Which lenses do you think are most suitable for the Pocket Camera?

[Deleted User]

Hi Chris: There are literally hundreds (thousands?) of lenses that can be directly mounted or adapted for use with a camera with a MFT lens mount such as the BMPCC.

Like many things, concerning lens quality you generally get what you pay for.

A good place to read about MFT lenses for video use is:
https://www.dvxuser.com/V6/forumdisplay.php?181-GH-Hardware-Lenses-etc

The information at the link above is for Panasonic “GH” MFT cameras (such as the GH2 & GH3). Note that the sensor crop factor for GH cameras is 2x, whereas with the BMPCC it’s 3x, relative to full-frame 135 still photography.

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https://www.peterdv.com
Blog: https://herefortheweather.wordpress.com

[Chris Summers]

Thanks Peter!
The crop factor is tough, but I realize the crop factor is relative only to stills cameras and S16 is fairly standard for cinema.

The issue is that a 35mm lens becomes a tele.. I’m kinda trying to stay on the (comparatively) wider/standard side (24-50mm). I was going to get the Rokinon 8mm/14mm (EF) and SLR HyperMagic 12mm (MFT) lenses, since they are cine lenses, fairly well-reviewed, and stay in the standard range.

Is this a process you would recommend?

[Deleted User]

[Chris Summers] “… I was going to get the Rokinon 8mm/14mm (EF) and SLR HyperMagic 12mm (MFT) lenses, since they are cine lenses, fairly well-reviewed, and stay in the standard range. Is this a process you would recommend?”

Most important, I recommend not buying a lens for a camera which you don’t yet have in hand. 🙂

And, if at all possible, only buy a lens from a dealer who’ll give you a full refund if you decide to immediately return the lens after testing it on said camera.

Beyond that, yes: If you need a FOV range that’s relatively wide-ish to “normal” on a 3x crop camera, lenses in the approx. 8mm-20mm range would be ones to consider. Either lenses with native MFT mounts or non-MFT lenses adapted to MFT. It’s interesting to note that most film & TV productions rarely shoot wider than 18mm on S35. Refer to Abel’s FOV calculator for comparisons:
https://www.abelcine.com/fov/

DP John Brawley, who advises BMD on camera design and writes extensively about their cameras, has promised another detailed hands-on preliminary test with pre-release BM Pocket Camera. He personally owns several MFT lenses & cameras, and in his work uses a wide range of pro cine cameras and lenses, including some extremely expensive cine glass. He’s very knowledgable. Stay tuned to his blog:
https://johnbrawley.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/the-pocket-rocket-blackmagic-downsizes-the-bmcc-and-does-a-4k-upsize-of-the-orginal/

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https://www.peterdv.com
Blog: https://herefortheweather.wordpress.com

[Chris Summers]

You’re correct, I won’t be buying anything far in advance before purchasing the camera! Plus i was going to get the lenses from Adorama, not eBay.

I’m going to get an 8, 12, and 17.5 lens for 24/35/50 equivalents.

Thanks for Abel’s tool, it seems extremely helpful for all crop factor situations.

I’m waiting until test footage comes out before go ahead and make the pre-order, but it’s going to take some pretty mediocre shots for me to cancel the process. Waiting for Brawley’s review!