Yeah it's an usual thing to see a lens able to focus closer than the front element. Very surreal 😯

It is physically possible, but as far as I know there is no readily available B4-PL adapter that is optically corrected. Its a good learning project to DIY an adapter if you are keen to make it work 😊🤙

I had been researching how to do it for a long time 😊🤙

Not sure I don't have a A7S3 to test that. It also depends on what expansion ratio the optical adapter you adapt the lens with.

@ Do you have test online with another Sony Full-frame camera like the C2,FX3 or something? I’ve read that a lot suggesting 2X adapter for full frame but I can’t find which adapter to use or find footage on fullframe using Super 35 mode or clear image zoom.

@@benjaminehrenberg you would require approx a 4x image expansion to cover full frame. Its not really worth it as you loose a lot of light transmittance. You end up with a wide open exposure of approx f11 which is not very useful. But no I don't own a FF camera, to do image quality tests.

Yeah any mirrorless mount can work with B4 lenses with an adapter. It is just reflex mounts like EF and PL that are a bit harder to make it work with.

@ good to know, I’ve been thinking of a reasonable way to get it to full frame Z mount for fun however it would couple at least 3 if include a teleconverter. I have a eng camera and it came with a fujinon b4 lens; unfortunately with no doubler

@MrDdog678 expanding the image to full frame size is not worth doing. You lose a LOT of light transmittance. Shooting wide open will only transmit approx f11 worth of light with the required 4x expansion of the image circle. Not really worth it. Much better to use cameras with S35 and S16 sensors or scan modes.

Hear you loud and clear on that! Thanks for the replies! The rig you have with the Sony does make me want to get an fs7 body myself haha

IBE make great adapters, however they are very expencive. I made the adapter used in these tests myself. You can see more info about it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKmxYYeKZbxqbposi=bLSLNCyTnVGuYlqH

@ I’ve seen that you can do B4 to Ef and then Ef to E mount. Would you recommend stacking the 2 as a more budget option?

@maclalanne6713 depends on the specific model of adapters combined. As a general rule of thumb it is always best to adapt in as fewer adapters as possible. More joins increases the flex and play between lens and camera. It doesn't take much slop or flex to create an adapter that won't hold the lenses back focus depth or centring. If you want the cheapest option a B4-E adapter with no optics or corrections ~$70 on eBay. Build quality is good and rigidity is good, but you obviously dont get a corrected image quality.

@@jamesandcamera got it. Thanks brother!

@maclalanne6713 😊🤙

Unfortunately there is no space in the adapter for more optical elements. The corrective optic is quite long with 3 optical blocks. As I mention in the video there is an EFP version of this lens with a swing away doubler built in. So that would be a better option for people wanting S35 coverage. Otherwise IBE make a corrective adapter that expands to S35 image size. Personally I am happy enough to shoot HD for now. With the aim to maybe get an Ursa 12k and B4 mount convert it for 4-6k S16 capture area without the light loss of an expander. Expanding to FF requires nearly 4x which is a waste of time. The lens would act like a ~F16 exposure wide open.

Here is a video I made talking about the adapter. Currently sold out till December: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKmxYYeKZbxqbposi=1eZPYQICAk4a7krC

Glad you found the info you needed 😊🤙

Its a great lens, incredible zoom ratio for such a relatively small lens 😊👌

Hey Josh, The FS5 would be your best bet to adapt B4 to as it has a S16 scan mode similar to my FS7. As far as adapting any B4 lens for the best quality you require an optical correcting adapter, watch this video for what I use: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKmxYYeKZbxqbposi=mEAIw8LPFQEVyOJs I make a few adapters every so often. So keep an eye out for when I post that more are available. Otherwise it is a good project to make one yourself if you have some patience and DIY skills. The Canon J21x7.8 is a great option for filming fast paced sport as well as being an all-round useful zoom range. If you plan to shoot sport, corporate event/presentations, live performances or anything else where the camera has to be far away, then creating a good quality optically corrected adapted B4 lens setup is 100% worth while doing.

@jamesandcamera thanks for your quick response. I am finding it hard to lock down a J21x7.8. There just aren't many available online. Might you have a suggestion for a more common alternative? I am seeing J20's often. But not J21's. So you build these optical adapters custom? I am kind of in a time pinch to get one before playoffs start. (11/15/24) * Is there a consumer option available through black magic possibly? I've sent you a proper email. Please reach back if at all possible. Thanks.

