@oneday That's very pricey, plus there's the 2.5 f-stop drop. The GH2 plus its Ex Tele function is simply the best cam to use with these broadcast zooms

@Turbodog Are u using that 800 pound MTF adapter? I agree ETC makes more noise but it's only evident for me past 400 ISO. Ok not the greatest for dark situations. Deeper DOF? Subjective and preferential. Milky wide open? Depends on the lens. Fortunately some of my broadcast lenses are mint so they're sharp wide open. But 800 pounds for that adapter, damn. I guess i'm really saying is that GH2 owners already have a good solution without buying that.

@Turbodog I currently have Fujinon 7.5-105 f1.4, 10-140 f1.8 and 7.3-88 f1.4, all c-mount. The latter two have not been modified yet so I'm just waiting till they're all prepped for GH2 usage before I do test footage. I'm also still figuring out which hack is best for ETC. So far I'm eyeing Driftwood's Aquamotion. Watch this space!

@Turbodog Damn you're right, everyone here's talking about B4 mounts, not broadcast zoom lenses in general. Sorry.

@ed_lee83 That's exactly what I was looking for. Same supplier as the MFT one. Thanks.

@balazer Yeah, that's me... my cover's been blown!! :-)

@balazer Looks like he's got a mess of them! Probably duplicates....

My Chinese adapter just arrived. Tried some shots with my Fujinon B4-mount 10-120mm. Quite impressed. Easy to manipulate even though the servo does indeed sit at the bottom. [not unusably though, the W -T rocker switch is at the side; power the thing up with 12V and you could put your hand in from the top then under the strap, rocking the zoom with your thumb]. For some reason I have to use the back-focus ring with the ꝈMacro on it; I'm guessing the lens just needs to be collimated. Overall, I was struck more by its sharpness when compared to my Zenit C-mount 17-70 zoom.

@spcamno No focusing issues other than mentioned. I'm quite happy to focus shots using the back ring for now; the quality is very good and I've also given a new lease of life to this lens just by adding a $100 adapter.

This was my solution. I started with an old broken Sony BVP-90. I modified the CCD assembly with a M4/3 adapter.. Since the CCD assembly is attached to the body it means that the camera only has to hold itself up, the lens is held up by the body. This was the cheapest way for me, especially since that HK adapter has the lens mounted sideways which makes it almost useless for handheld camera.. http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/FW200/GH2cam1.jpg http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a345/FW200/GH2cam2.jpg

Since its a SD Digibeta viewer I used a HDMI > Y/C converter and used the Y part to go into the viewfinder. Not the best solution available (would offcourse like a HD viewfinder) but I was on a budget :)

Ive been very tempted to get a B4 ENG lens, the biggest draw back fro me is im always using faster lenses than a ENG in 2x can provide.. There arr adapters on ebay that are less than the 320 dolar blue ringed one that do provide adjustable rings so that the lens can remain level so you can use the zoom controls etc. and plenty of ways to power the zoom control also.. seems like a very good setup if you can deal with a f3.8 lens.. the parafocal and constant f stop are the good points however.. one other thing is I've seen some sample clips that the corners of the image were distorted to some extent,... seemed to be defendant on the model lens used.. I think this is a great setup, just can't justify 400+ or so for a old used lens and 200-250 for a adapter on something that some say the result is not so sharp images and limit me to f3.8 when I can get a ton of older faster primes that are tack sharp for less. But I'm still tempted to get a setup like this .. if I can score a cheap b4 lens I may spring for the adapter just for messing around, I have seen some footage from this setup that looked pretty good.. also I noted in a diffrent thread that the GFx sensors are slightly smaller than the GH2 and could make any slight corner image distortion more minimal and look good on GFx cameras since they arn't quite as sharp anyway.. If some ones looking for a full auto run and gun solution a eng b4 lens with doubler may be perfect combined with a GFx body.. but until we get full manual controls I'm not going to buy a b4 lens and the expensive adapter to try it. with that kind of money I can buy a couple nice fast primes.. maybe once I have my primes in order I'll venture down this ENG B4 road. but I would consider it a experiment and nothing more.

