Looking for a good deal on an entry level PL mount lens...

[Tim Dashwood]

Originally Posted by Claude Mangold

So why aren't those brilliant JVC engineers coming up with an optical 35mm-adapter (or near that)? Are the technical requirements too impossible ? Or maybe possible but much too costly?

The laws of physics (specifically the optical invariant or "Lagrange Invariant") would limit the maximum usable aperture of a 35mm to 1/3" optical adapter to around ƒ/5.6. Since most DPs prefer to shoot in the ƒ/2.8-ƒ/4 range I don't think such an adapter would be very popular.

Originally Posted by Craig Chartier

thanks for the link to the ref chart. This "tube type " relay is nothing new. several years back at NAB Angenieux had the same thing mounted on the f900 for use with PL primes. It didn't have the same "look" when viewing the footage as you would want from this type of glass either, also the viewfinder did not invert the image on the f900, Anyway the PRO35 came out and that seemed to kill off this type of relay for 2/3 chip sets. the Pro35 was giving the "look" that everyone seemed to be wanting.

The Zeiss/Angenieux CLA35 was priced at around $25,000+ and I don't think any of the 2/3" B4 mount cameras at the time were capable of the 180degree rotation correction necessary.
The maximum usable aperture of the CLA35 was ƒ/3.5 which made it a tough sell as well.
(Maximum usable aperture on the HZ-CA13U is ƒ/2.8)
I would guess that the CLA35 served as inspiration to JVC engineers that such a product was possible.