Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

The place for questions about shooting with Blackmagic Cameras.
  • Author
  • Message
Offline

HughDiMauro

  • Posts: 102
  • Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 10:54 pm
  • Real Name: Hugh DiMauro

Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostTue May 07, 2024 1:30 am

Is it me or does the BMPCC4K lens mount give a little bit too much in an up and down movement, especially with lens wobble using a follow focus? Also, when I attach a lens support I notice I can reasily push the lens up a fraction of an inch. All of my BMPCC4K cameras do this. Anyone else notice this? Had it been designed this way?
Offline

ShaheedMalik

  • Posts: 820
  • Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 5:28 am
  • Real Name: Shaheed Malik

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostTue May 07, 2024 2:37 am

A flaw of the mount. I used electrical tape on my camera to stabilize my lenses.
Offline
User avatar

Phil999

  • Posts: 415
  • Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2019 11:12 am
  • Real Name: Philipp Straehl

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostTue May 07, 2024 7:25 am

shim rings might also help for lenses that don't fit well.

I have a lens set that doesn't fit well when taking them out of the case. They are cold. When warmed up, especially in the sun, they fit well. I don't have to use tape or shim rings.
Offline

HughDiMauro

  • Posts: 102
  • Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 10:54 pm
  • Real Name: Hugh DiMauro

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostTue May 07, 2024 9:05 am

Thanks for your feedback, gentlemen. To be clear, my lenses attach, lock and detach just fine. Not too tight, not too loose. It's just the mount itself that seems to be slightly pliable in its recess, as if the mount itself is buffered by rubber instead of hard steel.
Offline

HughDiMauro

  • Posts: 102
  • Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 10:54 pm
  • Real Name: Hugh DiMauro

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostTue May 07, 2024 9:08 am

ShaheedMalik wrote:A flaw of the mount. I used electrical tape on my camera to stabilize my lenses.

I've decided to use velcro wire tires to stabilize my lens by wrapping it around the top of the lens and 15 mm rods, keeping it snug against my makeshift lens support post.
Offline

Jim Simon

  • Posts: 30781
  • Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 1:47 am

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostTue May 07, 2024 10:50 pm

I've not had any issues with mine. (Purchased Spring 2020.)
My Biases:

You NEED training.
You NEED a desktop.
You NEED a calibrated (non-computer) display.
Offline
User avatar

Uli Plank

  • Posts: 22087
  • Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:48 am
  • Location: Germany and Indonesia

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostWed May 08, 2024 12:37 am

If it's really loose against the case, something is wrong.
Now that the cat #19 is out of the bag, test it as much as you can and use the subforum.

Studio 18.6.6, MacOS 13.6.6, 2017 iMac, 32 GB, Radeon Pro 580
MacBook M1 Pro, 16 GPU cores, 32 GB RAM and iPhone 15 Pro
Speed Editor, UltraStudio Monitor 3G
Offline

ShaheedMalik

  • Posts: 820
  • Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 5:28 am
  • Real Name: Shaheed Malik

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostWed May 08, 2024 1:20 am

Phil999 wrote:shim rings might also help for lenses that don't fit well.

I have a lens set that doesn't fit well when taking them out of the case. They are cold. When warmed up, especially in the sun, they fit well. I don't have to use tape or shim rings.

Where did you get your shim set from?
Offline

John Brawley

  • Posts: 4336
  • Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 7:57 am
  • Location: Los Angeles California

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostWed May 08, 2024 1:26 am

PL stands for Positive Lock.

MFT is great for its flexibility but one of the flaws of all these stills photo mounts is that they aren’t designed for the precision of cinema usage.

JB
John Brawley ACS
Cinematographer
Currently - Los Angeles
Offline
User avatar

Phil999

  • Posts: 415
  • Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2019 11:12 am
  • Real Name: Philipp Straehl

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostWed May 08, 2024 3:00 am

that's the one thing I don't like with M43. It is so unreliable. Yesterday I had a focus motor on a lens (still cold), and there was some play when the motor changed direction. And no time for applying shims.

ShaheedMalik wrote:Where did you get your shim set from?