@Roberto with 2x extender (to fill the sensor) enabled it loses two stops and it goes to f3.4

@Ebacherville well the B4 setup is the ideal Run and Gun solution for the gh2, and we are all using the cheap old SD lenses and we hope that soon the second hand HD lenses will drop prices (something must happend, like TV broadcast standard goes to 2k or even more, I don't know),

soft corner issue is coming from that gh2 has the multi aspect sensor, so in the 16:9 modes the crop is actually 1.86 not 2, so we use the portions from the lens that are ment to be cropped, on the GF1 that is not an issue

http://www.bmupix.com/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=/storage/post-images/GH2_sensor_aspect_ratios_1920_1.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1287002123798

the crossover eng lens will be the solution for the soft corners issue, but anyhow if you stop down a little bit the lens it goes away

http://www.canon.com/bctv/faq/cross.html

As for the crop and corner issues, yeah the GF2 GF3 have a smaller sensor size also, they have a bit softer sensor anyway, I feel the GF line would pair well. IF VK gets manual controls figured out these would make a great body for a B4 SD lens. I brought this up and have some sample images with a Cmount lens showing the difference of the crop on GF2 vs GH2 http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/2710/gf2-sensor-is-slightly-smaller..-could-be-really-good-paired-with-a-b4-23-eng-with-doubler-lens.

I have been following this thread for a while and finally bought a Fuji b4 lens from ebay for my GH1. I still need an adapter, and @Ebacherville looks to have found the best one so far. Having a mount on the adapter is probably important if you don't have a rail system for support, which I don't. I was a local tv photographer for over 10 years, so I am looking forward to using one of these lenses again!

@DirkVoorhoeve my 8x5,5 Funijon Argus wide-angle lens gives me only the same FOV as a 7,3 'normal' lens

Yes, you got it. You may find you can use your lens in non-ETC mode at some focal lengths, too. And yes, it has also occurred to me that ETC mode uses the sweetest spot at the centre of a lens - (like when we use f8).

@DirkVoorhoeve I am saying that GH2 produce the 16:9 image from the different parts of the sensor rather than cutting upper and lower part of the 4:3 area, and the lenses without crossover on 2/3 sensors do not goes outside of the 4:3 borders, in this case we have the gh2 forcing the crossover but we do not have crossover lens, so the 16:9 image on 2/3 sensor will have the diameter of 9.9mm and with the doubler you have 19.8mm instead of 21.6mm needed for the gh2

that is how I figure it out, maybe I am wrong

I don't think that the tripod mount from funkykoval2001 adapter looks as strong as the one from ciecio7. I have the ciecio7 mount in stock and will sell for $275 shipped within the U.S. If anyone is interested send me a PM.

As I said, my Fujinon 10-120 can be used without ETC, doubler or vignetting, at some of its longer focal lengths only. Not that it's of much use - it's there if you want it, using the rear macro-ring to adjust focus.

oneday: The camera has been modified since then. I recently added a Zoom H4 recorder to the mix as well, I will be running my audio through that and powering that from the anton bauer as well. Looking into an adapter cable from 3.5mm line to 2.5mm mic for the GH2. Sadly I didn't get the H4N model, just the two channel H4..

I might be able to get the lens remote for the camera working.. however I am allready using the port for the mic input.. Another option I've been thinking about is attaching some sort of headphone speakers on top of the GH2 so it captures the audio from the Zoom H4 for reference in the edit set. That would free up the mic/remote port so I could see if remote starting works..

The GH2 itself is powered by it's own battery (I could convert it with the DC thingie but I prefer to keep it under it's own power.. That way I can also shoot without powering on the rig..

The reason why B4 lenses appear quite soft in the corners is because those lenses are made to focus the light rays passing through the beam split filter on fron of the 3 CCD's block. On the oter hand, GH2 and all the other DSLR's use a single focal plane sensor. Using the ETC mode a B4 lens becomes parctically unusable wide open, you need to close down a couple of stops to get acceptable results. Engaging the 2X externder you get the same effect because the 2 stops loosing, however the extender adds some softness and makes CA look worst.

Mounting a B4 lens on a 4/3 camera is a compromise and has its downsides, but also some advantages, parafocal characteristics, usable ring for manual focusing, build quality, stepless aperture ring etc.

@FW200 very good picture! it would also be nice to have the same picture with ETC (no extender) so it's clear to all what the ETC crop-factor effect is on the field of view..

