The Best Lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
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Blackmagic Pocket Camera 4K Guide

The Best Lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

The Best Lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, period.

Disclaimer: This guide for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H) is only a starting point, from which you will hopefully continue to research and find what best suits your workflow. The information provided here might not be accurate or relevant. You are solely responsible for your decisions and actions.

Don’t forget to watch my real-world review:

Since this is a huge article I’ve made a menu:

MAIN MENU

  1. What is a “native” lens?
  2. Do you get continuous autofocus for video?
  3. Best prime lenses with AF
  4. The best wide angle lenses with AF
  5. The best normal lenses with AF
  6. The best telephoto lenses with AF
  7. The best macro lenses with AF
  8. Best zoom lenses with AF
  9. When should you pick prime lenses with manual focus?
  10. The best wide angle lenses for MF
  11. The best normal lenses for MF
  12. The best telephoto lenses for MF
  13. Why Voigtlander over Veydra Primes?
  14. What to know about adapters
  15. How do you use third-party lenses on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?
  16. Which is the best lens adapter for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?
  17. What is a SpeedBooster of Focal Reducer?
  18. Which Speed Booster should I get for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?
  19. Is the Speed Booster worth it?
  20. Best third-party lenses
  21. What are “C-mount” lenses?
  22. Super 16mm vs Micro Four Thirds
  23. Can you use C-mount lenses on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?
  24. C-mount adapter
  25. Can you use Super 16mm PL-mount lenses on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?
  26. Ideas for prime lenses in the C-mount
  27. Ideas for lenses lenses in the C-mount
  28. What would I do if I had a very low budget?
  29. If I could only have three lenses, which ones would I pick?
  30. If I could only have one lens on a low budget, which ones would I pick?

What is a “native” lens?

A “native” lens is one specifically designed for the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system, and which allow the following:

  • Electronic metadata like iris, focal length, etc.
  • Single-point autofocus (the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H) doesn’t support continuous autofocus on any lens).
  • Zoom

The four major brands that make electronic native lenses are:

  1. Panasonic
  2. Olympus
  3. Sigma
  4. Tamron

There are others, but only these four make lenses that autofocus for video.

Do you get continuous autofocus for video?

No. Not with any lenses.

You only get Single-point autofocus. To be honest I would just stick to manual focus.

Best prime lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

When should you pick prime lenses?

The single greatest advantage prime lenses have in general is they can open wider than zooms. You can go down to f/0.95 if you wanted to!

This makes it a great option for low light cinematography. And there’s really no excuse for not having at least one prime because they also tend to be cheap without sacrificing quality. Another advantage of prime lenses is they are usually lighter than zoom lenses (comparing the same price range).

You might want to get a 50mm (35mm equivalent) as your first general purpose lens, so you’re looking at something in the 25mm range. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H) has a crop factor of 2 in 4K mode and 4 in 120p HD windowed mode. We’ll look at the windowed mode in another article.

If you only had $300 or so for one lens, which would should you get?

Get the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 II ASPH (Amazon, B&H). It is small and lightweight, and isn’t too shabby with autofocus.

If you only had $600 or so for one lens, which would should you get?

Get the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH (Amazon, B&H):

What are the best wide angle lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

One of the great disadvantages of the MFT format is its sensor size, and because of it you really can’t have ultra-wide lenses that aren’t cost-prohibitive.

One way to circumvent this problem is to use a Speed Booster or focal reducer, though you are limited by how wide you can go. To know what a Speedbooster or focal reducer is, and to learn about the Aputure LensRegain, watch this:

Here are my suggestions, in order of preference:

  • Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 ASPH. (Amazon, B&H)
  • Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2 (Amazon, B&H)
  • Panasonic LUMIX G Leica DG Summilux 15mm f/1.7 ASPH. (Amazon, B&H)

So you’re at a 24mm equivalent at best. That’s just wide, not ultra-wide. For ultra-wide options look at zooms.

What are the best normal lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

We’ve already seen the 50mm equivalent options. A special mention: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 PRO (Amazon, B&H) – You simply can’t ignore an f/1.2!

For a little longer, you have:

  • Panasonic LUMIX G Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH. Power OIS (Amazon, B&H)
  • Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO (Amazon, B&H)

This would give you an 85mm equivalent. By now you’ll have guessed, anything with a Leica on it (for Panasonic), or PRO (for Olympus) is top-notch.

