Getting ready to purchase 35mm Adapter

H

HoGiHung

Active member
Hello,

Been reading the forums and trying to do my homework in the preparation of purchasing a 35mm Adapter. I am a novice but would appreciate some feedback/suggestions. I'm still learning some of the lingo so I apologize in advance.

I've been looking at solutions from Brevis, Letus, Redrock Micro and SG Pro. Prior to digging in here on the forums I thought I would get a Redrock as that is what Brian Dalton, aka Mr. Deity, is using. :)

I've pretty much tossed the Brevis from the equation as it seems to have the least info here or at least from what I've read, not much vocalization from users.

Another thing that attracted me to the Redrock folks was I saw they now have this Zeiss lense package, http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.472981/it.A/id.326/.f I would really like to know what you all think about that package. Redrock however, is the most expensive of my remaining 3 choices.

From my calculations, the Letus comes in around $1700 without a follow focus. I could grab the SG Pro Bundle, which does have the follow focus, for around $1200 (assuming I converted the currency correctly.) The Redrock bundle, without the lens kit, runs around $2500.

So I am strongly leaning toward the SG solution. As far as the Zeiss kit linked above, would that serve as a good starter set of lenses? Or if someone knows of an equivalent, but less expensive set, I would welcome that info as well.

Going to do some more research and I look forward to some great responses.

Thanks,

Ho...
 
Adapters have come so far, in even the last 18 months, that there are several really good ones. The down side of this is it makes it asking questions like Avid or FCP, Sony or Panasonic. You will probably see a common answer to this question. everyone will recommend the adapter THEY invested in.

As I am sure your research is showing you all these adapters have pros and cons.

Letus has very low light loss.

Brevis is super light weight.

Bokeh junkies love SG Pro.

Redrock has a very complete package with lots of accessories and options.

You have to identify what YOU most need from an adapter...Low light, set up time, flipped non flipped image, etc and pick the best solution for your production needs and budget.

I think it is safe to say that for the money NON of these adapters are bad. You just have to find the one that suits you.

For me it was Letus because it flipped the image, had a very nice pro look, and had acceptable light loss, but I also already owned rails and accessories to support its heavy weight.


As far as lenses ZEISS is not really a "starter Lens" Zeiss makes some of the best glass you can find. A lot of us budget minded shooters started with Nikon lenses or even Canon FDs. I Use Canons and I have 4 separate lenses and did not pay more than 200.00 for the whole set.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your quest
 
Thank you for the reply Jason. I find myself at a similar place that I was at last year when deciding on a camera. Trying to make sure I purchased the best I could afford, while making sure it wouldn't be absolete - I went with the HVX200.

I like the completeness of the Redrock. Of course the price and some of the samples I've seen of the SG Pro are a plus. Perhaps further evaluation of the Letus vs. SG Pro is where I will focus as that would free up some cash for the more gear, ie. lenses.

I choose my words poorly when I said "starter lens" for the Zeiss. I know they are of great quality. What I meant was the three types of lenses in the package. Would they serve well in my quest of learning and getting more out of my camera.

Thanks again,

Ho...
 
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1) Decide if you want a flipped unit or not. Or, if you want to deal with flipping in post.

2) I've learned, in my quest for knowledges, that some people will shoot an entire feature with two lenses. A wide and a tight. Food for thought.
 
Thanks Kholi for your response. I would like to avoid flipping in post. I believe the Letus Extreme adapter doesn't require another part in order to flip, so that is a plus.

Wide and tight lenses - good tip! The package I linked above had both I believe, though I will look for a more affordable set of glass.

I'd like to present a question this way and maybe this will spur more comments. Let's say your gear is down and you need to borrow/rent a setup in a pinch. Which setup would you prefer: Redrock, Letus, SG Pro or Brevis?

Thanks again,

Ho...
 
I was making exactly the same decision as you, and threw out the letus and breivs on day one. it was a tossup between the redrock and SGpro and I went with the SGpro with flip unit and follow focus, and its great, strongly recomended.
 
Ho,

All the adapters have come a long way, and being within reasonable price range within each other, it really comes down to choosing an adapter that fits your needs the most.

