B4 ENG Servo Zoom lens - 4K bicycling - IEBA.com - Dallas Video Production

[@rs-369]

I'm impressed with how good the image looks for a M43rds. I just bought a Canon J14X8 B4 ENG lens.

[@Cathyharland295]

I'm impressed by how much riding your daughter did! I must admit my heart did that parent jump when she was wobbling around! Oh and nice example of the lense capabilities too.

[@IEBATechThoughts]

Thanks!

[@IEBATechThoughts]

Thanks!

[@TV-FilmCameramanUK]

I was impressed with that, I have 2 J15s good lenses, take the doubler out though looks horrible when you're at the end of the bottle.

[@StreamTeknology]

you need an external 12v power supply, and then connect that to the right pins, in the right polarity, of either a 6-pin or 12-pin LEMO connector for the lens cable built into the lens.

[@MOVISUALS]

Hey! Love the video. I have a GH5. Could you possibly post the link or at least the name brands of everything id need for the lens' servo-zoom controls to work with the camera? Thanks! :)

[@bobbyplease4302]

very good footage looks like old arri cinema footage!! Question- how do you understand the model number of the canon b4 lenses? There's so many that look the same with various prices and it's hard to gage which ones are better quality or what mm range they have because some don't have the information in the description.

[@IEBATechThoughts]

In the B4onM43 group I created on Facebook, we have lens charts that specify what the various parts of the lens' model number mean. the first two letters typically are what size sensor and what quality of lens, then the length of zoom (14x) then the starting mm (10) then a few more letters for specific features. You can also find these lens naming charts online.

[@bobbyplease4302]

@@IEBATechThoughts Thankyou so much 😭 !!

[@DeadSeaProductions]

Hi there. I'm a bit frustrated. I have a GH4. I purchased a Canon 14x 8-112mm f/1.7 B4 Lens and I've tried to back focus is and it seems focused but I'm not getting crisp footage. It always seems either a bit soft or shows noise. I'm used to prime lenses that I get super sharp footage, even in low light. What am I doing wrong?

[@DeadSeaProductions]

This is what I'm using. www.ebay.com/itm/172437323117?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[@IEBATechThoughts]

If you are used to very sharp prime lenses and comparing a B4 lens to those, you will never be satisfied. The only thing that's going to compare to a prime lens is Canon's $30,000 Cine Servo Zoom with a speedbooster. You give up some sharpness and clarity for: 1- smooth servo zoom (not available in any still zoom lens, anywhere) 2- parfocal (holds focus as you zoom) 3- constant aperture (still zooms will adjust the aperture as you zoom) 4- affordability (as I said, you can get it all, it just costs a lot. You can rent it though) That's a bit older lens, I can tell because the front lens hood rotates when you focus. Tips for best clarity- shoot F4 or above. Noise is a function of your camera, and the GH4 is not a camera for low light. I run two GH4 groups on Facebook, as well as the B4onM43 group, so I know your pain. :)

[@DeadSeaProductions]

Thank you for the input. I guess, since sharpness and clarity are most important to me, I'll just go back to using prime HD lenses.

[@chizho01]

Дело еще в включенном экстендере. С ним фокус будет мягче.

[@davelonghi8229]

I can't understand what you use to give power to the motor

[@ThinkMoreMedia]

Hello there, will any remote (zoom) will work with this lense and if it does what other options for a economic price are there?

[@IEBAcommunications]

You need a canon zoom on a Canon lens, and a Fujinon zoom on a Fujinon lens. Some 3rd party controllers, like Manfrotto or Varizoom, are switchable between the two.