What are the best telephoto lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

This is where you say bye-bye to Panasonic and embrace Olympus. For telephoto lenses though, you really don’t have any options in Panasonic. These are your picks:

  • Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8 (delivers a 150mm equivalent) (Amazon, B&H)
  • Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f/4 IS PRO (600mm equivalent) (Amazon, B&H)

What about macro lenses?

In order of preference:

  • Panasonic LUMIX G MACRO 30mm f/2.8 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. (Amazon, B&H) – This is a general purpose macro, for larger objects.
  • Panasonic Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. (Amazon, B&H)

When should you pick zoom lenses?

Zoom lenses are all about convenience. You pick a zoom when you want that flexibility in creating wide shots and close ups. You simply don’t have the time to swap lenses often, or can’t afford more than one or two general lenses.

If you are sticking to zoom lenses, get the most expensive you can afford. You typically get what you pay for.

If you could only get one zoom lens, which would should you get?

Get the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Asph. (Amazon, B&H). Please note, this is the Mark I version. A newer Mark II version has been released, but it’s $999, so pick the latter if you can afford it.

This lens will give you a 24-70mm 35mm equivalent, more than enough for most general purpose video work.

What are the best wide angle zoom lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

Luckily the MFT system has two great wide-angle zooms, in order of preference:

  • Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO (Amazon, B&H)
  • Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm f/4.0 ASPH. (Amazon, B&H)

This would give you a 14-28mm 35mm equivalent, more than enough for most wide-angle work. The Olympus is more rugged and more suited to outdoor use (it’s also weatherproof), and for ultra-wides AF isn’t that big of a deal. The only major drawback of these zoom lenses are that you can’t put standard screw-in filters on them. You’ll need something like the Formatt Hitech 165mm Lucroit Filter Holder Kit (Amazon, B&H).

What are the best normal zoom lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

The best standard range zoom is Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 II ASPH (Amazon, B&H). This is the Mark II version.

You might be asking, why not a variable aperture zoom (something like an f/4-5.6 or whatever). The problem is once you set exposure and then zoom in, you’ll have to compensate by raising the ISO. In low light situations, you’ll have a cleaner wider shot and a noisier close up. In the editing room side by side, the differences will be more pronounced. Try to avoid variable zooms whenever possible for video.

What are the best telephoto zoom lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

If wide angles are the bane of MFT, then telephoto lenses are its rockstars. Try to get a lens with internal image stabilization, like the Panasonic OIS telephoto lenses.

Get the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 II POWER O.I.S. (Amazon, B&H). It will give you a 70-200mm equivalent, great for any kind of telephoto work. Olympus also has a stellar ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens, but there’s no image stabilization. You could still pair it with a gimbal, but the there’s no way to control any function in the camera via a gimbal.

When should you pick prime lenses with manual focus?

When you can and want to control the focus, that’s when. This applies to corporate videos, fictional work of any kind, documentaries, etc.

The key factor is the kind of manual focus you want. The professionals use follow focus systems, but even if that’s overkill for you, you need to ensure the focus ring on the lens is solid, smooth and reliable enough to consistently nail focus. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H) has focus peaking, so you can nail focus by looking at the back LCD.

The one big gotcha is the focus-by-wire mechanism of many of the native lenses. This means you don’t get the same amount of focus for an equivalent amount of turn. You can’t get any kind of muscle memory going, and you’re totally dependent on the lens for the job. What’s worse, each lens will behave a bit differently! For this reason, I only recommend lenses for manual focus where the focus ring is good enough for professional use.

What are the best wide angle lenses for manual focus?

Here are my suggestions, budget-wise:

  • Low budget: Samyang 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS (Amazon, B&H)
  • Great mid-range option: Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm f/0.95 (Amazon, B&H) – It doesn’t get much better than this!
  • For cinema work: Veydra 12mm T2.2 (Amazon, B&H)

What are the best normal lenses for manual focus?

Here are my suggestions:

Low budget:

Best value for money:

  • Voigtlander Nokton 17.5mm f/0.95 (Amazon, B&H)
  • Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 Type II (Amazon, B&H)
  • Voigtlander Nokton 42.5mm f/0.95 (Amazon, B&H)

Seriously, you can’t beat this combo. Some complain that the Voigtlander is a bit soft. But a bit soft with 4K doesn’t really matter. In fact, it’ll make skin tones look much creamier. I can’t think of a better system, especially because you need an excellent focusing mechanism at f/0.95.

