Yes I'm afraid I have another adaptor.

Edweirdo... did you try sealing the two optical elements of the D screen? I'd suggest using a latex glue and seal the edges... just be careful so as nt to allow the glues to seap into the optical plane. Cleanup if you make a mistake should be a snap -- just use a solvent.
 
I had the time today to do some extensive testing of my adapter and I've come to the same conclusion as Edweirdo......to get sharp and aberation free footage you need an achromat diopter lens instead of the +10 Asian macro. The Asian macro is ok but it is far from perfect. You can have the best focus screen in the world but the Asian macro won't give you the sharp edges or aberation free footage that a achromat diopter lens will give you.

I'm hoping that Ed got his yesterday and had the time to test it out. I'm ready to order the 58mm CO +7 as soon as he posts his results. $209 at B&H.
 
idvfilms said:
This is why I am going to the moving GG. The R&D is fun when it's kept under $150.00 (lens included) but when prices start to rise then it's time to look at other methods. I had a blast building mine but something is lacking. I can now understand why the G35 guys have postponed releasing their adapter. Needless to say this is an awesome thread for the budget minded and DIY'ers
Good luck.
Click to expand...

I haven't had time to build one yet, but I'm getting ready to. IMO, vibrating is the way to go. Check out this thread on thin film screens. They are a good and inexpensive way to test your adapter and refine it to where it works right before you put a Beattie in your unit and seal it (better than the Nikon D, you just have to know how to work with it. The MPIC uses one because it is about as good as you can get).

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=58929

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=58214&page=3

Here is a look inside of the Letus35a so you can get a good idea on how to modify your existing static designs to vibrate properly.

http://www.probe3.com/3ccd/Letus35a/

For detail on how to build this setup, take a look at the tutorial (note, I will remove this soon so if you want it, save it to your HD. Since the creator took it off the web, I'm not certain he wants it being passed around anymore).

http://www.bombproofsoftware.com/SquareLetus/Vibrating_GG_DOF_Adaptor_2.pdf

So you can see that you don't need the molded plastic stuff, You can use a PVC cap that your lens mounts on and just drill the holes for the syringes. Then mount the syringe sticks at the base the same way they are mounted in the GG piece.

And here is the motor you need to vibrate your GG.

http://www.hobbyengineering.com/H1207.html

Simple as pie, and you get rid off all the grain, minor scratch, et al issues that seem to be a problem with the static designs. The beauty is that the vibrating design isn't much more difficult to build than the static, and it doesn't really cost much more (less if you stick with the free thin film screens). So you might as well jump in IMHO.

Here is the distance you need the lens from the GG.

Nikon 46.5 mm
Canon (FD and earlier) 42.0 mm

That is all I can think of for now. When I get time to build mine (I already have all the parts), I'll post the results (my job is hectic so it will be a while). If you build one in the meantime, please post the results for the rest of us.
IMO, you want to build the unit and make it work using free home depot bags, sandwich bags or whatever you have on hand in order to set it up and get it working. Then you want to build a little clean room (even the bathroom for a day with a nice air filter in there) clean the parts, take the Beattie out of the package, insert it, and then seal the unit (I've seen some good results using a Letus modified with a Beattie. Light loss is minimal and footage looks good).

Jon
 
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jon ness, you are the man. Thank you for this info. I have been all over google for links like these. Thanks!
 
Hey Snodart. I'm glad you found this useful. I read of a guy who built one of these, and he ended up using rubber washers on both sides of the syringe tubes (as I previously suggested). He also used a 25ohm rheostat in order to make the vibration transmission of the motor adjustable (the vibration depends on the weight of you gg etc, so you need a way to get just the right amount of motion).

Jon
 
marlenedegrood said:
I had the time today to do some extensive testing of my adapter and I've come to the same conclusion as Edweirdo......to get sharp and aberation free footage you need an achromat diopter lens instead of the +10 Asian macro. .
Click to expand...

My adapter uses the Canon 500d.....great improvement
 
Thanks for the tip jon. I am planning out my attack tonight. I can't believe how simple the letus design looks inside. Thanks again.
 
yikes- I bet quyen just loved that post!