You should ask yourself:

What type of filming do you plan on doing.

What kind of equipment do you have access to, and how much to invest (lights, baseplate, follow focus, lenses, etc.)

Does it matter if the image is flipped (To some it does, and to others it doesn't. Btw, Redrock is not yet flipped, all others; Brevis, SGPro, and LetusExtreme are or can be flipped)


That's all from the top of my head. Others feel free to chime in if you'd like.

My only other advice is to read extensively through the 35mm board. You'll be amazed at the amount of information that is available here.

Good luck on your quest.


Simon
 
Thank you hoarp and SimonB. I agree that reading these boards is very useful. Only bad part is just when I think I've made up my mind, I read another post which sways me to a different solution.

At this time I am really leaning toward the SG Pro as it will make it easier on my budget to also get some good lenses, follow focus, flip module, rails, and possible the Carrion LCD made by one of the guys here on the board. Though I still have a strong desire to go Redrock.

I'm going to see if I can chat with someone from each camp, and possibly Letus, and see if they can offer any more input.

Thanks again,

Ho...
 
Not sure if you've seen this post, but I found this comparison by scotty very informative while I was trying to decide on which adapter to buy. He owns all four (m2, sgpro, letus, brevis) and describes his experiences.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=124043

And if you're considering a flipped config, the SG Pro Bundle with flip module/ff/rails including shipping comes out to ~$1900. Sans ff, $1400 (based on their product order page).
 
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I choosed the Letus Extreme, with indifocus and f/1.4 Nikon NIkkor lenses from ebay.
I'm extremely happy with the image quality, the sharpness, the little 1/2 stop sensivity loss.

My decision was mostly influenced by the footage from disjecta and from Philip Bloom
 
Thank John, I will review that posting. Guess I need to redo my math because I had the SG Pro at around $1200 US. At $1900 it moves real close to the price of Letus and Redrock.

Ho...
 
The SGpro Flip bundle, including 15mm rods support and Nikon F mount works out to $1350 USD or $1150 without rods support.

The basic non flipped SGpro with Nikon mount is $670 USD.
 
$1350, but you also have to factor in shipping costs to the US. To be fair, this is a breakdown of each adapter's bundles' price based on each of the product order pages from each of their websites:

Letus
Starter Bundle (LEX, Letus Rails, 1 Mount, case): $1700
Lead Time: ~24 days + shipping time
Final Price (with shipping): $1700 + free shipping = $1,700

SG Pro
SG Pro r3, Flip Module, rails, 1 mount, case: ~$1350
Lead Time (according to site): Ships Feb 29th + shipping time
Final Price (with shipping): $1350 + $137 = $1,486

Brevis (I used google for CAD to USD conversion)
Brevis35 HD Imaging Bundle (Brevis, Flip, 1 mount, 45 cm rails, case): $1741
Lead Time: a few days?
Final Price (with shipping): $1741 + $75 = $1,816

m2 doesn't have a comparable flip module bundle.
 