[@bryankeller3492]

Really like the video testing here. One thing though, and not a criticism per se, BUT the videos on my monitor look like really GOOD, SD-quality. A bit soft BUT with great range and smooth zooming. I have two Fujinons. One an ultra wide 4.5 to like 48 that doesn't have the 2x extender (ofcourse not) built in. Wll the ETC setting on my m4/4rd still vignette on the widdest setting? It's for a 2/3rd sensor. Also, I have an older 6-pin Fujinon that's like a 10 to 120 mm. Would it figure into the 2x crop factor already built-in OR will the crop factor "NOT" be a factor here at all?I got these lenses back when they were going SUPER cheap. (I think I paid 99 cents plus 10 bux shipping on the ultrawide) SO I'm sure I'll be happy to use them as is. BUT have thought about paying the little bit extra (well, 160 bux) for the 2x B4 adapter. BUT then again, I might just use prime fixed lens OR zooms with adapters too.. (Have aa regular 4/3rd Oly 14-45 I'm thinking on using eventually with a 4/3 to m4/3 auto adapter).

[@Stream4us]

The 1080 ETC mode will be able to not have cropping down to a 1/2" lens with no doubler. But my experience is that they tend to get "milky" when used wide open, so you have to close down to 3.5 or so to get rid of the milkiness. That's about the same loss of light if you threw in the doubler and used the whole sensor.

[@bryankeller3492]

Thanks. How about a 2/3rd B4 lens?.A little better? Both of mine are off a Panasonic AJ-910WA. AND, I'd probably only use wider than 3.5 on closeups for the Bokeh.

[@IEBATechThoughts]

The B4 lens are a compromise in sharpness (because of how much we're stretching the image) compared to a still lens. But in exchange you get a smooth electronic servo zoom, parfocal focus performance, and constant aperture. You have to determine which is more important. Sometimes on a shot by shot basis.

[@joergmueller5744]

Very nice I used a CANON PH15X7B 7-105mm 1:1:4 TC-F KTS II-A W/ 1/2'' ADAPTER LENS VIDEO CAMERA and removed the last lens and put a NICON1 in Manuel mode behind it :-) My question is on what pin did you connect the Power ??? and what about the voltage? Thanks in advance for your help / Greetings from East of Berlin.

[@IEBATechThoughts]

ENG cameras provide 12v power. There are 6-pin and 12-pin lens variants. I have the pinout schematics in my B$onM43 group on Facebook. But it's easier to just by a B4 lens power cable off ebay.

[@joergmueller5744]

Thanks I will find somebody with a Facebook account.

[@collinscompletemedia979]

Hi, I have a canon YJ17 , what zoom servo will work with the lens on a BM ursa mini pro ? Can you tell us which one are you using please, thank y in advance.

[@tanzexun]

Hey I'm interested in getting one of these B4 lenses for my FS700 / FS7 with the expensive MTF adapter. Question though - you said you have a zoom control on pan bar for the lens. How's that connected? Is there a separate connection on the B4 lens that allows remote control? New to B4 lenses here. Thanks in advance!

[@IEBAcommunications]

Yes, professional lenses have ports on the bottom for "remote" wired control. In this case, remote is just 2 feet further back. :)

[@ThinkMoreMedia]

Hello there, will any remote will work with this lense and if it does what other options for a economic price are there?

[@gcprost]

I'm curious, how bright is a lens like that with the 2X doubler? How sharp is the lens? I have a typical ENG camera and a Panasonic AF100 which I use for shooting live theatre. I'd love to put a B4 lens on the AF100 but I'm afraid that it won't be bright enough or sharp enough for my purposes. Right now I'm using the optical stabilized 35-100 f2.8 Panasonic lens. Gerry in Calgary.

[@IEBATechThoughts]

Thanks for the question. The native Lumix lens will be considerably sharper. Also, I think Panasonic enables lens correction data on Panasonic (and olympus) cameras so any CA, distortions, etc are all corrected for in the camera across the zoom lens. The B4 lens, on the other hand, is 20 years older, so the tolerances of machining and engineering are not as good. Moreover, adding the doubler softens the edges because the doubler lens, in most cases, was only made to cover the center 2/3" sensor area, everything else would fall outside the sensor area so why waste time and money precision grounding it? That said, stopping down to f2.8 or so helps sharpen it up over full wide. F4 a little more but after that, it's diminishing returns. Now, if you're stopping down to F4, and then adding the doubler, you are spreading that light out to a much larger area. (the opposite of a speedbooster) so the amount of light on a given area is less. About 2 stops less for a 2x doubler. So it's the equivalent of an f8.