If your Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is being regularly used for cinema-level work (and I doubt that), a full set of Veydra primes (Amazon, B&H) might be the way to go.

What are the best telephoto lenses for manual focus?

With telephoto lenses accurate focus is critical. Here are my suggestions:

  • Samyang/Rokinon 50mm f/1.2 (Amazon, B&H)
  • Samyang/Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF (Amazon, B&H)
  • Samyang/Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 ED UMC Macro (Amazon, B&H)
  • Samyang/Rokinon 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC (Amazon, B&H)

Overall though, I’m not too sure about getting telephoto lenses with manual focus unless you’re on a tripod and have a solid focusing strategy. If you’re going to run and gun it choose Panasonic lenses that also offer OIS.

Why Voigtlander over Veydra Primes?

The Veydra primes (Amazon, B&H) seem like a great option if you want a set of color-matched cine lenses that have standard front diameters and focus rings. But they have three disadvantages I can’t reconcile:

  1. They’re slow, at T2.2 for primes (a T2.2 would roughly be an f/2) that cost $1,000 a pop.
  2. They only go as wide as 12mm and there are no real super telephoto options.

This is just me, I’m not saying these lenses are bad or anything. They offer decent image quality and construction, but still, I don’t see the value. Most people will be using the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H) for run and gun or low budget film work.

Adapters and third-party lenses

How do you know if a lens can be used or not? First, you need to know what the flange focal distance is.

Here’s information on each mount, in increasing order of the focal flange distance:

MountFocal Flange Distance in mm
C C-Mount17.526
E Sony E-mount18
FZ Sony18
MFT Micro Four Thirds mount19.25
M Leica M mount27.8
FT Four Thirds mount38.67
FD Canon Manual FD mount42
EF Canon EOS EF mount44
EF-S Canon EOS EF-S mount44
A Minolta/Sony A-mount44.5
K Pentax K-mount45.46
F Nikon F-mount46.5
R Leica R-mount47
PL Arri PL mount52

I have highlighted the MFT flange focal distance in blue. Any lens designed for a camera system that has a greater flange focal distance can be used on the GH5. From the table above, anything below can be adapted. On the other hand, Sony E lenses cannot be adapted.

So you can use Canon FD, Canon EF, Nikon F, Arri PL, Leica M and R, Pentax K and even older Four Thirds lenses on the GH5. And a lot more.

How do you use third-party lenses on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

Third-party lenses come in their own lens mounts. So you need some sort of adapter that comes between the lens and the camera. This adapter does two things:

  1. It connects two mounts that naturally don’t fit together, and
  2. It makes up for the flange focal distance.

The typical lens adapter does only these two things, so there’s nothing in the adapter, no lens or optics. It’s just hollow inside.

Important information regarding lens adapters:

  • Some lenses have protruding elements at the back that might not interface correctly with the adapter. Look for certain wide angle lenses that have this problem.
  • Modern lenses don’t have aperture rings. You change the aperture via the camera body. If you take away the camera body and replace it with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, you need some way for the camera to talk to this alien lens. So for lenses without aperture rings you need adapters with gold contacts that allow you to manipulate aperture:
  • However, not all adapters let you talk to the lens. E.g., with Nikon G lenses, you get adapters with physical aperture rings that you must adjust manually:
  • Some adapters allow you to autofocus with third-party lenses, though they never work as well as using native lenses.
  • You might want to turn off image stabilization in the lens, and sometimes it won’t work as well because it might not be getting the necessary power from the camera body/adapter. Don’t buy lenses on assumptions. Look for real-world reviews and tests.
  • Adding an adapter adds one more point of contact for the lens, which is also one more point of failure. If the adapter is not well made the lens might fit too tight or have play, both of which are undesirable.
  • Cheap adapters are not machined precisely, so they don’t make up the flange focal distance accurately. E.g., they might be off by a few millimeters, and this will affect infinity focus on the lens. Expensive adapters come with shimming kits that you add between the adapter and camera body to make up for any manufacturing defects. Cheap adapters are a crap shoot.
  • Also, cheaply machined adapters don’t have the mechanics to support heavier metal lenses.
  • If the internals aren’t done well, beware of light leaks and internal reflections.
  • Lastly, adapters add bulk to your camera setup, and need to be supported underneath. Third-party lenses are typically made for large-sensor cameras, so the lenses are heavier and bulkier. Overall, your system will be more front heavy. That’s why you see some adapters with their own ‘bases’ which help support the lens.

