should a total noob get a 35mm adapter?

B

bunnygloves

New member
So, I'll willingly admit that I know absolutely nothing about 35mm adapters, and I'm still trying to get a hold of using my new dvx100.

But the prospect of changing my dof and giving my films a more cinematic look through an adapter is very tantalizing.

Is it worth it though, to try out while I'm starting a new project? People have said that you really need to know what you're doing to use one and you'll have to be somewhat adept at lighting, which I'm not.

The project I'm gearing up to shoot will be done relatively straight-forward, with a minimum of equipment and crew, and I'm worried that bringing in new equipment that I don't already have a handle on would be potentially disastrous.

Thoughts?

Please speak to me like I am a child - I really don't know anything when it comes to adapters (or most technical things! but hey, I've got to start somewhere).

Thanks!
 
bunnygloves said:
The project I'm gearing up to shoot will be done relatively straight-forward, with a minimum of equipment and crew, and I'm worried that bringing in new equipment that I don't already have a handle on would be potentially disastrous.
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There ya go, you answered your own question. A 35mm adapter needs somebody acting as 1st AC to pull focus, or else you can't do anything complicated. Throwing monitors and such on the camera will only increase your setup time and make the rig more cumbersome. First time I used a 35mm adapter (the M2) my shoot was completely ruined. Wasted 5 hours with nothing to show for it because it was too hard to pull focus, change lenses, lug the rig around etc. The whole time the cast is staring at me like I'm an idiot. Don't get one until you have a larger crew.
 
He's right. But I'd say invest in a 35mm adapter as soon as you can afford to. Start learning how to use it. It generally isn't too complicated. But true mastery is another thing. Virtually any of these adapters will help bring a wonderful new level of quality to your productions. Just take the time to learn it asap.

I knew very little about cameras beyond fixed lenses. I researched 35mm adapters for months. I finally got a Brevis. Once I had the components in my hands, the cloud began to lift. And then I started messing around with it. Soon after, I started really shooting with it. Now I'm gaining some slight notoriety for some of my work.

I just keep moving forward. I'm always on a journey of learning. And this is just one aspect of it. :)
 
I've had my DVX for just over year now, and I'm just starting to consider to buy an SGPro.

Don't buy it too early.
 
Short answer is no.

I've been looking to get one for a while. Then numbers started clicking in my head. I started talking to producers. And figured I wouldn't waste my money. I just shot my film for time fest with a stock HV20. I think the DOF deal is slightly over-rated. It can produce amazing images, but you can also mess things up royally.

Learn how to use the camera you have. A 35mm adapter should be last on your list for things you should buy. Grip kits, light kits, sound. Most people buy a 35mm adapter, spend 2k. And are still running off in-camera audio. Even more people only shoot test footage and never actually use it on a production.

There are many more things that go into the technical end of film making than DOF.
 
What are your goals as a shooter? Are you wanting to make shorts and features (ie; story telling), or are you just interested in shooting video as an art-form?

If storytelling is your goal, forget the adapters for now and learn to operate your DVX100 and get rolling. The adapter can come later. Also if you are shooting corporate videos, documentaries or similar...forget the adapters for now.

If you like videography the same way some like photography (as a creative outlet), I would dive into adapters as soon as you are able to. Control of your DOF gives tons of creative control over any kind of image making. (photograpy, videography, even if painting a scene with a canvas and brushes)

Don't forget though, the adapter is just part of the expense. You need decent SLR lenses to go with it. The lenses are at least as important as the adapter itself in my opinion. Adapters also usually need rail support which adds more expense.
 
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Yeah, it's definitely a somewhat hefty expense. When you build a really nice "rig" with your 35mm adapter, it gets into the $2k-$4k range pretty easily. And it could very well get even higher, depending on what you're putting together. But again, I say it is worth every penny for what it can deliver (with decent lenses and skills to go with it).

The only way to achieve a similar level of aesthetics and flexibility is to move up to a 2/3" CCD camera like an HPX500. But that camera is more expensive and then you'll need expensive lenses for it. Of course you can rent them.

Otherwise, you can kind of "get by" with your stock lens by zooming in close and stopping down your iris a bit while lighting more of the foreground. That'll give you some shallow depth-of-field but you lose the flexibility. It's soooooo much easier and nicer with 35mm-style lenses, IMHO.

I think for under $10k today, you can build a really nice rig around an HVX200/A and 35mm adapter. You can get a set of nice, used Nikon primes for probably $300-$400. And if your aim is "cinema" on a budget, well, then I highly suggest going that route asap.
 
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Just buy what you can afford. I knew nothing about them either but I came across Dvxuser.com and learned so much information about using them, some good, some bad. I say buy anything you want if you can afford it. Learn it after you buy it. Buying a 35MM adapter will not be a waste of money. I won't shoot without my LEX.
 
or read. Read read read. That's what i did. I just read every post and every companies website until i was comfortable in my understanding of what they are and how to use them. I bought an SGpro and I love it.

Its really hard to take that thing off my camera.
 
Moojangles said:
or read. Read read read. That's what i did. I just read every post and every companies website until i was comfortable in my understanding of what they are and how to use them. I bought an SGpro and I love it.

Its really hard to take that thing off my camera.
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Reading IS fundamental when it comes to purchase of this magnitude. Once I attached the LEX I have never taken it off. I just keep the rig assembled at all times.
 
You can always get one used.

Or better yet find someone in your area that owns one. Ask them if you can AC for them. There is no better way to learn an adapter system than to AC on a feature with one. You build it every day, take it apart every day, pull focus most of the day, and are responsible for troubleshooting it, not to mention keeping it clean and changing lenses.

By the end of one feature you will be ready to operate almost any of them, with about an hour or two learning the slight differences in each one.

This is how I started, I was AC on a feature. The DP said I should buy one, I did. I got a reputation as an adapter guy in Atlanta, and now I get a nice amount of work. All my DP gigs are with the adapter too.
 
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