I’ve had a 25mm CCTV lens for a few years and I really like it. I saw it recommended as a good “toy” lens on some other site. I loved your in-depth review and it helped me notice that mine definitely has a soft spot! Crazy I never noticed before. It’s more of an issue when shooting close ups, like macro.
Hey Marissa, thanks so much for watching! Yes, mine are soft in spots, some worse than others. I have figured out ways to either use it as an advantage and compose around it, or just use a different lens. So glad you enjoyed the video!
I recently heard about these lenses and ordered several off of eBay along with an adapter for my Samsung nx-mini m4/3rds camera. Previously I bought a Canon 135mm f/3.5 L39 LTM Leica Screw Mount MF Lens with an adapter for the same camera and was astounded at the results. That lens cost me $80 and it's a beast. Thats when I started looking around for other alternative lens / adapter options, since the native lens options for this camera are extremelyl limited. I can't wait to try them out.
That "macro ring" is a 5mm extension ring, it was originally intended so that 16mm C-mount cine lenses can have the correct flange-to-sensor distance when mounted on CCTV cameras. A small detail that most people don't realise is that CCTV lenses are really all CS-mount, which is 5mm shorter in the flange-to-sensor distance than the earlier C-mount for 16mm movie cameras. If you tried to mount a 16mm movie camera lens without that ring on the usual "C-mount adapter" off eBay, then it could never be focused at all. That could explain what's going on, if you have tried mounting an old Bolex or B&H Filmo C-mount lens with that "C-mount" adapter and you weren't able to focus at all.
@@graphiknation I tried puchasing lens w/Canon EF mount, but looks like link is now broken? Looks like there may be a shortage on Amazon, in general, too. I may have to get lens and Canon adapter separately.
@@radiodust Hey, sorry about that Jason. I just updated the links for the Canon EOS M lenses that were broken with new ones, so hopefully the ones I just added will give you a usable option with your camera. One thing to note that I recently discovered talking with someone else in the comments here about Canon lenses, since they have different mounts, make sure you get the correct one. Also, there is at least one mount for Canon that has a limitation which will only focus in macro (not to infinity), which I think is due to the flange distance(?) but I don't have any experience shooting with Canon gear so I have not personally been able to test this. Anyway, I hope you find something that works for your needs. Best of luck and thanks again for watching! :)
Greetings from the UK. I'm eagerly waiting for my 35mm f1.7 lens to arrive. My friend bought one a while back and he's been doing macro photography with it. He has had some amazing results and I decided to get one for myself. Your video about these lenses has convinced me that I have made a wise choice. I have subscribed because you have a very refreshing style to your videos, please keep them coming.
Hey Kevin, I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. There are many brands of CCTV or C-mount lenses out there but most common that I have seen are pixco, fujian and fotasy. You can find my Amazon affiliate links for various lenses and lens mounts in the description if you want to check those out and compare. Thanks so much for watching and happy shooting!
So cool, great video! I am new to photography and bought a used Canon EOS M and a CCTV 35mm lens to start out on. The lens came with 2 macro rings and now I know what they are for from watching your video. Fantastic lens to learn on as you recommended and I'm using it for video too. I know it was awkward for you doing the close-ups, but thank you for fighting thru it because they really showed what these lenses can do. Liked, followed and subscribed.
hey thanks so much Gary for watching and subscribing, and I hope you enjoy that little lens! they are super-fun, and those macro rings really give you some incredible versatility. so glad my video gave you some good info. :)
Thanks for you video... Hey, why don't you try to put 0:00 - At the beginning of your Table of Contents? UA-cam will split your timelime and add the subtitles for it... take a look... :*
Hey Oliver, thanks for watching. I'm pretty sure there is no CCTV lens available with a 17mm filter thread. I would also expect this would be way too small on a M4/3 sensor and the vignette would probably be enormous. That is just a guess though, I don't have one to test. I have seen a few interesting DIY videos on UA-cam for making your own anamorphic filter, so you could do a quick search for those and see if it's something you want to try. The cheapest manufactured anamorphic filters I know of that you can buy are probably the ones made by snapfocal.com. If you can spend a little more, I have seen some pretty interesting anamorphic adapted Russian Helios lenses on eBay. They run about $200 I think? Of course since I don't have any of these products, I can't vouch for their quality. Best of luck though, I hope you find a good anamorphic option for your M4/3 camera!
Lots of info about the cctv lens, I need a wide angle , low light lens for shorting videos, most for guitar performance, please see samples on my UA-cam channel, I use canon m50 camera, which cctv lens is good for me? I already have a canon 22mm f2 lens, i like it, but not wide enough, any cctv f1.4 lens can do better wide angle filming than the canon 22mm? Thanks!
Hey Peng, thanks for watching, I love your guitar videos! As far as getting a CCTV lens for the Canon M50, none of them is considered very “wide” but you could try the 25mm or the 35mm. Just know with the 25mm, you will get some dark vignetting around the corners (see 8:28 in the video). You can use digital zoom to punch in and crop that out, but then you will end up with a crop that looks more like the 35mm away, so I would just get the 35mm if I were you. It’s the sharpest and best of the 3 lenses in my opinion and from my experience. Here’s that link to the CCTV 35mm with adapter for Canon M mount: amzn.to/2HjUXXB I also found the Canon EF-M 22mm f/2.0 lens specifically made for your M50, which will run you around $250, or a little less if you can pick one up used in good condition. If this focal length will suit your needs and you can afford the cost investment, this native lens might be the best fit. It’s wider than both the 25 or 35mm, it’s designed at the right size/scale for your sensor, and it will also have built-in autofocus (if that matters) Here’s that link as well: amzn.to/2ZCwe9d Thanks again for watching, and I hope you find a good prime lens that works for your guitar videos. :)
@@pengchen634 Ah, I see now, thanks for clearing up. Be sure you don’t fall for a CCTV lens that is wider than 25mm, as these will not fit your camera sensor. They will be too physically small, so the black vignette will eat up most of the picture area, and you will not get usable footage. Here are some links to wide angle lenses you can get for the Canon EF-M mount: Sigma 16mm f/1.4: amzn.to/38ua9xC Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 amzn.to/2NYeOhS Laowa 9mm f/2.8: amzn.to/3ismvuV
graphiknation yes, I think the m 50 best option for low light wide angle lens is sigma 16mm f1.4 , I just upload my new video, indoor natural daytime widows light, the closed shot is by canon 22mm f2, I like its quality, the far shot is by canon 11-22 f4 wide angle lens, which is a dark lens for in door use, I don’t like it’s quality, may try better lighting next time. Thanks again for your help! m.ua-cam.com/video/mhBHGNlVJjs/v-deo.html&feature=share
@@graphiknation I have just ordered a CCTV lens named Fujian 35mm f1.7 for my camera. Going to test it soon. Btw, this is going to be my first camera and first lens.
Hey Dario, thanks for watching! If your using an old 16mm film camera, just make sure it has a "C" mount (not D mount). I don't have any experience with these older film cinema cameras, but perhaps there are adapters to be found for them as well? Anyway, yes the lenses should work perfectly for you, as long as they can be mounted on the camera. :)
Hey Kervin, the only of these 3 focal lengths that you will have to crop in on with an APS-C sensor is the 25mm, which will show significant vignetting (skip to 8:28 in the video for visual example). Both the 35mm + 50mm lenses will work just fine without being cropped in. You may see some soft vignetting, but nothing too harsh or dramatic. One other important thing to to note that I wasn't really clear on at the time of recording this video, is that some Canon & Nikon cameras will not focus to infinity and can really only be used as macro or close-focusing lenses. I still think $30-$40 is a reasonable price, even if you are limited to macro shooting, but just something to be mindful of. I have also indicated in the product links which lens mounts are affected in this way. Thanks so much for watching and I hope I have answered your question. :)
Poking around and thinking cine, but the first pairing of the Leica and the cine..(4:51) .neither one is in focus. At all. And I'm on a 27 inch screen in HD. Macro is a funny thing, not many people review macro on new cameras. I guess they think it's a given. But I remember shooting my Contax RTSII with a prime reversed on it to get macro, (film, or course) and you really had to hope and pray you got that great exposure you wanted. Then around the 5 meg mark for pocket cameras, macro was a knockout out of the park. Awesome, and immediate. A very big deal for me back then. As usual, shooting wide anything else, lots of edge fall off. You would never photograph flat art with them and hope to get it all in focus. This video you look like you haven't been logged in yet.....