Which is the best lens adapter for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

There are a few brands making adapters, and I’ve found one brand that consistently performs well is Metabones (Amazon, B&H). Other brands I’ve heard good things of are Novoflex (Amazon, B&H) and Voigtlander (Amazon, B&H). The consistent thing about these brands are the price. They know they’re good, and they are priced accordingly.

A lot of people think the cheaper brands are good enough, and spending more for one of the top three are a waste of money. I don’t agree. It’s like eating a fat-fueled diet all your life. It feels fine when you’re young, but once the problems start they’ll never go away. Cheap adapters walk and talk like the real thing, but they’re ruining your experience in ways you won’t know until it’s too late.

Having said that, there’s no reason why a cheaper adapter can’t exist. So if you find one that works for you, no problem. More power to you.

What’s this Speed Booster thing everyone keeps raving about?

The Speed Booster is a lens adapter, expect it has an optical element inside it. So if there’s a lens in it it stands to reason it must accomplish something specific.

The name “Speed Booster” is from Metabones. There are other companies making similar designs, and this optical design is called a focal reducer. However, because Metabones was the first one out, and the one with the best pedigree, I recommend only Metabones (Amazon, B&H) – unless you are short of cash. In which case look at other options.

Here’s a video about what speed boosters or focal reducers are, and my review of the Aputure Lens Regain (Amazon, B&H):

What does a Speed Booster do differently?

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has a crop factor of about 1.9x. So, e.g., if you use a Canon 50mm lens on it, you’ll get an equivalent of 95mm. If you want a wider angle of view, you need wider lenses. The problem is, let’s say you buy a 14mm wide angle lens (which is pretty wide for full frame) and adapt it to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. On this camera, you’ll only get an angle of view equivalent to about 27mm, which is not that wide.

As we’ve seen in the previous chapter, there are wide angle lenses available for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, but not many.

This is where the Speed Booster shines. It does two things, both seemingly miraculous:

  • It re-widens a lens (not completely, but not bad either)
  • And the miracle part: It increases the light taking ability of the lens! This is possible because it compresses more light into a tiny area. These two things are essentially what a focal reducer does.

What numbers to look for in a Speed Booster or focal reducer

When you look at the specs of a Speed Booster or similar focal reducer, you’ll see some numbers like this:

  • 0.64x or 0.7x or similar
  • 1-stop or 1.3 stop increase, etc.

The former tells you how much wider your lens will get. E.g., with the same 50mm lens, with the 1.9x crop factor you get 95mm. Now with a 0.64x focal reducer, say, you get 0.64 x 95 or 61mm. Not as wide as 50mm, but still good.

The latter tells you how much of a light increase you get. This increase happens as an aperture increase. E.g., if the 50mm lens is an f/2, and you get a 1 stop increase, now the lens is effectively an f/1.4. With a 1.3 stop increase it’s effectively an f/1.2.

So does this mean you can widen any lens and increase the aperture to zero?

No to both.

Ultimately, the insides of the adapter will limit the final angle of view. So there are lenses that will vignette on the Speed Booster. Wide angle lenses have this problem, depending on how the focal reducer is designed. You’ll see an example of this in the next section.

Secondly, if you use a lens with an aperture of f/0.95, you’ll get about f/0.7, but that’s about it. If you use a lens with a native aperture of f/0.7, you won’t get f/0.5. They physics has a limit. Each focal reducer has its own aperture limit. Some are f/0.9, some are f/0.7. Know this before you invest.

Lastly, adding an optical element between the lens and the sensor will degrade image quality. It’s not a question of if, but by how much. And more importantly, how much image quality are you willing to sacrifice for the benefits? For most web-based work I don’t think it’s a big problem, but for high-end productions the quality loss might be an issue.

Which Speed Booster should I get for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

There are two Speed Booster versions available for the GH5 (not in all mounts):

  • 0.71x ULTRA (APS-C lenses) or
  • 0.64x XL (full frame lenses)

Is the Speed Booster worth it?

