Redrock for A1? Plus extras

S

spunkme99

Active member
I will start shooting a documentary soon with the A1, but there is room in the budget for some extra stuff, something I've started thinking about was a Redrock Lens Converter. This was not an option before for me because I didn't want to get too caught up on the technical side of things.

But I saw some footage with the 35mm lenses, and it looked amazing. For anyone who has worked with this lens converter, worked on a documentary, would this be worth it? If just for interviews? Out on the field, I don't think it would be a smart move, but then again I've never used one before, so what I do know?

Also, I need a light kit for interviews. I am totally up to suggestions right now. The A1 is not in my hands yet, and I have limited experience with HDV, so I am in need of some expert advice here. What should I have?

Finally, B&H has some pretty cool kits for the A1. The one with the on camera light seems useful, so does the under camera mounted battery, the wide angle lens....Any suggestions?

I'm full of questions! I just want to be absolutely prepared for this doc. I've been shooting on my own learning from mistakes for years now, and now have a chance to make a great film. I will be traveling to South Argentina and then Antarctica with a group of biologist, no second chances here!
 
for the a1 i've used the m2 which gives a nice look but i prefer the letus35 fe over that one if your using a light set up.the letus gives a sharper edge to edge image with the a1 and less vignetting then the m2,and alot more wiggle room to zoom in and still focus on the ground glass then the m2.the m2 if properly set up will yield some astonishing footage but ask yourself how much time will your workflow allow to set this adapter up to optimum standards.there's trade offs with all these adapters.
 
I got one the Arri kits from B&H and have been VERY impressed with durability and quality... Durable case and accessories as well...

I have the
2 - 650 Fresnel's
1 - 1k softlite

Might look in to some of the KinoFlo's as well.. They come in handy and don't cause 3rd degree burns when you bump in to them...
 
if you have the cash, go wit heither the SGpro or the Brevis.

the M2's spinning GG looks horrible. I can always see the circular pattern bokeh and i find it extremely distracting.

just my honest opinion. I've seen most of the adapters, and although the M2 produces a good image, i can't stand the circular pattern it creates in the bokeh.

Watch junipero. ( not saying itsa bad short in the least ) i think it went above and beyond what most peole are able to achieve, however the circular bokeh is very noticeable.
 
I am doing test shoots with for a documentary right now. I really wanted to consider using a 35mm adapter as well, but I have to shoot indoors and at night a lot.

It is hard to imagine this working for most docs. The HDV cameras are already not great with low light. Losing a stop or two more could make filming indoors extremely difficult. I still have a few weeks to decide but, for now, I am leaning against a 35 adapter for my doc.

If anyone has been able to make this work, I would love to hear about it.
 
Ouch PaPa! You're bashing my movie! Besides, you mean Celeste... I didn't use the M2 on Junipero.

PaPa said:
if you have the cash, go wit heither the SGpro or the Brevis.

the M2's spinning GG looks horrible. I can always see the circular pattern bokeh and i find it extremely distracting.

just my honest opinion. I've seen most of the adapters, and although the M2 produces a good image, i can't stand the circular pattern it creates in the bokeh.

Watch junipero. ( not saying itsa bad short in the least ) i think it went above and beyond what most peole are able to achieve, however the circular bokeh is very noticeable.
Click to expand...
 
marlontorres said:
Ouch PaPa! You're bashing my movie! Besides, you mean Celeste... I didn't use the M2 on Junipero.
Click to expand...

Which one were you using? I thought it was the M2?

Marlon, please weigh in on your opinion the options for 35mm.... Which ones have you used, likes, dislikes, etc.....

I value your opinion much more so than many others, simply because you have done some stellar looking projects.
 
lol sorry marlon, honestly, NOTHING against your movie. It is light years above what im capable of doing. It is just the aesthetic of the M2 adapter that i dislike. I never used to notice it, but the first time i saw it, it's now all i can see. I'm sure you know what i mean. :)

Love you stuff guy, please don't take this as criticism in any way shape or form.
 
dougster77 said:
Which one were you using? I thought it was the M2?