It should be, here are some links cctv lenses with Fuji X mount adapters: Fujifilm X: 35mm f/1.7 Fuji adapter + macro rings amzn.to/2NkE96N 35mm f/1.6 Fuji adapter + macro rings amzn.to/2HllbJv 25mm f/1.4 Fuji adapter + macro rings amzn.to/2L5eNH8
@@kenbee1957 hmm, it's on there, along with a couple of other similar shots. it's also on my instagram account, shot last year in April. www.flickr.com/photos/graphiknation/40601889223 instagram.com/p/BwW2nx4Ahrx/?igshid=fdm9g1zow38t
So well done. Been following you on IG for years. Would love to see more videos from you! This was an incredible “gear video”, would be cool to learn about the infrared stuff you do too.
Hey, thanks so much Stephen for all the support and positive feedback. :) I am definitely going to be adding some infrared videos sometime, so be on the lookout!
Hi, this is a hard question for me to answer fully as I have never owned a Canon brand camera. I have done a little digging, and I think you can use a CCTV-to-Canon EOS (not EOS-M) adapter and mount the lenses, however due to the flange distance of the sensor, it looks like you won't be able to focus to infinity, meaning you can only use CCTV lenses at macro focusing distances. Which is real a bummer. :( I am not sure if it would be worth it for you to give it a try with the possibility that it may or may not work out, but I think I have found the right adapter for your camera here: amzn.to/2UkfWAk If you scroll and read the description, you will see the 700D is listed in the details as compatible, but from what I can tell this would only be good for you as a macro lens, and nothing more. :( Thanks so much for watching and for your comment, I will update the links to include this item for other Canon lens mounts, for macro focusing only.
@@Ultima2876 hey, thanks so much, I'm happy to help and I'm also a little nerdy about this stuff, so if I don't know the answer to a question, it will get under my skin until I find out. LOL, thanks for watching and the sub! and hey, if you ever do want to play around with macro photography, but don't want to invest in a more expensive lens, a CCTV might be a good option in such a case. :)
I have the 25mm cctv lens and I love it. Just wondering if yours also can't focus to infinity? On mine it just makes everything out of focus. Someone made a fix for it and posted it on youtube but I tried it and it didn't work (pretty sure I messed up in one of the steps).
Hey Tom, I haven't had the infinity focus problem with any of my CCTV lenses, but I have read about it and it seems like it's a fairly common problem and it's just a hit or miss? I watched the video for the fix too, and I would probably botch that myself! LOL If I were you, I might just re-order the 25mm, maybe even get one made by a different manufacturer(?) I know it sucks to buy a second one, but at $25, it's not going to break the bank. Another thing I noticed is that even with the "flaws" in some of these lenses, they can still be useful in creating artistic and unique looking images. I use my 35mm (which has some soft spots that just won't focus) to an advantage by framing the subject so the soft areas of defocus work within the composition and give a dream-like effect. The 25mm is such a cool lens, I would get anther one. If you love it so far as it is, you will love it even more without the infinity focus flaw. The swirly bokeh is just so much fun!
Hey Manuel, thanks so much for watching. After doing some research, it looks like the Nikon N1 mount works best, and the F mount will only focus for macro shooting, and it will not focus to infinity. I think this has something to do with the flange distance(?) Anyway, not sure if you are interested in a cheap macro-only lens, but I found the Nikon F adapter for you (it's only $8), and you can grab a 35mm lens for about $33. Here are those links if you want to give it a try as a cheap macro lens: Nikon F mount adapter: amzn.to/31zIXMN 35mm CCTV lens: amzn.to/2VVFUuP Thanks again for watching and for your question, I have updated the links in the description with these details.
Greetings from France ! One of the best video on this topic ! Thanks a lot :) What about the focus ? Is it easy to operate or just set infinity & you're good ?
Hey, thanks so much! The focus throw for as small as these lenses are is a little long, or perhaps it just seems long because they are so small? Anyway, it takes some getting used to, but at such a low price point I think it's worth getting at least one and experimenting a little. I usually shoot several frames, and spin the focus ring a little so I get multiple images with slightly different focus points from frame to frame. I find that even with focus peaking, it can sometimes be hard to tell if you're perfectly in focus (with any manual focus lens, not just my CCTV lenses). I also find I get more accurate results in manual focus when I switch from the LCD to the EVF. Thanks for watching and your question. :)
I ordered these lens and didn’t really realize what they were. When I got them they were so small!! I have a Canon 5d Mark Iv. So what do I need to be able to use these lens with my camera? I ordered an adapter from Amazon but it didn’t work. It is a Fotodiox Pro Lens Mount Adapter. EOS (a) to CS-Mount. Hopefully you can tell me what I need.
Hi Patty, sounds like you got the opposite of what you needed, which is an adapter that connects EOS lenses to CS cameras. The link in my description should work for you, however it's important to note that CCTV lenses mounted to your Canon camera will only focus in macro and not infinity. It has to do something about the flange distance? Anyway, still a very good price for a macro lens! Best of luck, and thanks for watching. Here is that link for you: Canon EOS (Macro focusing only/won't focus to infinity): Pixco 35mm F1.7 with EOS adapter: amzn.to/2UkfWAk
Hey Alexandre, thanks so much for watching! Which CCTV lens are you trying to pick up? They're all gonna have different lens diameters, and I am not sure how to find that info if it's not printed right on the lens. You could try taking it to an actual camera store to see if you can find something that fits. I haven't had much luck at my local camera store with my CCTV lenses ( I have got a filter for one of the 4 lenses I own). They do come with lens caps though, so that helps. :)
Hey Ryan, thanks so much for watching and for your question! The actual focal length on full frame would be true 35mm, as full frame sensors are the same size as 35mm film negatives (you would only have to calculate a crop factor conversion for a crop sensor camera). The bigger problem with trying to adapt a CCTV lens to a full frame camera is the extremely small physical size of these lenses. Since they are so small, the lens circumference would not cover the larger sensor area enough to produce “usable” images. If you take a look at 8:28 in the video, you can see a dark circular vignette around the corners on my micro four thirds sensor, and how that dark circle grows even larger on an image shot on an APS-C sensor. If you can imagine in full frame, that dark circle would grow even larger, making the image area so small you would be cropping out about half of the resolution that your full frame camera is capable of shooting, rendering the whole exercise pretty much useless. This is the reason I say in the beginning that these lenses won’t work if you have a full frame camera. Additionally, you will not be able to find adapters for your full frame to the CCTV mount, as they don’t really work so no one makes them (not that I am aware of anyway). I'm sorry that is not clear enough in the video, but I hope this helps clear things up for you. :) If you’re looking for an inexpensive prime for your full frame camera, I would try looking at vintage film lenses! You might not find anything in the $20-$30 range, but I easily found my vintage Minolta 50mm f1.4 lens in a local camera store for $40, plus the $20 adapter, so $60 all together. You can see some image samples from that lens in my video on adapting vintage lenses for the S1. Here’s the link if you want to check it out. ua-cam.com/video/wsyfyukFCQ0/v-deo.html
👋🏼hi I wonder if it fits to my canon 600d? This is not a mirrorless camera. I’m not sure if it’s even possible to use this lens on canon eos. If somebody knows something about it please reply, thx🫶🏼
hi thanks for watching. I don't shoot Canon, but I looked up the lens mount and found an adapter for CCTV to EF. please note in the description for this adapter it says you can only achieve macro focusing with this lens mount, meaning you would only be able to take extreme close-focus images (this is due to the flange distance). that may or may not be of interest to you to pursue, but here is that link if you want to look into it: amzn.to/3DsmnXW
Nice one! Are those lenses for a (CCTV) 2/3" sensors or for 1/2 inch sensors? I know that 1 inch sensor CCTV lenses get pretty spendy, and I doubt if 1/3" lenses would work on any camera, other than a Pentax Q. I recently picked up a Nikon1. I'm going down the C~mount lens rabbit hole right now. I picked up a Toyo Optics CCTV 12.5-75mm f1.8 BRAND NEW for chump change. I was stoked to get such a lovely lens, for so cheap... but I get vignetting (on the Nikon1). I'm a bit shocked by that. Gorgeous Japanese lens, though.
