Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 18-90mm F2 for BMPCC

I finally made a decision to by the Blackmagic Pocket Camera, because I can no longer resist the urge to test loads amazing of vintage c-mount lenses that will only work with this camera thanks to its unusual Super16 size sensor.

About 5 months ago before anyone even received their first pocket cam, I’ve made a guide of potential c-mount/super16 lenses that should work with the pocket camera. One of the lenses featured was the Schneider 18-90mm f/2 which sounded like a great lens along with some other options, but no one could tell for sure how well it would work with the pocket cam until someone actually try it.

Today I came across a new post from an Internet friend, fellow vintage lens fan, a talented filmmaker & blogger Peter Prevec how has tested this lens on the actual camera, so I couldn’t resist and had to feature his video here along with some of his thought about this lens.

Here’s what Peter has to say about this lens:

The Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon with a range from 18 to 90mm on a Pocket Camera with a 3x crop factor equals to 54-270mm zoom. The Schneider is f/2 lens and as such perfect for walking around. It could be a bit wider but that is another story. I really love the flare on this lens as you can see. There are lots of it due to the big from element of the lens. It has a not standard front filter diameter of 74mm so I had to add 74 to 77mm step up ring. The use of variable ND is paramount on this camera. Its smaller sensor means smaller depth of fields so you need to be wide open to get as much depth of filed as possible. The lens is old so it is advisable to stop down a bit to get more sharpness. You still get enough DOF as the lens is f/2 and closing it a bit doesn’t hurt much.

I know that Peter has had this lens for a while now and was very eager to test it out himself. When he bought his together with Beaulieu R16 16mm film camera, he got himself quite a deal, but since then the prices on this lens really jumped up and will probably keep rising.  After all, Schneider is no average, unknown brand, but a legendary company, which still produces high-end cine lenses to this day, so these lenses definitely deserve their price.

To read more about how the video above was shot and edited check out Peter’s blog where you’ll also find many other useful and informative posts.

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