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PL mount on DSLR


Artyom Zakharenko

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Hey guys,

 

I bought myself a set of Zeiss CP2's with PL mount, but i'd like to use them on my 7D aswell. I've found a company that makes adapters from PL to EF, but i also heard not all PL lenses will work with an adapter, something to do with the distance between mount and sensor... Does anyone have experience with this?

 

Artyom

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If you want to modify your 7D to accept all PL lenses and not just the EF lenses, it would be a permanent "fix" as they need to remove the mirror entirely. This is because the back of a PL lens sits further back into the camera and would thus interfere with the camera's normal photo-taking abilities. Removing the mirror would allow the use of PL lenses but would effectively disable your ability to ever take a photograph with the 7D. Plus, it's expensive. Hot Rod Cameras does DSLR modifications to PL mounts and it would cost almost double what you paid for the 7D. And, when you're paying close to 4 grand for the DSLR + modification, it begs the question, "Why not just buy a Sony FS100 or something similar and get the same results with an adapter that doesn't permanently affect your camera?"

 

But, since you have the CP.2s and if those are the ONLY PL lenses you'd want to use on your 7D, why not just go back to Zeiss and get the EF mount kit, and attempt to swap out their interchangeable mount system to EF by yourself? If it were me, I'd probably leave them in EF mount all the time, and then just swap them back to PL when you've got a gig that requires it, or you happen to rent them out to someone who needs them in PL. That way you save yourself the time, hassle, and money of constantly switching them back and forth.

 

That is, after all, one of the nicest benefits to the CP.2s!

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Removing the mirror would allow the use of PL lenses but would effectively disable your ability to ever take a photograph with the 7D.

 

This is not true. Both the Canon 7D and 5D Mark II retain all still photo capabilities (including time lapse with an external controller). The only exception would be program modes which would rely on the light meter to make the exposure choice.

 

But, since you have the CP.2s and if those are the ONLY PL lenses you'd want to use on your 7D, why not just go back to Zeiss and get the EF mount kit, and attempt to swap out their interchangeable mount system to EF by yourself?

 

There is a lot of misleading information on the web. If you don't have the right equipment, changing out even 1x PL for EF mount could be a several hour event. Better to have someone qualified do it the first time. Once your EF mounts on the lenses and shimmed correctly, they will work fine, with some limitations. This is what I would recommend to someone who can live with the rotational play inherent in the EF mount design and doesn't want to use two or more cameras with their lens set at the same time.

 

For professionals this is generally (although not always) a deal breaker. Also with EF mounts you can't share lenses and keep accurate focus marks, attempting to do so will result in a different focus mark for every EF mount camera you attach the lens to. This is because EF with cine lenses is actually a "cheat" as the ONLY way to get accurate marks is to miss-align the lens by shimming to a camera with a sensor position in what is considered sloppy tolerance. Only PL mount lenses will allow you to share the lenses and you'll know they will always work.

 

I've had 2x people send me their Ebay EF to PL adapter asking if I could "fix" it. Turns out the ebay sellers, don't understand the basics of what it is they are selling, and are quite silent when the customer is angry because many of the lenses on the list don't fit on the camera.

 

 

Hi Peter,

 

So you have tested Zeiss CP2's with PL mount on a 7D using that adapter and it worked, correct?

 

I know for a fact that they DO NOT work with any CP lens. One of the ones I received was built so poorly that it wouldn't actually close on any PL lens correctly, regardless of being attached to a EF mount camera or not!

 

If you can live with the limitations I outlined above, definitely go with the EF mounts for your CP.2 lenses. I would contact your place of purchase for the lenses to see about ordering the EF mounts specific to the lenses you have (they are different). If you aren't sure if your vendor can do this for you competently, you're welcome to contact me directly. Hot Rod Cameras is a Zeiss dealer, and we have many of those mounts in stock and can make the change over for you.

 

Hope this helps,

 

I.

Edited by Illya Friedman
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This is not true. Both the Canon 7D and 5D Mark II retain all still photo capabilities (including time lapse with an external controller). The only exception would be program modes which would rely on the light meter to make the exposure choice.

 

Thanks for clarifying, Illya. Just out of curiosity though, everything I've read about the PL conversions of a 5D/7D says that the mirror must be removed. There is no electronic sensor on a 5D/7D like that of a M43 system, so how can the cameras retain any still photo abilities, without having the ability to control a shutter opening and closing? Won't the mirror end up knocking against the back of the lens?

 

Thanks very much!

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Hi Peter,

 

So you have tested Zeiss CP2's with PL mount on a 7D using that adapter and it worked, correct?

 

 

No, I am afraid, but quite a few other lenses and they worked fine. Why don´t you contact the ebay seller with a specific question?

Edited by peter roehsler
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There is no electronic sensor on a 5D/7D like that of a M43 system, so how can the cameras retain any still photo abilities, without having the ability to control a shutter opening and closing?

 

 

Hi Adam,

 

I think you mean electronic shutter rather than electronic sensor. The answer is yes. All the Canon DSLR cameras have a curtain shutter in addition to the mirror shutter. The mirror shutter does not actually control the exposure time, it's the curtain shutter which is left intact directly in front of the sensor plane. If you lift up your mirror you can see it.

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Hi Adam,

 

I think you mean electronic shutter rather than electronic sensor. The answer is yes. All the Canon DSLR cameras have a curtain shutter in addition to the mirror shutter. The mirror shutter does not actually control the exposure time, it's the curtain shutter which is left intact directly in front of the sensor plane. If you lift up your mirror you can see it.

 

 

Thanks so much for clarifying this! Much appreciated!

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