hi thanks so much for watching! I don't have a Nikon 1, but the thing that stands out the most to me about the lens you mentioned is the focal length of 12.5 - 75mm. On my micro 4/3 cameras, the widest usable focal length for a CCTV lens is 25mm and as you can see in the video, that does produce some vignetting in the corners. I'm curious, does the vignetting diminish as you zoom in tighter or does it remain constant throughout the focal range? I would suggest sticking with the 25mm, 35mm or 50mm lenses covered in this video and depending on the crop factor of your camera, you may see some vignetting. I hope this helps and I hope you have a Pentax Q you can try that lens on! I myself do have a Q-S1 and they are lots of fun to use and that lens sounds like a good fit for it.
Yes, absolutely! They actually work the best with Micro 4/3 & Sony E-Mount cameras. Here are the links for Sony, if you want to check them out. Sony E Mount : 35mm f/1.7 with adapter & macro rings: amzn.to/31VUi6M 25mm f/1.4 Sony E-Mount NEX: amzn.to/2Hk81wf 50mm f/1.4 Sony adapter: amzn.to/2ZeOwzv
One thing to point out: only a few companies built cameras with mounts smaller or right at 17.526mm distance from the sensor. Which means: almost no camera can get focus to infinity. Also: characteristics of the lens may be changed due to flange distance differences between mounts and adapters. AFAIK the only mounts who offer infinity focus on C Mount lenses: Pentax Q, Nikon Z, Nikon 1, Samsung NX Mini
Hey thanks for watching and for your comment. It's true that not all cameras are compatible with CCTV lenses, but a good many mirrorless crop sensor digital cameras do have adapters that allow you to mount and shoot with CCTV lenses. The best cameras to pair with CCTV are Micro 4/3 (LUMIX and Olympus) and Sony E-Mount. AFAIK Nikon, Canon and Fuji have limited models that are capable of shooting to infinity, which is a bummer. Of course I haven't tested every camera brand on the market, but I would say it's safe to assume that if you can't easily find a mount adapter for your camera, it's a good indicator it will not work. I have included links to the adapters that I have been able to find for various brands, and indicated in the link descriptions which ones I know of that will not focus to infinity. I would definitely recommend to anyone that they do their own research on their specific camera brand and mount type before buying a CCTV lens. I would also suggest if you find it doesn't focus to infinity on your camera, you might try shooting some unique macro images, which can still be fun, creatively challenging and rewarding. Thanks again for watching and engaging.
Hi Cris, I think the 50mm is the sharpest of the ones I personally have but I prefer the rendering and character I get from the 35. Thanks so much for watching!
Hi, thanks so much, I am glad you like the video! And yes, the 2X crop factor for M4/3 applies to any lens that you mount to your camera, so the 35mm will give you an effective focal length of 70mm, and so on. Hope you enjoy your new CCTV lenses! :)
These lenses can't be mounted on DSLR cameras without corrective optics, for which there aren't any. Because the flange focal distance of the EOS is 44mm while the flange focal distance of the CCTV lens is 17.526mm compared to the Sony's 18mm, an adapter is possible. However, to get the lens to focus on a DSLR would literally require mounting the "inside" the body of the camera because you have a distance of 26.5mm to make up for.
Love the different cctv lenses you mentioned. I bought a used cctv lens once so it dissuaded me from grabbing one again but your video convinced me to give it a second try. What lens and camera did you use to shoot this vid. Was it a cctv lens as well?
Hey thanks so much for you comment, I hope you have a good experience with a new cctv lens! If you check out the text description, you will find links that will take you straight to the section where you see sample video using both the 25mm & 35mm lenses. I shot most of this video on a Lumix G3 or maybe G5(?) I’m not at my computer to look at the moment, but I usually shoot video on one of those 2 bodies. The lens I used for this setup is the Lumix/Leica 15mm f/1.7, which has a wider focal length. I’d love to shoot something like this on CCTV, it would look really great, but without an assistant to help with focus and framing, it’s just a little too difficult to pull off. Thanks for watching, I hope you will let me know how it goes with your new cctv lens! 🙂
hey, thanks so much! i haven't had the same experience, but I have read that these lenses since they are so cheap, can have some flaws and sometimes you just get a lemon. I did a quick search and I found this video, which may be help if this is the same problem you're having: ua-cam.com/video/CuiuoRyCrP4/v-deo.html Even if you ruin the lens trying to fix it, at such a low price point I would just grab another copy. I'd love to know if this fix works for you though so please share your experience if you get it resolved.
Hello, good morning, I live in Brazil and bought this 25mm fujian lens, when she arrived I tested on my camera canon 70d and simply she does not focus. Could it be a problem with the lens or does it not fit my camera? could you tell?
Hey Milla, this is an all manual lens, so you would have to use the focus ring manually. Are you unable to manually focus? I have not had that experience with any of the CCTV lenses I have used(?)
@@@graphiknation Could have to do with flange distance. Canon 70d has 42mm, Sony E-mount 18mm and C-mount 17.526 mm. So adaptation C-mount to Sony E-mount is with little problems while adaptation to Canon DSLR could be tricky. But for this question we would need Millas feedback. With the longer flange distance it could work like a Macro lens!!!! (Constant macro ring of 42-17.526mm 😉) and would of course not allow infinity focussing. An adapter for infinity (or anything outside the macro area) would require some 'active' elements = lenses.. @Milla Carol Milla, if you read this - try if the lens does focus on something close by. Set the lens to the widest distance (if there is a scale on it) and *move the camera* back and forward for a test.
@@uweinhamburg interesting idea, and while i don't have any canon gear to experiment with, the adapter should be designed for the correct flange distance when mounted(?) i have seen cctv image & video examples shot on canon EOS, so the lens should operate as expected, with normal focusing results. hopefully @Milla Carol will respond and we can hear more from her on the problems she's experiencing. i also wonder if maybe she just got a flawed copy of the lens?
