MFT or EF

Hi everyone, (Im french and my English is not at is best, sorry) I would like to have some opinions on the MFT and EF mount ! I ordered the EF mount and now I hesite a lot on that choice ... I had a 60D before I ordered my BMCC and I liked the canon lenses ! The quality of the L series is so good and when I look to olympus or Panasonic lenses, they look like a bit less quality. Also, I was thinking that the canon lenses are more easy to find on the market (new and used). But I'm not an expert of lenses so I would like to know what you guys are thinking about this ! And if you think that MFT lenses are better, could you show me some lenses that you think they are very good (more than canon).

Thank you !

(I know that there is some adapter for EF to MFT but they are at 500$... )

If you already have an assortment of EF lenses, especially L series, would you really want to pay more for MFT lenses or an adapter? Also, when adding an adapter you change the aperture of the lens due to moving the focal plane further away from the sensor. My opinion would be go for the EF mount version.

No sorry I forgot to mention that I don't have any lenses ! I sold them with my 60D ! thank you for your answer !

The MTF version won't work with most of the Panasonic and Olympus MFT lenses as the mount is a passive mount ( no electronic connections ).

The MFT mount version is great if you want to use many different types of manual lenses with passive/dumb adapters. You could use:
PL mount - like ARRI Master Primes, Angenieux Optimo zooms, many more.
Nikon F mount - from Nikon, Zeiss, Tokina
Canon FD
Contax C/Y mount - Like Contax Zeiss
And many many more as well as MFT manual lenses - Like Voitlander and SLR magic.

The EF mount version is more limited. It can control the aperture and IS of most Canon EF and EF-S lenses along with Zeiss ZE lenses - which won't work at all on the MFT mount camera. You can also use Nikon F and a few PL mount zooms.

Ok so the MFT it's more for big productions because you can use professional lenses like Zeiss and arri manual lenses. If I bought the EF version, I would be able to use canon, tokina , also nikon with an adapter, etc. So I think I will use more like these cheaper lenses instead of Zeiss digizoom at 48 000 $...

There are many cheap lenses you can use on the MFT mount. You just can't use Canon EF or EF-S lenses or any electronically controlled lenses.

Yes but are they better than canon lenses ? can you show me some mft manual lenses that price and quality look like the canon L series ! Do you know if there is more cheaper quality lenses in MFT mount than EF ?

Since you sold all your lenses, I think it will be better to go with the mft mount.. There are some good fast and wide lenses like the SLR magic 12mm f1.6 and the voigtlander 17.5mm f/0.95 and 25mm f/0.95.. Also you might sometime need renting PL prime lenses.. you are opened with a wide variety of lenses..

If you go with the EF mount your chances are limited to ef mount lenses and these with adapters: Nikon mount, m42, Leica R, Contax/Yashica, Olympus OM, Pentax K, and some limited zoom PL mount lenses!!

GET THE EF

I have preordered the MFT, a more versatile mount than EF. With MFT you can use all still photography lenses with manual iris control: NIkon, Zeiss, Canon FD, Tokina, Tamron... just need an adaptor. But also you could use vintage cinema lenses with cinema mounts like PL, OCT 19 and others. You can find great lenses like vintage cooke Speed Pancrho, Lomo, Ekran... Take a look to this article about still photography lenses vs 16 and 35mm cinema lenses
http://konvas.org/faq/faqs/faq/comparis ... ine-lenses

There are many lenses that would compete with the Canon L series. In fact many of the Zeiss ZF or ZE are cheaper than the Canon L lenses and I'd say are better lenses. Much nicer manual focus control, better build quality and a beautiful image.

I've ordered a EF mount as much of my glass is Nikon mount and I have a few Canon lenses. I might look at adding the MFT version at a later date.

Maybe you want to read this post from the Cinematogrher Shane Hurlbut.. He talks about still lenses and mentions about canon lenses.. You might want to give it a read:

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2010 ... ll-lenses/

lol I don't know what to do !!! the lenses that you had show me are still so you have to buy a 7000 $ of Zeiss ze set to be able to full your range of mm... is there any zoom lenses like the canon 24-70 ?

Lots of options. probably to many to list here. here are a few that I have that would work in both...

For wide-mid angle work:
Tokina 11-16 f/2.8
Nikon 14-24 f/2.8

Mid-tele range:
Nikon AIS 35-70 f/3.5
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8
Angenieux 35-75

Tele
Nikon 70-200 f/2.8


Personally I prefer Pimes and will be using these lenses along with the Tokina 11-16 on the BMCC:
Zeiss ZF.2 - 25mm f/2, 35mm f/2, 50mm f1.4 and 85mm f/1.4.

All with cine mods from True Lens Services.

If I had nothing at all in my kit I would look at this:

EF mount BMCC
Tokina 11-16 f/2.8
Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS

Covers a lot of range and you get IS the 17-55.