@@JoshLloydMedia the J20 is an older model, which has slightly worse CA control. It all depends on what level of image quality you can live with. Personally setting up for B4 is NOT something I would rush to get done before a deadline. I have many videos showing tests of various lenses, watch them and consider which level of image quality you require. I make the custom adapter as I say in the video. There is no consumer available option from Black Magic as that would knee-cap their sales of their broadcast camera. All other optically corrected adapters available cost a lot more. Do your research if you intend to buy one. Some do not actually correct the image. Good luck, it takes time to find all the right bits, but it's worth it in the long run 😊🤙

​@@jamesandcamera There is a lot to learn here, but I feel strongly that this is a serious lens solution that seems to be missing from the market today. You're on the frontier of something here that most shooters never consider. I am looking for an HD lens if possible. I wish to collaborate with you on the adaptor when you are available to offer the service. I would gladly pay you for a full lens kit if the chance ever arises. Do you have a video where you rate the HD systems by quality & price. I will go hunting now. Thank you for everything.

@@JoshLloydMedia it is a very complex topic that not many people put the time in to research. I was lucky/unlucky that the start of my career was TV based rather than cinema. So I had a good basis of knowledge to start from. Its not necessarily missing from the market, there are S35 broadcast lenses that accomplish the same things, they are just very expencive compared to 20-30yr old SD lenses. If I were to suggest to easiest option for you, it would be to buy a Ursa Broadcast, either a new G2 or a old 2nd hand G1 for cheap. It is the cheapest and best way to use B4 lenses with optical correction. It also has all the comforts of a broadcast camera such as VCT, native 12pin Hirose data port to power the lens and pass data to the camera and has a solid B4 mount that doesn't require support. Personally it is what I would do if I was doing everything again. I will post once more adapters are available in December 🤞

Hey Jonah, I am in the middle of building the new design for the adapter which is most likely to be completed in December this year. Keep an eye out for more news on it then 😊🤙

😊🤙♥️

@@jamesandcamera 💛💛💛🌞🌞🌞

It is normal for this lens to outperform most HD and SD B4 lenses. That is what it is designed to do. J and A series lenses are still good lenses if you don't mind some minor chromatic aberrations. I have not used to F900 but being a "cine Alta" camera body I would say it will have some sort of video output. If none of the BNC ports are HDSDI, then one might be an older anolog video output instead. Find a PDF copy of the old user manual and service guide and read about what ports it has to be sure. Or find an old listing for one for sale that has its full spec sheet. It is really important to do as much searching before buying old equipment to make sure you know if what your buying has the features you need. Good luck, I am sure it will have some sort of video out being cine Alta. They would need a video output for video village, director and focus pullers back in the day. And it wouldn't get a cine Alta badge if it couldn't be used in a crew type project.

@@jamesandcamera James, thanks for the quick reply! I've placed the order 4 hours ago, it's about 4:30 a.m. here in Brazil and I'm still too worried to sleep lol BTW, it's around the same time in Australia right? Yeah, the whole story is quite strange. The regular F900 doesn't have HD-SDI out, so that was a no go right from the start. The F900R, which I ordered, has 2 SDI ports and the whole thing was going according to plan. SDI out from camera, into an Atomos recorder, sweet. The problem is the F900R had some optional boards one could have installed by Sony to enable special features, like down conversion from HD to SD (as SD was the current tech back then), slow motion, and so on. I've read the manual almost entirely, but it's pretty ambiguous regarding if the SDI out is enabled by default or disabled until one of those boards is installed... that's where the headache comes from. It does have SDI physical connectors, but I don't know if they're locked by default. And now I'm desperate, because the order has already been placed, and if I have to use tapes, this camera becomes essentially a paper weight. Oh Dear... Now, regarding the lenses, I'm stunned by the clarity and sharpness a good HD lens provides. I'm so stunned that I'll probably save for that lens (some day, and IF my F900R works tapeless...). Even if that lens costs around 30 grand here in Brazil (in Brazilian currency that is). A lot of cash, but undeniable IQ. Love your reviews man! Keep them coming

I wouldn't worry too much about the video output, if it doesn't have HD-SDI, it will have some other video output type. When you get it, find out the video output type and get a converter from that to SDI or HDMI. Plenty of videos on KZbin of people converting old tape camcorder outputs to a modern compatible output. I am on the opposite side of the world 😉 it's late afternoon here.

