Pro35 + Sony EX3
 

Hi everybody, I'm nexto to buy a Sony EX3. I want to purchase a lens adapter and I'm thinking about P+S technik. Here's my question:

EX3 cmos is a 1/2" and with the adapter included you can connect every 1/2" B4 lens, right?! So with this adapter I can connect to the camera body the Pro35, don't I?

If it is right, which main differents are between using Pro35 in this way or a Mini35 directly to the body (when the mount kit will be avaible)?

thank you everybody

Michele

Michele.


P+S Technik may be quicker off the mark on direct relay for the PRO35 to fit the EX3 because they already have the optics developed for 1/2" CCDs and only need to make the physical mount at back of the relay lens.

If the EX3 lens mount is already a 1/2" common standard like B3?? the relay may already exist but not yet listed as compatable or as a EX3 mount kit.

The PRO35 and MINI35 share some common parts in the front-end but the flip upright sections are different. I don't know if they have a 1/2" direct relay planned for the Mini35.

B3 mount for EX3
 

EX 3 does not have native B3 mount to use 1/2" Fuji/Canon/Sony zoom lenses, but rather an included adaptor w/EX 3 is required?
Is there some customary light loss when using the adaptor and are electronic contacts btw lens & camera maintained so that you can still power the zoom and lens info. is displayed in VF?

I was hoping to go this route and avoid the 35mm adaptors for shallow dof shooting, although I assume the 35 adaptors produce even shallower dof ?
What about ergonomics? Will camera become more front heavy and unhandholdable (sic) with big zoom lens/B3 adaptor attached.

Chris.


The original lens on your EX3 becomes a spare part and is not used when a direct relay system like the Mini35 or Pro35 is fitted to the camera.

There is a light loss with all groundglass adaptors, some more than others. Lesser light loss equates to a less filmic look but sharper apparent image, more light loss equates to a more filmic look but also softer apparent image. P+S have striven to achieve the best practical balance of all attributes without losing image quality.

Because most still-camera and affordable 35mm motion picture camera lenses are manual operation only or have electronic lens control standards which prosumer video cameras are not designed to manage, there will be no provision to run the circuits through the adaptor.

With the Z7, the hot contacts inside the mount orifice in the camera are recessed slightly to maintain an insulating clearance when third party accessories and lenses intended for the JVC GY-HD--- camera family, which does not have hot contacts, are fitted.

I have not seen the EX3 therefore cannot comment except that Sony are thorough enough that they should have made a similar provision as they have done for the Z7.

The Mini35 and Pro35 relay is a single prime lens and quite short, like about 40mm or so. The Pro35 and Mini35 bodies generally add very little or no more length to the camera system with its own lens fitted.

In the attached image from the P+S Technik website, the rearmost smaller diameter part between the bulk of the Pro35 and the front of camera is the relay lens module.

(For Chris and other site wranglers, I have emailed Simon at P+S to let him know and possibly correct any innocent disinformation I may have posted. If he advises that the image offends copyright, I will take it down.).

There is a little more weight added to the front. What will add more weight and bulk to the front will be your choice of 35mm lens to go on front of the Mini35 or Pro35. Most popular still-camera lenses, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, will be shorter than your own original lens so the added bulk will not be excessive. If you eventually add a larger vee-mount battery system like any JVC GY-HD---
battery owners have done, the comfortable balance will likely be restored.

On the P+S Technik website, there are no individual camera models referenced for the 1/2" relay version of the Pro35. You would have to enquire about the new EX3.

The 1/2" CCD cameras present a conundrum for P+S. The format bridges their two groundglass relay products, the Mini35, originally designed for consumer/prosumer 1/3" videocamera systems and the more expensive Pro35, originally designed for 2/3" professional videocamera systems.

They have made a Mini35 relay kit for the lens-in-camera Sony PMW-EX1, which is as yet, the only 1/2" camera in that market space. From my own experiences in hacking the Mini35 to the EX1, I found it was a very close call as to whether there was enough field-of-view through the combined optical relay path.