@@@graphiknation Canon has more than one mount system 😉 The flange distance for their mirrorfree EOS-M system is 20mm. As CCTV lenses are tiny, they could well go 1.2mm back into the camera housing,,,, I work with Nikon DSLR and use some old M42 lenses. M42 system has a shorter flange distance than Nikon, so the adapters do have glass in them. Perhaps it is interesting for you to look into M42 lenses. There are some nice examples out there 😎
This is a Nikon, correct? There is an adapter for Nikon, but know in advance that you will not be able to focus to infinity, you will only be able to use the cctv lenses for macro focusing. Here is a link to the adapter for Nikon F lens mount: amzn.to/4avfDYR
Hey thanks for watching! It's a complicated answer, partly yes and partly no. I don't own any Nikon F mount cameras, but from what I have read online, due to the flange distance of the sensor you won't be able to focus to infinity, you can only use CCTV lenses at macro focusing distances. Which is real a bummer, but hey maybe $30 for a macro lens is still a pretty sweet deal? :) Here's the link to the Nikon adapter for your camera, if you decide to pick up a CCTV lens and give it a try as a macro option: Nikon F Mount Adapter: amzn.to/3gcyevM
Hey! Thanks Rob! I hope you are well, we need to get out and shoot again sometime soon! Hoping to get a meetup scheduled in the next week or two, I hope you can make it!. :)
you can one the ones specifically made for use on cameras as they use the same threads as other lenses but on the older ones actually made for cctv it is not possible without adapting it yourself.
Haha, I actually have 4 macro rings, and if memory serves it gets a little crazy beyond 2 or 3(?) and you start to see a black vignette. I think 2 is the sweet spot for CCTV, but that's just my personal preference. Anyway, thanks so much Peter for watching! :)
I have both the 25mm and the 35mm. Both are very nice lenses although the swirl on the 25 can be a little too pronounced at times. With a micro 4/3 camera, these two lenses, an Industar 69 and an Industar 61 one could throw together a nice compact street photography kit that stows easily in a backpack. There is also a 50mm f1.4 but I have yet to purchase one as I already have over a dozen 50ish mm lenses. You can see a couple examples of the CCTV lenses in action here: mark-dantonio.imgbb.com/
Hey, thanks so much for watching, and yes! You can make quite a small street photography kit from these tiny little lenses! I would not bother getting the 50mm CCTV if I were you. I also have quite a collection of 50mm lenses, so I just never use mine. It looks like you have a similar addiction to buying older glass as I do. :) Very nice portraits, thanks so much for sharing!
@@graphiknation Thanks for the compliment on my work. I now follow you on Instagram from @photo.aeterno and I have subscribed to this channel. If you are a Facebook user you should consider the group Photography With Classic Lenses. No politics or bullshit, just a lot of great photographers talking techniques and gear, a Facebook group lead me to this video.
Hi Gilbert, thanks for watching. The image of the doll bust in the cover art for this video is the correct image, shot using the CCTV lens (not the Leica). The 2 images shown side-by-side are quite similar, and I do explain that one is taken on a CCTV and one is the Leica image. I am up front that this is a blind comparison and then I reveal the identity of both images around 5:20 in the video. I am not sure what you found misleading? I am fully transparent in my talking points that only one of these images was taken with a CCTV lens, I highlight the visual characteristics that help distinguish the two and I have never used the Leica image to promote this video. I am not sure how that could have been misleading, perhaps you you can give it a second look, or let me know what time marker in the video you are referring to?
@Gilbert. You are a really stupid Guy who must be jealous. You only have 1 comment and you are bitc#ing instead of appreciating the hard work she put into her video, which is one of the best about this subject on UA-cam. Try to make first a video and then come back, actually, no, don't come back. Go complain to your family who can't stand your negative attitude
I’m glad that not too many people are into these little C-Mount lenses. Leaves more for the rest of us :)
LOL... agreed! They are a little quirky and can be polarizing, so very niche market. I'm totally fine with that. :)
There are literally millions of them, shortage is not an issue.
We need more accurate reviews like this on UA-cam
Hey, thanks so much for watching and your kind remarks. I'm so glad you enjoyed the video :)
You deserve a billions views for so much work. Thx for being so passionnated and sharing this with the rest of the World.
hey, thanks so much for watching, and for such kind words of support :) I am so glad you enjoyed the video!
I’ve had a 25mm CCTV lens for a few years and I really like it. I saw it recommended as a good “toy” lens on some other site. I loved your in-depth review and it helped me notice that mine definitely has a soft spot! Crazy I never noticed before. It’s more of an issue when shooting close ups, like macro.
Hey Marissa, thanks so much for watching! Yes, mine are soft in spots, some worse than others. I have figured out ways to either use it as an advantage and compose around it, or just use a different lens. So glad you enjoyed the video!
This was your first video?! It's f***ing awesome! And I learned alot. About to go get me some CCTV lenses next paycheck lmao 🤯🙏🏾
hey thanks Adam! i hope u do get a cctv lens, they are SO MUCH FUN! I would love to see your photos. thanks for watching :)
Finally! This is the best review of this lenses amazing!
Hey, thank you so much, Piedra! :)
I recently heard about these lenses and ordered several off of eBay along with an adapter for my Samsung nx-mini m4/3rds camera. Previously I bought a Canon 135mm f/3.5 L39 LTM Leica Screw Mount MF Lens with an adapter for the same camera and was astounded at the results. That lens cost me $80 and it's a beast. Thats when I started looking around for other alternative lens / adapter options, since the native lens options for this camera are extremelyl limited. I can't wait to try them out.
Hey Tom, thanks so much for watching! I hope you enjoy your new cctv lenses, they are a lot of fun! 😀
That "macro ring" is a 5mm extension ring, it was originally intended so that 16mm C-mount cine lenses can have the correct flange-to-sensor distance when mounted on CCTV cameras.
A small detail that most people don't realise is that CCTV lenses are really all CS-mount, which is 5mm shorter in the flange-to-sensor distance than the earlier C-mount for 16mm movie cameras.
If you tried to mount a 16mm movie camera lens without that ring on the usual "C-mount adapter" off eBay, then it could never be focused at all.
That could explain what's going on, if you have tried mounting an old Bolex or B&H Filmo C-mount lens with that "C-mount" adapter and you weren't able to focus at all.
one of the best/informative videos I've seen in a long time. thanks. you rock!
Hey, thanks so much Jason for watching and I'm so glad you got something out of this video! :)
@@graphiknation I tried puchasing lens w/Canon EF mount, but looks like link is now broken? Looks like there may be a shortage on Amazon, in general, too. I may have to get lens and Canon adapter separately.
@@radiodust Hey, sorry about that Jason. I just updated the links for the Canon EOS M lenses that were broken with new ones, so hopefully the ones I just added will give you a usable option with your camera. One thing to note that I recently discovered talking with someone else in the comments here about Canon lenses, since they have different mounts, make sure you get the correct one. Also, there is at least one mount for Canon that has a limitation which will only focus in macro (not to infinity), which I think is due to the flange distance(?) but I don't have any experience shooting with Canon gear so I have not personally been able to test this. Anyway, I hope you find something that works for your needs. Best of luck and thanks again for watching! :)
Greetings from the UK. I'm eagerly waiting for my 35mm f1.7 lens to arrive. My friend bought one a while back and he's been doing macro photography with it. He has had some amazing results and I decided to get one for myself. Your video about these lenses has convinced me that I have made a wise choice. I have subscribed because you have a very refreshing style to your videos, please keep them coming.
Hey, that is awesome! I love the 35mm myself, I think you will enjoy it. And the macro rings are so much fun! Happy shooting. :)
hey, how is it going with your 35mm CCTV lens? Getting good results i hope!
@@graphiknation I'm having some excellent results with the lens. Thank you for asking.
@@smiff4748 that's awesome! I'm glad to hear it. :)
Hi!
I wanna ask what brand are these beautiful lens make from.
And also your video is just so great! I love it!
Hey Kevin, I'm so glad you enjoyed the video. There are many brands of CCTV or C-mount lenses out there but most common that I have seen are pixco, fujian and fotasy. You can find my Amazon affiliate links for various lenses and lens mounts in the description if you want to check those out and compare. Thanks so much for watching and happy shooting!
Wow those lens are amazing thank you so much!
