I have been working on an EX3/Nikon adaptor and its nearly ready for launch. This afternoon I have spent some time with the anodising company and they showd me a host of different colours to choose from. Now this got me thinking. I was just going to have it anodised black, but would potential buyers prefer it coloured?

Black?
Red to suite your Zacuto base plate?
Blue?
Natural Aluminium?

The adaptor has been beta tested for the last three weeks and come through with flying "colours". Tomorrow afternoon production starts in earnest and next week they will be off to the anodisers before it is assembled with the Nikon mount prior to shipping.

The price? I am sure it will be a case of "I can now afford to get one" rather than " I want one but can't afford it". More of that at launch together with pics but its a very good fair price, believe me.

Lets here your thoughts on what colour you would prefer if you were to buy.

Thanks.

Hi Steve

Are you thinking about making a similar product for Canon Ef lenses?

I will be certainly looking at Canon lenses after this one is launched. Being in the Nikon camp I started with something more familiar but if it can be done I will give it a go.

Hi Steve

Well I for one would be very interested in a Canon EF mount for my EX3.

As I don't own a canon lens, the bayonet would be basic like the brevis, redrock and Letus, in that if the canon lens didn't have an apeture ring I am unsure how you would be abe to change it, without having a canon camera on hand.

But I will be on the case in the next month, and it shouldn't be too difficult now I have got the Nikon version sorted.

A word of caution is in order relative to Canon lenses. It isn't possible to mount a Canon lens on a JVC HDxx camera because the focal point of the lens is too short to reach the sensor block, the way the JVC is mechanically configured. I hope the EX3 is less generous in its mount to focal plane dimension.

Hi Bill I will soon find out if its possible or not. Interestingly there is no Canon adaptor currently available. Perhaps others have got that far and realised it's a no goer.

If a Canon EF mount can be made..... how will one adjust aperture? There is no external (manual) aperture adjustment on Canon EF lenses.

I believe you would have to do it via a canon stills camera on hand. And probably part of the reason why many videographers chose Nikon over Canon.

I knew my collection of 18 Nikkor lenses would have a second life one day.

Black would be the perfect colour, but not glossy and a good scratch resistant coating.

Definately leaning towards black as standard because its so neutral.

Using Nikons on the EX3 is quite something. The magnification is 5.5, so wides don't benefit but longer lenses certainly do. I use the Nikon 80-200 2.8 on it every day and the results are excellent. We have a squirrel stealing nuts from the bird feeder in the garden and I get great shots of the squirels head and teeth noshing away. Wouldn't get anything close to that on the stock lens. With my 300mm F4 Nikon results are even more interesting, and of coourse the extremely shallow depth of field brought about by using these lenses wide open and zoomed in make the results extremely film like, without the use of a 35mm adaptor.

The CNC starts up after lunch and the first batch should hopefully be ready next week all being well at the anodisers.

It's sounding good Steve, any idea on price?

I already have a 35mm adaptor but would be interested in one of yours if it came in a matt black and a highly durable finish. Mine is shiny and fairly easy to scratch.

Vincent, price will be finalised late this afternoon once I get the quote in from the anodizers. If you know the price of the adaptors current on the market, you will be very happy indeed.

Paul, it looks more than likely we will be going in black, anodised to be as durable as possible.

As one who is interested, I'll weigh in with a request for a black matte anodized finish.

Anxiously awaiting price point.

Now, for the dumb question-- I haven't shot Nikon's in ages (became a Canon person 15 years ago). Which lens series would be used with the adapter?

Thanks

Ned

Hi Ned, now the reason Nikons are so popular is because they have kept the same mount for about the last 50 years, so all Nikon lenses will fit.

Trouble is the brand new Nikons don't have an apeture ring, which is really needed. So basically any old Nikons you have will work just fine.

Black it is going to be. Speaking to the anodisers, there's cosmetic anodised, and hard anodised, which is a totally different process. And you guessed it, hard anodised costs a lot more to do.

you mentioned the possibility of a Canon EF mount earlier in this thread, and I wondered how that would work, since they do not have aperture rings either. however, have you considered making up a Canon FD mount?

It would be a basic Canon mount, for use with canon lenses with Apeture rings. Once I have completed the Nikon moount I can move onto that.

