Extreme Shipping!
- Thread starter augenblick
- Start date
DavidChia
Well-known member
I checked it out. The Review was done with the commercial Letus extreme. The pictures on his site shows the Letus Logo infront and the RED LED gone to the back. So I really hope it is the the lens that he is using that is causing the flare and glow...
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
The 411 on the Letus Extreme
The 411 on the Letus Extreme
So I've spent the better part of this morning testing out the updated Letus, and I am even more impressed then I was before. Everyone who has had to wait for their Letus- let me tell you it will have been worth the wait! You are getting a unit that is about on the same level as the P&S Technic. (I would say that they have passed the P&S Technic, but I am waiting on the PL mount so that I can see them side by side and compare apples to apples.)
Anyway if you would like to download all of the full res test stills as well as the sample video you can get all of them here for your own evaluation and review:
http://www.235studios.com/LetusExtremeShip.zip (18MB)
What you will be getting with this updated adapter:
-Light loss: 1/2 Stop (Down just over 1/6 of a stop)
Having a wave form monitor at my disposal, I was able to more accurately gage the light loss. While you can gage the light loss using a light meter (Which is what I did before) the results are less accurate.
For this test what I did was to set up a white card and expose it so that the wave form was a straight line at 50 IRE with the HVX bare of any adapter. I then attached the adapter without and lens. I then attached the adapter and saw that the line had droped below 50IRE. VERY, VERY, VERY, slowly and carefully I used the iris on the HVX to open the exposure until it was back at 50 IRE. The HVX will let you adjust in 1/6 increments before the number on the display changes. So I had to open up 3 clicks, or 3 x 1/6 = 1/2.
I repeated the same test for the previous version that I have and it comes in at somewhere between 4/6 and 5/6. (4/6 was too low, and 5/6 was to high on the waveform)
-Back Focus: Is Spot On
This is not really a change- but I did double check to see that the current model is correct. Using the rail support (which is where you attach your tape measure), I could accurately measure out the distances from the film plane.
**Note: I did notice a difference between my Nikon Lens and the Zeiss Lens. However I think this is due to the quality of the lens. The Zeiss lens has its numbers spaced out more evenly (for an SLR lens) then the Nikon does, so at 2' 10" the nikon felt a little more off then the Zeiss did. Measure out your focus marks is important, but it is more difficult to do on an SLR that wasn't deigned for this kind of application. This will be more useful when using a cinema lens. But it is good to know that the back focus was correct.
-Resolution / Sharpness: Increased
The edge to edge sharpness was increased, and overall everything appears sharper. A lot of the sharpness of your image will depend on the quality of lens that you use. The higher the quality, the sharper your images will be. (You'll get what you pay for.)
THE OLD LETUS EXTREME- HVX is at 2.8, Zeiss 50mm Lens is at 5.6:
THE NEW LETUS EXTREME - HVX is at 2.8 Zeiss 50mm Lens is at 5.6
THE NEW LETUS EXTREME - HVX is at 2.8 Nikon 50mm Lens is at 5.6
-Bokeh
Having read various back and forth thoughts on this subject, I thought that I would put up some sample images as well as a sample video. The video file is in the Zip file if you downloaded it. Otherwise it is here:
RIGHT CLICK - SAVE AS - PLEASE
http://www.235studios.com/LetusExtreme-BokehTest-REW.mov
Below you can also see a sample still of another bokeh test. Bokeh is an interesting thing- from the appearance of the bokeh from my tests I am very happy / pleased with it. I think that the lens you are using on the adapter has a bigger impact on the bokeh then the actual adapter does. So I'm not intirely convinced that any adapter plays a huge part in creating the look of the bokeh. When I am looking at Bokeh, I am looking for smooth corners, something that resembles a circle as much as possible- as that is a more natural shape to the eye, and it looks like what I see when I observe out of focus lights in every day life. Beyond that as long as it looks good to me, I'm happy. And I think that the Letus Extreme delivers. I like how the bokeh apprears on this adapter- and again, the quality of the lens seems to have a biiger part in this then the actual adapter does.
