Is buying a 35mm adapter really better than just building one?

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dr jones

Active member
i could build my own vibrating adapter with a great achromat for a little over $200. or i could buy one (brevis/sgpro/etc) for $800+


is the quality really worth paying $800+ ?


what are the pro manufacturers doing that is so different than the DIY vibrating adapters with good achromats/good gg/etc?
 
I know that many people build their own adapter, but the more popular ones are the (brevis/m2/sgpro). It seems people would rather pay more and not go through the trouble and headache of building it themselves. I have seen great results with homemade and the (sgpro/brevis/m2) adapters.
In regards to other pro manufactures i believe the others are p+s technik mini 35
and the kinetica movietube. the mini 35 is a vibrating adapter that cost much more than the diy businesses' adapters, but it is much sturdier and reliable based on readings on this forum. The movietube is the most expensive 10k+ and does not use a spinning ground glass. if you watch this video (http://abelcine.com/articles/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71&Itemid=34) on the bottom interview with the inventor it talks about the build although you probobly wouldn't be interested if youre building a 200 dollor one
 
Well, I building a adapter right now with fairly good result "but" its a full-time prodject to get it done! If I have not already started this I maby had buy a brevis/m2/sgpro. Problebly the sgpro for its high-speed shutter possibility and for sure for the quality..

Are you going to film with 50-100 shutter speed go for a home-made vibbrating you will get good quality with good achromat and stuff but if you want high-speed action and slowmotion well, I vote for sgpro..
 
I started down the DIY route back before the Brevis, M2 and SGPro came out. I found it to be highly frustrating. Now I have a Brevis. I find it to be worth every single penny. But if you're into building stuff, you can get good results building your own. Just depends on what you like doing.
 
i have been building my adapter forever. (the dive35) At some point i realized it will never be as good as the (redrock, sgpro, brevis, letus) Inless i made it a full time thing, which wasnt going to happen.

Finding a really good achromat is one of the biggest problems. Then finding a good difuser. I ran into the wall at a certain point.
If your doing it because u love making things and enjoy the (making) of it, then go ahead. If u are doing it to save money, after u spend alot of time trying to make it it would have been cheaper to buy it. (inless your not to particular about quality)
 
"It seems people would rather pay more and not go through the trouble and headache of building it themselves."


There's alot of R&D that goes into any of these units, and lets not forget money.

I started out with almost buying the P&S mini 35mm + prime lenses, and then realize I could build my own for half the price (well that's what I thought at first). Since then I've spent a ton of money on step up & down rings, spacers, focusing screens, ground glass, wax, metal, macros, achromats, lenses, and many many more test and experiments. I have completely committed all of my time to the love of the 35. It's a full time job + over time.

After seeing my first 35mm short, i was hooked. I started out with caveman tools and now I'm using CNC machines. This was another huge project that I had to learn. There's a few threads here that have sugar coated the process of making an adapter, but it really goes much further than that for the perfect image. Now I'm not saying they didn't do a great job, but with any electronics it can always be improved.

If you have any background in optics, machinery, or any metal working at all, this will benefit you greatly. Another thing you have to ask yourself is do you want to make movies or equipment. I found that the only footage I capture is testing footage, nothing else. I'm in the process of making my fourth design and it's coming along beautifully, but it's been a really really long ride.


I'll be posting a full demonstration of the new unit very soon.


Good luck
 
One of the hardest things to over come is having a perfectly flat focal plane on the ground glass, if its not perfectly aligned your image will have a soft spots.
 
yea, its a majorly technichal project. I suggest just buying the one of your choice. Watch footage see which floats your boat. :)
 
"One of the hardest things to over come is having a perfectly flat focal plane on the ground glass, if its not perfectly aligned your image will have a soft spots."


Yes the alignment is very hard to achieve without the right tools. With the proper machinery and measuring devices (this also depends on the units design as well), it's very possible.
 
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