The D lenses have aperture rings but the newer P lenses don't. All the lenses prior to the D series have aperture rings as far as I'm aware! Hope that helps clarify things a little!

I have a already designed a Canon FD to EX3, a PL to EX3 and am working on Canon EF (with electronic interface) to EX3

Prototypes on their way for testing soon.

I have ramped up production batches for my (the first) Nikon to EX3 in order to get the price down.

Mr Shovlar:
A word of warning.

I have been designing such equipment for 20 years and started my Ltd company 3 years ago with many hundreds of happy customers, this is my livelihood.
If this adaptor of yours bears ANY resemblance TO THE ONE YOU PURCHASED FROM ME,
rest assured, I will be seeking legal advice.

Mike its nothing like yours I can tell you so no need to warn me of anything. You have made a nice adaptor no doubt about it. But mine is designed differently with genuine Nikon parts. Of course both ends are the same as one fits the EX3 and the other a nikon lens but the fittings are different as are the dimensions. Are you going to get onto Les Bosher and threaten him as well, because he has just announced he is making a batch.

All well moaning but an adaptor is an adaptor and the one Les Bosher is now bringing out will be similar to mine I guess. It's called business.

I remember a few years ago I was making a special hosepipe for caravans so they would have a permament supply without having to go and fill up the water butt all the time. Sold it on Ebay for a good profit. Until 2 others made exactly the same thing and sold it for half the price. That's business.

People see a place where they can make a bit of money and fill the spot.

I will be working on the Canon version as soon as the Nikon is launched, hopefully next week if all goes well.

I have known Les for a number of years.

Yes we do come up with similar designs but I dont have a problem with Les as he and I work independently.

"They are being made as I speak. Its taken a fair bit of work but we got it right straight away"

What work are you referring to? testing on your autocollimator and your test projector or just taking the measurements directly from mine?

What Les and I DONT do is to pass off someone else's hard work as their own.

If you had designed your adaptor from scratch, fair play, but miraculously coming up with one a few weeks after buying mine? .. thats just the lowest of the low.

I just hope these good people on here continue to support the "working man"

Not for nothing Steve, but wasn't this you less than a month ago?

Quote of Steve Shovlar from a post here (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/sony-xdcam-ex-cinealta/128556-ex3-nikon-lens-adaptor-2.html) on DVinfo dated January 15, 2009: " Seriously considering the Ex3 Nikon Adaptor, but the price is............well not cheap to say the least!

When I look on Ebay at those adaptors from Hong Kong for a fiver and compare, this adaptor seems extortionate in comparison. There's a Nikon adaptor from Hong Kong which is an extention tube. Has a similar Nikon mount and tube rather than a flange where the EX3 attaches, but is £4.99. Of course its not the same thing but not a lot different.

And its 57 times cheaper!

I understand the EX3 adaptor is of limited demand. I understand that MTS have to make a profit. I understand that no one is twisting my arm to buy it. But at £285 +VAT its Zacuto/VF Gadgets prices plus some extra.

Moan over. I want one but flippin' eck!!"


Pardon me Steve, but in 27 days you've gone from "moan"ing about spending a few hundred bucks for an MTF Nikon/EX3 adapter, to having already gone through funding/design/build/production/and now promotion of your new adapter line? In 27 days?

That my friend, is remarkable. Could you post a picture of your adapter here for us? I for one would love to see it.

I have known Les for a number of years.

Yes we do come up with similar designs but I dont have a problem with Les as he and I work independently.

"They are being made as I speak. Its taken a fair bit of work but we got it right straight away"

What work are you referring to? testing on your autocollimator and your test projector or just taking the measurements directly from mine?

What Les and I DONT do is to pass off someone else's hard work as their own.

If you had designed your adaptor from scratch, fair play, but miraculously coming up with one a few weeks after buying mine? .. thats just the lowest of the low.

I just hope these good people on here continue to support the "working man"

Mike, you are completely wrong with me. This is not the same as yours, which is a great bit of kit. The ends are the same but as with all adaptors, they are similar. Its like Letus accusing SG Pro of having a similar adaptor, because both look similar and do the same job.

If I had anything to hide I would certainly not use my real name on forums. I don't hide behind a handle because I don't need to.

Sure I get where you are coming from when you see someone else produce a bit of kit which does the same job. I have been there myself but thats life and that's business.

