Using a S16 PL Mount Lens with BMPCC 4k & MFT to PL Adapter Questions

[Karl Lee]

I have a Canon 11.5 - 138 S16 PL mount lens that I use with my SR3, and if possible, I'd like to try some digital cinematography with my S16 lens.  A while back I asked about digital cinematography with a S16 lens, and someone mentioned that the BMPCC might be a good choice.  I'm guessing that this was referring to the original BMPCC, which was limited to 1080 and had a S16 sensor.  Does anyone know if the newer BMPCC 4k would be a viable option, or would its (presumably) larger 4/3" sensor pose issues for using a S16 lens?  Or, does the BMPCC 4k have some sort of scaling option that would make the use of a S16 lens possible?  I'm guessing that shooting 4k with a S16 lens may not be possible, so I'm curious what the resolution options would be with my lens.

Along the same lines, is there  particular MFT to PL adapter that's generally regarded as being superior to others?  I see that there are a number of adapters available, but as with anything else, my assumption is that you get what you pay for.  Without any prior knowledge, I would probably be inclined to go with Wooden Camera's adapter, as I've been pretty impressed with WC gear that I've bought for my SR3 rig.  Also, is shimming usually a necessary process when it comes to using this kind of adapter?  I notice that Wooden Camera sells an "all purpose" MFT to PL adapter that includes a set of shims, however they also have a MFT to PL adapter advertised as being specifically for the BMPCC that doesn't appear to include shims.  That said, I'm curious if these adapters are, in fact, a little different, and if the BMPCC version has been tweaked to ensure optimal compatibility with the BMPCC.

Thanks!

[Phil Connolly]

It has a crop mode that allows you to use a 1080p window of the sensor which would probably work with an s16 lens.  Or just shoot 4k full sensor, and crop the vignette out in post

[Danner Gardner]

Late response but for anyone going through old posts, the S16 glass works really well with the Pocket 4K. I got the metabones adapter and the only main issue is some wiggle between the MFT mount and the adapter, which a lens support bracket fixes. I used the Zeiss Super Speeds with the Pocket 4k and most of the lenses besides the wider focal lengths actually cover the whole MFT sensor so you can shoot in 4k if you want. But you can put it in 2.6K mode and it essentially crops it to a S16 sensor size so vignetting isn't too much of an issue.  

[Ezra Simons]

Hi Danner - I have the superspeed mk1 set and Canon 8-64 (for my Aaton XTR) and am considering adapting them to my BMPCC4k too. Considering the metabones too, but it's quite pricey. How did you go with the Canon 11.5-138 on the BMPCC4k? Do you have any footage to show? Thanks

[Ari Eldjárn]

Very interested in this thread! I have an Aaton LTR-7 with an Arri Zeiss 11-110 zoom lens and am interested in using a digital camera to shoot tests and plan framing. I read somewhere that the Black Magic Pocket Cinema 4K will work with Super-16 lenses in PL mount (cropped to 2.6K and with the extra adaptor I guess) but I also read that the BMPCC 6K will not work with the Super-16 lenses for some reason. Anyone know more about why that is? 

[Robert Hart]

Some 16mm lenses in PL-Mount penetrate deeper into the camera throat than some 35mm PL-Mount lenses and may butt against structures within the camera throat behind the mount flange.

The BMPCC 6K camera version may have a filter stack which gets in the way of a lens that penetrates further into the camera throat. Some PL-Mount lenses have a deeper shoulder than the PL Mount adaptor mounted in place of an EF-Mount and also butt against structures within a camera throat. They may not play at all with a 0.71x focal reducer (Speedbooster). 

Please take little heed of my comments and wait for more contributions from others. I am not familiar with the camera types mentioned, only the Optar Illumina / Optika Elite Super16mm lens families and the Cinema Products CP Ultra T* lens family.