Lens choices for the BMPCC 6K

[David Knaggs]

There was a discussion on a different thread concerning EF and EF-S lens choices which really belongs in this forum, so I've cut and pasted here some excellent info from Chris and Seth:

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

My pleasure, David. You will not be disappointed with the EF-S 18-135 IS nano + Power Zoom Adapter.

My fear is that Canon just did a one-off with the PZA interface, and we may never see it again on any other lens. If you ask me, they should put it on everything!

If you choose to go that route, EF-S 18-135 nano + PZA, then there is another lens that will make an ideal companion to it, and that is the EF-S 10-18mm IS.

It is a steal for $300 and it's one of the best-kept secrets in the Canon line. If the field of view was any wider, it could see in back of you. There's no noticeable barrel distortion at all; it's surprisingly rectilinear. STM for silent focus during video. And having IS on an ultra-wide is like a dream come true. The only thing that would make it better would be to add that PZA interface. The only bad thing about it is that it's a daylight lens; f/4.5 to 5.6 -- but did I mention it's only $300?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1051476-USA/canon_9519b002_ef_s_10_18mm_f_4_5_5_6_is.html/BI/2855/KBID/3801

All of the booth interviews we've shot at NAB over the last couple of years have been done with an EOS 70D plus the EF-S 10-18mm. See https://www.dvinfo.net/video-report and all video clips there except the very first were shot with that lens.

NuGen Audio on Vimeo

There's also my other favorite, the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS, lots written about that one already though.

Seth's response was to a comment I made about the PZA which Chris had mentioned. My comment was, "I want to check out the PZA at a local dealer first, because I saw a review on B&H where the guy complained that it kept falling off and he was now on his 3rd PZA. So I'm curious as to how to keep it stable and attached."

Originally Posted by Seth Bloombaum

The PZA is a little tricky to attach the first few times, but based on my experience he was doing it wrong. Mine has never come close to falling off except maybe the 2nd time I used it, when I hadn't really got it attached properly.

I own these overlapping focal length lenses:
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 AF
Canon 10-18mm variable AF/IS
Canon 18-135mm variable AF/IS with Power Zoom Adapter
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 AF/IS

These lenses duplicate each other in many ways. But I have 4 lenses where I should have two, because I just can't lose the f2.8 constant aperture pair when I want better low light or shallower DoF.

Many aren't aware of the Tokina 11-16. It's solid, an early performer for DSLR video that is still making great images on EF mount.

Sorry to continue the hijack - I'm not a reader of the BM forum! But the new BMPCC 6k EF looks pretty good ;-)

[David Knaggs]

I went down to a local stills camera dealer and he showed me how the Power Zoom Adapter attaches and I bought it. The Canon EF-S 18-135mm arrived from B&H. It's second-hand, but seems to be in excellent condition. It didn't come with a lens bag or case, so I'll have to figure something out there. I don't have the BMPCC to attach it to yet. My video dealer is expecting the first supply in late August and I've been told I'm twelfth in line, so I hope they get in at least 15 cameras for their first delivery!

I've been checking out other lenses. I've been studying up furiously about lenses over the past two weeks. Until now, I've always used fixed lens video cameras (Sony EX1R and Z150) or, even earlier, just kept the stock lens on the camera (JVC GY-HD101E). So I'm playing a lot of catch-up right now.

At the stills camera dealer, I had a look at the EF-S 10-18mm and the sales attendant also put in a plug for the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 because it keeps a constant aperture throughout the zoom.

Now, in the ideal world, I'd like to have these two lenses:

https://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.c...m-t2-cine-lens

https://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.c...m-t2-cine-lens

Per the blurb, they can resolve 6K to 8K.

At first glance, the weekly rental options for these lenses looked very appealing for my project until I looked at the fine print about a minimum of 6 months hire (which would come to about $1600 for each lens).

Which brings me to my leading contender, the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon EF:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2855/KBID/3801

It looks, to me, like fantastic bang for the buck. It looks well-suited to my upcoming project, plus I could also use it in corporate video for talking head shots (testimonials, etc.).

[Chris Hurd]

Great info, thanks David!

I hope the used lens you bought from B&H is the EF-S 18-135 nano USM and not the EF-S 18-135 STM.

Because the nano USM version has the PZA interface, while the STM version does not.

Looks like the Sigma 10-22 f/3.5 is only $330 at B&H:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2855/KBID/3801

Compared to the Canon EF-S 10-18, you'd be trading away STM silent operation plus IS for a constant aperture. Interesting dilemma there!

[David Knaggs]

Thanks, Chris.

Yes, I paid very careful attention to your advice and got the nano USM. On the underside, it has the notches for the PZA to attach itself to, and what appears to be some electrical contacts, plus some "teeth" for the PZA to mesh with to rotate the zoom.

The sales assistant (when I bought the PZA) told me he has the 4K BMPCC and asked me to bring in the 6K camera when I get it so he can check it out. When I do that, I'll also try both of those lenses on the camera. I am leaning towards the EF-S 10-18 at the moment though.

But I must admit I've spent most of the day fighting off the urge to impulse buy the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art Lens. Such a nice sharp lens to go with a 6K camera! (Fast too!)

[David Knaggs]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

... there is another lens that will make an ideal companion to it, and that is the EF-S 10-18mm IS.

It is a steal for $300 and it's one of the best-kept secrets in the Canon line. If the field of view was any wider, it could see in back of you. There's no noticeable barrel distortion at all; it's surprisingly rectilinear. STM for silent focus during video. And having IS on an ultra-wide is like a dream come true. The only thing that would make it better would be to add that PZA interface. The only bad thing about it is that it's a daylight lens; f/4.5 to 5.6 -- but did I mention it's only $300?