Like anyone else with a bit of business savvy, I see a gap and try to fill it.

Once my adaptor is back from the anodisers and ready for launch there will be pictures of it on my site for your perusal.

And then I can start making the Canon version.

Could you post a picture of your adapter here for us? I for one would love to see it.

You certainly shall next week. Considering I have access to CNC and milling machines I would have had this out earlier but for the CNC being fully booked.

And as I said earlier, Mike Tapa's adaptor is very good. But IMO far too expensive so I made my own with some aluminium and some genuine Nikon parts. Costed it up and realised I could offer it for a very keen price. I can't see what the problem is other than I am likely to be cheaper.

I guessed there would be some moans when I decided to make it, but as I have done nothing wrong and have noting to hide, well there's not a lot more I can say.

Mike, you are completely wrong with me. This is not the same as yours, which is a great bit of kit. The ends are the same but as with all adaptors, they are similar. Its like Letus accusing SG Pro of having a similar adaptor, because both look similar and do the same job.

If I had anything to hide I would certainly not use my real name on forums. I don't hide behind a handle because I don't need to.

Sure I get where you are coming from when you see someone else produce a bit of kit which does the same job. I have been there myself but thats life and that's business.

Like anyone else with a bit of business savvy, I see a gap and try to fill it.

Once my adaptor is back from the anodisers and ready for launch there will be pictures of it on my site for your perusal.

And then I can start making the Canon version.

And I understand what you are saying but what I find hard to stomach is that, although,you may be not hide behind an alias (like everyone else here) but don't have the decency to admit to everyone that you purchased my adaptor and basically copied it.

Like I said in an earlier post, what was this work you did to get it to work first time?
Did mine sit in a drawer and have no influence on your "design"?

Sorry, not business savvy, just a copycat

It took me all of a couple of hours to design. There is so little to it. The Ex3 comes with an adaptor. I took the measurements from that for the camera end. the other end is a Nikon mount. So what is there to it? You are trying to say I measured yours? Why would I need to? I have all the measurements I would need at hand. I have the EX3 adaptor and I own several Nikon mounts anyway.

I have never denied I don't have yours. I needed one for a job. Yours is very well made, but I thought at the time it was extremely expensive.

What you are saying is I shouldn't make one? If I purchased a Letus and a Brevis 35mm adaptor, does that mean I am barred from making a 35mm adaptor? Because they all do the same thing.

Mike: If you feel your adapter is unique and has some unique or special features then you should have patented it.

Surely if anyone or any business was going to produce a product you would go out and buy similar products to see how others have done it. It's called research, it's not illegal or immoral, it just good business sense. Sure a direct copy is wrong, but finding back focus distances and measuring flange widths etc is not rocket science.

No one from VF gadgets started throwing accusations around when Jeff made his base plate that does exactly the same thing but is to a different design and this is not the place to accuse someone of stealing your ideas before you have even seen what he has done.

Mike,

I think you should wait to see what Steve has produced and see if it infringess any of your Patents - I assume you do have a Patent on your product.

I don't think you are doing yourself any favours by publicly accusing someone of copying your design/product until you have at least seen it.

BTW. I don't hide behind an alias, nor do many other posters, please don't tar us all with the same brush.

I wonder if Sony is thinking about legal action against Kesington and Transcend for making a compatible card with their camera.

Good luck to you Mike and good luck Steve, may the best man win.

For those of you who have been following this thread, you'll notice that it was withdrawn from public view for a short while, and now it's been restored, minus a slew of inadvertent duplicate posts we suffered as the result of a forum glitch earlier in the day.

There are perhaps a few folks here who are still not fully aware of how the proceedings are conducted on this site. We pull threads from public view, edit them, and restore them on a regular basis, to preserve the clarity and flow of technical information. That is the goal. We're running a highly collaborative and orderly resource library here, not internet anarchy.

You can help with this process by using the "report post" function found to the left of every post on the forum. It sends an automated message to our moderators telling us the exact location of the issue (too many times I get an email saying "can you delete my post?" and I'm like "which one, exactly? we've got a million of 'em").

Please use the report post function and then step back and let us handle it... if you get in there and escalate the matter, you're just creating more work for us to do and more posts for us to pull, and that's how accounts get closed.

