Creativity meets Practicality with Wooden Camera PL and LPL Lens Mounts
Every camera owner knows the importance of a good lens. The capabilities of your camera are important, but the choice of lens you pair with it is equally so, determining in unison just what you and your audience see in each shot. Unfortunately, cameras are not universally compatible with all lenses, which is where lens mount adapters come in. Why? Each camera manufacturer has a lens mount system that they prefer, often manufacturing their own lenses. Lenses are an investment that have a longer lifetime than cameras. Many people choose to invest in a set of glass, so it can be used with any camera of their choice natively, or with an adapter.
Lens Mounts are a popular option to increase your camera’s capabilities and expand its compatibility with lenses it wouldn’t normally be able to match with, adding a layer of versatility to your camera and you as a camera operator.
From the first MFT to PL Adaptor to the acclaimed ARRI LPL Mount for Sony VENICE Cameras, Wooden Camera offers reliable lens mounts adapters and modifications for a multitude of the industry's most popular cameras. Each opens up your camera to a new world of possibility and allows you to see every shot through an entirely new lens, literally.
In this blog we take a look at the types of lens mounts, their applications, and how Wooden Camera designs its lens mount adaptors with longevity and practicality in mind.
Wooden Camera specializes in two types of lens mounts adaptors: PL and LPL.
The PL Mount
The Wooden Camera Canon RF to PL Mount Pro (RED® Komodo)
The PL lens mount was developed by ARRI in 1982 for use with both 16mm and 35mm movie cameras. As technology has evolved, the staying power of the PL lens remains. With stunningly powerful lenses from the likes of Zeiss, Cooke, and ARRI, PL has become somewhat of a defacto standard for cinema cameras and lenses.
The LPL Mount
The Wooden Camera ARRI LPL Mount for Sony Venice Cameras
Fast Forward to 2018 when ARRI introduced the LPL mount alongside with ALEXA LF to offer a proper mount for large format (or “full frame”) camera systems. The ARRI LPL was the first universal mount designed specifically for digital capture. According to ARRI, “The PL mount has a number of limitations when working with digital sensors and modern lenses, and the LPL mount has been developed to specifically address those limitations.”
The Right Mount for Your Camera
Design
Wooden Camera lens mount adapters and modifications are built for longevity. Machined with aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel, the sleek minimalist designs of each unique version reinforce a fundamental sturdy, compact build that’s made to last.
Support
Every mount and modification features some sort of stability support. From the support collar on the E-Mount to PL Mount Pro (Sony FX6) to the standard bottom 1/4"-20 support post compatibility, Wooden Camera mounts and modifications provide a secure connection between the lenses and the camera.
Included in many of the PL mounts is the Wooden Camera Lens Adapter Universal Support Foot.
Wooden Camera Lens Adapter Universal Support Foot
It attaches directly to both the bottom of the camera and the bottom of the lens mount adapter. This allows all the weight to be transferred from the lens mount to the bottom of the camera to avoid any flexing or damage that could occur when using heavier lenses.
Lens Mount Modifications
For cameras that can’t accommodate a lens mount adapter, a lens mount modification will be necessary to achieve the desired compatibility. Setting the precedent for lens mount modifications, Wooden Camera released the BMPCC 4K Modification + PL Mount in 2014. Since then Wooden Camera has released several modification kits - which have found their way into the production kits and onto the cameras of filmmakers worldwide - including the Canon C300mkII, Panasonic EVA1, and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC) 6K Pro and BMPCC6K G2.
For the hesitant modifiers, Wooden Camera offers the unique opportunity to send a camera in for modification at the Wooden Camera HQ in Dallas, Texas where skilled engineers perform the installation.
PL Mount Modification Kit for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
If you plan on expanding your camera’s potential with the unparalleled cinematic power of PL or LPL, look no further than the Wooden Camera Lens Mounts Adapters and Modifications Collection to get started.
