Which adapter works best with Sony pmw-ex1?

E

el presidente

Well-known member
The Ex1 has optics making it problematic with many adapters and I cant find any concrete info on solving this.
Without the budget for the Letus Ultimate,
which should I buy?

Cheers
Craig
 
I use the Brevis with the EX1 fix and I get good results, but it is a little frustrating. I don't know if I will sell my Brevis and go with something else, but I would also like the answer to your question.

Here is an e-mail conversation I had with Letus (I don't know if it is better than the Brevis for sure)...

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Hi Jason,
Thank you for contacting us and your interest in the Letus adapter. Here are the answers to your questions:

1. Will I be able to use my cinevate rails with a Letus system?
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Yes. No problem there. Just get the "front support bracket" option when ordering so you can attach the adapter to the Cinevate rails.

2. Does the Letus provide sharp edges with the EX1? Can I leave my EX1 iris wide open and still get sharp edges with the Letus?
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Yes, the Extreme (with optimization kit), Elite, and Ultimate will all produce a sharp image across the entire frame. Amount of sharpness will vary depending on the quality of lenses you are using but optically speaking, the 3 adapters we offer work flawlessly with the EX1.


3. Can I still use my Nikon lenses with the Letus?
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Yes. No problem. Just configure the Letus with the Nikon mount and you will be good to go. Our Nikon mount are custom milled to our specs and are a fantastic lens mount. Much more robust then the third party lens mount other manufacturers use and then adapt to their needs.


4. With the Brevis, I can't zoom much past 72. If I do, the edges get soft. This is also a problem because I get Vignette issues. Will the Letus let me zoom in farther? How far can I zoom in and still get a sharp image?
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This depends and may vary from camera to camera. On my XHA1, for example, I can zoom all the way in and still have a very useable image. Granted when you do this, you are loosing a lot of your image as the adapters are designed to be optimized the 35mm full frame size. You can of course zoom in or out past this size to use as much or as little of the frame as you want. At the 35mm full frame size, however, you will not have a vignette or softness.


5. Knowing that I already own rails and Nikon lenses, what Letus system will I need and what is the total cost?
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The best value right now for the EX1 would be the Elite (which comes pre-optimized like the Ultimate). Here is what I would suggest for your setup since you already have the lenses and support rods:

http://www.letusdirect.com/cart/letus35-elite.html
Thread: 77mm Sonte EX1/EX3 version
Mount: Nikon
Rod Support System: Elite Support bracket only
Price: $2,037.00

If you are on a tighter budget, you could go for an Extreme with the optimization kit:

http://www.letusdirect.com/cart/Letus-35-Extreme-p-6.html
Thread Size: 77mm
Lens Mount: Nikon AI
Rod Support System: Support Bracket only
Camera Optimization Kit: Sony PMW-EX1
Price: $1,486.00

If you have any other questions, just let us know.
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It's hard to get comparisons when you talk to users because rarely has someone used more than 1 adapter.
 
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Ask Phillip Bloom. He's tried about every adapter on the EX1. I will say that most people around here constantly request the EX1 with a Letus Extreme WITH Optimization kit (by name) or Ultimate.
 
thefilmaddict said:
I use the Brevis with the EX1 fix and I get good results, but it is a little frustrating. I don't know if I will sell my Brevis and go with something else, but I would also like the answer to your question.
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If you sell and repurchase you will no doubt lose money in the process. Are you just over thinking this? I mean what are you presently shooting? Will throwing more money down improve your projects?

Id also speak to Dennis and see if he cant help you out insofar as getting your set up working to max potential as is.

Just my 2c.
 
Good comments guys.

I have nothing against Dennis. I just might keep my Cinevate gear. It's a great product and a great company. Did you see all of their new products? They are very innovative.

The Brevis worked perfectly with my old HVX200. The little problems came with the EX1 (although I love my EX1). I even paid for the EX1 fix, but I didn't notice much of a difference with the upgrade. 2 other dvxusers private messaged me and also mentioned that they were not 100% happy with the EX1 Fix. Maybe the other adapters have the same issues.

I think that the only person who can answer this is someone who has an EX1 and has tried out a bunch of other adapters. That's why I posted when I saw this thread. I was curious to see if another adapter would be better with the EX1. It would be great if Phillip Bloom would chime in, but he seems pretty busy these days.

I shoot all kinds of stuff from short films to local commercials (even some stuff for ESPN on occasion). Clients love the look of my limited (film like) depth of field, but they do sometimes notice soft edges (because I am zoomed in to far or because I can't close down the camera enough when shooting with limited light) or black edges (because I can't zoom in far enough in order to keep sharp edges).

This is not a post against the Brevis. If someone owns and EX1 and a Brevis and does not have these issues, please share your thoughts. As far as the guys at Letus, they sure sounded like their adapter is made for the EX1, but I would like to hear that from one of their customers.
 