Finally, this nonsense accusing the original poster of acting in bad faith comes to a screeching halt and most definitely will not happen again. And now, back to our programming.

Not sure I really want to enter the fray here, but what the heck. I just want to say in Mike's defense, that I have purchased his adapter and have found it to be of excellent quality and design. Personally (and no offense intended to those who care about this sort of thing) deciding on what color an adapter should be is IMHO irrelevant. The important thing is how well it performs, and what your image result will be. I could care less how my camera 'looks' if it is providing me with a decent image.
Is the price for Mike's adapter too high? I can't say.... I don't design and build things like this. I leave that up to people smarter than me, but I get the benefit of their hard work. If you compare the price of Mike's adapter to the Sony LO-32BMT (2/3" adapter, which I also have purchased), it's a bargain. I seriously doubt Mike's resources can compare to Sony when it comes to design and marketing of a product, so why does Sony charge nearly $700 for what appears to be the same amount of design and engineering involved?
On some level, because of the limited application and demand for products like this initially, we all have to pay for the R&D. As that demand grows, the price comes down, and competitors enter the marketplace. The early adopters always pay the price highest price. Mike has told me that his price with a ramped up production will now be substantially lower ($135BPS) as the profit margin (we all have to make some money for our efforts, don't we?) can be spread out over more product sales.
I'm not going to make any judgments over design infringements or any of that.... it's not my business. There is probably a better place for that discussion than in this forum, however.
That said, I just wanted to at least put my two cents in for what I feel is an excellently designed product which has more than met my expectations which are rather high. I think also the cost was higher for those of us in the U.S., because of the exchange rate. I seem to remember a lot of people also bemoaning the cost of Doug Jensen's DVD when it had to be shipped overseas.... but that didn't mean for a second that the DVD wasn't worth it. I think anyone who paid the extra price and received the DVD felt it was money well spent.
I feel the same way about Mike's product, and will eagerly await the possible arrival soon of a Canon EF adapter. (the holy grail for me!)

I'm not saying Steve's adapter won't be of high quality, either. I just wanted to give my 2 cents worth with the product I have personal experience using.... isn't that what this forum is about after all?
Happy shooting

I
I just hope these good people on here continue to support the "working man"

Don't worry Mike, you've got the advantage of having "Got there first". I've used your adapters and think they're great. Your support is also first rate. Next time I need an adaptor you'll be the first person I'll call. In a community this small, I always go with what I know and what I know will work. Nothing against anyone else, I just go with the brand I'm familiar with.

Nicely said Derek. Thanks for pointing out the new price for the MTF adapter. $195 US is a steal in my opinion. I remember when I bought my Zoerk JVC/Nikon adapter. That thing was half the size of the EX3 adapter and it cost me almost $400 when I purchased it. Then I had to send it back to Germany because it was defective. The Nikon side of the mount was really sloppy. Go ahead and roll over this image (http://www.gotagteam.com/HD200_Zork/Adapter_Differeces/OrigZoarkPlay-12_01_07.html) to see for yourself.

I called Mike after that. The MTF adapter was much better made. Better service and design too. I was so happy with Mike's adapter that I put a page together on the differences between the adapters to help others here on DVinfo. (http://www.reelsense.net/HD-200/JVC-Nikon_Adapters/NikonAdapterCOMPR.html) Still to this day the only way you can get to this page is from here on DVinfo. I never even linked to it from my own website. So many people have helped me here I thought I'd help others back.

It's good to know you're buying something well thought out, well built, and especially accurate when it comes to images.

Tight community here. Sorry to see things get heated.

Mike Tapa started designing the Nikon-EX3 adapter as soon as the EX3 was announced and released the adapter very early. For me it was crucial as I could not work without this adapter. The same applies to the Nikon Z7 adapter - again, Mike was the first to release it and made it possible for me to use the camera. I was more than happy to pay his price which I found very reasonable. I believe it is in the intererst of everyone to support Mike as when a new adapter will be needed in 1-2 years time he will be the one to release it first and make it possible for people like me to make a living months before the other manufacturers join in.

