35mm and DVX question?

B

bfsound

Well-known member
So i have a question about 35mm adapters and lenses and using them with a camera like the DVX?

So whats the deal with 35mm, what does it provide to the actual quality of the image, what are the benefits? Does it an adapter just allow you to connect 35mm lenses to the camera?

I have some nice 35 mm lenses and id like to try them with my DVX. What a good adapter to look at?

Thanks
 
Seeing as how you just got your first DVX, I'd suggest that you not even worry about 35mm adapters for quite some time. Get used to what the DVX can (and cannot) do on its own. There are even some creative ways to mock some of what the adapter can do, simply with the naked DVX lens and some creative thinking.

35mm adapters are fun gadgets, and can yield some amazing results, but the vast majority of footage I see shot with them are from folks who don't understand the applications of their benefits.

Many folks mistakenly label them as "DOF adapters." Yes, the use of these adapters with 35mm lenses allows the user to more easily obtain shallow depth of field, and can shoot more shallow than the DVX (where the subject is in sharp focus and the background is blurred). But shallow DOF is to be used sparingly and intentionally. I see too many examples where a shooter gets a 35mm adapter and then shoots 80-90% of their footage with shallow DOF. This technique is intended to pull the subject out of the background, giving an more intimate feel for the audience in cases like a passionate conversation. Watch a few movies this week - major releases - and see just how often the background is blurred, and just how much it is blurred. A little soft is more common, but blurred with bokeh (where background elements are blurred to the point where they turn into little orbs) is used only sparingly.

What 35mm adapters really do, other than offering shallow DOF, is to offer interchangeable lenses (thus a wider selection of focal lengths). They also add some (mostly sought-after) artifacts to the image from the ground glass, which can give a texture to the image that's closer to film emulsion (vibrating or spinning ground glass is much better than static). The image from the 35mm lens is projected onto the ground glass, and the DVX is macro-focused on the ground glass to record that image.

There are challenges to using these adapters. First, because the lens inverts the image, the camera sees an upside-down image on the ground glass. This means that you'd need an external LCD monitor with a "flip" feature that corrects the image. Otherwise, you'll have to thing backwards when you shoot and that's just not fun. Also, a diopter (lens) is required between the camera and the adapter to assist in focusing on the ground glass, and the camera must be focused precariously on the ground glass. This is easily knocked out of focus if you aren't careful around the focus ring during production. Sound is the other concern, as vibrating/spinning ground glass can be noisy and will certainly be heard by on-camera mic (one more reason to get a better mic and get it off the camera).

Cost is the other factor. You don't just buy and adapter and some lenses. With the adapter, you need to have a rail support system, either an external monitor or a flip module, a matte box, and a follow focus. So now you've added another couple thousand to the money you'd spend on the adapter itself.

Again, don't worry about these things for the time being. Get used to the camera. Take what money you thought you'd spend on an adapter and invest in some better sound equipment and a good tripod with fluid head, maybe some basic lens filters as well. Those will serve you much better and more often than the 35mm adapter.
 
I appreciate the post, i wasnt really looking at why i should not get one... After looking at how much they cost trust me i do not plan on getting one anytime soon!!! I was just curious.

Thanks again
 
bfsound said:
Gotcha, thanks alex!
Click to expand...

You're welcome. I know you weren't really looking for that much information, but it is information that is too often ignored.

There are some low-cost ($300-500) solutions out there (Jag35, or even a DIY design that really costs about the same as a Jag35 and is pretty much the same thing). But again, after adding all the other support you need, you're at or over $2000.

Plus all that other stuff I said. :beer:
 
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