You can get them from many stores. The ones I have were included in the Laowa 6mm cine lens, and in the Zhong Yi Mitakon Speedmaster set.
Offline

Howard Roll

  • Posts: 2641
  • Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 7:50 am

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostWed May 08, 2024 1:15 pm

“Shim” refers to some foreign object wedged between the lens and camera mount?

Proper lens shims aren’t going to affect the fitment of the lens to the camera.

Good Luck
Offline

HughDiMauro

  • Posts: 102
  • Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 10:54 pm
  • Real Name: Hugh DiMauro

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostThu May 09, 2024 12:20 pm

John Brawley wrote:PL stands for Positive Lock.

MFT is great for its flexibility but one of the flaws of all these stills photo mounts is that they aren’t designed for the precision of cinema usage.

JB

Now, THAT makes sense. We are using cameras not designed for tough industry wear and tear. I am using Rokinon DSX cine lenses that are pretty long and not too light. They lock on just fine but when I use a follow focus without some sort of additional lens anchoring solution (like the Lanparte lens support with rubber strap or a matte box solution that anchors the lens up front to the 15 mm rods via a lens support bracket) the lens will push up or down a fraction of an inch as if the lens mount is pushing the camera mount up and down in the camera housing.
Offline
User avatar

rick.lang

  • Posts: 17352
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:41 pm
  • Location: Victoria BC Canada

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostThu May 09, 2024 4:28 pm

When I use motors, I anchor the front of the lens to the matte box.
Rick Lang
Offline
User avatar

Uli Plank

  • Posts: 22087
  • Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:48 am
  • Location: Germany and Indonesia

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostFri May 10, 2024 2:47 am

Definitely a good idea.
Other than the heavy metal of a big Ursa, those polycarbonate BMPCCs are so light that you can rather hang them onto the lens than the other way around.
Now that the cat #19 is out of the bag, test it as much as you can and use the subforum.

Studio 18.6.6, MacOS 13.6.6, 2017 iMac, 32 GB, Radeon Pro 580
MacBook M1 Pro, 16 GPU cores, 32 GB RAM and iPhone 15 Pro
Speed Editor, UltraStudio Monitor 3G
Offline

Steve Fishwick

  • Posts: 1162
  • Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 11:35 am
  • Location: United Kingdom

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostFri May 10, 2024 10:28 am

HughDiMauro wrote:We are using cameras not designed for tough industry wear and tear.


The problem is more that ever since the Canon MK II Dslr, many people are using still mounts not designed for video or film; designed only to focus on one image at a time, with lightweight small lenses. The two defacto mounts for Broadcast and Film have been B4 and PL respectively; both passive and sturdy locking mounts.

It's not necessarily the robustness of the mount (you can use rails for support) though as the movement and it's effect on back-focus. Not so much with primes but particularly troublesome with zooms, especially those designed to be parfocal. The Canon EF Super35 zooms at least have back focus adjustment; but shims can be quickly made meaningless without some positive lock mechanism.
Offline

HughDiMauro

  • Posts: 102
  • Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 10:54 pm
  • Real Name: Hugh DiMauro

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostMon May 13, 2024 1:15 am

Uli Plank wrote:Definitely a good idea.
Other than the heavy metal of a big Ursa, those polycarbonate BMPCCs are so light that you can rather hang them onto the lens than the other way around.



I thought that, too!
Offline

HughDiMauro

  • Posts: 102
  • Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 10:54 pm
  • Real Name: Hugh DiMauro

Re: Anyone Else Notice BMPCC4K Weak Lens Mount

PostMon May 13, 2024 1:17 am

Steve Fishwick wrote:
HughDiMauro wrote:We are using cameras not designed for tough industry wear and tear.


The problem is more that ever since the Canon MK II Dslr, many people are using still mounts not designed for video or film; designed only to focus on one image at a time, with lightweight small lenses. The two defacto mounts for Broadcast and Film have been B4 and PL respectively; both passive and sturdy locking mounts.

It's not necessarily the robustness of the mount (you can use rails for support) though as the movement and it's effect on back-focus. Not so much with primes but particularly troublesome with zooms, especially those designed to be parfocal. The Canon EF Super35 zooms at least have back focus adjustment; but shims can be quickly made meaningless without some positive lock mechanism.


Thank you! Gonna just make do with what I have until I make the jump to a proper cinema camera.

Return to Cinematography

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Brad Hurley and 35 guests