The Letus Extreme is very sharp corner to corner on the Ex-1 even with the Ex-1 lens wide open. its a good match. I assume the Ultimate would be the same.
I had the same experience with the Brevis and am eager to try the Blade.

Lenny Levy
 
The second time I used the EX-1 with the Ultimate I made it a point to drop a 17-35 crappy Tamron lens on. I already know this lens produces some bad edges, but was surprised to see how well it did at the 17mm end on a camera notorious for edge softness. Seems like Letus got it right with the achromat path to fixing the issues.

Check Phillip Blooms page, he's got some EX-1 + SGBlade footage up right now. It's worth having a read of his review/preview on the combo.
 
If you can wait, the M2 encore has optics that are better suited for the EX1 and EX3 according to their literature.

They are shipping starting next week. I don't now if you can wait that long, or when footage/comments will be posted. But I'm hoping to find out myself, as I prefer to shoot with the EX1/EX3 if I have to shoot with a budget non film camera.
 
It sounds like there are many new choices out now (or soon coming out) which is great.

As far as comparing them, do all of the mentioned adapters come with a flip module?

What about vibrating VS rotating (advantage/disadvantages)?

I know that the Brevis has a diffuser and many of the others do not. Any advantages or disadvantages with or without a diffuser?
 
Money no object? Then it's the Letus Ultimate...

Money an object, which it is for most people, then currently I would rule out the Brevis until Dennis brings out a 100% perfect solution.

Letus Elite (forget extreme, you need that backfocus) is a proven cracking ex1/3 adaptor with terrific edge to edge sharpness...

The SGBlade have only used twice with EX1. So far it has performed superbly. Edge to Edge sharpness not as good as Extreme with optimisation kit. You need to keep ex1/3 lens stopped down to get it perfect BUT you get the important ability to stop down all the way or use shutter...

Spinners are preferable to Vibrators (that's what she said!) due to the ability to stop down or use shutter. Using a vibrator (must stop saying that) means you have limitations and no matter how experienced you are with them, you will f*** up sometimes and get visible grain. Trust my word on that.

That's why the Ultimate is the perfect adaptor for the EX1 as it delivers in every way. If you can't afford the Ultimate then it really is a toss up between the Elite and Blade. Both have their strong points. Am lucky enough to have bought them both (and got Ultimate) but that is because someone pointed out to me recently, am the Imelda Marcos of 35mm adaptors.

I think if Wayne Kinney can bring out a specific achromat for the EX1 and Blade to make edge sharpness perfect you would have a winner in that price bracket...

Not sure if I have helped or not!! Anyway am doing more tests on the EX1/ Blade at weekend and will report back!!


Happy shooting!!

P
 
OK children, So ....... what we learned here today from Mr Bloom is ...

philip bloom said:
Using a vibrator means you have limitations and no matter how experienced you are with them. Trust my word on that.

Anyway am doing more tests on the weekend and will report back!!
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:Drogar-Love(DBG):
 
Also, to add to Phillip's suggestions I'd have a look out for the new Redrock. I know that one of their favorite cameras is the EX-1 and I wouldn't doubt that they've paid special attention to it. So, go and ask some questions about the Encore and the Redrock M2: Encore.

Outside of that, well, as Phillip said: Ultimate is where it's at!
 
Kholi said:
Also, to add to Phillip's suggestions I'd have a look out for the new Redrock. I know that one of their favorite cameras is the EX-1 and I wouldn't doubt that they've paid special attention to it. So, go and ask some questions about the Encore and the Redrock M2: Encore.

Outside of that, well, as Phillip said: Ultimate is where it's at!
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Yep am very keen on getting my M2 upgraded to an Encore, or just get an encore with flip...you going to NAB Kholi?
 
I just got back from the future. Sad to say, but I'm dead broke during NAB due to the fact that in the future I purchased an HPX300 and accessories to go with it.

You're gonna have to get all the [nerdy] girls without me, Phillip. =T
 
Kholi said:
I just got back from the future. Sad to say, but I'm dead broke during NAB due to the fact that in the future I purchased an HPX300 and accessories to go with it.

You're gonna have to get all the [nerdy] girls without me, Phillip. =T
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Am hoping to have a hot streak on the tables to pay for the HPX300. Going to start with $100 and hope for lady luck!...am also going to be in LA around the end of April for a couple of days. If you want to meet would be cool!

Oh and nerdy girls? What nerdy girls? Am hoping Zacuto will bring their babes with them from their photoshoots!
 
Just let me know when you're in town so I can avo-- I mean meet you!!! Just kiddin'. I meet everyone!!!

We'll go to La Brea and shoot crack-house raids on HPX300's. Whoa wobble city.
 
Thanks for helping ..

still not exactly sure but better informed...

if £ to $ was better letus would have my cash by now,
Blade looks like a great adapter for all cameras except ex1(no indoor wide angles without a ton of lights).
Then m2 encore jumps into the mix..tried it at earls court exhibition (setup tested on ex3-an encouraging sign)..going to shop to test m2e on monday.

So thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread:beer:

Craig
 
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