In response to the trailer for Like Crazy -- the DSLR-shot indie feature that sold for $4 million at Sundance -- some commenters asked about the merits of PL-mount lenses vs. Canon lenses. Traditionally, motion picture PL lenses are many times more expensive than Canon glass and offer better tactile, manual controls. But in the digital age, some of Canon's features are suddenly handy, and RED recognizes this.

RED's EPIC camera, which runs $30,000 (body only), comes with a PL mount by default. But they're working on a Canon mount to allow photographers who are already invested in serious Canon glass to put their lenses to work, and Vincent Laforet got his hands on a beta version. This isn't a "dumb" mount -- not only does it have electronic contacts for autofocus, image stabilization, and aperture control, it also offers touch-to-focus, auto rack-between-marks, and distance readouts right on the RED monitor. Here's the video he shot with the yet-to-be-released Canon mount, using a $9,500 Canon 600mm f4 EF Lens attached to a 2X teleconverter. As you can see in the thumbnail above, this is with a seriously long lens:

Link: One Degree: A Canon 600mm w 2X Extender on the RED Epic

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Cinematography & Cameras