But did I mention it's only $199 right now?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2855/KBID/3801

I couldn't hit the "Add to Cart" button quickly enough!

[Chris Hurd]

Yowza. The best price I've ever seen for this lens was $260.

Man, $200 is an amazing bargain. For anybody who's thinking about this great little lens... now is the time to jump on it. You won't be disappointed!

[David Knaggs]

The Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens arrived today. And I finally had a chance to pull the camera out of the box and turn it on for the first time (I'm just reading the manual and following along page by page right now).

I shot some footage with the 10-18mm and I have to say, what a terrific little lens! Fantastic bang for the buck! (And it's still only $199 at B&H right now.) I was blown away by how wide the field of view was. I got almost half the room into the shot and it seemed that I was only a pace or two back from the centre of the room. Okay, maybe it was a bit less than half the room, but not by much!

And the fact that the 10-18mm is f/4.5-5.6 gives me more depth of field, which will suit my upcoming project very well. I now reckon I'll use this lens for my master shots as I'll be filming in a fairly cramped restaurant kitchen. Being such a slow lens, I figure I'll either have to set up extra lighting or I can experiment with the camera's "dual ISO" features (although I haven't got that far in the manual yet).

I might use my Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 Art lens for the close-ups. It's a very sharp, bright (fast) lens with a really pleasing (to me, at least) bokeh. I did read one review of this lens where the reviewer was trying to claim (or heavily implying) that it was parfocal. I doubted it when I read it and my testing has shown me that it's definitely not parfocal. And Sigma never claimed that it was, anyway.

The camera's autofocus isn't anything to write home about. It seemed to work best with my Canon 18-135mm (another excellent lens recommendation from Chris, by the way) and worked less well with the Sigma and the Canon 10-18mm.

And, I must say, what a lovely, lovely sensor! I've been a very staunch Sony man for the past decade, but the images straight out of the box with the Pocket 6K are really turning my head. And it's got nothing to do with the resolution. I can't find the words to describe it. It's just something I can sense.

[David Knaggs]

I filmed a side project in mid-December using the Pocket 6K. I meant to also use my two new Canon lenses, but I started with my Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 Art lens and, once I started using it, I didn't want to use anything else! I fell totally in love with it. Just a beautiful lens.

Two days before the shoot, I installed the BM Camera Update 6.6 which added this great new tool of 8X magnification using "pinch to zoom". This was fantastic for achieving focus. I had the camera tripod mounted on a little wheeled dolly which worked well on the lino floor of the restaurant kitchen we were using as a set. But once I started filming and the actors started moving around, the director in me panicked that I might lose shots due to missed focus and I ended up keeping the camera stationary. The result was that I achieved perfect focus on each shot, but it was a creative bust (as far as I was concerned) because I didn't get the camera movement I wanted into the shots. So I'll probably bring in a dedicated DP and re-shoot the whole thing later. And I'll do a bit more research into PDAF in the meantime (Phase Detect Auto Focus). I've always shot with manual focus, but this new PDAF method might prove to be a really good alternative.

[David Knaggs]

Originally Posted by David Knaggs

And I'll do a bit more research into PDAF in the meantime (Phase Detect Auto Focus). I've always shot with manual focus, but this new PDAF method might prove to be a really good alternative.

There doesn't seem to be much information on DV Info so far about PDAF (which is not to be confused with DPAF [Dual-Pixel]).

The reason I started looking into PDAF was this article (from January) by Adam Wilt where he referred to PDAF as one of the fundamental advances over the past decade and said, "PDAF doesn’t hunt: it pretty much focuses the lens to the exact point on the first try." And, "A decade ago, AF was used only by the most adventurous (and ridicule-tolerant) run ’n’ gun shooters. Nowadays it’s a tool for serious filmmaking."

https://www.provideocoalition.com/th...le-discussion/

PDAF does seem to be sweeping the industry as a preferred autofocus method for video capture with Canon and Sony reportedly bringing excellent implementations of PDAF into their video cameras. RED is also going to be implementing PDAF with their upcoming Komodo camera (if memory serves me correctly). The outlier with the big manufacturers seems to be Panasonic, which has gone with DFD (Depth-from-Defocus) autofocus with their otherwise outstanding S1H camera and DP Review says, "The biggest limitation of the S1H is its autofocus performance."

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pan...-s1h-review/12

The best explanation I've come across so far to explain how Phase-Detect (PDAF) works is given here:

Autofocus for GEEKS: Phase vs Contrast (WARNING: Intense detail) - YouTube

This explanation was great for a newcomer to this topic like me. Other "explanations" I'd found tended to assume that you already knew all about it!

The only caution I'd give concerning the above explanation of PDAF is that it's given for an SLR camera which he says has "an entirely different sensor" (PDAF sensor) from the image sensor and passes light through a number of mirrors to the PDAF sensor. With a dedicated video camera (mirrorless) I'm not sure if they would bother with a separate PDAF sensor or just use a modified image sensor with "partial pixels" (I'm still looking for some proper information about this).

But the main takeaway concerning the ability of existing Blackmagic cameras to implement PDAF is that it doesn't seem to be something that can be "fixed with firmware" and likely needs to be incorporated into the sensor design. So I think I'm out of luck with my current Pocket 6K and PDAF. But any decisions on future camera purchases by me will include PDAF as a significant factor and I hope that Blackmagic don't get so carried away with their new sensor design (which doesn't use traditional Bayer pattern and has equal numbers of red, green and blue pixels) that they forget to implement PDAF when they bring out the new iterations of their 4K and 6K cameras!