XL2 and EF Lens Adapter / EF Lenses / EOS Lens

[Per Johan Naesje]

Carl, the ef-adapter will throw every lens you put on it to a huge telelens!
Shooting in 16:9 wide you will get a magnifying factor of 7.2 to the lens, so even a 28mm wide-lens will become (28 x 7.2) 200mm on the XL-2!

If this is what you want it's ok! The quality of those f/2.8 35mm-lenses from Canon is superb and will give you good quality on the XL-2.

You will be able to control the aperture through the ef-adaper, adjusting in the same way as you do with the original lens.
But auto-focus will not function through the adapter! You must do that manually which can be hard to maintain, especially on fast moving targets!
You also have to zoom manually with the zoom-ring on the lens.

[Lee Blaylock]

Recently purchased the EF adapter myself, and in trying out some of my photographer friend's EF lenses, we found out first about the crazy magnification--and consequently, macro composition (seriously, we did a closeup of my eye, and there seemed to be no minimum object distance, as i was essentially batting my eyelashes on the lens and remaining in focus)--and second the low light resolution the EF lenses yielded. You could basically light a scene in a black room using only a 60 watt lightbulb for all your key, filling, kicking, and backing! Exaggerating, of course, but it was a dramatic low light performance, especially compared to the 20x video lens. Of course, that's probably not a good thing for those wanting to achieve shallow depth to hear, since you won't be opening the iris all the way with much frequency. Also, you'll need some ND filters for your EF lenses for outside videography, since most everything will be blown out. But for super telephoto results, try mounting any telephoto EF lens onto your camera with the EF adapter (we used a 70-200mm, I think) . . . wow.

It appears that what you get is the cropped middle of that 35mm image your EF lens is seeing. There's no anamorphic process of stretching and unstretching or shrinking and enlarging--just straight cropping.

I do have one question: is there a conversion rate for the speed of the EF lens using the EF adapter. Does the EF adaptor cut down or open up a lense's speed? I do know it takes less light to illuminate the subject using EF lenses with my XL2, but is that because those lenses are faster than my video lens? I'd just like to know some numbers.

[Gilles Debord]

Hi everybody


I think that's OK for all, with the XL/EF adapter you can drive only the iris, the IS is out, not important with these focals lenghts, it's better to have a good tripod with a good fluid head.
For the zoom function it's normal, the EF lens are not zoom motorized.

But for the auto focus, is there anybody on this forum to explain why it don't function ?

1) Pin problems ?

2) Protocol probems ?

3) Adapter problems ?

4) Power problems ?

5) Other problems ?

I ask the question to "Birger.com" and wait for the answer. I don't know if a solution exist. But why not.

Gilles

[TingSern Wong]

Not true with IS out ... I use a Canon EF zoom lens (70-300 IS USM) - the IS does work with the EF lens Adapter. As for AF not working - I don't know why.

[Caleb Royer]

I own a Canon 100-400 L IS lens and I want to buy a XL2 and Canon EF adapter (I want to shoot wildlife) so here are my questions:

.How good is the image quality with the 100-400 lens

.Do I get aperture, AF and IS control with the 100-400 lens

.Do I need a lens support system

.Is f/4.5-5.6 to slow

.Is this fluid head good enough: Manfrotto 128LP $90

.Are these tripod legs good enough: Velbon EL carmagne 530 tripod $200

.Any problems I should know about

Thanks A Lot
CJ

[TingSern Wong]

I use Canon 70-210 f/2.8 EF with stabliser on the XL adaptor for my Canon XL2. Fantastic results ... super sharp.

However, you need a very strong lens support AND a way to find your target when you are using a long tele lens. The area seen by the viewfinder is sometimes so small - you have NO idea where the camera is pointing to ....

[Caleb Royer]

Originally Posted by TingSern Wong

I use Canon 70-210 f/2.8 EF with stabliser on the XL adaptor for my Canon XL2. Fantastic results ... super sharp.

However, you need a very strong lens support AND a way to find your target when you are using a long tele lens. The area seen by the viewfinder is sometimes so small - you have NO idea where the camera is pointing to ....

About the way to find your target:
The lens I am using being a 100-400 I could use the 100mm to find my target and then zoom in to 400mm and start rolling right?

Thanks for your reply
CJ

[TingSern Wong]

35mm lens 100mm on XL2 is about 700mm already. If your target is a small bird hopping from tree to tree, you might not be able do that fast enough - without an external pointing aid.

At 400mm - it is something like 2800mm - and unless your target is sitting still or moving around in a relatively small area, once you zoom in, it is easy to loose track of the target if you just depend on the viewfinder image. With the film rolling, you can't just zoom back to re-acquire the target then zoom in again - you see the point?

Another real world experience I had - NO amount of rock stable tripod is going to be stable enough if the ground itself is not. You might ask - HOW? Planting the tripod on grassy surfaces, on muddy ground, next to a road where there are traffic moving, etc ... even the slightest vibration you might not notice - well, even with an IS lens at 2800mm, you can see the movements inside the viewfinder.

[Tom Hardwick]

I'd go along with those repliesCaleb. The 128 head is good for little Canon HV30s - that sort of thing.

[Caleb Royer]

Originally Posted by Tom Hardwick

I'd go along with those repliesCaleb. The 128 head is good for little Canon HV30s - that sort of thing.

What tripod and head would you recommend?

Thanks
CJ

[Tom Hardwick]

2800 mm equivalent? You'd need the camera bolted to a big lump of concrete. Sorry, I can't make a better recommendation.

[Caleb Royer]

Here is a link to some sample images taken with a 100-400mm lens and an XL1

XL1 Image Gallery: African Wildlife through an EF Lens

[TingSern Wong]

I used a XL1 once, before upgrading to XL2. The XL2 view is slightly wider than XL1 - so, instead of getting 2800mm equivalent, you will end getting a bit less (2500 - 2600). Still super long.

As you probably already know, exposure via EF adapter is auto (or manual) BUT focusing is totally manual.

You will need to bolt the lens (using the locking bracket) AND the camera body together as a single platform. I have an adapter for that. Then you clamp the adapter to the tripod. Heavy - well, you bet it is.

If you are shooting African wildlife and you are traveling on a open Jeep, weight should not be an issue here. Get a Vintern equivalent tripod meant for those large shoulder mount cameras - that will ensure the tripod has the ability to hold the rig stable enough for you to shoot.

[Caleb Royer]

What is the best Canon EF/EOS lens that will fit onto the XL2 with the EF adapter?

I want to shoot wildlife.

Thanks for replies,

CJ

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Caleb Royer

I own a Canon 100-400 L IS lens...

Originally Posted by Caleb Royer

What is the best Canon EF/EOS lens that will fit onto the XL2 with the EF adapter?

You already have a great lens... just start shooting!