Only if you already have Nikon/Canon or other lenses that can be adapted. Here are some ideas for you to ponder over:

  • Speed Boosters are not cheap, so if you only have one or two lenses from a third-party it’s better to spend that money on a decent Panasonic native lens.
  • Don’t buy Speed Boosters for shallow depth of field alone. You can achieve the same with the Voigtlander lenses I referenced above. Even if you need autofocus, it’s not going to work very well for video.
  • Don’t buy Speed Boosters just for the wide angle. There’s a limit to how wide you can go anyway, so the native lenses mentioned in the last article might be a better option overall.

The bottom line is, you only buy the Speed Booster to adapt existing lenses that would otherwise go to waste. With it you get a close angle of view and good aperture performance, so it’s worth it. For the rest, forget focal reducers.

Best third-party lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

There’s no such thing. Any lens is good if it meets your purpose. Even the best lenses are crap if it doesn’t get you the image you want. So, if you have to ask this question, then the problem is you. The best advice I can give is, if you don’t know which lens is good for you, then it’s not time to buy any lens yet. Get some experience, shoot a lot and slowly the right lenses will be made evident to you. And guess what? At that time, the money you didn’t spend will still be available. But this time for the right lenses.

Which lenses do I prefer?

Now this is a more valid question. I prefer Nikon lenses (Amazon, B&H), and if you have more money, then definitely Leica R primes.

Nikon F/G is the only mount that ticks all boxes:

  • You want aperture ring and image stabilization? No problem.
  • You want to use cheaper lenses or more expensive ones? No problem.
  • It has a flange focal distance that makes it adaptable to even Canon cameras if the need ever arises in the future.
  • Great prime lenses are available for cheap. Thankfully, Nikon has hardly changed their SLR mount, and you’ll never have a shortage of lenses.
  • Not only do Nikon primes come in all focal lengths, you have various choices of year (like wine!) and model. Lots of new and used options going back decades.
  • Adapters are a dime a dozen, though beware of the cheap ones.

There are three kinds of adapters for the Nikon mount:

  • Nikon F to MFT – F lenses have an aperture ring and are mostly manual focus only.
  • Nikon G to MFT – G lenses don’t have aperture rings so the adapter has one instead. You’ll need to use that to set aperture.
  • Nikon G to MFT Speed Booster XL 0.64x

I recommend the G to MFT adapter. Even if you’re using F lenses, like I am, you can set the adapter aperture to wide open and just use your lens instead. But you have the option of G lenses if you ever need it. The price difference isn’t that great so it’s not an issue.

Recommended Nikon prime lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

Here are recommended prime lenses from the Nikon stable:

Focal LengthCheap OptionFilter Thread (mm)Approx Price
Fish-eyeSamyang 12mm f/2.8 EDNone$499
Sigma 15mm f/2.8None$609
Nikon 16mm f/2.8DNone$899
WideSamyang 14mm f/2.8None$399
Nikon 14mm f/2.8DNone$1,399
Zeiss Distagon T* 15mm f/2.8 ZF.295$2,950
Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm F/3.5 ZF.282$1,395
Nikon 20mm f/2.862$675
Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm F/2.8 ZF.282$1,843
Samyang 24mm f/1.477$669
Nikon 24mm f/1.4G77$1,879
Zeiss Distagon T* 25mm f/2.0 ZF.267$1,699
Nikon 28mm f/1.8G67$697
Zeiss Distagon T* 28mm f/2.0 ZF.258$1,283
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art67$899
NormalNikon 50mm f/1.2 AIS52$700
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art77$949
Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 Otus77$3,990
Nikon Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D62$469
Sigma 70mm f/2.862$459
Samyang 85mm f/1.472$299
Nikon 85mm f/1.4D77$969
Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.486$4,490
TelephotoTamron 90mm f/2.8 SP Macro 1:158$749
Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X55$399
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZF.267$1,843
Nikon 105mm f/2.0D72$1,049
Nikon 135mm f/2.0D72$1,150
Sigma 150mm f/2.872$1,099
Nikon 200mm f/4.0D62$1,649
Nikon 300mm f/4D77$1,134

The lenses marked in bold are my favorites. The ones in green are what I own. Don’t forget, you can buy many of these Nikon lenses used in great condition. I’ve only listed new prices.