I prefer not to solder directly onto the GH2.. Everything I have done so far does not affect the operation of the GH2 in any way. I can take it out of the rig and throw on a kitlens and I have a normal GH2 again.

I will see about making some pictures with the ETC mode, I kinda forgot about that one..

@Turbodog I am interested to hear that the B4 to EOS adapter didn't work out for you with the Kenko 2x adapter. It sounds like there must have been an issue with the flange depth. Perhaps the Kenko ES mount on the extender is a different thickness to the camera one, in that case maybe it would work with shims or on a Canon extender?? I presume you tried playing with the backfocus adjustment on the lens.

Even though you couldn't get it focussing to infinity at the long end, did you get it working well enough to determine if the corner image quality was improved over using an internal 2x teleconverter in the B4 lens? I would imagine it should be

@DirkVoorhoeve do you use lens with built in extender?

@DirkVoorhoeve can you specify the lenses that you use?

@DirkVoorhoeve wow thats bad, I also wanted to buy 9x5.4 but did't have the money.

@Grunf he uses the ciecio adapter the same that I use, it is gr8 adapter and it is not that cheap

thanks guys. BTW: i've also had the same problem with a Angenieeux T15x8.3 AIF. I'll have a look at that soon and let you know!

@kavadni Earlier ones did have focus ring markings at the top, mine does, apparently fixed later. No play at all. Cannot compare to the Ceico.

See topic at http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/55579#Comment_55579

@Roberto Is the P-V deal adapter compatible with Fujinon A14x8.5 BEVM lens? I remember reading that some adapters are not compatible with B4 lenses which has integrated servo zoom.

@Galvoguru, there is a "DC 12v to 6 Pin Hirose Cable" on eBay, not cheap at $63. Link here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12v-to-6-Pin-Hirose-Cable-AF100-GH2-Power-B4-2-3-Fujinon-Canon-Nikon-Lens-/180895600493?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a1e37cf6d#ht_1666wt_1371

I have one on order.... Like you, I long for a variable speed, internal mechanism lens for live events. I am working on a killer tripod plate made of stainless steel right now.... Music Videos, here I come (again). Stand by.

@AthenaProductionsNet Ok sound great. Thanks

Hey all,

Most of you all use a GH2, but I would like to use a B4 2/3" lens on a Canon 600D. I already know of the ciecio7 adapter, but like Turbodog, I am not pleased with modifying the body. I thought about putting Macro tubes in between the two pieces. Unfortunately this means that I will lose infinite focussing and will only have very shallow depth of field at the front of the lens. I think the teleconverter of Turbodog shifted this shallow depth of field to the long end of the lens.

But then I read about FD to EOS adapters, using optical correction to make it able to use older FD lenses on EOS bodies. So my question is... would it be possible to take such an FD converter, and place the B4 mount of cieco7 in place of the FD mount, and keeping more focus distance?

And what would happen if is screw the back Off an old kitlens, keeping the optical element at the back. And place the EOS ciecio adapter on there. Would that retain infinite focus without upgrading the image too much?

Thanks oneday, but I already know that pricey adapter. I am trying to think of a cheaper alternative

What worries me about these is that on some other auctions, it says they removed the tripod foot because it's too weak:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/B4-2-3-CANON-FUJINON-lens-to-GH2-G2-G3-E-P2-AF100-AF102-E-P3-micro-4-3-adapter-/360416729005?pt=US_Lens_Adapters_Mounts_Tubes&hash=item53ea82d7ad#ht_3534wt_1144

Same adapter as the one tonalt posted, just with a different alignment. They also direct you to the $300+ ones for "heavier" lenses. The Canon J13x9B4 I have is pretty damn hefty as is, heavier than my Nikkor 80-200mm F/2.8. With that mount, it'll be extremely front heavy with the featherweight GH2 on the opposite end.

I just got the cheaper version of the adapter in tonalt's post yesterday: http://www.ebay.com/itm/170859098271?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_1748wt_1025

The only difference is the location of the indent that the lens aligns to . If you want to use the lens handheld only, you can remove the tiny stopper screw on the MFT mount side, and it gives you full rotation once it's inserted into the mount. You just need to drill a hole to align the lens release for whatever orientation you need. The lens will still mount without the hole, but the camera will not display anything with the lens release depressed.