Cheers,

Ofer Levy
Sydney

I'll tell you one thing that would be good, a really firm locking system on the Nikon end. I've used Nikons on a few cameras in the past, notably Aatons, and the only problem is the fairly naff Nikon lens mount and most specifically its locking mechanism. You can't beat a clamp-type system like PL or the Aaton mount, or even Sony B4, the quick release twist systems with a locking pin that stills cameras use are always very wimpy. I wonder if there would be a way to put some sort of clamp mechanism on there so that you still twist it so the flanges engage, but then a lever applies some sort of clamping to it. It would stop sagging and also twisting during focus/zooming.
Over you to you Steve/Mike/Les!
Steve

You are exactly right Steve. There is nothng to "copy", other than each end which have to be "copied". One end is a nikon female fitting, the other the EX3 coupling. Between is a piece of aluminium tube the right length for back focus. Thats it. The rest is what colour do you want it?

I thought the tube should be made out of Invar otherwise backfocus will change with temperature.

Invar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invar)

Never heard of it! Does that mean that the actual mounts on all lenses are made of it too?
Steve

Never heard of it! Does that mean that the actual mounts on all lenses are made of it too?
Steve

The only lenses I'm that familiar with are PL mount. The lens flanges are aluminium, the P+S PL mounts seem to be invar judging by the hardness and cost. Locking Al to Al is probably not a good look for other reasons such as cold welding causing things to jam. I also note you can buy 3rd party mounts for the Red camera made of invar so it's quite commonly used for this purpose. I'd imagine it's a beast to machine though.

Locking Al to Al is probably not a good look for other reasons such as cold welding causing things to jam. .

Don't understand that at all, there's no good reason not to use clamping systems. Canon FD used to have a breach-lock clamp mechanism before they phased them out and used bayonet instead (same mount and same lenses though) so no reason why not. Only speed of use is an issue.

Steve

If and when I get my EX3 I will probably get a Nikon adapter as well as I have a full set of Nikons finest. My choice will be made simply on the price of the product which does the job. If Steve's and Mike's adapters work, and theres nothing to suggest they dont or wont at this point in time, then the cheapest one will get my business. Simple as.

Theres no room for sentiment in this situation, its business for these guys, pure and simple. As long as theres no copyright or patent infringement then good luck to both parties.

A bit of healthy competition in any market, be it cameras, cars or whatever, never did the end user any harm, its a captive market than allows folk to charge over the odds. Once competition is introduced to a captive market producer, its amazing how quickly they will find a way of lowering their price. Now the cynical amongst us will simpy think they should have sold at a lower price anyway, instead of taking advantage of the lack of competition to charge over the odds for their products.

Stuart

In order to design an adaptor which "worked right away"
You would need to know the register of Nikon lenses AND the 'in air' register of the EX3 mount.

Now we all know what the Nikon side of the equation is but at the time I was designing my adaptor, the EX3 in air register was a complete mystery to everyone outside of Sony and as far as I know, still has not been made public. (please correct me if I'm wrong, links?)


Until now, none of these pieces of crucial info has been discussed here other than a piece of tube being the "right length" (I must remember that one for my CAD, the right length ±0.01mm)

So lens register minus camera register = "the right length"

Taking measurements from the 1/2" to EX3 adaptor is no use whatsoever as this contains a glass block which increases the length of the light path depending on glass type and its thickness.

Im not accusing anyone of anything, I'm simply asking a question, as any curious and interested engineer would.

So, I'm still puzzled as to how the missing info was arrived at.

How can anyone Know what the "right length" is without knowing the EX3 register?

I have shared some info here.
As one engineer to another, perhaps Steve would like to explain how he calculated the EX3 register.

Please remember, this is to design an adaptor that works first time.

I don't mean to have a go at anyone here, but if it was so easy to build such devices knowing, at most half the data required, why isn't everyone doing it?

On another note, I would like to thank those who have supported me on here, the numerous emails, and all those who have already taken advantage of my new pricing.

I'm thinking of using a new slogan "now you can afford an original"

I'll tell you one thing that would be good, a really firm locking system on the Nikon end. I've used Nikons on a few cameras in the past, notably Aatons, and the only problem is the fairly naff Nikon lens mount and most specifically its locking mechanism. You can't beat a clamp-type system like PL or the Aaton mount, or even Sony B4, the quick release twist systems with a locking pin that stills cameras use are always very wimpy. I wonder if there would be a way to put some sort of clamp mechanism on there so that you still twist it so the flanges engage, but then a lever applies some sort of clamping to it. It would stop sagging and also twisting during focus/zooming.
Over you to you Steve/Mike/Les!
Steve

I had been working on something similar for Nikon lenses but because there was not enough room on my Nikon to 1/3" adaptor, I put it on the back burner.

