angry with brevis product

P

PIMP

Well-known member
Ok so my brevis was nice and functional before. That was before I got the genius idea to swap the cinefuse diffuser. It has been nothing but I nightmare. For one my CF3LE diffuser came with a little nudge on it that resembles the Nike emblem. I tried to wash it using the methods shown in the video university in the cinevate website. After thorough washing NOTHING. And to top it off i got dust or drebi in the glass below the motor. And it has been a pain in the #$@ to try to clean it without damaging the motor. I placed back to the orginal CF1 diffuser and I am seeing either spots or dust. I am working in the most sterile area i could find. Using latex gloves taking every precaution. BUt nothing is working and i am angry. I was lead to believe that changing the diffuser was a simple task. I didnt hear about the issues with dust. I suspect it comes from when you have to practically jam the achromat back into place from motor element. I am very unhappy with this product right now. Its unacceptable that now i cant even film without because in certain shots spots and debris show up. In the past two days i have spent countless hours trying to clean it. When i take care of one problem a new introduces itslef and i dont know what i am going to do. I have a shoot coming up and i cant film with this. And i dont have the money to buy a new one.

Word of advice to anyone with a brevis. NEVER OPEN THE THING UP. it will ruin everything.
 
The smudge resembling a Niki emblem could be a bad element I guess but does it show up in the image?

Dust is of course a very serious problem that can be a pain in the butt. Have you tried just using canned air? I got a big can ( a few actually) and also attached a plastic tube that I can bend and position around the back of the GG. That worked real well for me.

- Lenny Levy
 
I found cleaning dust and specks from the Brevis to be time consuming and frustrating as well, but was able to shoot with it.

If you haven't read the posts in Cinevate's private owner's forum about the black specks flaking down from inside the Brevis and on to the imaging element, you might want to chime in there as well, but I encourage you to continue posting your experiences here as well so other people can make informed buying decisions.
 
thanks man. I am thinking i am going to have to buy another brevis just to have one with the CF1 and one with CF3. Because theres no way i am going to open it again.
 
PIMP said:
thanks man. I am thinking i am going to have to buy another brevis just to have one with the CF1 and one with CF3. Because theres no way i am going to open it again.
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You should actually be on the other side of the camera when its rolling because you are being a Drama Queen about this. Is this how you handle all of your unfortunate happenings. We have all had problems of some sort one time or another. Be patient and deal with it man. I'm sure it will get fixed. This is a very isolated incident (first I've read of it). And don't make your next post about how you absolutely have to get a shoot done this weekend and its all your adapter's fault that you can't. Those kind of posts get tired.
 
this section is to share exeriences with various different adaptors. You think i should just sit and hope for the best. I am hoping someone could share their tips and possibly help me out with this issue.
 
Yes, by all means seek advice on the web. The only reason I made that reply to you is because you are trash-talking a product to describe the problem that you need assistance with. It is obvious by now that you need the manufacturers assistance and its the weekend. Because of your bad experience, you have advised all not to open their adapter because it will ruin it, and said you'll have to purchase another instead of swapping elements, etc. So if I didn't know better I would be afraid to open my adapter after reading that. And this is not the only website I've seen your thread on.

I just did research all over the web to choose an adapter and threads like this made it difficult. You even said yourself that this is the first time you've heard of this problem.

All I'm saying is it helps everyone else seeking help if you stay objective.
 
I usually wash the element under the faucet with a blast of cold water. The brush and the air cans don't seem to really get it out when its caught in a deep crevis on the GG. I usually just run the water on full and hold the edges of the GG and then I either blow it dry with my mouth or wave it around with my hand a while. Also, wipe out the inside of the carbon and blow it to get any carbon dust out.
 
Its cool man. I dont mean any disrespect to cinevate or dennis wood. I ve never really had any issues with the brevis unit itself. I really like their products. I ve boughten the flip, the rails, mattebox and cinefuse. And my intention isnt to rag on cinevate. Its just to hopefully share what i am going through in case someone has the answer for me.
 
Dust on optics is always a pain. If it's an uncoated glass, use (pure - not rubbing) alcohol or other film-free solvent to degrease (we use freon- just don't tell the EPA). Be gentle with the air - blowing lots of air across the glass actually creates static electricity - creating a dust magnet. Small puffs, lint free - static free - dust free work area - cotton clothing - spray floor covering with 6:1 downy solution for cheap anti-static - natural fibre (squirrel hair) artists brushes - (NO polyester!) - all these can help.

It's both art, science and luck.

