Cinevate Brevis EX1 Fix

thefilmaddict

thefilmaddict

Veteran
I updated my Cinevate Brevis System. I also purchased the EX1 fix. I went out and shot some footage today...

http://morrisbrothersfilms.com/vivitarbrevis.html

The first shot is with a 50mm Nikon (F1.4). All of the other shots used a Vivitar 100mm F2.8 Macro lens. It's grainy when I close it down, so I leave it at F2.8. In macro, the depth of field is extremely limited. You can get some very interesting close shots.

I am getting slight black edges on the left and right sides of the image. It does not show up on a HD TV, but you can see it in a web file. Cinevate says not to zoom in past 72 (EX1 stock lens). That's where I was at. Is there a way to get rid of the edges? As advised by Cinevate, The EX1 was always between F4-F8.
 
The macro shots you posted are really nice! Really clean! To my knowledge CFX isn't supposed to be stopped down much so I think the grain you're getting is normal. But any zoom problems you're having I'd get in contact with Dennis himself because I don't think the shooting guidelines posted on the site are absolutes, unfortunately each camera is slightly different.
 
Wow.. that looks great. The shots of the bees on the flowers look great. How far from the flowers were you when you shot those macro shots?
 
Thanks, guys!

I e-mailed Dennis a link to my test footage and a few questions, but he never got back to me. I am sure he will. He's been great in the past. I am sure he is just busy.

I was less than a foot away in most of those shots (sometimes just a few inches away).

I am trying to think of more subjects that would look cool with a macro lens. I've been trying to find an old manual typewriter to shoot. I bet that would look interesting.
 
Sorry about that...I didn't get the email so I suspect it's been flagged and spam bin'd. In any case, go ahead and zoom in some more if you like to clear the edges. The edges will still be great at Z78. If you're seeing the edges this means you're framing at least 10% wider then a 36mm SLR film frame. In other words, you can zoom in some more and still maintain the identical (or a bit wider) field of view that the lens was designed for.

On the grain issue, it's a really good idea to adjust your MP.1 oscillation rate as high as possible. Rig it up, frame up a high detail scene, set shutter at 1/48s and increase oscillation speed as high as you can go. Use our oscillation video tuning guide which hopefully you have access to from our site. Once you set it, the microprocessor will keep the movement completely precise. One of the big reasons we did the whole processor board, chip and firmware was to allow you tune like this on the fly, with a completely rigged camera. It also ensures that the movement is a near perfect circular oscillation....which reduces grain while keeping the image sharp. We've had overwhelming response to the MP.1 update program which is good...cuz it takes the REV2 units like yours out there, up to where we want them.

Your 50mm lens was set at I'm guessing f4 to f5.6 or so? This is why the bokeh on the watch shots look as good as they do. With CFXL, running your 35mm lens wide open will give you shallower DOF yet, and completely eliminate any grain. It has a more linear light loss curve than CF1Le meaning f2.8 provides a nice bokeh rendition while limiting total system loss under 1 stop to your EX1. CFXL is something very special..but few are aware of it just yet :-) It was a long time coming (sorry folks) but the results warrant the effort expended, and justifies our patent applicaton for it.

Your footage reminds of me of why we do this...simply gorgeous, and completely inspiring. Give us a call tomorrow if you can (assuming email is fubar'd) or pmail me your number here and I'll call you. I'd love to host an HD version of this clip in our demo section. Made my night.

Cheers,
Dennis.
 
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Dennis,

Thanks for the helpful info. You guys can post the footage on your site. I am getting a new lens sometime this week and I will shoot some more footage using your new tips. You may want to wait for that footage. Keep up the good work! Sorry about my late response. I've been really busy at work.

Jason
 
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