[@Jasper_Louis]

Enjoyed watching your videos about B4 lenses and I have a question. In the latter videos you uploaded "1/2" B4 ENG Lenses on the GH4 - IEBA.com - Dallas Video Produciton" on Oct. 10th, I could easily find out that center of shots are very clear and as we going to outer part of the image it gets blurred. But in this video it seems like overall images are at very good condition whether it's center or not. I heard it's limit that SD B4 lens has but your lens performs pretty good job against those opinions of SD lens. I have simillar lens J15x9B IRSU(JX8) with doubler, attached to GH3 but my lens doesn't perform as good as yours when it comes to dealing outer part of image. Do you have any idea how I can make it better? FYI, I'm using Pixco B4-M4/3 adapter.

[@IEBATechThoughts]

Close down the iris. When you close it down past f4 the edges sharpen up. When you open up to f2 and wider, you see that the doubler was made to be sharp in the center (where the old 2//3" sensor would be) and the edges were not of much concern because they would not be captured by the sensor.

[@IEBATechThoughts]

Oon Joh Yes that's pretty much it. The B4 lens is about being able to zoom, keep solid focus and iris, at under $30,000 which is the cost for Canon's Cine Zoom Lens. In your video F11 does sharpen up nicely. But you also want not not get the iris too small or diffraction, and high ISOs start to ruin the image. So f8-f11 is really the sharpest you're going to get.

[@Jasper_Louis]

IEBAcom Thank you for your opinion. I still think B4 lenses are good for the reason you mentioned above, zoom and par focal... These things are just great. Thanks for all your video, it helped a lot getting knowledge about B4 lenses.

[@eranyosef5678]

Hi thanks for video! can i ask- if you power the lens for servo zoom- do you get auto iris/focus also? I want to use camera from long distance... Thank you!

[@IEBATechThoughts]

These are manual focus lenses. Iris would be controlled by the camcorder, but these are being adapted to cameras that do not provide that control. So that makes them manual iris. They can be manual zoom too, but the point is to have a smooth servo zoom to smoothly and dynamically adjust the frame size while recording.

[@BenitoFilms]

Hi! Thanks for the video, that was the main reason to get the same lens for my GH4. But, can you help me, what kind of b4-mft adapter did you using for this setup? ANd how did you adjust the back-focus? Thanks for your help! :)

[@IEBATechThoughts]

+Bence Gulyás Adjusting back focus on a B4 lens has a standard procedure and there are plenty of tutorials on KZbin already, so I haven't needed to make one. :) I leaned how to do it in my broadcast TV days. The B4 adapter I have is the Cicio7 one from Poland, but I have another video on my channel here that compares it to the "Pixio" knockoff for under $100 and they are very comparable.

[@PaulHarwood856]

Hello Anthony, I'm considering upgrading at some point to a Panasonic GH5s and Metabones Speedbooster Ultra 0.71x for Canon EF lenses. I honestly think using a zoom lens like this would be great for filming skateboarders at skateparks. Currently, in the skateboard industry, they are either using RED Cine cameras with still lenses, old Sony VX2000's Standard Definition camcorders with Century Optics Fisheye lenses, or Panasonic HDV cameras at 720p60 resolution. They use the zoom functionality on the Panasonic camcorders, but then attach a really expensive Century Optics fisheye to the front of the camera with 15mm rails. It's not a really sturdy solution since I've seen it fall apart on video and looks really frustrating with all the capital put into that lens. My question is: What is the best way to attach a Canon ENG lens to an Canon EF Mount? I currently use a Canon 7D and could test this in case I don't upgrade so soon. I just think this would be an awesome setup since purchasing a fisheye for a Canon DSLR is reasonable and these zoom lenses are up for sale for good prices on Ebay. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! - Paul Harwood

[@IEBATechThoughts]

The issue is the Canon has an even larger sensor, so you need to expand the image even further, probably with a Canon adapter. Which reduced the light even more. Though light will probably not be an issue with outside skateboarding. Secondly, you keep talking about wide angle. Most ENG lenses are not very wide angle. If you do find a wide angle, it's down in the 4mm range. Those lenses, used, are fewer and probably cost more. If you need a wide angle for tracking, then best to do it with still lenses. If you want a long zoom to follow from a stationary point and be able to smoothly zoom while the boarder moves, then the B4 lens can definitely do that.