I think that the existing Mini35 1/3" direct relay optic for the JVC GY-HD--- and Canon XL camera families cannot be used for 1/2" relay. It is custom lens of fixed focal, selected to relay a complete field-of-view coverage of the 24 x 18mm movie frame area of the groundglass to 1/3" imagers.

My own experiments suggested that simply repositioning this lens closer to the groundglass in order to project a larger 1/2" image area was not possible due to the existing components in the rear of the Mini35 occupying the same space the lens would move forward into.

Other compensatory optics would need to be designed and added, a technical task which might be no less difficult than re-designing a new relay lens module from scratch.

The Pro35 appears to be a shorter product than the Mini35 which may be how the solution for wider fields was arrived at.

The Mini35 itself might have to be custom hacked for the EX3. In doing so, P+S Technik would be making in-house a product which would then compete directly against its 1/2" Pro35 model. This would not make any commercial sense but P+S Technik may have other solutions. I am not an optical engineer, only a poorly skilled hacker.

P+S Technik have a website ( www.pstechnik.de) which you have likely already found. Their US distributor Z.G.C. (http://zgc.com/zgc.nsf) is a dvinfo.net site sponsor. An enquiry to either would likely get for you the information you need about plans for the EX3.

Hi everybody, so I contacted PSTECHNIK. They told me they're working hard on a XDCAM EX version of their adapters. But they don't know when this will be avaible.

Anyway, I was reading the pdf of PSTECHNIK family adapters: I'm quite sure that the PRO35 1/2" version fit any B4 mount camera (like sony XDCAM HD). I attach a jpeg from the brochure...

SO, can anyone confirm me IF the ex3 WITH the included adaptor can accept the PRO35 1/2" version?!?!?!?!

Thank you everybody

Michele

Bob,
Belated thanks for your informative post. I will be examining an EX 3 soon. I am keen to fit it with B3, B4 mount broadcast video lenses as opposed to the 35 adapters. I don't expect the lenses and camera body to talk to each other, ie, no powered zoom, auto iris or info display on EVF/LCD. but hopefully light loss will be minimal.

Chris.


If you have not already been there, have a look at Philip Bloom Home. He had access to the EX3, also the Letus Ultimate before both were released. He has used a Canon broadcast lens with the EX3 and there is a blog post about it on his site.


Michele.


P+S emailed me back and conveyed the same information as you received. Their EX3 version is still being researched and developed.

Hi Bob, P+S TECHNICK (mr. Silvio Liberatore) said me they are working hard on adaptor for EX3 (they had a lot of requests...) But he didn't answer me about mounting Pro35 1/2 on EX3 with included B4 adaptor...

Philip Blomm mounted a Canon HD B4 video lens on EX3 (with the included adaptor)... so it's possible... I CAN MOUNT PRO35 ON EX3 WITH ADAPTOR....

What do you think...?!?!?

Michele

P+S TECHNIK told me they are working on EX adapter. PRO35 1/2 is ready for EX3 (with included adaptor). it is expensive. They want to develope a cheaper adapter for EX.

Michele

Michele.


My wild guess is that they will be working on the Mini35 and Mini35 compact. The compact would be the easier but as it is the non-flip low light loss version it is limited to certain cameras.

They've been very busy over there remaking a new front-end for the RED to accept the P+S lens mount system. It is up on the website P+S website now.

2/3" adaptor
 

We used an EX3 body with the Fujinon ACM-21 EX to 2/3" adapter and put a P&S on that. The results were great.
YouTube - PMW-EX3 with Prime Lenses
Please watch high quality version...

P+S Technik PRO35 EX-3 now available
 

P+S Technik PRO35 Digital Image Converter
Just an FYI.

I heard very good things from someone that rented one from Abel NY recently.

Any news on the pricing? The price of a Canon EF mount on the same page is kind of alerting... I am afraid the kit would cost more than the EX3.

Gulp hard.
 

I've fired off an email to ZGC.

Wonder if they'll consider a 'credit-crunch'/'bankers'-free-lunch' finance deal?

Jus.