Letus35 Extreme vs. Cinemek G35 all set to buy just not sure which!

singleframe

singleframe

Well-known member
btw, i have a HPX170 on order from Spec-Comm....

been researching and i've narrowed it down to these two. now just want to see what you guys think. Letus is about 200 bucks cheaper and looks great!
the Cinemek G35 has no moving parts so that is def a plus for me.

Letus has been around longer and looks like a solid product.

hmmmmmmmm.
 
Well first of all, congratulations on your big purchase.

Please try to search around the boards, there are numerous threads just like this one with people asking which adapter should they get, which camera, which whatever.

Are you prepared to flip footage in post with the G35? Are you buying a rails setup to support your adapter? How much total are you trying to spend on this thing? This should help us answer your question better.
 
What is your lighting package like? The G35 is much slower, meaning that you need a lot more light to use it. What are you going to be shooting? Rods and rod mount? Follow focus? Matte Box?

I was a beta tester for the early G35 and I own a Letus Extreme so I am somewhat familiar with both.

Need a lot more info from you to make any intelligent recommendation. What is your priority, speed or Bokeh? How important is reliability to you? The Letus uses a vibrating GG with lots of parts and a motor, the G35 is static GG.

Dan
 
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i have a hefty arsenal of lights.. this will be used for interviews, short films, commercials, music videos etc....
i don't have rods

i own a Sachtler FSB 6, so not sure if this system will be enough to support rods/mounts etc...
don't have a follow focus system either, but will be needing one for sure (damm, more money!)
no matte box.
reliability is def important to me, that's why i was leaning towards the G35.

do i definitely have to get a rod support system to use the G35 with my HPX170 ?

thanks in advance for input!
 
No you don't need a rod system for the G35, but I'd recommend it! You don't want the weight of a long lens and the adapter put entirely on the threads of your camera! That's bad advice.
 
I agree with JStunzi, buy a rod support. Folow focus is not needed unless you are doing rack focus moves or tracking focus on moving subjects and even then, you typically need an AC to pull the focus although some people can do it themselves pretty well.

Matte box you will need if you are going to exteriors. I find that for interiors, I rarely use my matte box as I usually don't need it.

Just beware that the G35 needs considerably more light than the Letus Extreme does, I have not tested the new G35 but I have heard at least a stop and change more than the LEX and that's if you have fast lenses like 1.4s. If you don't have a healthy lighting package, you may find yourself frustrated with the amount of gain you need to dial in to obtain correct exposure. Gain = noise and grain. If you would have said that you were shooting mostly exteriors or if you had a good sized lighting package, I would say try the G35, it has superb bokeh and look. I like the idea of a passive adapter better, if the motor in the LEX goes out in the middle of a shoot, you are hosed. But if you only have a few small lights, you might be happier with the LEX. Just my opinion.

Dan
 
The G35 produces better images and is more reliable. And it has no framerate or shutter speed limitations. The only limitation is to watch for grain as you stop down your iris.


Marco
 
You should also take into account that anyone that says "produces better images" is making a subjective statement. There are many factors that go into a better picture so make sure you do your research.
 
I would say that the G35 and the LEX produce different images and I agree with Disjecta. It depends on which look you prefer. It is totally subjective as far as which image looks best.

I prefer the LEX for the types of shoots that I do because I often have to use a very small crew and grip and lighting package so the greater light efficiency is important to my work. If I was shooting a film or TV series and had more time and resources, I really like the look of the G35, it is beautiful and I would highly consider it.

Dan
 
Here are some things that influence the look of a picture when you slap on a 35mm adapter:

1.Quality of the lenses you use (Nikon, Canon, Zeiss, etc.)
2.Quality of achromat filter in adapter
3.Quality of lens in your video camera
4.F-stop of attached lenses
5.F-stop of video lens
6.Edge to edge sharpness
7.Quality of bokeh
8.Quality of ground glass (whether spinning or vibrating or static). Each influences the look of the picture independent of the bokeh.

The list could go on for a long time and I’m sure there are those who will add more. My point is that it’s not just a question of considering one thing. Some people like the more gritty look of a static adapter while others love the super-clean look of a spinning adapter.
 
I'm about ready to dump the redrock and go with the Extreme or G35 as well. I'm starting to lean more towards the extreme though.
 
DM_rider said:
I'm about ready to dump the redrock and go with the Extreme or G35 as well. I'm starting to lean more towards the extreme though.
Click to expand...

Don't forget Redrock released a new Cinescreen to improve image quality. I just got mine last week, haven't had time to do any comparisons though.
 
Yes, I would try the new screen if I owned an M2. I always liked the picture of the RR, just not the nightmare of tweaks and adjustments that it seems to require based upon user reports.

Dan
 
jstunzi said:
Don't forget Redrock released a new Cinescreen to improve image quality. I just got mine last week, haven't had time to do any comparisons though.
Click to expand...


I got the screen and I like the image the RR produces but...

I'm just sick of all the small adjustments here and there, and the beastly thing it turns your camera into. It's not very practical with the flip. That's what's so attractive with the Letus and G35, they are both much simpler than the redrock.
 
DM_rider said:
I got the screen and I like the image the RR produces but...

I'm just sick of all the small adjustments here and there
Click to expand...

That's what kept me away from trying it. While I like tweaking gear, having to do it while on a shoot is not a good thing.

Dan
 
I personally sold my LEX in hope of buying a G35. I always hated the vibration and awkwardness of my whole LEX rig. For example, try to go handheld style with the camera sitting so high on your shoulder; it sucks and it's almost impossible to balance (maybe "snorkel up" is better?). That's one of the reason why I'll never go with a "flipped" adapter again. I'd rather flip my footage in post, for me it's much more easier to deal with.

The other reason why I hated my LEX was the bokeh/grain issue...
Open up the iris (around 1.8), grain is almost not an issue, but the bokeh is ugly as hell (might be "ok" on small monitor, but try watching it on a 20 foots theater screen... It's horrible.)
Close it down (5.6). Bokeh now looks really good (even on a big screen) but the grain starts go get serious.

I wasn't able to find a sweet spot good enough for my taste. But, to each is own... For me, my next step is probably to switch my HVX200 for an HPX170, and with the added sensitivity, go for the G35. Plus I get a nice built-in, flipable monitor this time.

I agree with the overall tone around here : different adapter for different needs.

I'm curious about seeing a HPX170/G35 rig, fully equiped (rails, mattebox, follow focus)... Who's gonna be the first?
 
I'm very interested in the G35 and quite like the footage I've seen in terms of the image it renders.

Anyone other clips hiding out there using it with the 170 (besides "Shades of Pennsylvania", which was very nice!)



dmc
 
I agree with disjecta. It comes down to a matter of personal preference...and some other factors of techincal preferences as well.

Most adapters out there are good. They all have strong and weak points. I use the G35 becasue of three major factors: Bokeh look, no moving parts, and the fact the it hard mounts directly to the bayonet of my camcorder instead of the threads.

If I had the money, I would probably have 3 adapters for various reasons. Totally depends on what you like. Go with what you like for the picture quality.
 
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dmc said:
I'm very interested in the G35 and quite like the footage I've seen in terms of the image it renders.

Anyone other clips hiding out there using it with the 170 (besides "Shades of Pennsylvania", which was very nice!)



dmc
Click to expand...

Go for it man. You won't regret it. Plus the build is hand down the best out there. I have had other adapters in my hands and the G35 is built like a tank...very solid and very very high quality. Jon cut no corners when making the G35.
 
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