Used lens Canon J14x8,5B4 IRS at DVinfo.net

Joachim Ljungquist · January 25th, 2010, 06:57 AM

I have the possibility to buy a used lens, Canon J14x8,5B4 IRS with extender for about $1000.

Is this a 1/2" or 2/3" lens? Is it any good and would it work with HD?
I have a Sony PDW-F330.

Thanks guys!

Luc De Wandel · January 25th, 2010, 08:00 AM

It's a 2/3 inch lens. You could use it on your 350 with an adaptor, but there's a crop factor of about 1,3. (less wide-angle, more tele)

Joachim Ljungquist · January 25th, 2010, 08:45 AM

I assumed it should be a 2/3". It's SVT (Swedish Television) that has some stuff for sale - and I thought the price was quite interesting. But I'm quite sure it would not be a good choice.

Actually, what is the different between HD lenses and non-HD lenses?

Luc De Wandel · January 25th, 2010, 11:22 AM

Well, I have a Fujinon wide-angle and a Canon 20X tele for my PDW-F350 and both are professional ENG-lenses, non-HD. The sharpness is amazing, I cannot imagine how it could get any better with HD lenses. I spoke to a tv-cameraman the other day, and he thought the HD-hype was more a marketing trick than a real advantage.

I would like to see resolution charts of different videolenses to be able to make an objective comparison, but so far I didn't find any. Canon has published a fantastic book about their photo lenses, called "EF Lens Work III" with all the important data, but they have no such thing for videoglass as far as I know. Pity.

Daniel Epstein · January 25th, 2010, 12:51 PM

Hey Luc,
It is possible even passable to use an SD lens on an HD camera and not worry too much about resolution. The biggest issue seems to be visible Chromatic Aberration on highlights, for instance you may see colored lines outlining tree branches. Also softness in low light situations or focus problems across the image. Whether this is enough to make you buy the HD glass is up to you and the particular lens you have. Newer SD glass is better for HD than older SD glass

Steve Phillipps · January 25th, 2010, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joachim Ljungquist

Actually, what is the different between HD lenses and non-HD lenses?

That's a very interesting question and one that has been discussed a lot here!
I used the J14x8.5 on an F350 and it was perfectly fine. See http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...ens-tests.html and other posts.
Steve

Joachim Ljungquist · January 25th, 2010, 03:34 PM

Steve: Is that the same lens that I asked about? Would you believe that it's better than the one that is included with the F330K - Canon HD KH19x6.7 lens (VCL-719BXS)?

Steve Phillipps · January 25th, 2010, 03:39 PM

Definitely the same lens.
Hard to say whether it'd be better than the stock 330 lens. The 330 lens is specifically made for 1/2" which is not a bad thing. On the other hand it's very cheap, whereas the J14x8.5 was probably £5000 or so when it came out - it really was top drawer.
Only thing to do is test.
Steve

Luc De Wandel · January 25th, 2010, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel Epstein

Hey Luc,
It is possible even passable to use an SD lens on an HD camera and not worry too much about resolution. The biggest issue seems to be visible Chromatic Aberration on highlights, for instance you may see colored lines outlining tree branches. Also softness in low light situations or focus problems across the image. Whether this is enough to make you buy the HD glass is up to you and the particular lens you have. Newer SD glass is better for HD than older SD glass

I just remembered an test report by Mark Stuart of the PDW-700, where he compares his 5-year old SD Canon J17x7,7 B4 IRDS to the Fujinon HA 18x7,6 BERM that came with the PDW-700 and this was his conclusion: "my old Canon SD lens produced pictures which looked just as sharp to me and chromatic abberation didn't appear to be any worse or better than the HD-badged Fujinon." I tend to believe him, as even in a big projection screen the sharpness of my SD-lenses is amazing. Still, I would like to see some figures or graphs. Too bad Fujinon nor Canon publish this kind of data.

Paul Cronin · January 25th, 2010, 06:08 PM

I have been borrowing a friends Canon J15x9.5B4 IRS to use on my PMW-350 with surprisingly good results even with the 2x extender.

The back focus seems to drift off and the edges are not as sharp but for what it is I am surprised.

Joachim Ljungquist · January 26th, 2010, 01:57 AM

This developed to a quite interesting thread! Ley the discussion/comparison of HD and SD lenses continue...

