Would you pay $30 for DIY vibrating 35mm plans?

I hate to be the only poster on my thread, but I wanted to post a quick update.

The DVD is well underway and going great. There is much to do, but no slowing down it sight. I also worked on some of the issues notable in the test clip in my previous post. So far, my rough tests look like the issues seen with the higher f/stop on the 50mm (FL) lens have been resolved. I'm planning to post some new test footage this week. I am very excited about how great the adapter is preforming. I just wish you all could be building them right now!

Please feel free to post any comments, suggestions, questions, etc.

Thanks

P.S. Cache was accepted to the Action on Film Festival and is a nominee for best cinematography of fest.
:2vrolijk_08:
 
Hi Snodart,

First I'd like to say congratulation!!

I'm curious to what motor you're using now, since the other didn't work out (or if you have a link)? :)
 
Thanks twocik23,

The motor that was used in the original Snod35 (and by many other vibrating designs), is no longer made. Solarbotics.com, one of the sites who sold the original motor, will be getting a replacement motor that is very similar in late August. I will be getting a bulk order of the motors (from solarbotics).

(the DVD/selected parts kits will include the a motor)
 
Thanks for asking slinks.
The festival went well. It was a much smaller turn out than I had hoped, but still good. The festival is only in its second year, so it make take a few years to gain some momentum. Though Cache was a nominee for best cinematography, we did not win. It was our first time entering a festival and I think this one was a perfect introduction for us.

I have several parts coming in the next few days to finalize the adapter, so I'll get some test footage once they arrive and are in place. In the meantime, I have been making my own teleprompter and finishing up the script/dialog for the "Depth of Field Explained" and "35mm Adapters Explained" chapters. We are set to start shooting everything next week.

The biggest obstacle that sits in our way is testing the adapter on different cameras. By adjusting the space between the GG and macro, it should be fine on any camera, but of course we need to do actual tests to ensure that this is the case.
 
Quick update:

We fell a bit behind with filming because I wanted to make a few changes to the adapter. The cost to build this thing keeps shrinking and the image quality keeps getting better. The schedule for filming is back on track now.

I did a quick test tonight. I didn't plan on posting the footage as it is a rough test, but I think I'm due to post something. I was testing how the new DIY GG did at f/11 and f/16. Seems to have done much better this time around. f/11 and f/16 tend to loose a little sharpness, but this is a characteristic of any 35mm lens. They are typically the sharpest a few stops under full open and less sharp at higher f/stops. I also had the DVX wide open for f/16 on the Nikon. A little more light would have let me close the DVX down to around f/5 for more sharpness (these are all bits of info that will be on the DVD). I didn't use my follow focus so it's a bit bumpy. Anyway, here is the test:

http://www.snodart.com/snodpublic/snod35/Snod35_test_rack_2.mov

Also here is quick grab from today when I was setting infinity focus on the Nikon

Drivway_light.jpg


I am on adapter overload and am taking a little break to go surfing tomorrow. Of course I'm taking my cam and adapter with me so I'm planning on coming back with some footage that is a little more interesting. :)
 
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Looks great, nice and sharp. Seems like 5.6 is the sweetspot.

It makes me sad though- I will probably have to retire the Ed35 if I build this :( ... ya just can't beat those smaller f stops with no grain.
 
Thanks everyone for the input. I needed a little boost to keep trucking on this thing.

To answer the cost questions. This is my tentative plan: The DVD by itself will most likely cost around $30. The DVD/selected parts kit should end up around $40. To give you an idea of what the selected parts will be (again tentative):

motor
2 small sheets of plastic for GG holder and base
various screws, nuts, and grommets
wire
grinding powder
GG extension rods

The other items are easily purchased from B & H, EVS, ebay, etc. One of my goals since the beginning has been to ensure that all of the parts will be readily available.

Edweirdo said:
Looks great, nice and sharp. Seems like 5.6 is the sweetspot.

It makes me sad though- I will probably have to retire the Ed35 if I build this ... ya just can't beat those smaller f stops with no grain.
Click to expand...

The Nikon I have seems to like 5.6. The Ed35 needs to go into some sort of adapter hall of fame!

As much work as I have put into getting decent images at f/16 and f/22, I don't know that it would be very wise to ever use them. The still lenses don't typically perform very well in that realm. Using a wider lens would probably be the better option. I stuck with it though so that the option would be there and so that people will know that they will be building a high quality adapter.

As promised, here is footage from the beach. I didn't want sand in my gear, so I just used the DVX's LCD. I didn't white balance most of the shots, but I left them as is. A nice little mixture of warm and cool shots. Sorry, no sound (my brother-in-law might add a little score latter to make it more interesting to watch).

http://www.snodart.com/snodpublic/snod35/Snod35_beach_test.mov (18 MB)

Probably better off saving it to your computer.

Here are some grabs from the beach montage clip above:

golden_dog.jpg


shower.jpg


stew_close.jpg


sunset.jpg


umb_surf.jpg


AJ.jpg
 
snodart said:
As much work as I have put into getting decent images at f/16 and f/22, I don't know that it would be very wise to ever use them.
Click to expand...

I thought f22 looked a bit soft. But yes, even on an slr camera you dont want to use f22, most lenses dont perform well at this aperture.

As I expected the beach footage looked great. Question though- is there any way you could make available a standard NTSC DV full rez file 720x480 (either AVI or QT) that we could import into an NLE? Your compression is great, but I would like to see this at its native resolution.

I know it would be a huge download and only if you had the space on your host, but I would LOVE to pop this in Vegas and see this on a production monitor. Even 60 sec of footage would be awesom-o

All the best,

Ed
 
Excellent footage Snodart.

QUESTION: I recently purchased the following - should be here soon:

1. 58mm +7 Century Optics achromat
2. Canon 500D +2
3. 72mm - 58mm step-down ring

Are these parts used on your adapter? Is your adapter significantly different from Edweirdo's V2 design? Any info would be greatly appreciated. I am particularly interested in the vibrating mechanism - so get cracking on that DVD and stop surfing!

I also second Ed's request for higher resolution footage, or even just full res stills. Not to throw stones at your footage, but merely to know what to expect when I finish my own adapter. I might even be able to host it for you. PM me if you're interested.

Thanks.
 
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