Best DOF adapter + camera combination

N

nxlevel

Member
hey yall,

I've been browsing this forum for days now and i must say i love the information I've been getting, so i decided to join today. From the short time i've browsed, i must say i have learned a lot. many of u seem to know a lot about video production, which i'm happy about because that's what i need.

I have some experience in post production using FCP, Avid, AE and others, but ive been wanting to get into the shooting of music videos, short films, etc. for awhile now. I was searching for a camera to purchase awhile back and i came across the SGPro which i was amazed by cuz i could get DOF from a digital camera. i then found this site and realized there are a lot other makers of these kinds of product. i read a lot of post on them and i now feel i will be going for either the SGBlade or the Redrock M2 encore. but i still need yall help.

Could yall help me pick out a good combination of digital camera and DoF adapter, shotgun mic, stablelizers, jib, tripods, dollys, cpu, cpu equipments, lenses and the whole works.

What i was choosing between:

DOF Adapter - SGBlade or Redrock M2 Encore

Sony Camera - HDR-FX1, HVR-Z7u, HVR-Z5u or HVR- Z1u


Note: i'm all about quality, so i want a combination that gives the best out of those.
 
Only you can determine if a set of tools will build your house and meet your individual needs...

Unfortunately 20 different people will give you 20 different answers... Both of those DOF adapters are top of the line, and couldn't go wrong with either one.. Redrock is coming out with a brand new M3 version this summer which looks quite interesting with only a 1/4 stop of light loss. That is a game changer... I am holding off untill than. Also the new cinema cameras demonstrated at NAB will be out later this year. They appear to be game changers as well. You may want to do some more research into these cameras. I am holding out till than as well... The DSLR's are also the latest rage as well for producing 35 mm DOF video. This could be an option for you.

As I said before the game will be changing later this year with the new developments in affordable equipment for the Indie producer...
 
Best quality will be with an EX-1. Of those cameras the Z7 and Z5 are the newest technology and will be better. I like the Blade but haven't tried the Encore.

Re Encore 1/4 light loss - don't hold your breath. Every adapter that has lowered light loss so far has done it with a less diffusive screen with the accompanying qualities of a less pretty more videoish image and more ( not less) DOF. I doubt Redrock can change those optical principles but I could be wrong.

In a year when Sony supposedly comes out with a full 35mm frame video camera the came will be changer. Panny 4/3 camera will not have DOF as low as the adapters and the Canons so who knows how much of a game changer that will be. And who knows what Canon is doing.
 
I would use the Canon 5D with Letus Ultimate!
A good match if you look at the price. (-:
On the other hand if you look at the quality I would use the SGBlade with the EX1/EX3
 
Lenilenapi said:
Re Encore 1/4 light loss - don't hold your breath. Every adapter that has lowered light loss so far has done it with a less diffusive screen with the accompanying qualities of a less pretty more videoish image and more ( not less) DOF. I doubt Redrock can change those optical principles but I could be wrong.
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If you take a look at the M3 demo of the prototype on the NAB 2010 sites. Redrock says it is the increased size optics that make the 1/4 stop of loss possible. Its design is certainly a departure from there previous versions...
 
Kenny_G said:
I would use the Canon 5D with Letus Ultimate!
A good match if you look at the price. (-:
On the other hand if you look at the quality I would use the SGBlade with the EX1/EX3
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...Why? i hope this is a sarcastic post; the 5D and 5DMkII (this irritates me to no end; the 5D does NOT shoot video but everyone refers to the MkII as simply the 5D) are TOTALLY different, and ALREADY full frame 35mm cameras utilizing 35mm lenses, and thusly inherently already HAVE 35mm DOF control...

all the Letus does is let you use 35mm lenses on small-chip cameras. the redundancy of that statement is incredible.
 
Lucas Adamson said:
And why exactly would you use a Canon 5D with a 35mm adapter? Seems a tad naive to me.

Still, keep issuing that advice, eh. :grin:
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Guys, this was just a joke; don't get exited - you didn't see the smily( (-: )
The joke lies in the fact that they both cost more than 4000 us$

The SGBlade with EX1/EX3 is the combo to go for.
 
thanks for the info yall, i'll truly appreciate it.

I check out the ex1/ex3 earlier but they were really expensive thats why i decided to work with the ones i listed. But ive realized that many of the persons on this forum use a panosonic. could any of you tell me why this is so. Are they really good, quality wise? cuz i'm not a big panasonic fan when it comes to cameras and camcorders. I usually work with canon or sony. see i youtubed some stuff that were shot with a panasonic and they looked pretty good. So do yall think i should go with a panasonic over a sony, if so why.