Will look at it again for the EX3 and let you know.

While you're at it Mike, think "G" centric. Not necessarily to replace what you are already selling, but perhaps in addition to. I already have two Nikons that I can't (respectfully) use on the EX3 because of this annoying elimination of Nikon's manual iris control on their new "G" lenses.

And Steve, I couldn't agree more. I completely hate how still lenses move on their OEM mounts. Got to be a better way. And by the way on your telephoto setup, how are you suspending the EX3? (just looked at the photo)

If and when I get my EX3 I will probably get a Nikon adapter as well as I have a full set of Nikons finest. My choice will be made simply on the price of the product which does the job. If Steve's and Mike's adapters work, and theres nothing to suggest they dont or wont at this point in time, then the cheapest one will get my business. Simple as.

Theres no room for sentiment in this situation, its business for these guys, pure and simple. As long as theres no copyright or patent infringement then good luck to both parties.

A bit of healthy competition in any market, be it cameras, cars or whatever, never did the end user any harm, its a captive market than allows folk to charge over the odds. Once competition is introduced to a captive market producer, its amazing how quickly they will find a way of lowering their price. Now the cynical amongst us will simpy think they should have sold at a lower price anyway, instead of taking advantage of the lack of competition to charge over the odds for their products.

Stuart


True indeed. We have been making the adaptors all afternoon and they look great. They will be heading off to be anodised early next week and once back and assembled the first ones will be heading out of the door to our happy customers. If you want one of the first batch message me and I will add you to our expanding list. Being on the list puts you under no obligation to buy one, just means you get first refusal after you get to hear the price.

Cheers
Steve

While you're at it Mike, think "G" centric. Not necessarily to replace what you are already selling, but perhaps in addition to. I already have two Nikons that I can't (respectfully) use on the EX3 because of this annoying elimination of Nikon's manual iris control on their new "G" lenses.

And Steve, I couldn't agree more. I completely hate how still lenses move on their OEM mounts. Got to be a better way. And by the way on your telephoto setup, how are you suspending the EX3? (just looked at the photo)

Eric, I'm at the moment working on the electronic interface for the Canon EF version.
At some point after I will look at something similar for the G lenses.

As usual, you will be one of the first to see my new gear, perhaps this time, even before they are officially launched.

Mike, don't sweat the electronic headaches for the Nikons. I think you can do it mechanically easily enough. Totally different design than Canon's EOS situation. I'll send you a pic.

Don't understand that at all, there's no good reason not to use clamping systems. Canon FD used to have a breach-lock clamp mechanism before they phased them out and used bayonet instead (same mount and same lenses though) so no reason why not. Only speed of use is an issue.

Steve

Of course there's no good reason not to use a clamping system. Use the wrong alloys and/or finishes in that system and things can get stuck. Needing a mallet to get a lens out of a mount kind of reduces the speed advantage.
Lenses and mounts are generally designed as a system, the materials used can be as vital as the dimensions.

And by the way on your telephoto setup, how are you suspending the EX3? (just looked at the photo)

I'm not actually using the EX3, just got it to look at and bolted the kit together shoot a few tests. So for this it was just hagning off the back of the lens, but if I were to use one I'd probably get a plate made as I do with the full-size cameras.
Steve

Of course there's no good reason not to use a clamping system. Use the wrong alloys and/or finishes in that system and things can get stuck. Needing a mallet to get a lens out of a mount kind of reduces the speed advantage.
Lenses and mounts are generally designed as a system, the materials used can be as vital as the dimensions.

Nonsense, never had a problem in years with PL, Aaton and B4. The good reason to use it is for strength and lack of movement in the mount. Maybe my requirements are more stringent than yours!
Steve

Nonsense, never had a problem in years with PL, Aaton and B4. The good reason to use it is for strength and lack of movement in the mount. Maybe my requirements are more stringent than yours!
Steve

Sorry but I fail to see what we're disagreeing on!

Of course PL mounts are rock solid, I never said otherwise. Of course they're designed for and have strength and lack of movement.