Nikon adapter for HD100
 

Hey all, Les Bosher just updated me -- he now offers a Nikon adapter for the HD100! For 140 UK Pounds, you can now use Nikon lenses on your HD100.

If you don't know who Les is, he's a master camera/optics craftsman in Wales, UK, who builds lens mounts and does conversions on cameras. I had him do some work on my Konvas 35mm camera and the results so far exceeded my expectations that I've been a big fan of his ever since.

His website is http://lesbosher.co.uk.

it will still have the 7.2 multipling factor right?

Yes, and no. It will be mm for mm. So it will deliver the field of view that you would expect a lens of that mm to deliver on a 1/3" video camera. For example: the HD100's stock lens has a maximum telephoto of 88mm. If you put an 85mm Nikon lens on, it would give you about the same field of view as the HD100 lens at full telephoto. If you set the HD100 to 50mm, it will give you the same field of view as if you mounted a 50mm Nikon, etc.

It will not give you the field of view of a 35mm camera, but then again, the HD100 isn't a 35mm camera.

interesting
 

hi barry,

does this mean we could use this mount to achieve a slightly wider angle i.e. going slightly under the current widest angle on the existing lens, I guess it would, Is this right? if so i Imagine this is going to be a much cheaper option than going for the other fujinon. Also, does this mean you could do a like for like swap fujinon tele for nikon tele and avoid potential CA?

Regards Greg Corke

No, this wouldn't really do anything for wide-angle capability. I mean, the wide angle on the existing lens is 5.5mm, right? I think the widest Nikon-mount lens is probably somewhere about 12mm or 14mm... so no, it's not going to do anything for wider angles. It would certainly provide substantially more telephoto reach though.

Point taken
 

Thanks barry my mistake. Kinda obvious now you mention it. What about the like for like to avoid chromatic aberation in the stock lens?

Greg.

Obviously that would be something to test with each lens. But the earlier posts on this forum from the Tamron lens would certainly lead me to expect that chromatic aberration performance would probably be significantly improved; but again, it depends on the lens used.

As you would be using the sweetest spot of the 35m lens, you should get some excellent performance from a Pro Nikon lens.

As a 1/3" sensor is still much smaller than a Nikon DX sensor you should also be able to use the DX lens range.

However I am not sure how G lens (no aperture ring) would work, they'd probably be stuck open at their largest aperture (like F2.8) all the time.

interesting
 

Thanks Guys,

I guess that is something to keep mind for the furture. I noticed some chromatic aberation on some test stuff I did recently. It doesn't bother me too much at the moment but if it started to I guess this adapter gives you a chance to sort it out without getting into high four figures.

Bye for now, Greg

Please explain further.
 

does this lens mount to the existing HD100 lens? If so and if it retains the mm for mm equvalent of the zoom range you set in the HD100 lens, then what does it add? deos it shorten the depth of focus?
What happens if you put a 35 mm zoom lens on your HD 100 zoom lens? Now I am really confused.
Larry

A nikon lens mount would open up the possibility of using high quality glass that you may already own for your Nikon. This would also give you access to longer focal lengths like 300mm. A 300mm on the HD100 would be super-telephoto!

Also, it would allow the use of specialized still-photo devices like lens-babies.

As well, if you are building your own version of the mini35, a nikon mount might allow you to use a macro or prime lens as a relay lens for the device.
I've been experimenting with this idea using a C-mount I had an machinist make for me.

Makes sense Tim,
 

but I am still confused as to if this mount attaches to the front of my fujinon lens or if it mount to the HD100 body.

Also I see lots of talk from people interested in it but noone has ever reported back after trying it to say if the combination of the Nikon primes and this adapter produce good video on the HD100.

It attaches to the body so that the 1/3" bayonet becomes Nikon. You don't use the 1/3" lens at all.

Actually,
Yusuf Thakur used it almost 6 months ago to shoot a wildlife doc.

Check out:
http://www.itp.net/business/features...gory=broadcast

You would remove the lens from the HD100, attach this adaptor to the HD100 and then mount your Nikon lens to the adaptor. This does not mount on to an existing lens.

