Well the 16X manual lens showed up today - holy cow!!!

[MattC]

I'm loving this lens, big time! Great manual lens, and it has, I think but more testing is needed, a more filmic image. Great resolution and yet it doesn't have quite the video "sharpness" of the stock 20X - which is a superb video lens.

Over all I'm a happy camper. Tomorrow my matte box arrives. Get some rods, find a used follow focus and this monster will dressed to thrill - me!

Matty

[MattC]

matt box arrived. MINT condition, this thing is AMAZING..

Must go home and play...

[thisiswells]

darn you i wish i had four filter trays.
where did you find a used one?

[MattC]

Dude, you wont believe this, it was listed on DVinfo.net.

I got the Vocas MB350 which retail for $1,750 for $450 and he sold me Schneider Optics 4X4 filter set (which includes a ND .9, Circular TruPol and Black Frost 1/2 - each in their own case) which normally retails for $400 for $150.

So for six bills I got Vocas' top-of-the-line mattebox and three high-end filters. I'm SOOO stoked.

I have to now order rods and a flexible ring kit and then I'm done - - - until I find a smokin' deal on a follow focus!

Matt

[Zig_Zigman]

MattC, is your quote from Sin City? Hilarious.

[MattC]

No, Payback...

[navitas]

great movie! :D

[STORYTELLER32]

Matt, post some grabs with the new lens dude!

PS: Irony of ironies... I'm shooting a short in a few weeks using an XL-2 (it's the camera we have access to), lol... Guess I'm going to settle the DVX-100 vs. XL-2 thing for myself with first hand experience, huh?

[MattC]

I will, tonight and this weekend will be a lot of testing!!!

Don't get me wrong it's still an exceptionally sharp lens, but it has a slightly different quality to it, perhaps because it doesn't have the flourite coating?

Are you going to have time to experiment with the camera before hand? I'll be very interested to see what you come up with, especially since most XL2 users protect there setting as if they were nuclear launch codes.

My current level of thinking is flat, but cinematically flat. I'm keeping all of the individual color gains at zero, I'm using the cinegamma and cinecolor and I'm dropping the master ped by four or five. I might give it a bump in color gain, but for the looks I'm going for now, I'm not. I bump up the corring to about three or four and reduce the sharpness. Last time I brought the sharpness down by about three, but this weekend I'm going to bring it down all the way.

I also really like to use a ProMist filter. My current favorite is a warm black diffusion 1/4 but that really depends on mood. I do find a black diffuser helps though. I'm really interested in trying Schneiders digicon filter or Tiffens Ultracon.

Let me know how you make out.

Matt

[thisiswells]

Digicon rocks.. kind of like master ped, in a piece of glass.
They sell more of the 1 than anything else, but there isn't much difference to my eyes
until the 2. Then, it's pretty noticeable. Surely, filter gallery in nyc has all of them to check out..

[Unix]

and just how much this whole set-up was??????

$6K?

[STORYTELLER32]

We will be doing some testing. I just got a friend of mine who was a film student to DP the short so we'll work on programming looks in camera for the varying scenes (ie. night looks, day looks, etc.) I'll pass them along after we're done shooting. It will be interesting to say the least.

[MattC]

ST32, Great stuff man. Has your DP worked with the XL2? There are some great cinematographers shooting that camera that also have plenty of hours on the DVX hanging out at DVInfo.net and Cinematography.com. You might want to reach out to them and see what they have to say.

Unix, Well you know a little here and a little there. I've been taking my time and bargain shopping used. I bought that camera new for a little less than $5K (this was when if first came out) I bought this lens used for $900 and the mattebox used for $450 and so far the filters were $150. I still need a few more items, some I'll buy new and some I'll wait for and pick up used. I've been researching and putting my system together since October, so it takes some time if you don't have a lot of bread, but I'm very happy with it so far.

Matt

[STORYTELLER32]

ST32, Great stuff man. Has your DP worked with the XL2? There are some great cinematographers shooting that camera that also have plenty of hours on the DVX hanging out at DVInfo.net and Cinematography.com. You might want to reach out to them and see what they have to say.

No, my guy has his own XL-1 though and he's also shot on real film. I don't think it will be to terrible a stretch for him because if you know how to light for film, white balance and do what you have to do in any DV camera, it's really just a matter of learning where those same controls on the camera are. He'll have some time to mess with it in advance of the shoot though so it should be ok.

NOW WHERE ARE THOSE GRABS??? ...ahem...

[MattC]

Hold your horses, I'm shooting tomorrow and will post grabs either tomorrow night or Monday.

[Simon Wyndham]

Matt:C, so YOU'RE the one who bought it (the matte box)! Curses. I'll get you next time Batman ;)

[MattC]

Yeah, I really lucked out. I was sure that for that price it would be at least a little dinged up when it arrived, but it's in MINT condition.

We will meet again!

[Simon Wyndham]

Yeah. I ummed and ahhed, and like you thought it might be a bit of a minger. A 900UKP matte box for around 250UKP? Too good to be true! Plainly it wasn't! :)