[@PaulHarwood856]

Hello IEBA.com, Sorry for the late reply. Ok I understand. Basically the Fisheye lenses used in skateboarding with video cameras (with the zoom in and out button) are really expensive. Whereas with a DSLR or Mirrorless, the fisheye lenses are more reasonably priced. So if a skateboard hits the fisheye on a still camera, it's easier to replace since it's more affordable. I think the B4 lens is better for the GH5, and not Canon DSLRs. I honestly would probably just use a GH5s with a Metabones and Vivitar 7mm f3.5 fisheye for filming skateboarding lines, and then a 4K camcorder for long lens/zoom in and out/ filming. Thanks again for your response, it really helped clarify my options at the moment. I also saw some lens kits like the one you have on Ebay, which is great. - Paul

[@djvertigo2698]

could you use this with a Sony A6100 or A6000?

[@NebulousFilms]

Hey, I am just getting into this but this was a really interesting video. But can i use this on a canon c100? and what woudl be a good not too expensive adapter?

[@NebulousFilms]

also, how can this lens zoom any faster?

[@georgeeharrison4293]

I have a B4 J17ax7.7 with a adapter would it be best for a APS-C or M/S size sensor camera

[@IEBATechThoughts]

I think M43 is the best solution for B4 lenses because of the native coverage with just the lens' built in doubler.

[@ianedwardweir]

Thanks for video! I got the same set up and it seems when I zoom in and get focus and then zoom out the image is not in focus? Something I not doing right?

[@IEBAcommunications]

You need to make sure your back focus is set correctly. THis is an adjustment of the last elements of the lens to adjust the lens to your camera. Set up something with detail, like a brick wall, a pattern shirt, etc. About 5 feet away. Zoom in, focus. Zoom out, set your back focus. Do it again. Zoom in, focus. Zoom out, adjust back focus. Until they do not change.

[@ianedwardweir]

Thanks! I just watched a video on this very thing! I have the same Canon you have. Is the Fujinon the same quality or worth getting an aspherical Fujinon?

[@IEBAcommunications]

I find the quality can vary over the years, as the same model number would be kept based on technical features, but coatings and glass quality might improve over time. No way to really tell what you are getting, however.

[@JohnPham2015]

Most B4 lens - I notice that the IRIS can be control by remote - do you know if there an adapter to do such a thing ?

[@IEBATechThoughts]

There are systems out there to remotely control the iris on cameras that can't do it. We cover this in my B4onM43 group in Facebook.

[@AidanCasey-xz3xz]

noticing you and some others who post videos about b4 lenses don''t use lens support. Has that been ok for you? I dont want to buy a whole base plate and rail rig for my camera but also dont want to damage it.

[@StreamTeknology]

Love carefully and you'll see that the B4 lens adaptor has a "foot" and that is what is being mounted to the tripod. It's the camera that's hanging off the back. If the camera is small and light, like a M43 DSLR, then the camera can support it's own weight on the M43 mount. Do not hang a B4 lens of the front of a camera with a thin lens mount. The B4 mount was robustly designed for ENG cameras and can easily let you support a 10 pound camera from the lens grip. It's today's mirrorless camera lens mounts that are the weak point.

[@AidanCasey-xz3xz]

@@StreamTeknology Thanks for the reply. I got an adapter with a foot too. So from your experience this has been enough?

[@StreamTeknology]

Unless you are at the long end of the lens and you are outside with the wind blowing, that will shake the lens and then rails with lens support will be needed. Otherwise, indoors, I have found it to be enough.

