Craig Kovatch

Hi Albion. I'm in Northern Canada. Almost 2,000KM from the nearest rental house that has the 2560. Rental/shipping time/freight would set me back about $1,000. I know that when I went from my small Sachtler to the 1030ds the difference was enormous. I was hoping for something similar with the 2560. Just might have to pony up for the rental.

Hey everyone. I currently have the O'connor 1030ds which is a great head, but I find myself shooting on longer lenses and wonder if I might be better served with the 2560. I'm shooting on an F55 and when paired with the Canon 30-300, mattebox, follow focus etc., tips the scales at almost 35lbs. It's not the increased weight capacity that I'm after, just more stability. At 200-300mm, a very light touch is required on the 1030ds. Does a larger head make operating any easier? The extra weight of lugging around the 2560 I can deal with. I just want to make sure I'm not dealing with diminishing returns in performance. Thank you. Craig.

Thanks Jason. I think that's where I was going with this. Not so much the sensor size, but the lack of lens options that go along with it. The lenses are there, but the size and weight get crazy real fast. Like I mentioned I generally don't do TV work so I'm surprised to see that S35 has taken over 2/3". I hear you on the focusing issue. I've only been shooting S35 for five years and have spent so much time learning how to keep things in focus only to be told to let things go out of focus. SMFH.

I don't normally do reality TV but I was working on a pilot episode last month and the director wanted it shot with S35 cameras. We ended up using the C100 with still lenses. I'm an F55 shooter who shoots exclusively with PL lenses. I have a few questions: Am I crazy to think that S35 and reality TV are a bad mix especially with the typical run-and-gun nature of a show? I still see value in the ENG form factor and B4 lenses. Or even the EX1 form at a minimum. More flexible zoom ranges and deeper DOF. Not to mention most S35 bodies don't have the physical controls available that ENG cameras have. I pitched this idea to the producer but she said she hated the "flat" look of broadcast cameras. I think she was referring to the lack of shallow DOF. Is this the future of TV production? How soon before full frame becomes a requirement? Sorry if this is off topic for the website. I just wanted some feedback from other DP's that have done some TV work. Cheers. Craig

Realistically how accurate should the marks be? There always seems to be a bit of an adjustment to nail focus although the marks are extremely close. Obviously there's very little wiggle room at T2.8. Most of my infinity shots have been landscapes. Objects up to a mile away. It's possible my definition of infinity is not correct. I hadn't thought of that. If it's clear tonight I'll try focusing on the moon. I'll also check infinity at 30mm and see if it holds. It's tough to tell at 30mm as everything looks to be in focus. I'll keep you posted. Cheers.

I've tested all three of my Canon zooms, the 15.7-47, 30-105 and 30-300 with a tape. Bare in mind I don't have any resolution charts or a Siemans star, although I am going to order one. I would run the tape, set the focus and then look at monitor. I always had to make a "very" slight tweak to the lens and the peaking would pop right up. So I'm exactly certain how exact the marking are on the barrel. Maybe this is why some of the Angenieux and Fuji Premier zooms are more than double the price of the Canon's. The 30-300 is dead on at close distances. Interestingly, the closest mark is 5ft, but the barrel turns a bit more closer, just like it turns a bit beyond infinity. I went out to 28", the furthest I can get in my house, and it was almost dead on, again for a very minor tweak. The 15.7-47 I found to be out by .5" at anything 3ft. It's hard to tell anything else with the lens because it's fairly wide. The 30-105 was out by roughly an inch at 8ft. None of the lenses seem to lose focus when I zoomed out. But until I get a chart it's hard to say. Same thing here Robyn. I back off slighly from infinity and everything snaps into focus. I'll use focus mag on the viewfinder at the same time just to make sure.

Thanks for the replies. I was out all weekend but I'll give all of your recommendations a try today or tomorrow and get back to you.

Hi everyone. I have a canon CN-E 30-300 that can't focus infinity at the infinity mark. I'm able to get crisp infinity focus, but the mark on the lens is slightly before the infinity mark. I'm trying to narrow down where the issue may lie, whether it's a backfocus adjustment or a flange depth issue with my F55. Before I purchased the lens three years ago I had a 300mm Red Prime which had terrible CA so I tried adjusting the flange adjustment on my F55 thinking it might help the issue. Turns out it was just a terrible lens. I made slight adjustments to the adjustment screw and put it back in it's original position when I was done. But I can't help but think the flange is not in it's EXACT factory position. Bottom line, is my infinity issue a backfocus or flange issue? Thank you.