Tim Naylor
Veteran
So here's the footage, a PSA directed by Julia and Scott Elliot for the Bowery Mission, an organization in NYC to help the homeless:
http://www.timnaylor.com/vid_bowery.html
Here's the frame grab to give you idea of the full rez image:
www.timnaylor.com/ex1grabs
EX1, Letus Ultimate, 720p (1280 cx 720), Nikon 17-35 2.8 / Nikon 80-200 2.8. Shots were done between 4-5.6.
A few conclusions:
The EX1/Ultimate combo is as sharp as the low cost adaptor / camcorder combination is going to get. My HVX doesn't compare in sharpness though I think it's colors are a bit richer. The EX1 codec is quite interesting. It held up much better to composite work and color correction than I was expecting. However, should be noted that I didn't have any real "codec" busting scenes (Guy in plaid doing jumping jacks in front of smoke). I did however, have some classic NYC kids in front of a fire hydrant shots and the codec handled the water without issue.
We won't rehash the CMOS issues as we all know what they are. For this style of shooting they were never an issue. Areas that really made a difference were it's half inch chip and 1280 x 720 (as opposed to upscaled 720 x 960). We opted out of 1920 x 1080 because so much of the show was in slo mo. Consistency was king.
One nice advantage is the 1.9 stop all the way through on its zoom. This gives another 1/2 stop advantage over the HVX in addition to its 1/2 chip 1/2 stop advantage. Where this became crucial was for our sunset shots. I was able to still stay at 0db with little to no discernable noise. End of the day has always been an issue with my HVX especially when the color temp really goes blue.
The Ultimate initially had play issues with the front mount but Hien knowing I was in the middle of a job FEDEXed me a new one. So far so good. I've yet to use the Ultimate on a real focus pulling job though, so the jury is still out on the mount. What I found a real relief was the back focus ring. It's quick to adjust. Loosen two knobs and twist. With the EX1's peaking, this is a quick operation. As a long time video op, I always check back focus every morning, after lunch and anytime temperature conditions change or we just finished some hectic shooting. It goes off. Anyone who's used digi primes can attest to this. You have to check them everytime you change a lens which is why AC's always order the backfocus snoot (an onset collimator).
With my still lenses (Nikon Primes and Zooms) I found myself checking back focus and making adjustments all the time. Some people here think, find infinity, focus and go. It's not that simple. Find infinity and recheck it with a close distance and midrange. You'd be surprised what you get. I even do this with 50,000.00 HD zooms. There's a reason all ENG 2/3" cameras make back focus quick and easy to adjust - because it goes out all the time. The ease of the Ultimate's back focus is a life saver, especially on a tight schedule.
Now that I've seen the footage in post, a few notes. As much as I sang the praises of the EX1's viewfinder, a few things escaped me (filter reflections, wide angle vignetting, dumasses looking into the lens, etc). I would've have caught it with an external. In hindsight, for a job like this, I'd bring the external everywhere. Other note. I love the histogram on the EX1. Just like a still camera's. It's fast and reliable.
The Ultimate's Sharpness is a thing to behold. Like glass. In fact, I may add grain to this project. It's so sharp that on several occasions I zoomed through to the end with no unusable penalty. So this is where you must be careful. When I zoomed all the way out on the EX and the 17-35, I got slight vignetting on the left corner. My GG wasn't perfectly centered and I didn't bother to center it. I never noticed the vignette until I saw it on a large monitor (again, bring you monitor if you can). Next gig, I'll center the X/Y and test the limitations on a chart. Which brings to one gripe - why not make X/Y adjustment easy, tool less and external. That is not the case with the Ultimate - you have to open it up to adjust it.
The other item is the rpm read out. It goes from 0 to 99. Since 99 is optical the best, why bother from 0 to 98. To save on double AA's? I say lose it, have one speed and just a "battery low" warning. I never used it below 99. In a 12 hour day you'll go through two sets of batts. I recommend using re-chargeables.
Concerning stop. I shot up to an 11 and experienced no grain.