Best third party zoom lenses

Zoom lenses are all about convenience. The one major gotcha with zoom lenses is that most low end zoom lenses are not parfocal. But this is all you have.

So to really get the benefit of manual focus and zooms, you’ll find you’re always pining for the most expensive options.

Sigma 50mm Art

Sigma is the best brand to get, if you’re going third-party. They have two classy zooms:

  • Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art (Amazon, B&H)
  • Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art (Amazon, B&H)

Remember, you’ll need an adapter for these lenses. Should you go third-party or native (as mentioned in the last article)? I recommend native, really. Third-party zooms are usually made for full frame cameras, so are heavier. Plus you need to add an adapter as well. Not worth it, unless you have the lenses already.

What are “C-mount” lenses?

The C-mount is a mount type (like Micro Four Thirds, EF, PL, etc.) that was popular for Super 16mm film and other CCTV/machine camera systems. They were made for multiple sensor sizes.

So we’re effectively talking about using lenses designed for Super 16mm film on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H) with an adapter.

Super 16mm vs Micro Four Thirds

Here’s a comparison of three sensors/film sizes – Standard 16mm, Super 16mm, Micro Four Thirds, and the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H):

The original pocket camera had a sensor similar to Super16mm film, so you could use those lenses. The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H) has a larger Micro-Four Third-type sensor, so if you use Super 16mm lenses, it will vignette. Even though the new sensor is slightly wider than Micro Four Thirds, the height is smaller, and the image circle (in bold, in the middle of each box) is similar.

Therefore, any lens that works for Micro Four Thirds will work on the new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. But not Super 16mm lenses, or lenses made for 1/2″ video sensors.

There might be exceptions to this, but they will so few and in the higher telephoto range, that it’s pointless to go after them unless you’re really after that. Like I mentioned in my article on cine and manual lenses, there are much cheaper and more robust options out there. Good C-mount lenses are not exactly cheap!

Can you use C-mount lenses on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

That’s the million-dollar question. Yes, and no.

If you want to shoot 4K, then no, unfortunately. You can only use Super 16mm lenses if you’re happy with 1080p. There might be some Super 16mm lenses that cover the sensor (especially if they are made for a 1″ sensor), but these are rare, and are specialty items that are only useful if you already have lenses but are looking for something different.

As of this writing there’s no information on what the “window-size” will be for 1080p120, but scaling the sensor as it is right now gives us a guesstimated size of about 8.85mm x 5mm, or an image circle of about 10mm. So any 16mm lenses will work. 1/2″ lenses will also work.

Maybe, some 8mm lenses might work as well. But seriously, I don’t get the point of this, when there are cheap full frame or APS-C lenses available that will work great for roughly the same price.

The C-mount adapter

You need a C-mount to Micro-four thirds adapter, like this one (Amazon, B&H):

They basically screw on to the lens. Try to buy a couple because they are a pain to remove and screw on. Some cheap lenses even come with free adapters.

Here’s a video I shot with such an adapter with a Fujian 25mm f/1.4 lens:

Even though you can get good results, it’s not for everyday use. Here are some issues with cheap C-mount lenses:

  • The corners vignette badly when open or sometimes even stopped down.
  • There’s hardly any edge sharpness to speak off.
  • Some lenses, especially zoom lenses, have protruding back elements that are designed for a larger flange focal distance. You will need to shave/saw them off (seriously, why bother?) for it to work.
  • These lenses were made to resolve 16mm film or small video sensors. They were not designed for 4K work.
  • The adapter might be finicky and might not let proper infinity focus.

A few prime lenses to look out for:

But last word, seriously, a Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 lens is only $147 or so.

Can you use Super 16mm PL-mount lenses on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K?

Yes. I have reviewed these as part of my Panasonic GH5 review:

The same problems apply though. Since these cine lenses were made for Super 16mm only the medium to telephoto range will completely cover the Micro Four Thirds sensor. For wide angle work you’re out of luck.

A couple of cine zoom lens to look out for:

  • KOWA MACRO 12.5-75mm f/1.8
  • Angenieux 17.5-70mm f/2.2

You can also adapt Bolex Super 16mm lenses. Due to the popularity of the Micro Four Thirds format, and 16mm film shooting in general, the prices of these vintage lenses have shot up in the last few years.

