The Blazar Mantis comes in PL and E Mount, with PL, EF, E, RF, L, and Z Mounts available separately. The MANTIS are 1.33X anamorphic lenses with the look of a 2X lens. This is attributed to its unique lens character and 14-bladed oval-shaped iris that provides beautiful oval-shaped bokeh at all T Stops.
Mount Swap Tutorial: Blazar MANTIS
All Mantis lens sets and mounts come with the necessary tool and screws in the box, which you can use for this process. If you don’t have this tool, you can use a T5 or T5H standard screwdriver or hex key instead.
In this tutorial, we’ll be changing the mounts on a Blazar Mantis lens.
Mantis lenses are designed in two main configurations: PL and EF, or mirrorless E, RF, and Z mounts. The main difference lies in the black Mantis ring, included only with the E, RF, L, and Z mount versions, and not with the PL or EF versions of the Mantis.
This tutorial is divided into four parts:
- Changing PL to EF mount
- Changing PL and EF to mirrorless mounts
- Changing mirrorless mounts to PL or EF mount
- Changing between mirrorless E, RF, L, and Z mounts
DISCLAIMER: 25mm and 100mm
Keep in mind that the Blazar MANTIS 25mm and 100mm mounts are different from the rest, so don’t mix them up!
Part One: Changing PL to EF Mount
First, unscrew the black rear mount cover to access the five screws underneath.
Using your T5 or T5H tool, unscrew the five screws.
Now, gently remove the PL mount. If you need to adjust the back focus, you can add or remove shims here; otherwise, you can leave the shims alone.
Check the underside of the mount for any stuck shims and place them back on the lens.
Grab your EF mount and unscrew the black rear mount cover. Line up the EF mount so that it fits over the locking pin. This is necessary to align the mount and the shims.
Now secure the mount with the five screws. Be careful not to overtighten the screws to prevent stripping; just finger-tight will do it.
Don’t forget to reattach the black rear mount cover, which will help keep your lens safe when mounting.
And that’s it.
Part Two: Changing PL/EF to Mirrorless Mounts
First, unscrew the black rear mount cover to access the five screws underneath.
Using your T5 or T5H tool, unscrew the five screws.
Now, gently remove the PL mount. If you need to adjust back focus, you can add or remove shims here; otherwise, you can leave the shims alone.
Check the underside of the mount for any stuck shims and place them back on the lens.
Then, unscrew the two screws holding the silver mount to the black Mantis ring and set it aside.
Line up the black Mantis ring so that it fits over the locking pin. The locking pin keeps the mount shims aligned.
Now, screw the black Mantis ring onto the lens with five screws. Be careful not to overtighten the screws to prevent stripping; just finger-tight will do it.
Then, line up the silver mirrorless mount with the black Mantis ring and secure with the five screws, including the two screws that you had set aside earlier. Again, be careful not to overtighten.
Now your Mantis lens has been successfully swapped from PL to mirrorless mount.
Part Three: Changing Mirrorless Mounts (E/RF/L/Z) to PL/EF Mount
First, using your T5 or T5H tool, unscrew the five screws around the silver lens mount.
Now gently remove the silver lens mount to reveal the black Mantis ring.
Then, using your T5 or T5H tool, remove the five screws around the black Mantis ring.
Grab the PL mount and unscrew the black rear mount cover. Line up the PL mount so that it fits over the locking pin. The locking pin helps keep the lens mount and shims aligned.
Now secure the lens mount with the five screws. Be careful not to overtighten the screws to prevent stripping; just finger-tight will do it.
Don’t forget to reattach the black rear mount cover, which will help keep your lens safe when mounting.
And that’s it.
Part Four: Changing Between Mirrorless E/RF/L/Z Mounts
First, using your T5 or T5H tool, unscrew the five screws around the silver lens mount.
Now gently remove the silver E-mount to reveal the black Mantis ring.
Then grab your new mirrorless mount and remove its black Mantis ring by removing the two screws.
Now, align your new mirrorless mount to your already installed black Mantis ring and align with the guiding pin. The guiding pin keeps the mount and shims aligned.
Now secure the silver mount with the five screws, including the two previously set aside. Be careful not to overtighten these screws to prevent stripping; just finger-tight will do it.
And that’s it.
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