One last thought on Bokeh- while I may favor circular Bokeh, it all has to be kept in perspective. We are telling stories after all, and if someone is stoping your film and freeze framing it to complain about the bokeh, then you've lost them WAY before that point. If you have a good story it will keep the viewer interested, and they will not even notice if you have octogon shaped bokeh. Sometimes I wonder if we get to caught up in the tech side of things, when we should be worring more about the story side of the equasion.... anyway I digress- here is the still:
Comparison Bokeh:
Stills from the video:
Hope this has been helpful to you. Now get out there a shoot!
The 411 on the Letus Extreme
So I've spent the better part of this morning testing out the updated Letus, and I am even more impressed then I was before. Everyone who has had to wait for their Letus- let me tell you it will have been worth the wait! You are getting a unit that is about on the same level as the P&S Technic. (I would say that they have passed the P&S Technic, but I am waiting on the PL mount so that I can see them side by side and compare apples to apples.)
Anyway if you would like to download all of the full res test stills as well as the sample video you can get all of them here for your own evaluation and review:
http://www.235studios.com/LetusExtremeShip.zip (18MB)
What you will be getting with this updated adapter:
-Light loss: 1/2 Stop (Down just over 1/6 of a stop)
Having a wave form monitor at my disposal, I was able to more accurately gage the light loss. While you can gage the light loss using a light meter (Which is what I did before) the results are less accurate.
For this test what I did was to set up a white card and expose it so that the wave form was a straight line at 50 IRE with the HVX bare of any adapter. I then attached the adapter without and lens. I then attached the adapter and saw that the line had droped below 50IRE. VERY, VERY, VERY, slowly and carefully I used the iris on the HVX to open the exposure until it was back at 50 IRE. The HVX will let you adjust in 1/6 increments before the number on the display changes. So I had to open up 3 clicks, or 3 x 1/6 = 1/2.
I repeated the same test for the previous version that I have and it comes in at somewhere between 4/6 and 5/6. (4/6 was too low, and 5/6 was to high on the waveform)
-Back Focus: Is Spot On
This is not really a change- but I did double check to see that the current model is correct. Using the rail support (which is where you attach your tape measure), I could accurately measure out the distances from the film plane.
**Note: I did notice a difference between my Nikon Lens and the Zeiss Lens. However I think this is due to the quality of the lens. The Zeiss lens has its numbers spaced out more evenly (for an SLR lens) then the Nikon does, so at 2' 10" the nikon felt a little more off then the Zeiss did. Measure out your focus marks is important, but it is more difficult to do on an SLR that wasn't deigned for this kind of application. This will be more useful when using a cinema lens. But it is good to know that the back focus was correct.
-Resolution / Sharpness: Increased
The edge to edge sharpness was increased, and overall everything appears sharper. A lot of the sharpness of your image will depend on the quality of lens that you use. The higher the quality, the sharper your images will be. (You'll get what you pay for.)
THE OLD LETUS EXTREME- HVX is at 2.8, Zeiss 50mm Lens is at 5.6:
THE NEW LETUS EXTREME - HVX is at 2.8 Zeiss 50mm Lens is at 5.6
THE NEW LETUS EXTREME - HVX is at 2.8 Nikon 50mm Lens is at 5.6
-Bokeh
Having read various back and forth thoughts on this subject, I thought that I would put up some sample images as well as a sample video. The video file is in the Zip file if you downloaded it. Otherwise it is here:
RIGHT CLICK - SAVE AS - PLEASE
http://www.235studios.com/LetusExtreme-BokehTest-REW.mov
Below you can also see a sample still of another bokeh test. Bokeh is an interesting thing- from the appearance of the bokeh from my tests I am very happy / pleased with it. I think that the lens you are using on the adapter has a bigger impact on the bokeh then the actual adapter does. So I'm not intirely convinced that any adapter plays a huge part in creating the look of the bokeh. When I am looking at Bokeh, I am looking for smooth corners, something that resembles a circle as much as possible- as that is a more natural shape to the eye, and it looks like what I see when I observe out of focus lights in every day life. Beyond that as long as it looks good to me, I'm happy. And I think that the Letus Extreme delivers. I like how the bokeh apprears on this adapter- and again, the quality of the lens seems to have a biiger part in this then the actual adapter does.