My "prelim" results from the CO achromat are very good. No color abberation and a shrarper picture in the corners. Havent loaded anything up to view, give me a day on that. I had a neck injury this weekend and its slowed me down a bit. :(

Marelene, love your tutorials- its something I have been wanting to do but cant find the time.
 
Edweirdo said:
yikes- I bet quyen just loved that post!

My "prelim" results from the CO achromat are very good. No color abberation and a shrarper picture in the corners. Havent loaded anything up to view, give me a day on that. I had a neck injury this weekend and its slowed me down a bit. :(

Marelene, love your tutorials- its something I have been wanting to do but cant find the time.
Click to expand...

Warning......Stupid question coming up....

So what would be the setup? Starting from the end of the DVX lens......58mm CO +7 and then an Asian +4 Closeup? Wouldn't the Asian +4 just mess everything up? Otherwise what do you use? It seems that a +7 isn't going to be enough magnification of the focus screen.
 
Super8 said:
My adapter uses the Canon 500d.....great improvement
Click to expand...
I'm looking into getting a 250D as the specs from Canon say it is better with lenses between 30-135mm in length. The 500D is supposed to be for lenses from 70-300mm. My question is this. With this information from Canon, does that mean the 500D is just more powerful? If I've got approximately 35mm between the DVX lens and the GG which one should I get? Just curious as it seems to be a really easy (and cheaper) solution.
 
ovjamaica said:
I'm looking into getting a 250D as the specs from Canon say it is better with lenses between 30-135mm in length. The 500D is supposed to be for lenses from 70-300mm. My question is this. With this information from Canon, does that mean the 500D is just more powerful? If I've got approximately 35mm between the DVX lens and the GG which one should I get? Just curious as it seems to be a really easy (and cheaper) solution.
Click to expand...

I know nothing about these type of lenses or how they work other than magnifying..all i can say is what looked good to my eye. Between the 250D and the 500D, it looked to me that the 500D was more powerful and had a sharper image than the 250D. I went this route cause I read a thread of Barry's that said that the Canon was as good as the Century Optics one without the steep price
 
Maybe I'll go for the 500D then. I just don't want to overkill it. What's your distance between the 500D and the GG? Thanks man, this really helps me out.
 
Here are some tests I did comparing a 58mm +10, a 72mm +10, both with a +4 and also a 45mm Achromat.

http://emrl.com/j/projects/DiopterTests.htm

The Achromat blew all the other diopters away. No comparison. Based on the tests, I am looking for an affordable Achromat in a large enough size to use.
 
Great Test! Well I just ordered the CO+7 this morning. I love my DIY adapter but the aberations are what bothered me the most so the Asian +10 is a goner.
 
That is an awesome test. Thanks for putting it up J. If I may ask, what was the distance between the achromat and the GG. Also, do you know the focal length of the achromat? Or the + number of it? Just curious. Thanks! I love this place.
 
Thanks for the post j. I think I am going to make like marlene and buy the CO. $200 for ridding images of the chromatic aberration that haunts me at nite... not bad in my book. The M2 replacement achromat is around $150, I wonder what they are using... Any guesses?


Also, thanks again for the links and info Jon. I had packed up all my parts from my previous vibrating GG tests, but after looking at the info that you have posted, I'm going to break it out again. I was big time over-thinking the mechanics of it all. I will take plenty of pics along the way and document the process for those interested.

Ed, this thread has become such a gold mine! Thanks
 
don't thank me, a thread is only as good as those who contribute to it. You guys are making it what it is. I am learning alot as well!
 
ov,

The diopter -> groundglass distance was different for each test. Each one is labeled below each screen grab. ie: "72mm diopter @ 37mm"

I'm not sure what strength the Achromat is, but it seems to be the same as the +10 Diopter.

I think what I got from the tests is that the best distance seems to be ~35-45mm, and that no matter what combination of diopter was used, they just don't compare to how optically clean the Achromatic lens is.

Diopters are fine for experimenting, but if you want a clean image, you are going to have to use an Achromat. (regular DVX, I don't have an "A" model to test with)
 
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