A tripod capable of balancing up to a 10kg camera package. Otherwise a lot of the footage was hand held without stabilisation.

It is very nice, I am glad I got it 😊👌

Yeah the wider lenses are fun, would pair well with an FX9 if you optically corrected the lenses. I have a J11x4.5 ultra wide which produces an image I would be happy to use professionally when corrected. What is your go-to S35/FF zoom for work with the FX9?

@@jamesandcamera depends. 28-135 F4 (on fs7 days it was 18-110) also have the 24-240 f6.3 zoom which honestly gets a ton of use. Minus servo image is much much better quality than any B4 out there. Ive def had my b4 phase only for hd projects where servo was needed (like concerts only) was never used for anything else.

@@jamesandcamera but I had two methods for using B4 2/3" lenses. Method 1: - b4 lens with doubler enabled and lens support - b4 to ef adapter - speed booster - fs7 or fx9 set to s16 mode End result was great low light performance and ok image stopped to f2.4 Method 2: 4k - b4 lens with doubler enabled and support - b4 to ef adapter - kenko 1.4x or MTF 1.4x adapter - camera set to s35 image size Great 4k image stopped down to f2.0 but not good for low light.

You can get "video class" lenses for cheap, they are a lower grade than "Broadcast class" lenses like the J or A series. Video class 2/3" B4 lenses have the model code of YJ for Canon, so something like a YJ19x9. They are much cheaper than a J series, but with lesser features and quality. Otherwise there is not really such a thing as an affordable wide angle broadcast grade lens. The J11x4.5 is a nice wide angle to moderate telephoto lens, but even at its age it is over $1k USD 2nd hand. Wide angle B4 lenses are just very desirable so they cost more. Good luck 🤞

@@jamesandcamera Hi James, I think I'll be skipping the YJ series (but they're excellent indeed!), because despite not having a large budget, I still need the best IQ within an affordable range. I'll be shooting a short film, and IQ ends up being paramount. It doesn't need to be too wide, maybe starting at 8mm is already plenty wide enough. . So I was thinking of getting a Canon j16ax8 or a Canon j14ax8.5, whiever appears first on ebay being in decent shape and affordable price at the same time. I'm located in Brazil, and import taxes are beyond insane here, that really reduces my options to SD lenses. . From my researches, I guess I'll be good with either of those. I needed it to be parfocal as well, but it seems they can all be adjusted to be parfocal, using the technique see in your video. Thank you for the awesome and super informative content, much appreciated!

I would not buy a J14x8.5, they are poor image quality compared to a YJ19x9. The J14 is a very old design. A J16x8 is a better slightly more modern optical design, it's not perfect, but much better than a J14 and YJ19. To be fair I wouldn't worry too much about the lens, getting something made is more important than critical image quality. Especially if you are stuck with the image limitations of an F900.

@@jamesandcamera James, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge here. Much appreciated! Without your input, I'd have ranked all of them similarly in terms of IQ, now I know the J16x8 is the one to get. It's within my budget, and if you say it's decent, I'm getting that :D It's very, veeeeeeery hard to find information online or any samples from those lenses, since they're all from pre-You Tube days. The F900 will be in fact the R variant, hooked SDI out into an Atomos Ninja V (with a SDI to HDMI inbetween), I reeeeally hope this combination works, because I have no desire to use for HDcam tapes haha To be honest, the F900R is just for nostalgic reasons. I want to use my 2000s dream camera (thanks to George Lucas), and feel what it is like that video look. I do have a Red Scarlet X here (also very old), but I'll be skipping my Red in favour of the F900R for this short film. Crazyness? Probably, but the sweet nostalgia is what I'm after :D James, thanks once again for all the help!