So cool, great video! I am new to photography and bought a used Canon EOS M and a CCTV 35mm lens to start out on. The lens came with 2 macro rings and now I know what they are for from watching your video. Fantastic lens to learn on as you recommended and I'm using it for video too. I know it was awkward for you doing the close-ups, but thank you for fighting thru it because they really showed what these lenses can do. Liked, followed and subscribed.
hey thanks so much Gary for watching and subscribing, and I hope you enjoy that little lens! they are super-fun, and those macro rings really give you some incredible versatility. so glad my video gave you some good info. :)
Thanks for you video... Hey, why don't you try to put 0:00 - At the beginning of your Table of Contents? UA-cam will split your timelime and add the subtitles for it... take a look... :*
Hey, thanks so much for watching and for the tip! SO cool, I had no idea! LOL
@@graphiknation 😘 Did you like it? 😊
I have a ULANZI anamorphic phone lens. Could it be attached to the front of a CCTV? The ULANZI has a 17mm thread.
Hey Oliver, thanks for watching. I'm pretty sure there is no CCTV lens available with a 17mm filter thread. I would also expect this would be way too small on a M4/3 sensor and the vignette would probably be enormous. That is just a guess though, I don't have one to test.
I have seen a few interesting DIY videos on UA-cam for making your own anamorphic filter, so you could do a quick search for those and see if it's something you want to try. The cheapest manufactured anamorphic filters I know of that you can buy are probably the ones made by snapfocal.com.
If you can spend a little more, I have seen some pretty interesting anamorphic adapted Russian Helios lenses on eBay. They run about $200 I think? Of course since I don't have any of these products, I can't vouch for their quality.
Best of luck though, I hope you find a good anamorphic option for your M4/3 camera!
Lots of info about the cctv lens, I need a wide angle , low light lens for shorting videos, most for guitar performance, please see samples on my UA-cam channel, I use canon m50 camera, which cctv lens is good for me? I already have a canon 22mm f2 lens, i like it, but not wide enough, any cctv f1.4 lens can do better wide angle filming than the canon 22mm? Thanks!
Hey Peng, thanks for watching, I love your guitar videos! As far as getting a CCTV lens for the Canon M50, none of them is considered very “wide” but you could try the 25mm or the 35mm. Just know with the 25mm, you will get some dark vignetting around the corners (see 8:28 in the video). You can use digital zoom to punch in and crop that out, but then you will end up with a crop that looks more like the 35mm away, so I would just get the 35mm if I were you. It’s the sharpest and best of the 3 lenses in my opinion and from my experience. Here’s that link to the CCTV 35mm with adapter for Canon M mount:
amzn.to/2HjUXXB
I also found the Canon EF-M 22mm f/2.0 lens specifically made for your M50, which will run you around $250, or a little less if you can pick one up used in good condition. If this focal length will suit your needs and you can afford the cost investment, this native lens might be the best fit. It’s wider than both the 25 or 35mm, it’s designed at the right size/scale for your sensor, and it will also have built-in autofocus (if that matters) Here’s that link as well:
amzn.to/2ZCwe9d
Thanks again for watching, and I hope you find a good prime lens that works for your guitar videos. :)
graphiknation thanks for your help, I already have the canon 22mm lens, i like its quality , just not wide enough. I think I should stay with it.
@@pengchen634 Ah, I see now, thanks for clearing up. Be sure you don’t fall for a CCTV lens that is wider than 25mm, as these will not fit your camera sensor. They will be too physically small, so the black vignette will eat up most of the picture area, and you will not get usable footage. Here are some links to wide angle lenses you can get for the Canon EF-M mount:
Sigma 16mm f/1.4:
amzn.to/38ua9xC
Rokinon 12mm f/2.0
amzn.to/2NYeOhS
Laowa 9mm f/2.8:
amzn.to/3ismvuV
graphiknation yes, I think the m
50 best option for low light wide angle lens is sigma 16mm f1.4 , I just upload my new video, indoor natural daytime widows light, the closed shot is by canon 22mm f2, I like its quality, the far shot is by canon 11-22 f4 wide angle lens, which is a dark lens for in door use, I don’t like it’s quality, may try better lighting next time. Thanks again for your help!
m.ua-cam.com/video/mhBHGNlVJjs/v-deo.html&feature=share
Amazing video thanks!!!!
Hey Martin, thanks so much for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video. :)
Finally an informative video on this topic. Loved it.
hey thanks so much, Faisal! I hope you have fun with some CCTV lenses, and drop me a link to see some of your work!
@@graphiknation I have just ordered a CCTV lens named Fujian 35mm f1.7 for my camera. Going to test it soon. Btw, this is going to be my first camera and first lens.
That is awesome, Faisal, congrats on your new photo gear! Would love to hear how you like it and see some work sometime. Enjoy! :)
Thanks for sharing your knowlegde and greetings from germany!
Hey thanks so much for watching! 😀
I’m glad I found this video. I’m definitely buying a couple now. Thanks!
Awesome, thanks so much for watching Corey! Enjoy your new lenses!
Very useful, informative video! Thanks a lot!!
hey, thanks so much for watching and I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!
very helpful. I wonder if I could buy some for my 16 mm camera and ...definitely yes ! Which format is better for a 16 mm ?
thx !
Hey Dario, thanks for watching! If your using an old 16mm film camera, just make sure it has a "C" mount (not D mount). I don't have any experience with these older film cinema cameras, but perhaps there are adapters to be found for them as well? Anyway, yes the lenses should work perfectly for you, as long as they can be mounted on the camera. :)
Very informative! thanks for making this video. I didn;'t know about CCTV lenses until today
Hey thanks for watching! These are great little primes, hope you have fun with them. :)
Great review!! I found that using optical zoom (1.3x) on my Sony A6400 to work around the vignette on the 25mm cctv lens
Hey thanks so much for watching! And yes, that is a great work around for the 25mm on aps-c sensors.
I was just looking at these lenses wow! Thanks
They are a lot of fun, and you can’t beat the price! Thanks for watching Steve 😊
Great review! Thank u for this
Hey, you're welcome, thanks so much for watching! :)
That’s it I’m getting one and then joining the meetup group been out of photography for a few years and I’m getting back into now.
Hey, sounds good! hope you enjoy the lens, and look forward to seeing you at a meetup soon! :)
Was looking at a Pentax CCTV. Seems interesting
hey, I don't have any Pentax brand cctv lenses but I am sure they are great, as all Pentax gear tends to be. thanks for watching and happy shooting!
Excellent review!!! I'll go get em one of these :D Thank you!!!
Hey thanks so much for watching, hope you enjoy your new CCTV lens ☺️
Fantastic video.
hey, thanks so much for watching, I am so glad you enjoyed the video!
Excelente vídeo, muchas gracias☺️☺️
hey, thanks so much for watching! :)
Great review! I love my CCTV lenses (on my A6000)...TONS of 'character' :-)
Hey thanks so much for watching, and I agree, I love them as well.:)
I'll try to use it with my Nikon.
I hope it does well.
Buying this for Christmas.
Thank you .
I'll share my shots soon 😁
Awesome! I'd love to see some pics, Elijah! Merry Christmas, and enjoy! :)
Im thinking about buying one for my crop Nikon too. How do you feel about the lens? what focal length did you buy?
Love your vibe and great info
Hey, thanks so much Greg! :)
hi, maam will this small hole lens can fit by apsc censor ? or i still need to adjust the sensor size shooting in setting?