One last thought on Bokeh- while I may favor circular Bokeh, it all has to be kept in perspective. We are telling stories after all, and if someone is stoping your film and freeze framing it to complain about the bokeh, then you've lost them WAY before that point. If you have a good story it will keep the viewer interested, and they will not even notice if you have octogon shaped bokeh. Sometimes I wonder if we get to caught up in the tech side of things, when we should be worring more about the story side of the equasion.... anyway I digress- here is the still:
Comparison Bokeh:
Stills from the video:
Hope this has been helpful to you. Now get out there a shoot!
that zeiss lens is really warm.
Cool info.
Cool info.
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Yeah- I was switching back and forth between the Nikon and the Zeiss so much that i forgot to rewhite balance each time. So I think that would have brought it back in line with the temp of the Nikon (Which I had white balanced for.).
DavidChia
Well-known member
How about the Bokeh that handles the light buld. I like to see the light bulb blured and the figure in focus. The glow seems to come from the blurred background not the focus subject in the review from http://cinematography.com/forum2004/index.php?showtopic=26750
like a night scene where the actor is in focus and the distance lights are in the background.
like a night scene where the actor is in focus and the distance lights are in the background.
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augenblick
Well-known member
HEUREKA
My two Extremes (Order #241) are shipping. Just got the e-mail. Yesssss!
Peter
My two Extremes (Order #241) are shipping. Just got the e-mail. Yesssss!
Peter
Chenopup
Well-known member
I think we're getting a bit too antsy and critical at this point - I'm sure the footage is coming but more and more I realize that you're not going to sell me 100% on still images - was watching Transformers last night (live action) and there was a shot with a couple of cars where the bokeh appeared very close to what Tim had posted - I'm going to try to grab some screen shots today - What I would like to see is some movement to the images not just screen grabs, but then again, let's give everyone getting these in the next few days some time to get us some more footage.
Patience, people...
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
I did provide a link to the footage that has the stills frames in it, and the quicktime file is in the zip file that i linked to as well. Hopefully that will be more helpful to you.
Anyway, until I see all of the adapters side by side using the same lens and same scene, I still think that the lens has a bigger impack on the bokeh then the adapter. (Although I could be wrong, as it has happened before....)
I just want to thanks to Ryan for supplying this detailed review. I was supposed to get my Extreme today (FedEx kinda screwed up) so I look forward to giving it a run through too.
Thanks again Ryan. I know how hard it is to find the time to do this kind of review and we want you to know it's much appreciated.
Todd
Thanks again Ryan. I know how hard it is to find the time to do this kind of review and we want you to know it's much appreciated.
Todd
Chenopup
Well-known member
"I did provide a link to the footage that has the stills frames in it, and the quicktime file is in the zip file that i linked to as well. Hopefully that will be more helpful to you."
Sorry, Ryan - I wasn't referring to your footage - yours looked really, really good - thanks for that link and the stills - I was referring to Tim Tyler's initial post that has a few panicking about the bokeh with light highlights - One image just isn't going to show everything the adapter is capable of, hence your suggestion that a good lens makes all the difference.
-cheno
Sorry, Ryan - I wasn't referring to your footage - yours looked really, really good - thanks for that link and the stills - I was referring to Tim Tyler's initial post that has a few panicking about the bokeh with light highlights - One image just isn't going to show everything the adapter is capable of, hence your suggestion that a good lens makes all the difference.
-cheno
Ducatimark
Well-known member
Order 233 shipped
Order 233 shipped
Rec'd me email for order 233. FedEx says it should be here by next Friday. Just in time for the weekend!