I might even pick up the 17-55 for some run and gun work.

Again, I can use all these lenses with adapter for 35$ ... and Zeiss do prime lenses for EF mount to ! So, I think I will go with EF... I don't see enough benefits to go with MFT mount ! And MFT to Nikon F Lens Adapter is at 150$ to 500$...So I don't think you save a lot of money when you take MFT mount ! Thank you for your answers !

I can only answer you from my own experience...
Originally I ordered EF mount, but as soon as I heard of MFT I changed my order.
My reasoning is this:
1. I have wonderful vintage Carl Zeiss 85mm f1.4 (not easy to get but possible to find in ebay for around $800) and LOMO 35mm and 24mm Russian film lenses (extremely inexpensive). These look so great and better than any lens I have seen (way better than Canon lenses), and need very cheap lens adapters that you can find on ebay.
2. As BMC is smaller sensor camera than EF-S and MFT cameras, you need fast wide lenses for shallower DOF, which are difficult to find for EF mount. I m planning to get SLR Magic 12mm f1.6 (again not expensive), and Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95 & 24mm f0.95. These last two lenses are not on the cheap side, but are incredibly fast and high quality lenses for their price, and again way better than anything I can find with Canon.

This set will cover all ranges for my needs (with possible addition of Samyang 8mm - which works on both EF and MFT). Now all my lenses are prime, as I hate shooting with zoom lenses (I don't really need zoom as I only shoot dramatic scripted stuff) - so it really depends what type of productions are you planning to film.

Check out some articles about all this on eoshd.com and philipbloom.net
Both of these guys are blessing for us low budget independent filmmakers.

Hope this helps...

P.S. I m more worried about when my BMCC is coming, as it looks like I will loose two jobs - a short and a feature because I expected to have camera in my hands by the end of the year. God knows if we'll ever have it. If I had more money I would either go for a RED or even risk it with Chinese Kineraw s35.

I'm stuck in both worlds because I have some PL mounts that I use for my Super 16mm film camera, but I use a Canon DSLR. I've really been torn because I would like to just have one set of lenses to use on all of them - I can't really afford to have even the lenses I want, let alone for two different mounts.

My plan is to just go with EF for ease of use between the BMCC and my Canon. I think that works best for what I need, which is the most flexibility for my daily shooting. If I need high quality cinema lenses for a project I'll rent some Zeiss Compact Primes in EF mount. Likewise with my film camera I'll just rent PL lenses if necessary. I'm thinking that it doesn't make sense to try to own everything, I just want to own gear that is good enough for everyday use, and then rent for more elaborate projects.

My head says EF, my heart MFT.

Elaboration...
EF will be available sooner and Grant didn't give a date to when MFT will begin mass production.
It's all about the story/character and BMCC EF is good enough.

MFT because I'm sure if I see the first true Alexa-like cinema with S35 type depth of field footage, it be MFT all the way.
Some fast cheap lenses (including wides) and more on the way. Less lighting budget.

Cheers,
Jules

1. I have wonderful vintage Carl Zeiss 85mm f1.4 (not easy to get but possible to find in ebay for around $800) and LOMO 35mm and 24mm Russian film lenses (extremely inexpensive). These look so great and better than any lens I have seen (way better than Canon lenses), and need very cheap lens adapters that you can find on ebay.

Where do I get this LOMO 35mm and 24mm Russian film lenses, can you give me links. Thanks.

I don't know why the OP is pining for L glass. They were designed for still photography not motion pictures. If you want some good quality video lenses, and don't want to break the bank, get a set of Rokinon/Samyang/Bower cinema lenses. A decent set will run you around two grand. They sell them in multiple mounts, though they are fully manual, so you can use them on the MFT camera without any problems. Similarly, you can get all kinds of wonderful and cheap vintage lenses that will adapt nicely to an MFT mount, even all of the Canon FD's.

1. I have wonderful vintage Carl Zeiss 85mm f1.4 (not easy to get but possible to find in ebay for around $800) and LOMO 35mm and 24mm Russian film lenses (extremely inexpensive). These look so great and better than any lens I have seen (way better than Canon lenses), and need very cheap lens adapters that you can find on ebay.

Where do I get this LOMO 35mm and 24mm Russian film lenses, can you give me links. Thanks.

There are many on eBay.

I think the best answer is, "How comfortable were you with shooting with camera iris control & AF? If the OP went the 60D route extensively/exclusively for a few years then the EF mount will probably best suit what he is looking for. I'm like a lot of you, I like the manual lenses. I came from a 16/35mm background, so that is what I "grew up on". The ENG guys or ones that broke in via video, like controlling lens through camera. It's what feels best for you that is important.

Guys, this topic is from DECEMBER 2012

Does the Tokina Lens mentioned above have aperture control?