I was also thinking about just getting a random tripod collar and making a spacer to fit the B4 adapter. Super solid, vs 2 tiny screws on a removable tripod foot.

I just picked up a super clamp with mounting holes at the end of each side: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007PMJVS8/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

Thinking it might be able to clamp onto the adapter and mount to a QR plate. Arrives tomorrow. Chose this over a standard super clamp since it can mount directly to a tripod, instead of via a stud that can introduce play. I'll try both either way. Gonna give the lens a workout this weekend. :)

Got the clamp from Amazon. Too small. Even if I used a longer bolt to extend the opening, it wouldn't get a good grip.

In the meantime, got this as a backup, just in case: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GTPDAC/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

And it works really well! Used it for 7hrs straight yesterday on a monopod. The lens didn't slip a mm. I had to invert the silver post to get it to sit right on the QR plate, but the entire clamp is as solid as can be. Even has a mount up top for something like a mic. You might want to put a bit of rubber on the round part, since it'll scrape the finish off the adapter. The other side has rubber already.

The video wasn't as steady as it could've been, being on a monopod, but I was shooting 720p60 at 1/500 for slow mo, so Warp Stabilizer should smooth it out nicely. I wanna try using it on a tripod, though I probably won't be able to use the zoom.

I'm selling one that I purchased from calhounmonster on ebay. I've gotten more into the older FD lenses. It works incredible. I'm not a fan of the Extele mode or digital zoom. The lens I have has a doubler on it but it still lets great light in. Ebay = http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200830295332 Youtube test with B4 lens =

@mapoff what lens you have? is it for sale?

I have the J15x9.5B Canon with the 2x extender. Its slightly out of focus on the edges as you can see in the previous video. Its great but I've gotten into the prime lenses and would get better use out of a 20mm. I did record a memorial recently with the B4 and it saved my day. I'm selling the adapter first. I don't want to sell the lens and then be stuck with an adapter.

1/2" B4 lenses will not work with a 2/3" adapter. The lens needs to be closer to the sensor for that. If you look at the bayonet is almost even with the sensor side of the glass. 2/3" sticks out a little past the bayonet.

I have an old B4 fujinon and I was thinking about investing in one of the adapters for the gh2, those of you who have used an old SD lens on the GH2 are you generally happy with the quality you can achieve with these lenses...I guess what I'm asking is, I am aware that these lenses are as sharp as the still lenses I'm used to, but are they sharp enough?

Matticusmaximus. I like the look. It has a documentary look in my opinion, but its a very unique and special look that I really like. The fact that you have a constant f stop all the way through is an advantage. Because these SD lenses are out the door their price is low. You'll have to decide on your own if they are sharp enough. There are plenty examples in this forum alone and below is another. Make sure you select 1080 and full screen.

Hi! Could some body send b4 to m43 adapter dimension on devolf@inbox.ru? Regards.

@DirkVoorhoeve shutter box is really a B4 cable adapter, but in a box :P. I think in ourforums there are some schematics, but quickly explained:

• Buy a 12-pin female Hirose connector, a GH1/2 remote shutter (or some resistances and one 4-pole jack) and a 5.5 mm female barrel connector.
• Hirose pins are: 1-Ret button, 2-REC button, 3-Ground, 6- +12V
• Solder Hirose pins: 1 to remote shutter's half press terminal; 2 to remote shutter's full press; 6 to barrel connector's center pin; 3 to remote shutter's common and barrel connector's shield.
• You can present in many flavours: in a split cable, in a box, in a compact connector... :D

You could buy an item like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12v-to-12-Pin-Hirose-Cable-AF100-GH2-Power-B4-2-3-Fujinon-Canon-Nikon-Lens-/180954591335?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a21bbf067#ht_1723wt_1232 and add the shutter cable. It worths, because Hirose connector is not cheap.

I wanted to add some LM regulators to supply GH1 from 12V, send audio from H4N (but you couldn't use REC button, of course) and some tweaks, but with GH3 in mind and no time... Maybe to B4-box 2.0 I could make some tutorial ;).

About rotation question, sorry about my explanation, I'm not native english speaker. What I said is that MFT mount could rotate, but tripod and B4 mount are fixed together, so it has no sense to rotate MFT mount to acomodate B4 grip to your hand, because when you put in a tripod, camera body won't be leveled. In case your B4 lens has grip in weird position, you couldn't use it without rotate MFT mount and detach tripod mount (because is useless). Maybe you could make a drill in B4 mount to rotate lens in right position.

And with the GH3 Fujinon A8.5x5.5 will not vignette severely as with the GH2. With the GH3 crop factor in 16:9 mode is 2.18x and thus fully (or almost fully) covered engaging the 1.7x extender on that lens. All the other lenses with 2x doubler will loose about 18% at wide end, though.

@ valdi99 I think it's 42mm. Check the last photos of my ebay auction here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281035008252?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I made a couple of YouTube videos, one showing a spare zoom grip in action using an adapter and external 12V battery, and one showing a lens that I have for sale.

The one about my lens shows the affect of the power zoom and also shows the resolution capabilities as I zoom in on one of my paintings to reveal the texture of the canvas.

Hope they are informative!

Questech, Hello! Please be excused for my bad english I also shoot with Fujinon previous model and I want to ask you as an expert on this subject. what lens do you have on contrast and quality Fujinon B4 or B4 Canon and something that is better extender 2x can be retrofitted, or use the built-in lens extender. thank you!

Sorry for bad ENGLISH . The lens does have a bit shading in the corners.Mout with adapter, manual production, which is mounted on extender 2x CANON. I have photographed a f5,6 - 8.

@olegkalyan,22 , 25mm

http://www.ebay.es/itm/CANON-TV-ZOOM-LENS-J12x10-macro-10-5mm-126mm-f-1-6-22-for-GH2-or-GH3-/331012480094?pt=ES_C%C3%A1maras_de_v%C3%ADdeo&hash=item4d11e19c5e

So would I be right in thinking that a built-in extender is pretty much essential for using a B4 lens with an AF101, what with there being no Ex-tele mode?

I'm looking at Fuji lens that has the suffix 'BRM' - there's no 'B' in Querty123's otherwise helpful guide, but I'm guessing that without an 'E' it has no extender - does that make it a no-go for use with an AF101, or would that depend on other factors?

Hi, after borrowing for a certain time the Eng lens of a friend ( I decided to buy one for myself ) i took a Fuji x12 1.7 10-120mm it is the BRM version so no extender and it seems i have a problem to close focus ( i can really get a sharp image form 120mm and far away ( its the missing extender that give me problem, ) so any advice on an extender I should buy ? ( M4/3 to M4/3 since i ll have the adaptator already from B4 to M4/3)

@balazer hi and thanks for your answer, the minimal focus distance actually is more like 8 to 10 meters

I would love some advice on this lens, and attaching it to my BMPCC or my Canon mount Metabones adapter!

@Jerry_Hunt

Thanks for useful info.

Back in 1999, Canon was advertising pro grade YJ series saying that in terms of quality, differences between Pro and Broadcast is "barely discernible to viewing audience". One of the reason (if not the main) why broadcast lenses are more expensive is because they are aimed at the big tv networks with big budget. Another form of capitalism distortion...

Nice looking footage!

I've got my B4/EF Canon 5D rig about 80% finished. I'm still waiting on my camera cage, which is on a slow boat from Korea. This will give me something to mount a handle on that will serve as the mounting base for my Zacuto Z Finder and microphone.

I'm currently using a 1.4 teleconverter in conjunction with a B4 to EF adapter that gives me a S35 image on the sensor, which is the same as the Canon C100 - C300 when using the same lens and adapter setup. I found though, by using a 2X teleconverter I can cover the whole 5D full frame sensor with no vignetting.

I designed and machined the camera sled's components myself. The front lens mount is machined out of 6061 T6 aluminum and mounts between the focus and zoom rings, using two small screws on the mid bottom of the lens.

With two 24" carbon fiber rods it's really light weight at 12.15 lbs, with a very low center of gravity centered mid shoulder, which makes it balanced and easy to maneuver without shaky footage at full zoom.

We've got a two day shoot coming up where we are going to put the camera with lens through it paces, and I'll attach the finished video here after post.