xlpro and mini 35 adapter
 

is there a way to use the xlpro lens from optex with the mini 35 adapter. I am looking for the obvious advantages of the mini35 with an alternative to $60k worth of primes. I want to own and not have to rent anything.

any users tried this?

thanks
rand

You can use still-camera lenses, like Nikon, Contax, and Canon lenses with the mini35. It's obviously much cheaper to buy still-camera lenses than cine lenses, and on the extremely limited resolution of miniDV it's doubtful you'll see any difference in image quality. Cine lenses are better for pulling focus, but the cost savings are dramatic -- you could get a full set of nice Zeiss Jena still-camera lenses for about $300 on ebay and not have to rent anything.

what about zoom
 

yes I'm aware of that fact. but can you use any of the existing zoom lenses (14x 16x) or others....want to take advantage of the depth of field

thanks

I don't think you understand how the adapter works. It doesn't magically "create" shallow depth of field out of thin air, it changes the field of fiew so you can use longer telephoto lenses. It is the wider field of view and longer focal length of those lenses that let you get the shallow depth of field. The wider field of view allows you to get closer (and closer = shallower) and the longer focal length = shallower DOF.

You cannot use video camera lenses, or 16mm movie camera lenses, with the P+S Technik mini35. Those lenses don't have a large-enough "circle of illumination" to fill the 35mm movie film frame size, which is what the mini35 uses. You have to use 35mm cine lenses or 35mm still-camera lenses in order to have adequate coverage to fill the frame.

To add to Barry's suggestions, the only zooms available for a "reasonable" amount of money that will work with the Mini35 are still camera zooms. From the limited tests I have done, they are noticeably less sharp than cine lenses. A 28-3000 is essentially an 11x zoom. Notice though that the minimum apertures are usually around a 4 (more or less depending on where you are in the zoom range), which will give you a significantly greater depth of field than a lens that can open to a 1.8. You'll still be doing better than any DV lens without the Mini35, but it's not ideal.