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How to modify photo manual lenses (CY Zeiss, Canon FD, M42) for filming?


JazzBox
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Ciao!

I love using old manual lenses (especially primes) for filming with my GH4 and Micro Cinema Camera. 
I'm very happy about colors, sharpness, overall quality etc...

The only thing I don't like is that they have not the facilitations that a Zeiss Compact Prime has: I miss the declicked aperture, the 14 blades and the belt ring.

Do you know if there is someone that could adapt them in a nicer way, with a new declicked 9-14 blade diaphragm (and maybe an included belt for follow focus)?

Thank you! 

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3 hours ago, JazzBox said:

Ciao!

I love using old manual lenses (especially primes) for filming with my GH4 and Micro Cinema Camera. 
I'm very happy about colors, sharpness, overall quality etc...

The only thing I don't like is that they have not the facilitations that a Zeiss Compact Prime has: I miss the declicked aperture, the 14 blades and the belt ring.

Do you know if there is someone that could adapt them in a nicer way, with a new declicked 9-14 blade diaphragm (and maybe an included belt for follow focus)?

Thank you! 

For M42 lenses, there are plenty that have clickless apertures (they call them Pre-Set Apertures), mostly the Russain lenses, the classics - Helios 44-2, Jupiter 9, Tair 11a etc...

It depends where you are in the world, but in the UK this guy de-clicks lenses to a very high standard:

http://www.thelensdoctor.co.uk/index.html

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12 hours ago, JazzBox said:

Thank you very much!!

I own some declicked Mir and Pentacon and I love them, I'd like to declick oalso my CY Zeiss and add a diaphragm with more blades (9 to 14) ;) 

I am no expert, by any means, but I have never heard of adding aperture blades... With that being said, I imagine it's totally possible and very expensive. 

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50 minutes ago, mercer said:

I am no expert, by any means, but I have never heard of adding aperture blades... With that being said, I imagine it's totally possible and very expensive. 

It would be great... of course I cannot spend a lot, because I'm on a budget, but I could spend something at least for a couple of lenses :) 

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Guest Ebrahim Saadawi

Adding/modifying shape of iris blades is not an available service. Iris declicking for smooth exposure transition however is available, along with Zip-tie-tip FF gears. 

On another note, I just took a look at the Lensdoctor, and while the website comes straight out unprofessional, he seems to be a down-to-earth person and speaks from the heart (which is why it seems unprofessional in the first place!), he offers FD lenses for sale that he's converted to EF mount, using a completely new cut-off mount portion made out of metal, with precise focus calibration and lens collimation. One lens stuck me was the Canon 85mm F/1.2 L, a lens I've always died to own, selling for 395 pounds (about 4000 EGP here so the cost I just paid for an 18-135mm kit lens).

Are these any good? How does this one compare if put side by side the new 20.000 EGP EF version on a C100/5D Raw (all 1080p)? 
 

 

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22 hours ago, Ebrahim Saadawi said:

Adding/modifying shape of iris blades is not an available service. Iris declicking for smooth exposure transition however is available, along with Zip-tie-tip FF gears. 

On another note, I just took a look at the Lensdoctor, and while the website comes straight out unprofessional, he seems to be a down-to-earth person and speaks from the heart (which is why it seems unprofessional in the first place!), he offers FD lenses for sale that he's converted to EF mount, using a completely new cut-off mount portion made out of metal, with precise focus calibration and lens collimation. One lens stuck me was the Canon 85mm F/1.2 L, a lens I've always died to own, selling for 395 pounds (about 4000 EGP here so the cost I just paid for an 18-135mm kit lens).

Are these any good? How does this one compare if put side by side the new 20.000 EGP EF version on a C100/5D Raw (all 1080p)?

You're right about him being down to earth & such a nice guy to boot - very knowledgable & not trying to force you to buy something, if advice is all you want.

He has introduced me to lots of lens options, for video, that I wouldn't have even considered. You can send him things to repair/clean up/convert etc.. or buy what he has - all excellent quality & not too expensive.

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