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Adapting integrated (motorized) zoom lenses from super8mm cine camera?
  • tomek123tomek123

    Hello,

    I found some VERY good offers for super8 film cameras like these:

    http://www.super8data.com/database/cameras_list/cameras_revue/cameras_revue.htm

    http://www.super8camera.com/netsearch.php?sq=canon+518&page=2

    http://www.super8data.com/database/cameras_list/cameras_nizo/nizo_156xl.htm

    http://super8arena.com/braun-nizo-4080-p-188.html

    Unfortunately, I heard from the sellers that they have unchangeable lenses.

    As I understood the zoom distance of this lenses can be changed from a button on the camera body, so probably it would be difficult to take off the lens from the cam... One of the sellers told me the lens has electric control of the zoom and the aperture is changed also from the camera.

    I don't know anything about this, but these zoom lenses are pretty fast and VERY cheap (Revue Reflex Zoom f: 1.7 \ F: 8-40 mm and Canon 9.5 - 47.5mm f/1.8 and especially Schneider Macro-Variogon 1,4 / 7 - 80 mm from the Brown cameras) .

    I think they could be useful for GH2/3 with a ETC mode, so I wondered if someone already achieved some adaptation of this lens type to micro 4/3?

    Thank you in advance.

  • 4 Replies sorted by
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Good advice - get PZ lenses during one of the sales :-)

  • balazerbalazer

    An 8-mm format or Super8 zoom lens will provide good coverage for 720p ETC mode, but not for 1080 ETC mode. Frankly I think you'll have a much easier time adapting a manual c-mount TV zoom lens. Some of them can be used without modification. Add a zoom lever, and you can achieve nice smooth zooms.

  • tomek123tomek123

    I found some people saying that 1080 ETC is possible with the Schneider lenses and they are not D-mount, but C-mount and they can be easily adapted: http://forum.mflenses.com/gh2-and-schneider-kreuznach-6-66-lens-t36998.html

    I don't like the zooming in or out and I don't need the motorized movement at all. For me the best use of the zoom lenses is in a documentary when you can fast and easy zoom in or out in order to cut them in the editing room. It's very useful for me for interviews to make the change between the questions, for example. From that point of view, I'm not interested in PZ lenses and the slow, fluent zooming in or out.

    On the other hand is the price, the speed of the lenses, the build quality. The camera with the lens in absolutely mint condition will cost me less than 30EUR. I know a person, here in my country that can make any custom converter for any lens to any mount, so I think I'll take a try and If nothing will come out of this, at least I'll have a beautiful old movie camera on the wall. Of course I'll give you report...

    Cheers, T.

  • balazerbalazer

    They were merely speculating about the use of ETC mode with those Schneider lenses.

    Go ahead and try it, but be prepared to be disappointed.

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