C Mount Fun?

[EdColorado]

Its like this. I have a really nice but really old video camera (JVC S-100U) with a really nice Canon 16 - 160mm C mount lens on it. The camera, being such old tech is worth basically nothing, but the lens? I just cant stand the idea of trashing such a nice piece of glass. Any fun things to do with something like this? Weird photo related projects? Its got a motorized zoom control mounted on it so I don't think it would work on anything other than the JVC.
This is why I like analog photography. This camera is only about 29 years old and its already obsolete and pretty much worthless.
So what can I do with the lens?

 

[Anscojohn]

Various C Mount adapters were (are) available to allow use of those lenses on other cameras and visa-versa. Check it out.

 

[ic-racer]

From what I understand, many C mount lenses from typical video cameras have a different flange-focal length than the Bolex lenses, making adaptation to a cine camera potentially problematic.

 

[Ian Cooper]

I think you'll find it was the RX (reflex) Bolex which used a modified version of the 'C' mount, to compensate for the prism positioned in the light path to feed the viewfinder.

A non RX C-mount lens (not to be confused with CS mount, which does have a different flange focal depth) will work fine on other C-mount movie cameras, such as the Beaulieu R16, Eclairs, non-reflex Bolexes etc. They can be used on the reflex Bolex as well, but need to be stopped down a couple of stops to remain sharp.

The C-mount has a relatively shallow flange-focal depth compared to most other mounts, which means there are a wide range of adapters to use other forms of lens with a c-mount camera - the adapter just needs to hold the alternative lens the correct distance away from the camera.

Finding adapters to use C-mount lenses on cameras with different mounts will be more difficult, as in most cases the rear of the lens would need to be positioned inside the body of the camera behind the normal mount, and in the case of movie cameras with mirror shutters you might even find the shutter gets in the way as well!

You mention it has a motorised zoom control, but to be of much use on alternative movie cameras it'd need to have manual aperture and focus controls.

 

[EdColorado]

It does have manual aperture, zoom, and focus available and I might be able to remove the power zoom box.
My problem is that I hate to throw good stuff away and this camera still works fine, its just not up to current standards as far as picture quality. Plus of course is the hassle of an external recording deck. Back when I got it, around 1980, it cost over $2500. Now its just so much landfill.

 

[ic-racer]

(not to be confused with CS mount, which does have a different flange focal depth)

Thanks I was mistaken. I was thinking of the flange focal distance of 12.5mm for the CS mount found on many CCTV camera lenses.

I think many (most?) C mount lenses (including Bolex RX) have 17.52mm.

 

[Kino]

You could adapt it to a Minox and make a very, very strange spy camera!

 

[ben-s]

Try reverse mounting it and using it as a macro lens. I did this with a C mount Kowa TV zoom lens, and it worked quite well.
The camera was an ancient black and white tube camera.