Hey Kervin, the only of these 3 focal lengths that you will have to crop in on with an APS-C sensor is the 25mm, which will show significant vignetting (skip to 8:28 in the video for visual example). Both the 35mm + 50mm lenses will work just fine without being cropped in. You may see some soft vignetting, but nothing too harsh or dramatic. One other important thing to to note that I wasn't really clear on at the time of recording this video, is that some Canon & Nikon cameras will not focus to infinity and can really only be used as macro or close-focusing lenses. I still think $30-$40 is a reasonable price, even if you are limited to macro shooting, but just something to be mindful of. I have also indicated in the product links which lens mounts are affected in this way. Thanks so much for watching and I hope I have answered your question. :)
very good video!! keep it up
hey thanks so much for watching! So glad you enjoyed the video. :)
@@graphiknation definitely, welcome!
Poking around and thinking cine, but the first pairing of the Leica and the cine..(4:51) .neither one is in focus. At all. And I'm on a 27 inch screen in HD. Macro is a funny thing, not many people review macro on new cameras. I guess they think it's a given. But I remember shooting my Contax RTSII with a prime reversed on it to get macro, (film, or course) and you really had to hope and pray you got that great exposure you wanted. Then around the 5 meg mark for pocket cameras, macro was a knockout out of the park. Awesome, and immediate. A very big deal for me back then. As usual, shooting wide anything else, lots of edge fall off. You would never photograph flat art with them and hope to get it all in focus. This video you look like you haven't been logged in yet.....
Great video. Thanks
hey, thanks so much for watching!
Great review!!! Thanks
Will this lens be compatible with the fuji xt20? Am eager to tryy the lensss. Great video
It should be, here are some links cctv lenses with Fuji X mount adapters:
Fujifilm X:
35mm f/1.7 Fuji adapter + macro rings
amzn.to/2NkE96N
35mm f/1.6 Fuji adapter + macro rings
amzn.to/2HllbJv
25mm f/1.4 Fuji adapter + macro rings
amzn.to/2L5eNH8
And thanks for your comment! I’m glad you like the video, hope you enjoy your new cctv lenses! ☺️
very cinematic!
That shot with the yellow flowers and building in the background....
That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a long while
Link to the pictures please?
hey, thanks so much Ken, that's so kind of you to say! :)
@@graphiknation
I'm not even kidding
I've spent a half hour looking through the stuff you have on Flikr and still can't find it
This is glorious too by the way
www.flickr.com/photos/graphiknation/10887268573/in/album-72157637319261355/
@@kenbee1957 hmm, it's on there, along with a couple of other similar shots. it's also on my instagram account, shot last year in April. www.flickr.com/photos/graphiknation/40601889223
instagram.com/p/BwW2nx4Ahrx/?igshid=fdm9g1zow38t
So well done. Been following you on IG for years. Would love to see more videos from you! This was an incredible “gear video”, would be cool to learn about the infrared stuff you do too.
Hey, thanks so much Stephen for all the support and positive feedback. :) I am definitely going to be adding some infrared videos sometime, so be on the lookout!
Can you mount these on an EF-S EOS Canon camera like a 700D?
Hi, this is a hard question for me to answer fully as I have never owned a Canon brand camera. I have done a little digging, and I think you can use a CCTV-to-Canon EOS (not EOS-M) adapter and mount the lenses, however due to the flange distance of the sensor, it looks like you won't be able to focus to infinity, meaning you can only use CCTV lenses at macro focusing distances. Which is real a bummer. :(
I am not sure if it would be worth it for you to give it a try with the possibility that it may or may not work out, but I think I have found the right adapter for your camera here:
amzn.to/2UkfWAk
If you scroll and read the description, you will see the 700D is listed in the details as compatible, but from what I can tell this would only be good for you as a macro lens, and nothing more. :(
Thanks so much for watching and for your comment, I will update the links to include this item for other Canon lens mounts, for macro focusing only.
@@graphiknation thanks for the detailed reply and taking the time to dig into it for me, that was really unexpected and appreciated. Instant Sub! :)
@@Ultima2876 hey, thanks so much, I'm happy to help and I'm also a little nerdy about this stuff, so if I don't know the answer to a question, it will get under my skin until I find out. LOL, thanks for watching and the sub! and hey, if you ever do want to play around with macro photography, but don't want to invest in a more expensive lens, a CCTV might be a good option in such a case. :)
Thank you very informative video
Hey, thanks so much for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video. :)
I have the 25mm cctv lens and I love it. Just wondering if yours also can't focus to infinity? On mine it just makes everything out of focus. Someone made a fix for it and posted it on youtube but I tried it and it didn't work (pretty sure I messed up in one of the steps).
Hey Tom, I haven't had the infinity focus problem with any of my CCTV lenses, but I have read about it and it seems like it's a fairly common problem and it's just a hit or miss? I watched the video for the fix too, and I would probably botch that myself! LOL
If I were you, I might just re-order the 25mm, maybe even get one made by a different manufacturer(?) I know it sucks to buy a second one, but at $25, it's not going to break the bank. Another thing I noticed is that even with the "flaws" in some of these lenses, they can still be useful in creating artistic and unique looking images. I use my 35mm (which has some soft spots that just won't focus) to an advantage by framing the subject so the soft areas of defocus work within the composition and give a dream-like effect. The 25mm is such a cool lens, I would get anther one. If you love it so far as it is, you will love it even more without the infinity focus flaw. The swirly bokeh is just so much fun!
Yea, it all makes sense
Hey, thanks so much for watching!
Excellent presentation . I'm new to photography, will these type of lens work on a F mount Nikon D3200 camera ?
Hey Manuel, thanks so much for watching. After doing some research, it looks like the Nikon N1 mount works best, and the F mount will only focus for macro shooting, and it will not focus to infinity. I think this has something to do with the flange distance(?) Anyway, not sure if you are interested in a cheap macro-only lens, but I found the Nikon F adapter for you (it's only $8), and you can grab a 35mm lens for about $33. Here are those links if you want to give it a try as a cheap macro lens:
Nikon F mount adapter: amzn.to/31zIXMN
35mm CCTV lens: amzn.to/2VVFUuP
Thanks again for watching and for your question, I have updated the links in the description with these details.
I just watched this and this really helps!
hey, thanks so much for watching Jude! So glad the video was helpful. :)
Greetings from France ! One of the best video on this topic ! Thanks a lot :) What about the focus ? Is it easy to operate or just set infinity & you're good ?
Hey, thanks so much! The focus throw for as small as these lenses are is a little long, or perhaps it just seems long because they are so small? Anyway, it takes some getting used to, but at such a low price point I think it's worth getting at least one and experimenting a little. I usually shoot several frames, and spin the focus ring a little so I get multiple images with slightly different focus points from frame to frame. I find that even with focus peaking, it can sometimes be hard to tell if you're perfectly in focus (with any manual focus lens, not just my CCTV lenses). I also find I get more accurate results in manual focus when I switch from the LCD to the EVF. Thanks for watching and your question. :)
@@graphiknation Humm interesting manual focus stacking technique revealed here :) You're totally right: for the price let's experience ! Thanks again !
@@jcduval83 I'm too lazy for focus stacking...lol. I usually choose the best image, and go with that one. :D
I ordered these lens and didn’t really realize what they were. When I got them they were so small!! I have a Canon 5d Mark Iv. So what do I need to be able to use these lens with my camera? I ordered an adapter from Amazon but it didn’t work. It is a Fotodiox Pro Lens Mount Adapter. EOS (a) to CS-Mount. Hopefully you can tell me what I need.
Hi Patty, sounds like you got the opposite of what you needed, which is an adapter that connects EOS lenses to CS cameras. The link in my description should work for you, however it's important to note that CCTV lenses mounted to your Canon camera will only focus in macro and not infinity. It has to do something about the flange distance? Anyway, still a very good price for a macro lens! Best of luck, and thanks for watching. Here is that link for you:
Canon EOS (Macro focusing only/won't focus to infinity):
Pixco 35mm F1.7 with EOS adapter: amzn.to/2UkfWAk
Thanks for the video! What's the filter diameter should I buy for this lens?