Best of luck.
 
actually tex, this isn't an isolated incident. Dust, or flecks of carbon fiber is a current issue wiyh the brevis. You don't hear much about it because I think not many peeps actually swap diffusers out. Also it's cleanable so it can be taken care of, although sometimes it takes a lot of patience. Also that's what oscillation is for, to blur out dust and grain right? Blemishes in the CF elements is also an issue, the CF1 that came with my brevis had irregularities similar to what PIMP is encountering, but Cinevate is pretty quick to replace faulty elements. I recommend anyone purchasing diffusers to examine them under a magnifying glass for imperfections, look out for scratches or tiny air bubbles that will be visible, even during vibration. Again, if you do find anything, don't panic, cinevate will take care of you.
 
I feel your pain. I sold my first Brevis (early edition from over a year and half ago) because I found myself constantly cleaning it - on set, quite embarassing. I understand folks being upset at you ragging on a product but underneath all the emotion is a legit concern that makes me (and I'm sure many others) apprehensive about purchasing one. I own a LEX and had an SG and dust was a rare inconvenience and quite easy to clean. I wonder if the carbon housing is the culprit (strong stuff but flaky). Could it be treated on the inside to prevent this? But because the Brevis has so many other desirable features, I'd like to know if anyone has come up with good DIY fixes to make less dust prone (ie. gaskets, finishing the inside, holes and edges, etc). If there's a reliable dust prevention method that's cheap, I'd put my money down. The X/Y adjustment and the light loss have a place.

I talked to my local rental house guy about the build of a PS and dust. He asked me how many times has he had to open any of his 8 PS set ups to clean it. I didn't know. He said none. And this is a product he rents out several times a week over the past three years. I'd like to know what PS do to keep it dust free.

Having to stop a shoot because your kit has dust (again) ends up costing production alot more than the price of the adaptor and makes you look like heel. Not a big deal when the budget is small but definitely a killer when decent money's being spent. Every unnecessary delay is duly noted.
 
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Tim Naylor said:
prevent this? But because the Brevis has so many other desirable features, I'd like to know if anyone has come up with good DIY fixes to make less dust prone (ie. gaskets, finishing the inside, holes and edges, etc). If there's a reliable dust prevention method that's cheap, I'd put my money down..
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yeah Dennis recommends these steps for reducing dust.

1. try this product out, seem to work well for removing dust from diffuser:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/arctic-butterfly.shtml

2. For prevention: Clean out dust from tube using a tack cloth, carefully get all the nooks and crannies. Lastly, seal off edges of tubes with two-part epoxy.


He's also hinting at a future (upgradable) dust solution.
 
I shot with an early Brevis model last fall. Yikes. I loved the eventual image but getting there was a PITA. The black, flaky carbon or whatever would NOT go away. Blast the current stuff off, put the unit back together and lo and behold, there's some more.

It is an easy unit to do stuff with but the build quality of the housing needs to be improved.

I've had my Letus Extreme open once to adjust the GG. No dust whatsoever and haven't had to crack it open again since. We had the Brevis open probably 4 times during our shoot ( I ate lunch during some makeup downtime because I spent lunch cleaning...)

cheno
 
Chenopup said:
It is an easy unit to do stuff with but the build quality of the housing needs to be improved.
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Can I get an amen? Form over function if I've ever seen it.

Lose the set screws as well. What a horrible way to hold the parts together and it sure doesn't seal the ends like simple threads would.
 
Tim Naylor said:
I feel your pain. I sold my first Brevis (early edition from over a year and half ago) because I found myself constantly cleaning it - on set, quite embarassing. I understand folks being upset at you ragging on a product but underneath all the emotion is a legit concern that makes me (and I'm sure many others) apprehensive about purchasing one. I own a LEX and had an SG and dust was a rare inconvenience and quite easy to clean. I wonder if the carbon housing is the culprit (strong stuff but flaky). Could it be treated on the inside to prevent this? But because the Brevis has so many other desirable features, I'd like to know if anyone has come up with good DIY fixes to make less dust prone (ie. gaskets, finishing the inside, holes and edges, etc). If there's a reliable dust prevention method that's cheap, I'd put my money down. The X/Y adjustment and the light loss have a place.

I talked to my local rental house guy about the build of a PS and dust. He asked me how many times has he had to open any of his 8 PS set ups to clean it. I didn't know. He said none. And this is a product he rents out several times a week over the past three years. I'd like to know what PS do to keep it dust free.

Having to stop a shoot because your kit has dust (again) ends up costing production alot more than the price of the adaptor and makes you look like heel. Not a big deal when the budget is small but definitely a killer when decent money's being spent. Every unnecessary delay is duly noted.
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Ditto Tim, but I'll say it again as in all my other posts, for $1,200. + there shouldn't need to ba a DIY fix to these problems.
 
I agree. I just feel its dumb that i am stressing over a simple problem. I already have problems with my Lakers in the hole 0-2 and bad calls from the refs. Dust i feel is a riddiculous problem to have. I ve sunk in over 30 dollars just in compressed air trying to clean the lens. I do like the brevis though even with its imperfections.
 
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