Marlon, please weigh in on your opinion the options for 35mm.... Which ones have you used, likes, dislikes, etc.....

I value your opinion much more so than many others, simply because you have done some stellar looking projects.
Click to expand...

junipero had no adapter. celeste had the m2.

it depends how "film like" you want it. i like my films to look like film and the M2 gives me that gritty film grain that i love thanks to the spinning ground glass, the letus doesn't have that so you'll have that nice DOF but a really clean image. I say if you can afford it, get the m2. it looks a lot more professional while the letus, as fine a product as it is, its pretty hideous to look at when attached in front of your camera. the circular bokeh doesn't bother, in fact, i kinda like it. besides, i only seem to get it on my normal lens.
 
is there a reason you are leaving sgpro and brevis out of the equasion marlon? I Brought both of these adapters up.
 
Thank you very much for the insight. The film look is defintely what I would want. But Marlontorres, with the time it takes to set up, would you recommend that for a doc?

Onyk, as of right now, I feel the same way, and want to know who has used an adapter for this kind of work. Are you going to be doing interviews as well? What kind of light kit do you have?

Oh, and LED on-camera light? Or something else?
 
spunkme99 said:
Thank you very much for the insight. The film look is defintely what I would want. But Marlontorres, with the time it takes to set up, would you recommend that for a doc?

Onyk, as of right now, I feel the same way, and want to know who has used an adapter for this kind of work. Are you going to be doing interviews as well? What kind of light kit do you have?

Oh, and LED on-camera light? Or something else?
Click to expand...

Honestly, I don't think a 35mm adapter is necessary for a documentary.
 
although the letus isn't the most pleasing tool to look at,hooked up to rails,matt box,and follow focus your back in the game apearance wise.besides,the instant gratification of the image being flipped is lovely.
 
Marlon, in an attempt to do only what im trying to explain, i would like ot use some stills from The Last Son of Celeste as example of what the M2 creates ( good or bad, is up to the user to decide )

So here is a message receieved and my response given between myself and deedive

____________________________________________

Deedive asked me what affects it, and what makes it more visible or less visible.

Response:

Hey man.

You are welcome to send me some footage, hoever this might be an easier way of going about it.

I took a couple of stills from Junipero(mixed them up again lol ) to demonstrate to you where this circular pattern occurs. It generally happens with images around the edges that are extremely out of focus leaving little behind but the bokeh.

I've drawn ( on photoshop ) little arrows to show the progression of the circular pattern which will allow you to see how a rotating disk can effect the image.

m2bokeh01wr1.jpg


m2bokeh02yu9.jpg


m2bokeh03ca0.jpg


m2bokeh04as8.jpg


m2bokeh05yz8.jpg


Hope that helps!


_______________________________________________________

Marlon, please don't hate me! This is the only way i can explain to those who don't understand.
love ya! haha

BIG HUG!!!
 
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Ahh, I just watched The Last Son of Celeste too (excellent film by the way), so I get what you mean about the circular pattern with the M2. I never would have caught that.

But, I also watched Junipero before that (which was also excellent, starting to see a pattern here...) Where no adapter was used. BIG difference in look, naturally, but it still looked good. Which got me thinking...

Thanks for the help. I need to research this more if it's a good fit for the doc, but it does have me saving up for an adapter for other things : )
 
the M2 is an excellent adapter. I am in no way neglecting it as one you should concider, however for the price, i strongly recommend you check out the SGpro and the Brevis. I used to own an IfocusHQ, which was a fantastic adapter ( static ), and info'ed myself up on ALL adapters since the beginning and these two have come out on top.
 
hey spunk,i think you said the key words,you would of never caught that there was a cicular pattern on the bokeh.as i said before all of these sub $1000 adapters have the pros and cons, but you half to decide which one is better for you.all of the main mentioned ones can get the job done and render footage just as good as the other in the right hands.the m2 is amazing if set up properly.
 
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