I mention more details here; kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKmxYYeKZbxqbposi=zhrQzUxYvc6ASHqF

Best to google that question. I don't use raid right now and all my drives are different sizes 😊🤙

Yes, all B4 zoom lenses are parfocal when correctly back focused. They are all designed to be used for live zooming without focal shift. Watch this video to see how to calibrate them: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3XRlntor8SKeNksi=MuIyFbAFeChynVFx

Yes, all B4 zoom lenses are parfocal when correctly back focused. They are all designed to be used for live zooming without focal shift. Watch this video to see how to calibrate them: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3XRlntor8SKeNksi=MuIyFbAFeChynVFx

This video goes into more details about the adapter I made and use. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKmxYYeKZbxqbpo

Hi, more available in December 2024. Get in contact on IG or email in channel about section 😊🤙

Hi, more available in December 2024. Get in contact on IG or email in channel about section 😊🤙

Your welcome 😊🤙

It may have gone to the spam folder. Try sending again 😊🤙

I am glad you found it useful 😊🤙

The FX cameras don't use 2.5mm LANC protocol or connectors as far as I recall. I don't think an FS7 grip would work. Also the grips are very expencive as is typical for repair/replacement parts Better and far cheaper option would be getting a Sony digital control with zoom and start stop function and build it into your choice of wood or bar hand grip.

It's not something I can share sorry. But the information is widely available that I used. With some research you could easily find it yourself. I wouldn't recommend expandinding to FF sensor coverage, it is not worth the light loss and becomes far more optically complex. The lenses base T-stop becomes a T11-T16 wide open because of all the light loss from expansion, which is not very useful. Aim for S16 or S35 coverage instead for better results.

I can make one as part of the up-coming videos. I will cover a normal servo and the custom servo I make for this lens 😊🤙

@@jamesandcamera Nice, I look forward to it :)

Hi, they are currently unavailable till I get around to making more in December. There is no online store to buy them in. It is a matter of emailing me to order, not having an online storehelps keep costs down for such a small batch made product. I will be posting here once they are available again in December 😊🤙

@@jamesandcamera aah check thank u answering!

How much would it cost?

Yes the hard drives have a red colour to part of the sticker

Hi Callum, I will respond to you by email 😊🤙

Yep, you are right on track. Used nuts inside the rail, and they were perfect fit to not rotate in the rail 😊🤙

Yeah the Fujinon HA(c) lens series is the equivalent to Canon HJ series. They are both model coding for 2/3" HD lens series for each manufacturer. Just like the Fujinon A series is equivalent to Canon J for the model coding of their SD 2/3" lens series.

Personally I prefer Canon lenses, so I haven't used the HAc's yet. I looked at them and I found they don't have a macro switch, where the Canon HJs do. That was the big thing that turned me off the HAc's. Additionally the Canon HJ just had more comfortable focus grips for my personal preference.

Its not a good lens for streaming. It's too telephoto. You would be better with a Sigma 16mm f1.4 for a streaming setup. 50mm f1.8 is more of a portrait lens for subjects 2-4m away from camera.

Hey Aidan, it's a good question. The answer atleast for me is 3 part. 1) it is ideal to use a S16 sensor (rather than the larger M4/3. And the Sony FS7 has a S16 cropped scan mode at 1080p built in. It does mean the rest of the sensor goes un-used in that scan mode, however if I use B4 lenses with a swing away doubler, when the doubler is engaged I can cover 98% of the whole S35 4K sensor (at a loss of 2stops of light). So the larger sensor is still useful if I am filming in daylight and want the extra resolution. Having both scan modes gives me a lot of options for what lenses I can use on projects, can use B4 with my optical correcting adapter, S16 cine lenses, S35 lenses natively and I can also speedboost adapt full frame lenses. So flexibility was key. 2) there are no M4/3 cameras that are large body like an FS7 as far as I know. Closest is a JVC camera. Camera had to be a large body with full-size XLR audio and built in ND. The only other one I considered was the Ursa mini, as the Ursa 12k and FX9 didn't exist 5 years ago when I bought my FS7 2nd hand. 3) finally it's the camera I have, it does everything I need it to do. No sense in buying a different one if your current one is enough. I am looking to buy an old BM Micro cine cam though purely to play around with as the S16 sensor should play well with my B4.

@@jamesandcamera Thank you! I'm trying to decide what camera will pair best with my b4 lens. The Black Magic pocket cinema camera 4k seems like an obvious choice but some of the footage ive seen on youtube of b4 lenses with the BMPCC4k look.. crumby. I'm sure your optical adapter would help this.