Anyhow - the conclusion to my basic question seem to be that the price (actually around $900) is quite good and that I would get a lens with good focus control (compared to my present).

Joachim Ljungquist · January 26th, 2010, 03:39 AM

By the way - what 2/3"-to1/2"-adapter would work?

Luc De Wandel · January 27th, 2010, 03:35 AM

There are different makes of adaptors, amongst which Sony, but I've never tried one, so I cannot answer your question. I don't think it's very critical, as it's only a mechanical thing, no hot shoe.

January 25th, 2010, 06:57 AM	#1
Joachim Ljungquist Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Umeå, Sweden Posts: 84	Used lens Canon J14x8,5B4 IRS I have the possibility to buy a used lens, Canon J14x8,5B4 IRS with extender for about $1000. Is this a 1/2" or 2/3" lens? Is it any good and would it work with HD? I have a Sony PDW-F330. Thanks guys!

January 25th, 2010, 06:08 PM	#10
Paul Cronin Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 4,048	I have been borrowing a friends Canon J15x9.5B4 IRS to use on my PMW-350 with surprisingly good results even with the 2x extender. The back focus seems to drift off and the edges are not as sharp but for what it is I am surprised. __________________ Paul Cronin www.paulcroninstudios.com

January 25th, 2010, 08:00 AM	#2
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	It's a 2/3 inch lens. You could use it on your 350 with an adaptor, but there's a crop factor of about 1,3. (less wide-angle, more tele)

January 25th, 2010, 08:45 AM	#3
Joachim Ljungquist Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Umeå, Sweden Posts: 84	I assumed it should be a 2/3". It's SVT (Swedish Television) that has some stuff for sale - and I thought the price was quite interesting. But I'm quite sure it would not be a good choice. Actually, what is the different between HD lenses and non-HD lenses?

January 25th, 2010, 11:22 AM	#4
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	Well, I have a Fujinon wide-angle and a Canon 20X tele for my PDW-F350 and both are professional ENG-lenses, non-HD. The sharpness is amazing, I cannot imagine how it could get any better with HD lenses. I spoke to a tv-cameraman the other day, and he thought the HD-hype was more a marketing trick than a real advantage. I would like to see resolution charts of different videolenses to be able to make an objective comparison, but so far I didn't find any. Canon has published a fantastic book about their photo lenses, called "EF Lens Work III" with all the important data, but they have no such thing for videoglass as far as I know. Pity.

January 25th, 2010, 12:51 PM	#5
Daniel Epstein Trustee Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,267	Hey Luc, It is possible even passable to use an SD lens on an HD camera and not worry too much about resolution. The biggest issue seems to be visible Chromatic Aberration on highlights, for instance you may see colored lines outlining tree branches. Also softness in low light situations or focus problems across the image. Whether this is enough to make you buy the HD glass is up to you and the particular lens you have. Newer SD glass is better for HD than older SD glass

January 25th, 2010, 03:34 PM	#7
Joachim Ljungquist Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Umeå, Sweden Posts: 84	Steve: Is that the same lens that I asked about? Would you believe that it's better than the one that is included with the F330K - Canon HD KH19x6.7 lens (VCL-719BXS)?

January 25th, 2010, 03:39 PM	#8
Steve Phillipps Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wales Posts: 2,130	Definitely the same lens. Hard to say whether it'd be better than the stock 330 lens. The 330 lens is specifically made for 1/2" which is not a bad thing. On the other hand it's very cheap, whereas the J14x8.5 was probably £5000 or so when it came out - it really was top drawer. Only thing to do is test. Steve

January 26th, 2010, 01:57 AM	#11
Joachim Ljungquist Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Umeå, Sweden Posts: 84	This developed to a quite interesting thread! Ley the discussion/comparison of HD and SD lenses continue... Anyhow - the conclusion to my basic question seem to be that the price (actually around $900) is quite good and that I would get a lens with good focus control (compared to my present).

January 26th, 2010, 03:39 AM	#12
Joachim Ljungquist Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Umeå, Sweden Posts: 84	By the way - what 2/3"-to1/2"-adapter would work?

January 27th, 2010, 03:35 AM	#13
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	There are different makes of adaptors, amongst which Sony, but I've never tried one, so I cannot answer your question. I don't think it's very critical, as it's only a mechanical thing, no hot shoe.