Camera lens mounts come in different shapes and sizes, and may need to be adapted to fit a different camera.
Many professional and "prosumer" (professional-consumer) grade camcorders have interchangeable lenses so that videographers can achieve the effect they want. These lenses are mounted to the camera using a mounting ring, and in some cases, the shape and thread size of this mounting ring is specific to the manufacturer. Panasonic camcorder lenses cannot work with a Canon camcorder without the use of a lens adapter.
Choosing the Right Lens
When planning a shoot, a videographer must take into account the types of cameras she will be using as well as the lenses available, depending on style, logistics, and budgetary constraints. If the perfect lens for the shot was manufactured by a different company than the camera, it will likely have the wrong mount on it and won't fit.
Choosing the Wrong Lens
Lens adapters are available to convert one type of mount to another, depending on the camera. These can range from small, mechanical rings with one gender of mounting type to the gender of the other, to big, expensive rings with a ground glass and manual back-focus adjustments for 35 mm film camera lenses.
Using a Lens Adapter
Using different lenses on relatively inexpensive cameras can give a videographer a lot of creative freedom despite having limited tools. Lens adapters have been designed to accommodate single-lens reflex camera lenses on digital camcorders, and there's even one to mount a lens on an iPhone.
Buying or Renting a Lens Adapter
Lens adapters can be purchased from camera stores, from authorized retailers, depending on the manufacturer, or from trusted online stores. Lens adapters can be expensive, but are very common and can often be found used or for rent from equipment houses. Consult the documentation for your camcorder to decide which mount style to adapt to and from.
Tags: Lens adapters, camera lenses, mounting ring, rings with