I'm just about eight months into my new business of shooting webmercials and providing video and presentation content typically for manufacturers. I've also got two DVD projects that I have started that are both educational series. I look forward to using the Letus on those.
Not living in the hotbed of moviemaking, it would be nearly impossible to start a business like mine without having originially been in broadcasting or worked for another vendor. I left the corporate world to pursue something I was passionate about and have put my money (okay, credit cards) where my heart is.
I have never seen any industry where so many individuals across the world are so willing to share information and help those like myself that otherwise would probably fail for lack of good help. My introduction to this was meeting Barry Green at GVExpo in DC last year where he convinced me that going P2 and the HVX was the way to go. Not with a sales pitch, but with an honest willingness to share his knowledge, just as he does here everyday on this site.
Sincere thanks to all you professionals that watch this board and answer all the crazy questions us new guys throw at you. I hope that I will be able to do the same as my experience grows.
Mark G
www.newmediadevcorp.com
Order 233 shipped
Rec'd me email for order 233. FedEx says it should be here by next Friday. Just in time for the weekend!
I'm just about eight months into my new business of shooting webmercials and providing video and presentation content typically for manufacturers. I've also got two DVD projects that I have started that are both educational series. I look forward to using the Letus on those.
Not living in the hotbed of moviemaking, it would be nearly impossible to start a business like mine without having originially been in broadcasting or worked for another vendor. I left the corporate world to pursue something I was passionate about and have put my money (okay, credit cards) where my heart is.
I have never seen any industry where so many individuals across the world are so willing to share information and help those like myself that otherwise would probably fail for lack of good help. My introduction to this was meeting Barry Green at GVExpo in DC last year where he convinced me that going P2 and the HVX was the way to go. Not with a sales pitch, but with an honest willingness to share his knowledge, just as he does here everyday on this site.
Sincere thanks to all you professionals that watch this board and answer all the crazy questions us new guys throw at you. I hope that I will be able to do the same as my experience grows.
Mark G
www.newmediadevcorp.com
DavidChia
Well-known member
I really hope that a good lens will make the difference.
I hope that that the Nikon that I use with my BREVIS , Go35pro, wdr35pro that shows no sighs of flare in the brokeh will not have flare when it is hook up with the Extreme . Because I can't go and change my whole set of lenses to zeiss lenes so that there won't be flare . If that is the case, the Extreme is really extremely expensive to maintain.
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
DavidChia
Well-known member
What I meant was that I used to have some of those adapters mentioned and the lens that I was using with them doesn't show ghosting and flare. And If the same lens that I will be using on the letus extreme is going to give me ghosting and flare, do you thik it is because the lens I'm using is lousy ? and that I have to get a zeiss Lens so that ghosting and flare doesn't show up.
What about the still shot of the Letus Economy? It is also showing some king of ghosting and flare. Am I the only one here that is finding this an issue?
Both of the stills of the Extreme and economy shows some kind of ghosting and flare. And they are not pre version. They are both commercial units.
So I'm really hoping to wait for those of you that have recieved the extreme or even those who have been shooting with the economy for the last few weeks to show more stills or even shorts of how the G.G performes with night time footage where there is light in the background.
I belive that a good lens do make a difference, But how many of us can afford a Cooke lens ?
Just for your info Tim also did another set of still that were done in the day, The shoots were intentionally over-exposed , but he has a Tru-Pol polarizer in the matte box , mainly to cut down the light since he didn't have any ND's handy. He also reset all the HVX scene parameters to "0" with the gamma to "norm" and matrix to "norm". (The shots from yesterday were Cinelike V / Cinelike.)
http://timtyler.net/extreme-test-2.zip
And of couse, our one and only disjecta just recently also posted a short clip of his commercial Letus extreme which also shows sign of ghosting and flare. See the thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=113983
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Yes.
I may be wrong, but bokeh is affected more-so by your lens than it is the adapter. I'm pretty sure as the adapters get better, they expose the flaws of using SLR lenses on these cameras more-so than before.
That's my theory.