Lens Adaptation

The place for questions about shooting with Blackmagic Cameras.
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Mark Day

  • Posts: 36
  • Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 4:46 pm
  • Location: Greenville, SC

Lens Adaptation

PostWed Oct 04, 2017 8:31 pm

Hey guys, I'm giving up the film media and have decided to let the Arriflex go. I need to sell it so I can purchase a digital cinema camera. The question is: I'm not sure which route to go. I've done photography for almost 40 years and have used Leica, Hasselblad, Nikon, Rolleiflex among others. I pretty much know still cameras and photography. OK, I'm particular to Nikon lenses. So, what I'm looking at is the BMPCC or BMMCC. Problem is: they all seem to be in MFT or EF mount. How difficult is it (if it's possible) to adapt a Nikon lens to a BM product? If it can be done with some sort of adapter, would I lose any lens function with the adapter? I also have some B4 lenses I'd like to use.
Thanks!
"Never mistake education for intelligence".
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Denny Smith

  • Posts: 13131
  • Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2013 4:19 pm
  • Location: USA, Northern Calif.

Re: Lens Adaptation

PostThu Oct 05, 2017 4:38 am

I have used both Pocket camera and Micro Cnema camera with Nikon mount lenses. What you need is the Metabones BMPCC/Nik Speed Booster (not the standard MFT version) for best results. Metabones also makes a non optical (dumb) MFT/NikG adapter also. The advantage,if the Speed Booster is a corrected anglwe of view that is expanded by x.58 p, so a 25mm Nikon lens behaves as a 14mm lens on the Pocket/Micro camera.

The biggest change is going to be getting used to a S16 size sensor, similar in gate size to your Arriflex, vs a full frame 35mm you get in a Nikon film camera. So the Speed Booster helps to level the playing field, in terms of angle of view. I also like to use my Super 16 lenses on the Micro Cinema camera, which adds 60 fps and improved rolling shutter control over the Pocket camera.

Also, the new Ursa Mini Pro has interchangeable lens mounts, for Nikon (dumb mount), Arri PL, and B4 in a addition to the EF mount it ships with. This would be your best bet, allowing you to use 16/S16 Arri PL lenses, B4 zooms (in HD and 2K window mode) as well as Nikon lenses (including G lenses).
Cheers
Denny Smith
SHA Productions

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