[@sebjacson1321]

Hi Anthony It is interesting that the Canon J15ax8B4 IRS SX12 will fit on the GH4. I am thinking buying the GH4, I also have a Canon J15ax8B4 IRS SX12 which I was going to sell. However now I know that it is possible to use on the GH4 with an adapter. I have just a couple of questions - what is the lens adapter you used? How did you power the lens? Why did you use the x2 on the lens? Can you shoot 4k without using the x2? I am located in the UK. Thanks in advance. Regards Ian Smith

[@IEBATechThoughts]

Ian Smith I used a B4 to M43 adapter- they are plentiful now on e-bay, Amazon, etc.

[@VideoByPatrick]

IEBAcom Did you Adapter have glass correction within the adaptor ?

[@IEBATechThoughts]

VideoByPatrick No glass in this adapter. Coverage of the M43 sensor is achieved with the 2x "doubler" in the lens.

[@ucheucheuche]

This might work great for wildlife videos.

[@jasonlindquistmedia]

thats awesome! how much did you pay for lens and the power bank for it??

[@IEBATechThoughts]

+JLfilms The power bank comes from Fotodiox and you can find inexpensive B4 power supplies on Ebay. The lens comes from Ebay and they vary widely in price depending on how wide they are to how long you want the zoom, condition of the lens, quality of the lens, whether it has a doubler or not, etc. THis one was around $600. But prices for the exact same lens can fluctuate over time as well as all the other factors.

[@socaminister]

IEBA what the best lens to go with for my GH4 with the same configuration that you have

[@IEBATechThoughts]

+Clinton Providence The best lens is the one that suits your needs. And I don't mean anything bad by that statement. You have to assess whether you need a very long reach, or a very wide lens, or a very long zoom, or some other features and get the appropriate lens.

[@DolphinsEatFish]

would this lens, or other similar ones, work on full frame cameras like the sony a7s?

[@Stream4us]

It has been done, but in addition to the lens' doubler, you need an additional 1.4x teleconverter which loses another stop of light. Alternatively, you can use the S35 crop mode on the camera.

[@IEBATechThoughts]

They can, but need additional teleconverters to further expand the image, in addition to the internal doubler in the B4 lens. And you need to start with a 2/3" lens.

[@MichaelGalarza]

Is there something you would recommend that would be more affordable?

[@IEBATechThoughts]

Michael Galarza More affordable than what? The B4 lenses are a fraction of the cost of full frame DSLR glass, and on e-bay , they are a fraction of their retail cost. Sometimes, you just got to spend some money. :)

[@MichaelGalarza]

Thank You!

[@JohnPham2015]

where do you buy that remote servo control?

[@IEBATechThoughts]

+John Pham It's part of what's called a "studio kit" for ENG cameras. It puts both zoom and focus controls on two handles of a tripod. Generally controls are made by Canon or Fujinon for their respective lenses. But other companies have made compatible controllers, like Varizoom and even Manfrotto. You can buy them new from any equipment reseller, and used in all the usual places.

[@socaminister]

where can i get those lens and what are the limitations with that lens.

[@IEBATechThoughts]

+Clinton Providence It's not as sharp as a DSLR lens. But it gives you the ability to smoothly zoom, with a fixed aperture while shooting video. I wrote several articles for Streaming Media Producer about the lens selection process. blog.ieba.com/adapting-servo-zoom-lenses-for-smooth-zooming-dslr-production-part-1/

[@socaminister]

so what can i use to give me that sharp lens with the same set up you have

[@IEBATechThoughts]

THe square hood indicates it is an internal focus lens, these are made later than the ones with round lens hoods. Also, you want one with an internal 2x "doubler" in it to cover the whole Micro 4/3 sensor.

[@IXLATFILM]

whats the name oh the lanc you are useing

[@IEBATechThoughts]

There's no LANC with an ENG lens. The Zoom is a dedicated piece of hardware.

[@IXLATFILM]

IEBAcom yes sorry whats the name of the hardware name eg remote? please

[@IEBATechThoughts]

Generally it's a "zoom controller" for Canon ENG lens or Fujinon ENG lens.

[@IXLATFILM]

IEBAcom thank you

[@bruceajohnson7389]

I see your daughter was already showing "producer" tendencies even way back then!