Now here's the big question: Letus is developing an EX 3 relay lens. How much light will a relay eat? It would have to be significantly less the EX1's built in lens to make it worth it. I'd say it would have to be at least a 1/2 stop better to be worth it. Any less, does it really validate the extra 2g for the EX3 and 3-4g for a relay? Also, the relay's optical quality would have to be on par or better than the Fujinon's. This may be a tall order considering the Fuji's are built in mass and benefit from economies of scale.
Last thought is how much longer will the 35 adaptor market last. I'm sure since the advent of RED, PS techniks have not been flying off the shelves. At 4500.00 the Ultimate is a chunk of change. With an HVX or EX, it still puts you at least 15 grand below a full RED set up if not more. It's when someone builds the complete (you know, how the HVX or EX are out of the box) 35 chip camcorder below 20g than the 35mm adaptor is done. From another thread here, I suspect the still camera industry will make that breakthrough or one of the big three may just say, "screw it, it's time to crush RED".
Whether the Ultimate is worth it depends on you. How much use will you get out of it before it's time is up. I collect odd useless old film cameras, projectors, still cameras, etc because not only are they cool to look at but represent stages of technological history. Even on my mantle or as paperweights they inspire. Surely, the 35mm adaptor will take its place as a curiosity in the "Antique Road Show". It's just a matter of when. People will gasp when someone explains how it was used much in the way a kinescope still fascinates me.
What I'm trying to say, today's breakthrough is tomorrow's paperweight. The Ultimate fits a niche, below the red and PS but above the others. Get as much use out of it as you can. I think the window for adaptors is closing fast as RED rentals seem to drop every week and still cameras are beginning to act like video cameras.
What I love most about the Ultimate, I don't feel like there's a layer of diffusion between my still lenses and the camera. That's something I could never reconcile with my previous adaptors, especially when I'd take them off and see just how much rez you lose. None of them had the zoom through capabilities of the Ultimate. I'm not sure if it's the glass or achromat or both but it really defies logic that I'm looking at what is essentially the sharpest rear screen projection out.
That's all.
http://www.timnaylor.com/vid_bowery.html
Here's the frame grab to give you idea of the full rez image:
www.timnaylor.com/ex1grabs
EX1, Letus Ultimate, 720p (1280 cx 720), Nikon 17-35 2.8 / Nikon 80-200 2.8. Shots were done between 4-5.6.
A few conclusions:
The EX1/Ultimate combo is as sharp as the low cost adaptor / camcorder combination is going to get. My HVX doesn't compare in sharpness though I think it's colors are a bit richer. The EX1 codec is quite interesting. It held up much better to composite work and color correction than I was expecting. However, should be noted that I didn't have any real "codec" busting scenes (Guy in plaid doing jumping jacks in front of smoke). I did however, have some classic NYC kids in front of a fire hydrant shots and the codec handled the water without issue.
We won't rehash the CMOS issues as we all know what they are. For this style of shooting they were never an issue. Areas that really made a difference were it's half inch chip and 1280 x 720 (as opposed to upscaled 720 x 960). We opted out of 1920 x 1080 because so much of the show was in slo mo. Consistency was king.
One nice advantage is the 1.9 stop all the way through on its zoom. This gives another 1/2 stop advantage over the HVX in addition to its 1/2 chip 1/2 stop advantage. Where this became crucial was for our sunset shots. I was able to still stay at 0db with little to no discernable noise. End of the day has always been an issue with my HVX especially when the color temp really goes blue.
The Ultimate initially had play issues with the front mount but Hien knowing I was in the middle of a job FEDEXed me a new one. So far so good. I've yet to use the Ultimate on a real focus pulling job though, so the jury is still out on the mount. What I found a real relief was the back focus ring. It's quick to adjust. Loosen two knobs and twist. With the EX1's peaking, this is a quick operation. As a long time video op, I always check back focus every morning, after lunch and anytime temperature conditions change or we just finished some hectic shooting. It goes off. Anyone who's used digi primes can attest to this. You have to check them everytime you change a lens which is why AC's always order the backfocus snoot (an onset collimator).
