The RedRock M2

[Mike Quick]

So it appears that alot of of you are high on the M2 adapter. But it seems to me that I have to pick a lens system, i.e Olympus, Nikon, or the cine mount for arri lenses. So any feedback on which way to go would appreciated.

[Kenn Christenson]

I chose Nikon, just because it's a popular mount and I have the lenses. You just need to look at the 35mm lenses out there, see which ones you like (the most variety of focal lengths - highest quality - best prices) and get the mount that fits them. It will also depend on whether you're accustomed to renting cine lenses or not.

[Robert Lane]

Mike,

Do you already have a 35mm camera system? If so, do you want to re-use those lenses on the M2?

As a general rule of thumb, the larger aperture/brighter lenses (f/2.8 to f/1.2) will yeild the best results, not only because more light will be transmitted back to the camera but generally the brighter lenses also get the best glass (ED, Low Dispersion, APO etc).

There is one caveat: The Canon EOS system requires physical power to the lens to control the aperture, otherwise it's always in the fully open position. Most of the time when using a lens adapter you'll never want to close down the aperture but in bright light situations it might help to have aperture control.

Since the M2 does not have any electrical connections to the lens you have to make all your lens changes manually, focus/zoom/aperture. This means that if you don't already have 35mm lenses you can get great deals on used Manual Focus 35mm lenses from any brand and get some super glass.

Check out KEH.com; they're the premier source for used 35mm lenses. For example: they have a Canon FD (manual focus) 85mm f/1.2L selling for $400 which would work beautifully on the M2 - that lens new was almost $2000 in it's day, and is one of the sharpest and most color-correct lenses Canon has ever produced.

[Mike Quick]

Thanks for the info. What do yhou think of the Nikon system? Those seem to be a popular choice.

[Robert Lane]

What do I think of the Nikon system? Does this photo of yours truly answer your question? (laughs)

Seriously, I own the Nikon, Canon, Olympus (E-1), Contax and Mamiya systems - I like all cameras. No one system is better than the other, they all have strengths and weaknesses.

If you don't already own a 35mm camera system and want the most bang for your buck, I'd recommend Nikon for one reason: Versatility. With very, very few exceptions, any Nikon lens can be used on any Nikon body (the newer DX digital lenses are one of the exceptions) and, there are literally tons of great, used Nikon glass - both auto and manual focus - available on the market. There's also more spare Nikon parts than any other camera system, period.

But strictly for M2 purposes alone, any big aperture glass will do - as long as RRM makes the lens mount for it.

[Mike Quick]

Nice picture:) Thanks for the info. You echoed the same sentinments that some other DP's have told me.

[Scott Auerbach]

I agree with Robert. Nikkor AI lenses are probably the most plentiful, high-quality, reasonably priced manual lenses on the used market. By all means, get ED glass whenever possible, and avoid the cheaper (i.e., Series E) lenses.

Bear in mind: the M2 eats light like nobody's business. Because you're passing through both the ground glass and the HVX's built-in lens, even if you have the HVX wide open, you're going to lose 2.5 to 3 stops. That really makes a difference for indoor work.

Personally, even though I own an M2, I'm very intrigued by the Brevis, which seems more manageable for handheld work. And I know Zacuto is developing an image adapter, too. If you look at the rigs people have built for handheld M2 work, you'll see they tend to resemble shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. Completely unworkable, in my opinion.

[Paul Nordin]

I don't know if it was me, but I tried out a M2 with the PL mount on my HVX for a feature shoot in July-August, and was really really dissapointed. I was using a trusted set of Zeiss superspeeds, so I know it was not the glass, but I was unable to get what I would consider to be a reasonable image. It was soft soft soft. Perhaps a flaw in the PL adapter? I know it was not the camera to adapter as I've used it before and have not seen the same degree of softness when using Nikon lenses. Anyway, we ended up junking the M2 and renting the PS Mini-35, which was great, and just what I had been hoping the M2 would deliver. Another big problem was stabalizing the imaging chain (prime-adapter-camera) using the M2. Maybe not an issue with the Nikon lenses, but put the PL adapter + a big Zeiss superspeed 18mm and it wobbles like crazy (ok maybe not crazy, but noticable, which is too much)

So my finding was you get what you pay for.
Now the Brevis has my attention. wonder if they will come out with a PL adapter

[Joey Dee]

Would this be a good selection of mount?

http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c....c=2&category=9

So the M2 is just a converter adapter right? Let's say I wanted to ad a wide lense or any other kind of lense I can always do that right? How would the set up be? from the Camera start with the adapater then put the other lense?

Thanks,
Joey

[Dennis Wood]

Paul, we do have a PL mount for the Brevis...

Thanks.