If you ask me, they’re not worth it.

If you already have these lenses lying around, there’s no harm in trying them. But native Micro Four Thirds lenses have modern designs and are specifically made for the sensor. They will perform adequately well.

What would I do if I had a very low budget?

Get Samyang/Rokinon lenses:

  • 8mm fisheye (Amazon, B&H) (this won’t be so bad for the small sensor as they were designed for full frame. I have a friend who uses this as a rectilinear wide angle lens)
  • 12mm f/2 (Amazon, B&H) (made for APS-C, will easily cover the sensor of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (Amazon, B&H).
  • 24mm f/1.4 (Amazon, B&H)
  • 50mm f/1.4 (Amazon, B&H)
  • 85mm f/1.4 (Amazon, B&H)

If I could only have three lenses…

What if I could only have three lenses for everything? This is what I would get:

  • Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm f/4.0 ASPH. (Amazon, B&H)
  • Voigtlander Nokton 25mm f/0.95 Type II (Amazon, B&H) – Manual focus only (If you need AF replace with the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH)
  • Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 II POWER O.I.S. (Amazon, B&H)

If I could only have one lens…

Then make it a zoom. The Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO (Amazon, B&H) is something. That’s it for lenses! Whew!

20 replies on “The Best Lenses for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K”

Thanks for the comments. There are two metabones Speed Booster for Nikon G full frame lenses. Which one works with the BMPCC4k? Nikon G to BMCC Speed Booster 0.64x or Nikon G to Micro Four Thirds Speed Booster XL 0.64x? Thank you for your help.

I’m appreciate this great post. If you had the choice for narrative work using the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K would you pair the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 with Metabones speed booster Nikon mount (which would run $1278) or would you spend the extra $420 for the Voigtlander 17.5mm f/0.95 and Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 combo (which would run $1698)? I’ve been contemplating this decision for awhile now and would appreciate your advice.

It depends on your needs and style. Have you worked with primes before? Do you have the patience to change primes for shots? And so on.

Thanks for replying. I was wondering what would be the best option optically? I’ve heard great things about both options the Sigma and the Voigtlander’s. I just want to make the wise investment and get the best image qaulity that I can

Thank you Sareesh, this has narrowed down the broad range and I’ve settled on Panny LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm / F2.8 II

But I’m in bangalore, the availability of voigtlander is pretty hard..
Could u help us how to get hold of them or try to import them.

What are your views about SLRMAGIC LENSES? because of pricing and reviews I’m looking into them as well..

Buy them from Amazon, I find it’s usually safer and dependable. Someone told me once a rental house in Chennai has them, so maybe you can make a few phone calls and find out.

I haven’t seen or used SLR Magic, so can’t recommend them.

Waiting for my bmpcc 4k to arrive. Just stumbled upon this page and wanted to share some thought and ask some advice also.. I am into filmmaking mainly and I shortlisted a few lenses.
1) Lumix 12-35 f2.8
2) olympus 12-40 f2.8
3) sigma 18-35
4) voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95
5) Slr Magic 25mm t0.95 or the Slr magic 10mm t2.1
6) veydra mini primes
Which of these do u think will suit me best..? I decided on the slr magic because it’s stated as CINE lenses same as Veydra primes and the price or Slr magic lenses are much cheaper than veydra primes. Videos of Slr magic lenses seem to have nice character to them.. Comparing lumix and SlrMagic, are there any obvious advantage to SlrMagic other than it’s shallow depth of field..? Wanted to see if I can find anything since u mentioned about Slr Magic lenses. Thanks in advance.

which is the best all round cinema lens if you had one choice for a shoot to use, with the black magic cinema 4k?

Great article. I will stick with prime lenses after reading this. Thanks for all the effort you put into this.

What about a Viltrox m2 Focal reducer (150$) + Sigma 17-50 2.8 IS (EF) (250$)… for 400€ you will have an effective 24-70 f4 IS (fullframe eq.).

Very good information and summarize the details in short way. Was thinking to buy the bmpcc 4k but only i have nikon full frame lenses. Not so sure whether to pair with adapter or native lenses, also the single focus for native lenses is the most features that i would like to have if i own this body…

If you could only have one lens shooting cinema and it had to be Voigtlander, which focal length would you buy?

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