@@AidanCasey-xz3xz yeah basically any camera will look bad unless you use an optical correcting adapter, B4 is not made for CMOS sensor cameras. The Pocket 4k is a good option for B4 lenses once corrected, if all you want to do is tripod work. Personally I would be bored to death if I had to shoot everything off a tripod. But your use case my vary. FS5 and FS7 are super cheap these days though, and are still industry standard workhorses at least in broadcast and verite.

@@jamesandcamera It's my understanding you only sell your optical adapters in packages with the lenses themselves. Any chance you could make an exception, or point me in the direction where I could get one for the lens I have? Also, would you have any recommend any smaller, more portable camera bodies that have good enough stabilization that a tripod wouldn't always be needed? And lastly, would you recommend using lens support for a J17eX7.7B4 with the tripod plate attached on the lens adapter? A truly heartfelt thank you for answering all my questions, I really really appreciate it!

@@AidanCasey-xz3xz @AidanCasey-xz3xz I was selling the adapter on its own as well as in kits when I had lenses to bundle. Currently doing an adapter redesign and more will be available in December. As for camera, an there is no image stabilisation in these lenses, they also won't trigger a cameras IBIS system either. They are really not designed for "compact" use. You get more stability with larger heavier cameras due to the effects of enertia. An FS5 is about as small as I would go for shoulder shooting. But if you had to have something compact a Black Magic Micro or pocket 4k would be fine if you could set up a handle at the systems centre of gravity. But honestly I would rather use a FS5 or FS7 so you can have internal ND filters

Thanks David 😊🤙

Not sure, I have only used 14TB drives in it. Read the specs sheet for it for the most accurate info on what the max drive size it can use is.

I'm still using the strap, it is the only strap that works with heavy cameras like mine. Yeah the straps were called many things.

Glad you liked it 😊🤙

😊 thanks!

Thanks man 😊🤙

I am glad you liked it, I have a video specifically about the adapter here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKmxYYeKZbxqbposi=6FL8CiVET-F9Bx5z

Thanks Steve, it is great to shoot with. Next video should be showing some test footage with it. In the mean time I shot this bit of footage at the start of this video, with the same lens and camera: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWawqJaIfsSnm8Usi=r7c2fuSaPYQF5Bjp

Thanks Chris, its a great camera setup to use. Gets me the shots I need without having to change lenses and interrupt my creative flow 😊🤙

they're a universal mount. thats why I love b4 glass.

It's not too heavy, maybe 10kg/22lbs once I put wireless on it. Feels super light on the shoulder because it's perfectly balanced, and the gel shoulder pad is a luxury. I am putting together a video showing footage I capture with it outside of my paid work. Which will have lots of clips showing what the setup is capable of. That video will be out in the next month or so 😊🤙

@@jamesandcamera looking forward to it. Do you have a link to the gel shoulder pad

@@davidmorefield Zacuto don't make this exact model anymore, as it's about 10yrs old I think 😅 but their new model is nearly just as comfortable, but has a sliding function which mine doesn't have. Search for "Zacuto VCT Pro" for their more modern design. It's expencive, but I often see them for sale 2nd hand, and got my old one years ago 2nd hand for cheap. It's much more comfortable than a foam shoulder pad by a long way. The trade off is it is slightly heavier as gel (assuming silicone) is more dense than foam being mostly air.

@@jamesandcamera ahh ok I’ve seen that one!

Yeah it's a 1 stop light loss through the adapter. My maths are terrible, but I put it somewhere around a 28-583mm T3.5 full frame equivalent, by my terrible maths atleast. The Ursa Broadcast G2 has 4K B4 support. It is relatively affordable considering what it is. Otherwise FS5 and FS7 and BM Micro cine cam are pretty cheap these days if you can live with HD S16.

Hey Devin, I am glad you are finding the videos useful 😊 I thought it was about time there was good recent info on it. Since nobody else seemed to be doing it, I thought I would do it myself. For the lens support, yes I custom make them to fit the specific lens. Definitely worth using as it secured the lens in 4 directions. Compared to a more typical support that just gives support from 1 direction (underneath). Get in contact with me by the email in the channel about section if you would like to order or need any extra details