PL Mount Lens/FD Question

[Wayne McFaul]

Greetings. I'm new here.

I bought a K-3 a few years back from a Youtuber (who obtain it from Max of Russia). My intention is to get back into film mostly as a personal hobby. The camera has a Ultra 16 gate with a PL mount 'front plate' and with a 'full frame' 35mm lens. I'm hoping to find a wider angle lens preferable in a super16 form factor.

My question is with the flange distances of PL lenses in general. Somehow my FF lens works on my camera. So with that, can any PL lens work on a PL mount cameras like my K-3?

I'm hoping someone can clarify this for me.

Cheers

[Mark Dunn]

2 hours ago, Wayne McFaul said:

Greetings. I'm new here.

I bought a K-3 a few years back from a Youtuber (who obtain it from Max of Russia). My intention is to get back into film mostly as a personal hobby. The camera has a Ultra 16 gate with a PL mount 'front plate' and with a 'full frame' 35mm lens. I'm hoping to find a wider angle lens preferable in a super16 form factor.

My question is with the flange distances of PL lenses in general. Somehow my FF lens works on my camera. So with that, can any PL lens work on a PL mount cameras like my K-3?

I'm hoping someone can clarify this for me.

Cheers

Any PL lens will fit the mount but the limiting factor is how far the rear element protrudes behind the mount, as the mirror must clear it. It's more likely to be a problem with a w/a lens. You would need to check, carefully.

Edited December 3, 2024 by Mark Dunn

[Wayne McFaul]

Thanks Mark. So, I would have to check the specs of each lens to confirm its FD to make sure they're within the FD of the camera? Does the FD differ if a lens is fitted with an adapter compared to its original mount? ie) Arri-b has a FD of ###mm, but with an adapter it is now ###mm or does it not change at all.

[Dom Jaeger]

All PL mount lenses have the same nominal flange depth - 52.00mm, regardless of whether they are made to cover full frame, 35mm or 16mm. 

Beyond that, the main factor to consider is the protrusion past the mount flange, and whether it goes too far to clear a spinning mirror. But the rule tends to be that you can use larger format lenses on smaller format cameras (ie 35mm lenses on a 16mm camera) but avoid using smaller format lenses on larger format cameras (ie 16mm lenses on 35mm cameras).

So in your case, the vast majority of PL mount lenses should work.

[Dom Jaeger]

2 minutes ago, Wayne McFaul said:

Thanks Mark. So, I would have to check the specs of each lens to confirm its FD to make sure they're within the FD of the camera? Does the FD differ if a lens is fitted with an adapter compared to its original mount? ie) Arri-b has a FD of ###mm, but with an adapter it is now ###mm or does it not change at all.

Adapted lenses will generally be fine, just watch out for certain early Arri Standard mount lenses by Cooke (Kinetals) or Schneider which may protrude too far back. They don’t work on cameras like an Arri SR, so may foul on a K3 too.

 

[Wayne McFaul]

Thanks Dom. Just to clarify, the flange depth you mentioned, 52.0mm, is the max depth of a PL mount to the film plane? The lens rear elements that protrude past the mount should be within that distance, correct?

[Dom Jaeger]

52.00mm is the nominal flange depth of all Arriflex cameras, meaning the distance from mount flange to film plane. It’s the same distance for Arri Standard, Arri Bayonet and Arri PL mount. 

So every PL mount lens is (or should be) set so that the lens forms an image when focussed at infinity 52.00mm behind the lens mount flange. 

The amount a lens protrudes past the mount flange (ie the rear element and associated housing) is a different thing to the flange depth. It varies and depends on the individual lens design. As a general rule wide angles protrude back further than longer focal lengths, and telephotos tend to not protrude back at all. Almost all lenses made in PL conform to the film era standard that limits the protrusion to a certain depth and diameter, to avoid hitting a spinning mirror, or a sensor OLPF. Be aware that some lenses (particularly vintage) shift the entire optical block as you focus, so the rear protrusion can vary depending on where you’re focussed. It is always the furthest back at infinity.
 

Lenses made for other systems, like 16mm C mount or stills cameras or mirrorless digital cameras, will be designed for different flange depths, and are often incompatible with PL mount movie cameras because the flange depth is much shorter, so the lens would need to sit well inside the PL mount to function properly. 

[Wayne McFaul]

Thanks again Dom. That clears up a lot. I believe a Meteor 5-1 zoom or an Angenieux would be a good place to start. At least they'll give me a good focal range and they're design for 16mm.

[Mark Dunn]

The Meteor 17-69 was the "standard" lens on the K3 and came only in its own bayonet-type mount. I very much doubt you would find a Meteor in PL mount. K3s in other mounts are all after-market conversions.

FYI the Meteor rear element protrudes about 40mm. into the camera.

Edited December 4, 2024 by Mark Dunn

[Wayne McFaul]

Didn't the K-3 come with a M42 mount as well?