I am researching the LETUS, but my question is about doing the DOF in POST. Is it possible to use Magic Bullet Looks and to create the SOFT rack focus in POST, and just not deal with this extra equipment? I think we as filmmakers might just keep spinning our wheels trying to get the gear correct, when in truth we should just be out there shooting films, making movies. Not deciding about what gear is the best or the greatest. I feel like I am in a sandbox trying to decide what crayons to use.
I have been reading about independent film distribution and also a great book my filmmaker MIKE FIGGIS "Digital Filmmaking" which he says the same thing. Amatuer is not a word we use anymore because the same tools everyone has, what we make the mistake of doing is because the camera is small or light we think it must not be professional, oh no it must cost more like a car or a PANAVISION or it really isnt a movie. That was the debates or the discussion over the past 5 years. Now it is about lens adaptors. I am empowered by this as I held a rental COOKE prime that cost as much as a LEXUS, and no one buys those, you RENT those.
But, now I see footage shot with trusty ebay Nikon and Canon lenses and I just drop my jaw and go wow! But, at the same time, I am also seeing stuff done in POST...totally in POST, as still photographers (like myself) have been experiemting with RAW images, that you can basically shoot anything being blind and drunk too, and in Photoshop or your editing RAW application of choice (Aperature, LOOKS) Magic Bullet seems to make this LOOKS builder the best of both worlds.
But, I find myself writing here, is it too good to be true? POST processing BLUR? and DOF? from SHARP images? could this be? Am I stuck in the rut of just buying the HVX200 and not being satisfied with that, I have to buy something else to make movies? then I will shoot my films? oye vay! HELP BARRY GREEN!
I just read that book, and technically I say, there are more options in the HVX200 than you really need. imagine an endless Crayola box of crayons, 64 is a lot, but all you really need are 8 and an imagination.
I will end here, and hope to strike up some information from users here weighing in on what I am saying between the IN CAMERA FX vs. the POST processing methods.
I mean there are some people that think you need a BLACK PRO MIST, and I don't think you need a WARM 85 anymore now do you? But, what about DOF?
CAN we SHOOT RAW and CRISP and then in POST just add with MASKS the desired LENS we desire? with the desired feather fall off? I wonder? The camera is sure alot lighter without an adaptor, and the budget is a lot cheaper too. I could get a WIDE ANGLE adaptor and maybe shoot with that?

Oh yeah. if you really want to get cheaper? has anyone seen the LENSBABY 3G
look it up.....you can get the PL cine kit too, and it has rocked my stills work, imagine shooting with that? it is only 300.00!

the options are endless. The action is just telling stories. But, I really want shallow DOF....do you really NEED the LETUS? can we do it in POST? MAGIC BULLET LOOKS?
or in FINAL CUT PRO?
 
The llensbaby will only work on a fixed lens video camera if you are using a 35mm adapter with it. So the cost is actually $300 + the cost of the adapter.

You can't shoot raw with a cheap video camera. All consumer/prosumer video cameras that I know of save the video in a compressed format (HDV, AVC-HD, HDCAM, DVCAM). This throws away a lot of information similar to saving in a jpeg format in a still camera. Compressed video, like jpegs, is hard to mess around with in post because so much of the image data (color, sharpening, white balance) has already been set.

You can do blurring in post, but I remember reading that it's extrememly hard to emulate the blurring caused by lenses. For instance different parts of the image will be more or less blurry dpeending on how far they are from the camera. And out of focus loight sources will be in the shape of hte lenses iris.. It's hard to replicate that type of thing in post. Of course, wheter the average viewer will be able to tell the difference is hard to say.

davide
 
Consider this:

You shoot an entire short film with an HVX200 naked over a three (3) day period. Then you go to the editing bay and you spend another five (5) days cutting it. Then you spend another five days (5) color correcting after you've locked edit. You're not done. Now you need to spend a few weeks simulating DOF with a computer. I say a few weeks because you must consider render times for effects and tweaking to make them look anywhere near proper. Granted, this can be a compliment if it fits the style of your short.

Now here's B-Scenario:

You grab a 35mm Adapter or someone who knows how to use it. Spend the time lighting the image and getting proper framing, racks, whatever you want ON SET. The few weeks you would've spent in post adding all of that have now been freed up for other things... like reshoots. Time = Money. As indies, we don't have a lot of Money so we oughta use our time WISELY.

You give me a choice of 35mm Adapter on set versus DOF in post? I say there's no choice.
 
i don't think you can reproduce accurate DOF in post... you can blur but blurring doesn't make lights bloom like a lens would it simply makes things blurry... if you've shot still photos with high-end glass and seen the beautiful bokeh that it creates i think you'll agree. I haven't tried it in post but if it were possible i somehow doubt this many people would fork over $1000's for adapters. Plus ya, what Kholi said.... TIME.
 
You can "emulate", but it won't be the same until you begin masking, etc. That's why it becomes taxing. You can also use composited frames to accomplish this.

The question is: Do you want to spend the time doing it? And do you have the technical know how?

It's not a BAD idea. Just have to really think about what it entails. It's also not the topic of this discussion. LoL. We're gonna get in trouble.
 
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