Hey Alexandre, thanks so much for watching! Which CCTV lens are you trying to pick up? They're all gonna have different lens diameters, and I am not sure how to find that info if it's not printed right on the lens. You could try taking it to an actual camera store to see if you can find something that fits. I haven't had much luck at my local camera store with my CCTV lenses ( I have got a filter for one of the 4 lenses I own). They do come with lens caps though, so that helps. :)
Hey thanks for this detailed video! How does the 35mm cctv lens translate to full frame? It seems to me like a 55mm or something..
Hey Ryan, thanks so much for watching and for your question! The actual focal length on full frame would be true 35mm, as full frame sensors are the same size as 35mm film negatives (you would only have to calculate a crop factor conversion for a crop sensor camera). The bigger problem with trying to adapt a CCTV lens to a full frame camera is the extremely small physical size of these lenses. Since they are so small, the lens circumference would not cover the larger sensor area enough to produce “usable” images. If you take a look at 8:28 in the video, you can see a dark circular vignette around the corners on my micro four thirds sensor, and how that dark circle grows even larger on an image shot on an APS-C sensor. If you can imagine in full frame, that dark circle would grow even larger, making the image area so small you would be cropping out about half of the resolution that your full frame camera is capable of shooting, rendering the whole exercise pretty much useless. This is the reason I say in the beginning that these lenses won’t work if you have a full frame camera. Additionally, you will not be able to find adapters for your full frame to the CCTV mount, as they don’t really work so no one makes them (not that I am aware of anyway). I'm sorry that is not clear enough in the video, but I hope this helps clear things up for you. :)
If you’re looking for an inexpensive prime for your full frame camera, I would try looking at vintage film lenses! You might not find anything in the $20-$30 range, but I easily found my vintage Minolta 50mm f1.4 lens in a local camera store for $40, plus the $20 adapter, so $60 all together. You can see some image samples from that lens in my video on adapting vintage lenses for the S1. Here’s the link if you want to check it out.
ua-cam.com/video/wsyfyukFCQ0/v-deo.html
It's a 70mm equivalent.
thanks
👋🏼hi
I wonder if it fits to my canon 600d? This is not a mirrorless camera. I’m not sure if it’s even possible to use this lens on canon eos. If somebody knows something about it please reply, thx🫶🏼
hi thanks for watching. I don't shoot Canon, but I looked up the lens mount and found an adapter for CCTV to EF. please note in the description for this adapter it says you can only achieve macro focusing with this lens mount, meaning you would only be able to take extreme close-focus images (this is due to the flange distance). that may or may not be of interest to you to pursue, but here is that link if you want to look into it: amzn.to/3DsmnXW
This was a very good video, thank you , i really hope i will see more from you
Hey, thanks for watching and for your kind words of support! :)
Nice one! Are those lenses for a (CCTV) 2/3" sensors or for 1/2 inch sensors? I know that 1 inch sensor CCTV lenses get pretty spendy, and I doubt if 1/3" lenses would work on any camera, other than a Pentax Q. I recently picked up a Nikon1. I'm going down the C~mount lens rabbit hole right now. I picked up a Toyo Optics CCTV 12.5-75mm f1.8 BRAND NEW for chump change. I was stoked to get such a lovely lens, for so cheap... but I get vignetting (on the Nikon1). I'm a bit shocked by that. Gorgeous Japanese lens, though.
hi thanks so much for watching! I don't have a Nikon 1, but the thing that stands out the most to me about the lens you mentioned is the focal length of 12.5 - 75mm. On my micro 4/3 cameras, the widest usable focal length for a CCTV lens is 25mm and as you can see in the video, that does produce some vignetting in the corners. I'm curious, does the vignetting diminish as you zoom in tighter or does it remain constant throughout the focal range? I would suggest sticking with the 25mm, 35mm or 50mm lenses covered in this video and depending on the crop factor of your camera, you may see some vignetting. I hope this helps and I hope you have a Pentax Q you can try that lens on! I myself do have a Q-S1 and they are lots of fun to use and that lens sounds like a good fit for it.
can you use cctv lenses on the sony a6500?
Yes, absolutely! They actually work the best with Micro 4/3 & Sony E-Mount cameras. Here are the links for Sony, if you want to check them out.
Sony E Mount :
35mm f/1.7 with adapter & macro rings: amzn.to/31VUi6M
25mm f/1.4 Sony E-Mount NEX: amzn.to/2Hk81wf
50mm f/1.4 Sony adapter: amzn.to/2ZeOwzv
One thing to point out: only a few companies built cameras with mounts smaller or right at 17.526mm distance from the sensor. Which means: almost no camera can get focus to infinity. Also: characteristics of the lens may be changed due to flange distance differences between mounts and adapters.
AFAIK the only mounts who offer infinity focus on C Mount lenses:
Pentax Q, Nikon Z, Nikon 1, Samsung NX Mini
Other than that your video is fkn awesome!
Hey thanks for watching and for your comment. It's true that not all cameras are compatible with CCTV lenses, but a good many mirrorless crop sensor digital cameras do have adapters that allow you to mount and shoot with CCTV lenses. The best cameras to pair with CCTV are Micro 4/3 (LUMIX and Olympus) and Sony E-Mount. AFAIK Nikon, Canon and Fuji have limited models that are capable of shooting to infinity, which is a bummer. Of course I haven't tested every camera brand on the market, but I would say it's safe to assume that if you can't easily find a mount adapter for your camera, it's a good indicator it will not work. I have included links to the adapters that I have been able to find for various brands, and indicated in the link descriptions which ones I know of that will not focus to infinity. I would definitely recommend to anyone that they do their own research on their specific camera brand and mount type before buying a CCTV lens. I would also suggest if you find it doesn't focus to infinity on your camera, you might try shooting some unique macro images, which can still be fun, creatively challenging and rewarding. Thanks again for watching and engaging.
Lauren! This was great!!
Hey, thanks so much Susan! I loved your article too! :)
Wow!
Which is sharper for you?
Hi Cris, I think the 50mm is the sharpest of the ones I personally have but I prefer the rendering and character I get from the 35. Thanks so much for watching!
Thanks for the great video, I'm definitely buying these lenses. Just one question, do images taken with these lenses on a micro 4/3 get cropped by 2x?
Hi, thanks so much, I am glad you like the video! And yes, the 2X crop factor for M4/3 applies to any lens that you mount to your camera, so the 35mm will give you an effective focal length of 70mm, and so on. Hope you enjoy your new CCTV lenses! :)
Thnx for the vidd!!
You’re welcome, thanks so much for watching!
@@graphiknation thank you for the info too, just got the new version of the cctv lens and they are an absolute beauty!
@@Sowlmonskinroll that’s awesome, so glad you’re enjoying your new cctv lenses!
Subscriber #11 here, well done! Excellent video 👍🏻
hey, thanks so much, Bradley! :)
Nice video.
Thanks so much for watching!
Works on my micro 4/3 adapter. I also bought a c-mount to eos for my dslr. Not mirrorless. All I see is a blur as if a lens isn't attached. Any ideas?
hmm, do have "shoot without lens" enabled? that is the only thing I can think of that might cause that problem.
These lenses can't be mounted on DSLR cameras without corrective optics, for which there aren't any. Because the flange focal distance of the EOS is 44mm while the flange focal distance of the CCTV lens is 17.526mm compared to the Sony's 18mm, an adapter is possible. However, to get the lens to focus on a DSLR would literally require mounting the "inside" the body of the camera because you have a distance of 26.5mm to make up for.
Love the different cctv lenses you mentioned. I bought a used cctv lens once so it dissuaded me from grabbing one again but your video convinced me to give it a second try. What lens and camera did you use to shoot this vid. Was it a cctv lens as well?
