rental house won't rent clip-on

[Charles Papert]

This could sort of be a companion thread to the one about the adaptor to bring rods off the Steadicam dovetail at standard ARRI spacing. That way a lightweight rod-mounted mattebox could be used (they aren't all bruisers, I have a non-swing-away Chrosziel that weighs virtually the same as a clip-on) and everyone would be happy.

 

One wonders why none of this used to be a problem--but it's becoming apparent that the future will continue to hold more surprises like this as more private individuals own (ill-equipped) camera packages, older lenses enjoy a renaissance due to budgetary reasons and the industry slides further into Amateur Hour. Cheers to all.

[Gustavo Penna]

I owned a set of super speeds. and mine where kept pretty much new for about two years, by me, since i bought them brand spanking new. i noticed that my lens Focus Ring was softer than the ones i got from rental houses.i thought it was just because mine were a privately owned set.i noticed, the ones from rental houses where actually really stiff and that stiffness would increase every time either because the clip on was on, or because my focus motor was to tight on the lens. (sometimes i used to place a little piece of foam in between my D Box and the clip on (To provide a little of upward support) and the lens would soften up, therefore avoiding the focus motor to jump from the gears.) That actually happened with my old Seitz Follow focus, which i purchased from charles papert back in the mid 90s. i think.)

 

I only found out that the lens actually DO get damage (when, you add the weight of a loaded clip on,PLUS the torque of the focus motor and you over-torque the clip on to the front of the lens. when my lenses became very stiff. so i thought something got inside of them either dust sand or water that eventually affected the inner lubrication on them.) when they smacked me with the bill and the damage report from Zeiss.

 

This thing actually happened with every single set that i used from many camera rental houses for years. The Reason why i never found out was ?........ because i was never picking up the bill.

[Lawrence Karman]

Hey guys. So in response to the no clip on matte box problem, here's the main issue (I was at the said rental house when the first incident happened).

 

The problem is that the weight of the matte box with filters on the front end of the lens warps the focus forks causing the focus of the lens to go out of whack. Each set of new forks runs about $300. Zeiss itself has said this about the lens and they strongly discourage the use of any sort of weight being put on the front of the superspeeds. This is not the case on the ultras or the masters as they are newer lenses and their internal forks were designed a bit stronger. Trust me i've seen first hand the damage the weight does to the forks and it's clearly visible.

 

So there is more to the story than meets the eye, and Birns does indeed have the LMB-5 as well as their own clamp ons. If you guys want to know more I can put you into contact with the Lens Tech Stacy over at birns and he can show and explain to you the problem in depth.

 

Again it isn't because they are trying to be difficult or lack of stock, rather it's to prolong the life of the lens and not have to repair them every week a set of superspeeds comes back. And Zeiss themselves have reported that the lenses can damage from to much weight on the front of them.

 

 

Clamping the clip-on matte box too tight will warp the lens barrel and cause the focus to appear sticky. The weight of the matte box can also warp the lens. The solution to this is two fold: do not to clamp it too tight and attach a rubber band to the top of the filter tray and stretch it back to the camera body. I have never had a problem after doing this. And, as others here have suggested, there are plenty of other rental houses that will give you the equipment you ask for in LA. Some will even offer newer lenses at the same price as those old Zeiss SS's to get your business. Encourage the company to seek alternate bids. It may save them money and make you more popular.

[Matt Petrosky]

[Clamping the clip-on matte box too tight will warp the lens barrel and cause the focus to appear sticky. The weight of the matte box can also warp the lens. The solution to this is two fold: do not to clamp it too tight and attach a rubber band to the top of the filter tray and stretch it back to the camera body. I have never had a problem after doing this. And, as others here have suggested, there are plenty of other rental houses that will give you the equipment you ask for in LA. Some will even offer newer lenses at the same price as those old Zeiss SS's to get your business. Encourage the company to seek alternate bids. It may save them money and make you more popular.

 

Ditto for all of this. Even a lightweight Pana clip-on can get heavy, think a filter or two, Panatape and dummy readout, eyebrow, etc. I've had perfectly good Primos bind on me and like Doc said, the quick solution is to clamp loosely and attach the rubber band for support.

 

Also B&S is being lame about this. As someone else said, if they are not willing to work with you, take your business elsewhere (Otto, Clairmont, Panavision). All three of these rental houses have built countless brackets and cables (at no cost) to help us steadi-folks and ACs.

 

-Matt