from PL to MFT (advantages such as: better locking and ready for more professional cameras)
If MFT then advantages such as: no more additional optics in front of the sensor.

So PL seems to be something which everyone wants to go at some point but how is this going to work with the new bmpcc4k? Which scenario is the most reliable: bmpcc4k + speedbooster (EF to MFT) + EF to PL adapter or bmpcc4k + PL to MFT adapter (does such adapter exists)?

You can only use a very limited amount of PL glass, on a MFT-PL adapter, mostly zooms.

Most of my glass is (mechanical) Nikon mount, since that is really easy to adapt to almost everything.

You can only use a very limited amount of PL glass, on a MFT-PL adapter, mostly zooms.

Most of my glass is (mechanical) Nikon mount, since that is really easy to adapt to almost everything.

I see... so I will have to stick with the actual EF mount.

Of the choices you mentioned:

- MFT is the riskiest investment. It is the least likely to have legs. But if you can get immediate value out of a lens, it is the most straightforward to use.

- PL seems like a great investment, but in truth can be a bit hard to adapt, for little "real" benefit.

- EF is the safest investment. There will always be EF cameras and adapters.

All that said, I have to agree with Frank. Nikon F mount is actually the very most flexible, and the one that I chose when investing in my prime glass and SpeedBooster. (I also have a few MFT lenses for convenience.) You can go Nikon > Canon, but you can't in reverse.

I have used the Zeiss S16 Primes and the Elite Primes on a PL/MFT adapter, as well as vintage and newer zooms, like the Duclos Tokina 11-16, and a 18-50 Cine Zoom. I have a HotRod Camera Mattr Turner MFT/PL adapter I used on my AF100, and plan to use with the new Pocket 4K. Also the Wooden Camera PL/MFT Pro adapter should work well. But adding heavy glass to an adapter on the MFT mount requires rigging the camera and adding lens adapter and lens support systems.

The lens mount you choose, will depend on the lenses you want to use or already have. Investing in expensive PL lenses just for the new Pocket is possibly not the best choice, as these lenses tend to be large and heavy, being made for larger S35 sensors. While the PL Mount is wounderful and easy to use for cine lenes, it might not be the best choice for the new Pocket MFT mount system.

The new Pocket is light and compact (for a Cine Camera) so why load it down with large, heavy lenses.
I agree with Frank, investing in lenses like the Zeiss ZF or other Nikon F mount lenses will be useable over several different camera platforms. I have thee Zeiss ZF lenses I like, the 28mm f/2.0 (one of my favorites) rhe 35mm and 50mm.

Native MFT glass is a,so getting better, and it a perfect match to the new camera. Panasonic is releasing a new Panny Leica hybrid still/video wide angle zoom, a 10-26 f/1.7, in addition to their PL 12-60 Zoom, that is Video ready, and parfocal. The PL Primes are nice and compact. Also look at rhe new Olympus Pro series Primes and Zoom lenses.
Cheers

I also think it depends on whether you'd also like do stills photography at some point, cause it's efficient to be able to have just one set of lenses that can be used for both purposes. In retrospect I regret my decision in the early days of Sony mirrorless cameras to invest in E-mount lenses and am now planning to sell those Zeiss and Sony lenses (and camera) so I can use my MFT lenses for stills photography as well (which also means buying a new MFT camera from Olympus or Panasonic).

All good advice there using the lenses you may already have.

Denny covers a lot of the options. Frank’s caveat emptor just means you can’t assume any PL lens will work with a mFT-PL adapter. But many of the newer lenses will work as they no longer have a protruding rear element. Primes like the SLR Magic APO series are fine. I have SLR Magic’s own mFT-PL adapter coming which will be fine on the BMPC4K. I will use the Wooden Camera mFT-PL Pro adapter with a foot to secure the adapter to a plate relieving the stress on the mFT mount and I’ll use that for the slightly heavier Tokina Cinema ATX 11-20 T2.9 Zoom coming in December. In these configurations, I still plan to rig the camera and shoot on sticks.

I also have the EF-PL adapter so I can use the lenses with my Canon stills camera. I’ve a lot invested in PL so my first option is using what I have.

If you want mobility and want to be inconspicuous as your top priority, don’t take my advice.


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Thank you all for your precious advice.

Before making the final decision I would like to know your opinion about Metabones Speed Booster Ultra 0.71x Adapter for PL Lens to Micro Four Thirds.

The usefulness of a SpeedBooster for PL to mFT mount depends upon the lenses you would want to use with it. Many PL lenses are designed for Super 35 and if the image circle isn’t much larger than that, the lens would vignette with the Ultra 0.71x adapter on the BMPCC4K.

0.71x1.9x = 1.349x crop. Full frame lenses like my SLR Magic APO PL primes are fine but Super 35 lenses like the new Tokina Cinema ATX 11-20mm T2.9 may have issues. The image circle of that new Super 35 lens has not been published as far as I know.

I need to wait to make any SpeedBooster decisions until next year as the new camera and Tokina have used up my budget.

I bought the Tokina so I wouldn’t need a SpeedBooster and avoid having any potential problems with additional glass between the primary lens and the sensor package.

Here’s a table I put together without considering the SpeedBooster showing how my lenses will behave:

4K 4096x2160 crop 1.9x ~135 film equivalents
11 -> 21mm
12 -> 23mm
14 -> 27mm
16 -> 30mm
18 -> 34mm W
20 -> 38mm

25 -> 48mm N
32 -> 61mm
50 -> 95mm P
85 -> 162mm T

UHD 3840x2160 2.025x ~135 film equivalents
11 -> 22mm
12 -> 24mm
14 -> 28mm
16 -> 32mm
18 -> 36mm W
20 -> 41mm

25 -> 51mm N
32 -> 65mm
50 -> 101mm P
85 -> 172mm T

Obviously if I wanted to record wide angles with raw HD, I’d need the SpeedBooster! If not I’m restricted to normal, portrait, and telephoto angles of view. But within those boundaries, the Tokina will still be very useful as is in HD.

The other factor to keep in my mind is that BRAW can be so economical in terms of media, I plan to record 4K/UHD as my default when that upgrade comes to the BMPCC4K. The Tokina ships in early December in time for two client shoots. I’m hoping to get BRAW ASAP.


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Thanks Rick for the precious information.
It looks like EF is the one to go.

EF lenses are full frame 125 film so will work well with the Ultra 0.71x and the XL 0.64x.

When I mentioned the SLR Magic APO PL lenses are also fine, it’s because their image circle is slightly larger than full frame. But it isn’t just the APO primes, as several of the modern PL lenses will also provide similar coverage.


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