Hey thanks so much for you comment, I hope you have a good experience with a new cctv lens! If you check out the text description, you will find links that will take you straight to the section where you see sample video using both the 25mm & 35mm lenses. I shot most of this video on a Lumix G3 or maybe G5(?) I’m not at my computer to look at the moment, but I usually shoot video on one of those 2 bodies. The lens I used for this setup is the Lumix/Leica 15mm f/1.7, which has a wider focal length. I’d love to shoot something like this on CCTV, it would look really great, but without an assistant to help with focus and framing, it’s just a little too difficult to pull off. Thanks for watching, I hope you will let me know how it goes with your new cctv lens! 🙂
Love your images! I have a Gh5, but when I try to put on c-mount lenses , I can't focus to infinity. Any idea what's going on there?
hey, thanks so much! i haven't had the same experience, but I have read that these lenses since they are so cheap, can have some flaws and sometimes you just get a lemon. I did a quick search and I found this video, which may be help if this is the same problem you're having: ua-cam.com/video/CuiuoRyCrP4/v-deo.html
Even if you ruin the lens trying to fix it, at such a low price point I would just grab another copy. I'd love to know if this fix works for you though so please share your experience if you get it resolved.
@@graphiknation Oh wow! I'll have to try this! Thanks so much for the info!!!
@@xanfus you're very welcome! i hope it works, please let me know what happens :)
Hello, good morning, I live in Brazil and bought this 25mm fujian lens, when she arrived I tested on my camera canon 70d and simply she does not focus. Could it be a problem with the lens or does it not fit my camera? could you tell?
What do you mean? These lenses are fully manual, You have to focus, not the camera.
Which adapter do you use?
Hey Milla, this is an all manual lens, so you would have to use the focus ring manually. Are you unable to manually focus? I have not had that experience with any of the CCTV lenses I have used(?)
@@@graphiknation Could have to do with flange distance. Canon 70d has 42mm, Sony E-mount 18mm and C-mount 17.526 mm.
So adaptation C-mount to Sony E-mount is with little problems while adaptation to Canon DSLR could be tricky. But for this question we would need Millas feedback.
With the longer flange distance it could work like a Macro lens!!!! (Constant macro ring of 42-17.526mm 😉) and would of course not allow infinity focussing.
An adapter for infinity (or anything outside the macro area) would require some 'active' elements = lenses..
@Milla Carol Milla, if you read this - try if the lens does focus on something close by. Set the lens to the widest distance (if there is a scale on it) and *move the camera* back and forward for a test.
@@uweinhamburg interesting idea, and while i don't have any canon gear to experiment with, the adapter should be designed for the correct flange distance when mounted(?) i have seen cctv image & video examples shot on canon EOS, so the lens should operate as expected, with normal focusing results. hopefully @Milla Carol will respond and we can hear more from her on the problems she's experiencing. i also wonder if maybe she just got a flawed copy of the lens?
@@@graphiknation Canon has more than one mount system 😉 The flange distance for their mirrorfree EOS-M system is 20mm. As CCTV lenses are tiny, they could well go 1.2mm back into the camera housing,,,,
I work with Nikon DSLR and use some old M42 lenses. M42 system has a shorter flange distance than Nikon, so the adapters do have glass in them.
Perhaps it is interesting for you to look into M42 lenses. There are some nice examples out there 😎
How do i use these on a d5300?
This is a Nikon, correct? There is an adapter for Nikon, but know in advance that you will not be able to focus to infinity, you will only be able to use the cctv lenses for macro focusing. Here is a link to the adapter for Nikon F lens mount: amzn.to/4avfDYR
Does this work on Nikon D5500?
Hey thanks for watching! It's a complicated answer, partly yes and partly no. I don't own any Nikon F mount cameras, but from what I have read online, due to the flange distance of the sensor you won't be able to focus to infinity, you can only use CCTV lenses at macro focusing distances. Which is real a bummer, but hey maybe $30 for a macro lens is still a pretty sweet deal? :)
Here's the link to the Nikon adapter for your camera, if you decide to pick up a CCTV lens and give it a try as a macro option:
Nikon F Mount Adapter: amzn.to/3gcyevM
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge 🙏🏻
You're welcome, Jose! Thanks for watching, I hope you get a CCTV lens and have some fun! :)
Hey lady you KNEW I was going to subscribe right?!?😊📸❄
Hey! Thanks Rob! I hope you are well, we need to get out and shoot again sometime soon! Hoping to get a meetup scheduled in the next week or two, I hope you can make it!. :)
Do you prefer one over the other?
Only one problem. You can't find filters (ND, UV, etc.) for these lenses.
you can one the ones specifically made for use on cameras as they use the same threads as other lenses but on the older ones actually made for cctv it is not possible without adapting it yourself.
I wish they are available in Germany.
But could you imagine... 3 macros lenses
Haha, I actually have 4 macro rings, and if memory serves it gets a little crazy beyond 2 or 3(?) and you start to see a black vignette. I think 2 is the sweet spot for CCTV, but that's just my personal preference. Anyway, thanks so much Peter for watching! :)
I have both the 25mm and the 35mm. Both are very nice lenses although the swirl on the 25 can be a little too pronounced at times. With a micro 4/3 camera, these two lenses, an Industar 69 and an Industar 61 one could throw together a nice compact street photography kit that stows easily in a backpack. There is also a 50mm f1.4 but I have yet to purchase one as I already have over a dozen 50ish mm lenses. You can see a couple examples of the CCTV lenses in action here: mark-dantonio.imgbb.com/
Hey, thanks so much for watching, and yes! You can make quite a small street photography kit from these tiny little lenses! I would not bother getting the 50mm CCTV if I were you. I also have quite a collection of 50mm lenses, so I just never use mine. It looks like you have a similar addiction to buying older glass as I do. :) Very nice portraits, thanks so much for sharing!
@@graphiknation Thanks for the compliment on my work. I now follow you on Instagram from @photo.aeterno and I have subscribed to this channel. If you are a Facebook user you should consider the group Photography With Classic Lenses. No politics or bullshit, just a lot of great photographers talking techniques and gear, a Facebook group lead me to this video.
@@RivieraUnivox Hey, thanks so much for the follow, here and on IG. I will check that Facebook group, it sounds like a good one. :)
You're amazing, so natural...! 💖
Not like most of those psycho UA-camrs 🤭
People are talking about these lenses now
A little edgy a times. A interesting fact nonetheless. Thanks for the information.
Hey, thanks for watching, Richard! :)
There are thousands of c mount lenses..... they can be 75 years old.... cmontsm43 on facebook for more and for answers to questions.
Your photo of the dummy in the beginning is misleading because it is actually the one taken with the Leica lens. Not cool.
Hi Gilbert, thanks for watching. The image of the doll bust in the cover art for this video is the correct image, shot using the CCTV lens (not the Leica). The 2 images shown side-by-side are quite similar, and I do explain that one is taken on a CCTV and one is the Leica image. I am up front that this is a blind comparison and then I reveal the identity of both images around 5:20 in the video. I am not sure what you found misleading? I am fully transparent in my talking points that only one of these images was taken with a CCTV lens, I highlight the visual characteristics that help distinguish the two and I have never used the Leica image to promote this video. I am not sure how that could have been misleading, perhaps you you can give it a second look, or let me know what time marker in the video you are referring to?
@Gilbert. You are a really stupid Guy who must be jealous. You only have 1 comment and you are bitc#ing instead of appreciating the hard work she put into her video, which is one of the best about this subject on UA-cam.
Try to make first a video and then come back, actually, no, don't come back. Go complain to your family who can't stand your negative attitude
I like your eyes
thanks so much Jose!