Oh and my budget for a camera is between $2000-$3000 whether new or used.

I realize most of yall, or probly i should say all, think i should go with the sgblade. but recently I searched for videos on both the sgblade and the m2 encore and the encore's quality looks pretty good. I think they say it has a little less than 1/2 stop of light loss and based of my research the sgblade has more (around 1 or more stop). The m2e is brighter and the video looks pretty sharper also, compared to the previous one.

Check this video out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJbhWa0y2Pc

This looks pretty good also http://vimeo.com/4203443

but see i have never owned any of these adapters so i cant speak on which is better, thats why i'm consulting you guys. but i must say at first i was more leaning towards the blade but from the videos i watched the m2e seems like it would be a good choice.

So here my question: have any of you actually use both the sgblade and the m2encore?

Cuz i feel the persons who have should be the only ones who can really say which is better.


let me know what yall think.
 
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nxlevel said:
I think they say it has a little less than 1/2 stop of light loss and based of my research the sgblade has more (around 1 or more stop). The m2e is brighter and the video looks pretty sharper also, compared to the previous one.
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No adapter has just 1/2 stops of light loss. It's entirely a marketing gimmick. Sure, an adapter *might* lose 1/2 stops just by itself (although I'm not even sure how you would measure), but the zoom lens on the camera loses some more light and the SLR lenses itself will cost you some more. So when all is said and done you're guarantee light loss of at least 1.5 stops, usually more because shooting wide open on SLR lenses introduces all kinds of nasty artifacts.
 
Tommy K said:
Redrock says it is the increased size optics that make the 1/4 stop of loss possible.
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Well that might be a promising idea, I remain skeptical just because I've heard so much BS about light loss in these adapters, but perhaps that will help. I have often wondered whether bigger optics would improve IQ.


Re: light loss in general - I agree with Huy that any claim you rerad about light loss in an adapter needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The first Redrock M2 I bought was claimed to lose 1/2 stop but in reality it was 2 1/2 stops!

That said my tests have shown that I can lose less than Huy does - I've gotten down to about 1/2- 2/3 stop but that's with a 1.4 lens that I don't really want to use at f1.4 because its a little soft so then Huy might turn out to be right in a practical world.

As an example of how weird it can be - I have a Letus Ex and a Blade. My Blade RR2 is supposed to be slower than my RR1 screen but in fact mine is faster and faster than my Letus by 1/3 stop. Why? beats me. Also sometimes a fast adapter screen will be faster with a 2.8 lens but not with 1.4 lens - the optics of adapters are weird.

Re Encore vs Blade. there is one guy on this forum who had both and preferred the Blade - that's the only direct comparison I've seen. Search around for it - another guy had an early version of the Blade that he dissed here and loved the Encore, but I think his was an older poor achromat.

Lenny Levy
 
Really I would wait for the scarlet or I would just get a HVX or HPX and the red-rock used from someone. I know someone who got a whole package used for $5000, with tripod, monitor, and a bunch of lenses. Great deal. Everyone is selling their stuff because of the DSLR craze. Regardless, HVX on B-press with a redrock is still my favorite indie look. High quality lenses are really where you going to get your high quality look.
 
Jimmy Moss said:
Really I would wait for the scarlet or I would just get a HVX or HPX and the red-rock used from someone. I know someone who got a whole package used for $5000, with tripod, monitor, and a bunch of lenses. Great deal. Everyone is selling their stuff because of the DSLR craze. Regardless, HVX on B-press with a redrock is still my favorite indie look. High quality lenses are really where you going to get your high quality look.
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What's a scarlet?

Send me some more info on the items for sale and pics also. Thanks
 
nxlevel said:
What's a scarlet?

Send me some more info on the items for sale and pics also. Thanks
Click to expand...

at this point, vaporware, and unlikely to hit the market given sony and panasonic are both shooting for micro 4/3's cams, sony is about to debut an HDSLR and nikon is poised to release its second gen HDSLRs, not to mention Canon and Panasonic already kicking considerable derrier with their respective HDSLR's. red waited a little too long i think; everyone thinking scarlet has likely gone cam/35mm adapter or HDSLR route already, and the competition during 2011 should be VERY cutthroat.
 
Because people spend the entire play waiting for Godot and he never shows up. And no, he's referring to the Scarlet.
 
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