35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 at DVinfo.net

Walter Uhrik · June 19th, 2011, 10:03 AM

Hallo,
I will have my Sony FS100 in few days and I am thinking about buying DigiOptical 18-50mm for it. Does anybody have an experience with this lens?

Jon Braeley · June 20th, 2011, 05:39 AM

This looks like a great lens and if you check out the Red forums I see a few guys using this on Reds.

But I decide to only use lenses that can take my variable ND filter - did you check the filter size for this lens?

I am not a big fan of matteboxes as I am a doc maker and need to be fast and portable. So I am looking at mainly still lenses due to this - probably zeiss or the sigma zooms.

Pedro I. Vazquez · June 20th, 2011, 10:06 AM

im also checking the DigiOptical 18-50mm , which zeiss PL lenses you guys can recommend i know there are some, but which one you consider to be a most have??

Brian Drysdale · June 20th, 2011, 10:23 AM

Depends which Zeiss lens range you're thinking about, but you could make a movie with the 28mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm Compact Primes and they're all T2.1. You could go wider, but you're losing max aperture and unless you want the other advantages of prime lenses over zooms (like much less or no breathing while adjusting focus) you could use your zoom for the shorter focal lengths.

Pedro I. Vazquez · June 20th, 2011, 12:38 PM

thanks for the info Brian, much appreciated.

Jon Braeley · June 20th, 2011, 01:24 PM

This may sound crazy but I am sure you would find it tough to see the difference with a Sigma lens, say
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/689618-REG/Sigma_583205_17_50mm_F2_8_EX_DC.html
I have seen great results from these lenses. I have Canon L glass but the Sigma and the Tokina always look just as good - maybe not as rugged but good image never the less.

Brian Drysdale · June 20th, 2011, 02:05 PM

The DigiOptical is basically the old RED zoom, which was based on a Sigma lens.

Dan Asseff · June 20th, 2011, 04:12 PM

Does the A mount work with the FS100 like the E mounts do? I have not heard of any one yet that has actually used it on the FS100. Any one.

Dan

Brian Drysdale · June 21st, 2011, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro I. Vazquez

im also checking the DigiOptical 18-50mm , which zeiss PL lenses you guys can recommend i know there are some, but which one you consider to be a most have??

You could also check out these modified Zeiss lenses : zf

Downside is you won't have the long focus throw of the full cine lens.

Walter Uhrik · June 21st, 2011, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Braeley

This looks like a great lens and if you check out the Red forums I see a few guys using this on Reds.

But I decide to only use lenses that can take my variable ND filter - did you check the filter size for this lens?

I am not a big fan of matteboxes as I am a doc maker and need to be fast and portable. So I am looking at mainly still lenses due to this - probably zeiss or the sigma zooms.

Thanks for reply. As far as I know from guys at B&H there is no filter thread, you must use a matte-box of course. For my kind of work it is not a problem.

Jon Braeley · June 21st, 2011, 10:26 AM

If you wish to use a variable ND filter with the FS-100 then using lenses with a 77mm filter size is a must in my view - and this is what i want to do. I have matteboxes but for my work they are tough to use.

This limits my lens selection only a little though. Sure cinema lenses are out but they are not optically better than top class stills lenses anyway.

Brian Drysdale · June 21st, 2011, 11:03 AM

With stills lenses you have a limited range of parfocal zooms available, these are much more useful for video work than varifocal lenses, which require refocusing when you change the focal length. It really depends on what you're shooting, but for fast moving documentary work a parfocal lens makes sense.

It's the mechanics which is the important difference between stills and cine lenses, although the older manual stills lenses have been modified for use on cine cameras for many years. I wouldn't say the best cinema lenses aren't better than the best stills lenses, they've got different optics and they tend to be at their best at the wider apertures and have a lot of attention paid to avoiding breathing when the focus is adjusted. They also have individually calibrated focus scales.

Stills lenses will give you sharp images, but they are a compromise for video work.

June 19th, 2011, 10:03 AM	#1
Walter Uhrik New Boot Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kosice, Slovak Republic Posts: 15	35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 Hallo, I will have my Sony FS100 in few days and I am thinking about buying DigiOptical 18-50mm for it. Does anybody have an experience with this lens?

June 20th, 2011, 05:39 AM	#2
Jon Braeley Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 528	Re: 35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 This looks like a great lens and if you check out the Red forums I see a few guys using this on Reds. But I decide to only use lenses that can take my variable ND filter - did you check the filter size for this lens? I am not a big fan of matteboxes as I am a doc maker and need to be fast and portable. So I am looking at mainly still lenses due to this - probably zeiss or the sigma zooms.

June 20th, 2011, 10:06 AM	#3
Pedro I. Vazquez New Boot Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 18	Re: 35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 im also checking the DigiOptical 18-50mm , which zeiss PL lenses you guys can recommend i know there are some, but which one you consider to be a most have??

June 20th, 2011, 10:23 AM	#4
Brian Drysdale Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Belfast, UK Posts: 6,152	Re: 35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 Depends which Zeiss lens range you're thinking about, but you could make a movie with the 28mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm Compact Primes and they're all T2.1. You could go wider, but you're losing max aperture and unless you want the other advantages of prime lenses over zooms (like much less or no breathing while adjusting focus) you could use your zoom for the shorter focal lengths.

June 20th, 2011, 12:38 PM	#5
Pedro I. Vazquez New Boot Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 18	Re: 35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 thanks for the info Brian, much appreciated.

June 20th, 2011, 01:24 PM	#6
Jon Braeley Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 528	Re: 35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 This may sound crazy but I am sure you would find it tough to see the difference with a Sigma lens, say http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/689618-REG/Sigma_583205_17_50mm_F2_8_EX_DC.html I have seen great results from these lenses. I have Canon L glass but the Sigma and the Tokina always look just as good - maybe not as rugged but good image never the less.

June 20th, 2011, 02:05 PM	#7
Brian Drysdale Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Belfast, UK Posts: 6,152	Re: 35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 The DigiOptical is basically the old RED zoom, which was based on a Sigma lens.

June 20th, 2011, 04:12 PM	#8
Dan Asseff Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Port Orange Fl Posts: 317	Re: 35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 Does the A mount work with the FS100 like the E mounts do? I have not heard of any one yet that has actually used it on the FS100. Any one. Dan

June 21st, 2011, 10:26 AM	#11
Jon Braeley Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 528	Re: 35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 If you wish to use a variable ND filter with the FS-100 then using lenses with a 77mm filter size is a must in my view - and this is what i want to do. I have matteboxes but for my work they are tough to use. This limits my lens selection only a little though. Sure cinema lenses are out but they are not optically better than top class stills lenses anyway.

June 21st, 2011, 11:03 AM	#12
Brian Drysdale Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Belfast, UK Posts: 6,152	Re: 35 mm lenses for Sony NEX-FS100 With stills lenses you have a limited range of parfocal zooms available, these are much more useful for video work than varifocal lenses, which require refocusing when you change the focal length. It really depends on what you're shooting, but for fast moving documentary work a parfocal lens makes sense. It's the mechanics which is the important difference between stills and cine lenses, although the older manual stills lenses have been modified for use on cine cameras for many years. I wouldn't say the best cinema lenses aren't better than the best stills lenses, they've got different optics and they tend to be at their best at the wider apertures and have a lot of attention paid to avoiding breathing when the focus is adjusted. They also have individually calibrated focus scales. Stills lenses will give you sharp images, but they are a compromise for video work.