With my still lenses (Nikon Primes and Zooms) I found myself checking back focus and making adjustments all the time. Some people here think, find infinity, focus and go. It's not that simple. Find infinity and recheck it with a close distance and midrange. You'd be surprised what you get. I even do this with 50,000.00 HD zooms. There's a reason all ENG 2/3" cameras make back focus quick and easy to adjust - because it goes out all the time. The ease of the Ultimate's back focus is a life saver, especially on a tight schedule.
Now that I've seen the footage in post, a few notes. As much as I sang the praises of the EX1's viewfinder, a few things escaped me (filter reflections, wide angle vignetting, dumasses looking into the lens, etc). I would've have caught it with an external. In hindsight, for a job like this, I'd bring the external everywhere. Other note. I love the histogram on the EX1. Just like a still camera's. It's fast and reliable.
The Ultimate's Sharpness is a thing to behold. Like glass. In fact, I may add grain to this project. It's so sharp that on several occasions I zoomed through to the end with no unusable penalty. So this is where you must be careful. When I zoomed all the way out on the EX and the 17-35, I got slight vignetting on the left corner. My GG wasn't perfectly centered and I didn't bother to center it. I never noticed the vignette until I saw it on a large monitor (again, bring you monitor if you can). Next gig, I'll center the X/Y and test the limitations on a chart. Which brings to one gripe - why not make X/Y adjustment easy, tool less and external. That is not the case with the Ultimate - you have to open it up to adjust it.
The other item is the rpm read out. It goes from 0 to 99. Since 99 is optical the best, why bother from 0 to 98. To save on double AA's? I say lose it, have one speed and just a "battery low" warning. I never used it below 99. In a 12 hour day you'll go through two sets of batts. I recommend using re-chargeables.
Concerning stop. I shot up to an 11 and experienced no grain.
Now here's the big question: Letus is developing an EX 3 relay lens. How much light will a relay eat? It would have to be significantly less the EX1's built in lens to make it worth it. I'd say it would have to be at least a 1/2 stop better to be worth it. Any less, does it really validate the extra 2g for the EX3 and 3-4g for a relay? Also, the relay's optical quality would have to be on par or better than the Fujinon's. This may be a tall order considering the Fuji's are built in mass and benefit from economies of scale.
Last thought is how much longer will the 35 adaptor market last. I'm sure since the advent of RED, PS techniks have not been flying off the shelves. At 4500.00 the Ultimate is a chunk of change. With an HVX or EX, it still puts you at least 15 grand below a full RED set up if not more. It's when someone builds the complete (you know, how the HVX or EX are out of the box) 35 chip camcorder below 20g than the 35mm adaptor is done. From another thread here, I suspect the still camera industry will make that breakthrough or one of the big three may just say, "screw it, it's time to crush RED".
Whether the Ultimate is worth it depends on you. How much use will you get out of it before it's time is up. I collect odd useless old film cameras, projectors, still cameras, etc because not only are they cool to look at but represent stages of technological history. Even on my mantle or as paperweights they inspire. Surely, the 35mm adaptor will take its place as a curiosity in the "Antique Road Show". It's just a matter of when. People will gasp when someone explains how it was used much in the way a kinescope still fascinates me.
What I'm trying to say, today's breakthrough is tomorrow's paperweight. The Ultimate fits a niche, below the red and PS but above the others. Get as much use out of it as you can. I think the window for adaptors is closing fast as RED rentals seem to drop every week and still cameras are beginning to act like video cameras.
What I love most about the Ultimate, I don't feel like there's a layer of diffusion between my still lenses and the camera. That's something I could never reconcile with my previous adaptors, especially when I'd take them off and see just how much rez you lose. None of them had the zoom through capabilities of the Ultimate. I'm not sure if it's the glass or achromat or both but it really defies logic that I'm looking at what is essentially the sharpest rear screen projection out.
That's all.
Last edited:
