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Lens tests on the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC)
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  • Sorry, I need to correct myself. The Computar does NOT fully cover. Obviously my cropping on the GH2 was wrong or the combination behaves slightly different. I tested it on a real BMPCC now, and strangely it vignettes a tad at medium lengths, not at the wide end or tele. Really weird lens, with it's near zero distortion and massive pincushion at tele.

    Just to make things clear: all my other tests were performed on the review camera, only the Computar arrived too late.

  • Did anyone test the Lumix 14-42 X PZ version on the BMPCC?

  • Did the EOSHD Lens compatibility test by Julian with my modified Rainbow 11.5-69mm f1.4.
    Here are the results! Looks plenty usable to me

    Rainbow S6 Lens 01.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 422K
    Rainbow S6 Lens 02.jpg
    1920 x 1080 - 337K
  • But if you crop out those corners you loose resolution, which is not plenty with that number of photocells anyway. Actually, I didn't count in any lenses that show dark corners. I was looking for a cheap zoom that's wider than 17 to 90 or the like, and without any serious flaws. Such a zoom seems impossible to find, you pay premium for wide cine zooms that truly cover S-16. For the price they ask for these, I'd rather buy the Panny 12-35mm with a stabilizer, which is useful on the GH2 too (I'm going to keep mine).

  • @nomad

    Just how bad and noticeable is the barrel distortion on the lumix 20 (current version? older one?)? Glaring? Subtle?

  • I'd like to see some tests with the new Rokinon/Samyang 16mm T2.2 MTF cine lens.

  • What about "legacy" Four Thirds lenses? I think the Olympus 12-60 and 14-54 sound like a good alround deals for the BMPCC. The 11-22 would also give a nice wide angle solution. And they're getting pretty cheap these days. Or are there errors with the FT to mFT adapters to be expected?

  • The adapters should work (but I have personally only tested a manual lens on them). Main problem is the lack of OIS. If you decide to get an electronic lens with all it's drawbacks in manual focusing, you'd like at least stabilization, wouldn't you?

  • I'd be very interested in knowing what the usable range of the Zeiss 10-100 is on the pocket. I read on one site that on the BMCC vignetting is gone starting at 32mm wide open...

  • That was probably me and I wasn't entirely right. It starts vignetting at right under 50mm, actually. I had it on the camera a few days ago grabbing random footage and as nice as it looks, the focus throw is wild (I forgot how long the focus throw is), and again it only covers from 50-100.

    It APPEARS to cover earlier than that if you're infinity focused, but once you focus twenty feet or less, the lens portholes like crazy.

    The Zeiss S16 Superspeeds start to cover at 9.5mm, I plan on mixing the S16 set with the MKII S35 set starting at 18mm, so that's 9.5, 12, 16, 18, 25, 35, 50, 85 all 1.2~1.3

  • @kholi Thanks for the thorough reply. What range do you think it would cover on the pocket camera? Also, any words about your feelings on the lens in general would be very welcome.

    Cheers

  • Shoot, sorry, I was actually responding about the pocket camera, not the 2.5k!

    It only covers just below 50mm on the pocket unless you're focusing beyond like 50feet or something. I think the lens' look is great if you want to shoot 50 and beyond, but it's also really heavy, focus throw is a bit long for one-man-band type deals.

    It is fast, on the flipside, and relatively sharp wide open. I believe I deleted my test footage, was going through a lot of PL glass and only had three cards.

  • OK, so without the abakus 16-S16 converter you get 50-100 @ up to f/1.8

  • Yeah, not sure what the Abakus is, our 10-100 is PL converted so that's what I'm using it on, Hot Rod PL mount.

  • http://www.abakus-scitotific.com/Format_Converters.htm

    Scroll down a little to Abakus Super-16 Lens Conversion Kit for Zeiss 10-100mm T2 Zooms

  • Dang Abakus, get WordPress or something... unless your site is supposed to be a time portal to 1995, in which case, bravo.

  • I've got some random footage from the Sigma 18-35 on the camera, nothing special (damned flowers xD) but it does show how sharp the camera can be with modern glass, even pretty much wide open.

    If anyone's interested I can upload it, otherwise I'm trying to schedule something worth showing/shooting.

  • I've got some random footage from the Sigma 18-35 on the camera, nothing special (damned flowers xD)

    We love flowers here :-) Cats, bush and flowers. Holy trinity.

  • @Vitaliy_Kiselev Random shit on a desk could be in the top 5.

    @kholi Looking forward to your Sigma tests, of course, but more interested in the SLR Magic glass, that I actually have :P

  • That made me lol. I think it's just really easy to shoot these things to explore whatever camera you have, without interfering with other people. Don't see it more as testing, just exploring, y'know? My thoughts, anyway.

    I'll do some 12 and 25 stuff as well, currently really just enamored with the 18-35's quality, and haven't seen a need to jump to the SLRs.

  • I just saw my pocketcam is arriving tomorrow, can do a test with a 17,5mm voightlander, 35-100mm panasonic, 7-14mm panasonic, 24mm rokinon and last but not least a Moller Bolex 1.5x amorphic with a helios 58mm!

  • Guys I was told the BMPCC will ONLY use stabilization on the lenses with mega OIS "On-off switch". Has anyone checked this out? Was hoping to use my 14-42 piece of crap lens since Im too broke for 12-35.

  • If it suits you, download the original half-a-gig file. It's still not as detailed as the 4GB file, but better than the vimeo compression.

  • Samyang 8mm "Fisheye" on the pocket looks like it might be usable in certain situations..

    @Kholi is that Takagi Masakatsu?

  • OIS only works on lenses with an on-off switch. I tested it.