EDIT: The two Tim's have some timing... ;)

Thank you!
 

Has anyone here bough this adapter?
Can you tell me if you like it and if it is giving that shallow focus and how your nikon lenses changed you rlight requirement?
Please
Thanks again for the fast responses.

A mount adapter like this WILL NOT give you any shallower depth of field.

For example, mounting the stock Nikon D70 18-70mm lens to the HD100 will give you the exact same DOF characteristics as using the stock HD100 lens in the 18-70mm range. Focal length is Focal length no matter what mount is attached to the back of the lens.

As for light requirements, if your Nikon lens opens to F1.4, then you will have the same freedoms to light the way you would with the HD100 stock lens. The Nikon D70 stock lens I mentioned before only opens to F3.5 on the wide end, so that would be the best you could get.

Of course through a sponsor... but I thought once someone got the JVC wide angle for around $8 to $9 grand... thought it was you Tim...

If so can you let me know which sponsor you purchased it from... looking into different things...

You must be talking about the Th13x3.5 1/3" zoom lens. As far as I know this can be purchased through any JVC dealer, including some of our site sponsors. I have no idea what the going rate is in the U.S. I buy JVC stuff through my dealer here in Canadian dollars. The lens is around $12000 Canadian.

Is the Fujinon straight 1.4 all the way to 88mm?

Also, I just got the Zoerk Nikon adapter. Didn't realize there was this option too. My initial test seems to indicate similar sharpness from my Nikons to the stock Fujinon... but I'll need a lot more testing. Other things I've noticed are different lenses act very differently in regards to ghosting and CA. The Bokeh and highlight handling seem pretty nice on the Nikon 85mm 1.8 I have.

I think the big advantage is if you want to slap on a 70-200 2.8 and go do wildlife. If you nail the exposure it appears to look good... but if you miss the exposure by a little then the results seems less forgiving than the Fujinon for some reason.

Also - the focus rings on my lenses seem to change the frame a little when I grab them... so you'd have to be really careful when pulling focus during a shot.

Possibly one toy too many for me as I don't do much wildlife stuff... but anyone who does will probably want one.

does nikon use a proprietary mounting/thread? why can't and adaptor be made that would allow the use of non nikon lenses?

Hi Lawrence,

I own one. Not Les' adaptor but the one made by Zoerk in Germany. It's a great accessory, but may not be what you are looking for. As Barry and Tim have said above, the depth of field and field of view (and exposure, for that matter) are what you'd expect for the focal length and the chip size. The adaptor itself will not give you any improvement in shallow focus, except that it allows you to use longer focal length lenses which do give you shallow focus. Only problem is that unless you do a lot of Natural History shooting, as I do, you will be hard pressed to use such lenses in normal situations. If you have an HD100, set the stock lens at 88 and then imagine trying to shoot a whole scene with actors at a focal length greater then that. You'd need a cell phone to talk to them. So, the Nikon adaptor greatly extends your range, but you will be hard pressed to use it for any normal subject. Now for long lens and macro it is superb. I have no trouble filling the frame with a subject that is a few millimeters wide and tack sharp with a 55mm Micro-Nikkor. (Much better results than you would get with the Fujinon in macro mode or with a close-up diopter filter). A 300mm tele will take you for a ride up a squirrel's nostrel. Not for everybody, but I've got some great stuff with it. (Not of squirrel's nostrils, in case you were wondering.) I am having some issues with what I believe is internal reflection, however, so it is not a complete success. The widest Nikkor I have is a 20mm, which you could use for close-ups with people, but only for close-ups.

A note to those who are thinking of using Nikon primes as a relay lens for something like a Redrock Micro: None of my Nikkors is wide enough to cover a 35mm size frame at a reasonable distance.

In summary, this adaptor adds great versatility to the HD100, but is mostly for subjects that need whopping good magnification.

Lens adapter
 

Barry, Thanks for the site to Les, very interested in the adapter and telephoto. Will be visiting UK soon.

Rand

Thank you everyone!
 

You all answered my questions. For my macro work I need the bosher type adapter and for cinematic DOF I need the M2. Now what is this about a 6-9 week wait on the M2???

I would guess that the make them to order.