How steep is the learnng curve?

B

Bobonli

Well-known member
I'm trying to educate myself before deciding to take the plunge on an adapter system. On another website, I was a reading a thread where people were complaining about set-up times, the hassle of focusing and how one should expect "most shots to be out of focus." Needless to say, it's a bit off-putting.

What is the learning curve? How long does it take to set up a system and start shooting? Should I expect my footage to look awful? (BTW I can make awful footage without an adapter!)

I'm tech-inclined and understand DOF, having come from still photography. But I don't want to invest in something that's a major PIA to set up and use.

Can you shoot without a follow focus, by focusing the lens directly on the barrel?

How involved is it to change lenses? Again, on the other site someone said it wasn't worth the bother and he rarely uses his adapter.

And finally, can I shoot without a field monitor as I acquire parts or is it an essential item to have from the start?

Thanks so much
 
Its a slippery slope. Basic set-up will do fine, as long as you are not shooting anything too ambitious.

If you plan to shoot other peoples work, get paid, or even take on larger projects of your own... there is a whole load of stuff you find yourself wanting.

After i bought the M2, i spend thousands more getting sturdier tripods, monitor- and power solutions for it, follow focus, monitor arm, decent prime lenses, all out of near necessity. its a big upgrade, and my hvx200 M2 adapter setup is now insured for over £12,000... whatever that is in $$$....

Its not depressing.. just a slow mutation: there always seems to be more... to get, and as long as you can stop yourself and keep focused on what you actually need it for, its up to you. My adapter has got my work so much recognition from visiting directors and producers at my film school, so for me it was well worth it. It really makes your work pop.
 
At the end of the day its how much your committed to your work. I have had Dp's say "can we just take it off?" at the beginning of the shoot, all used to fixed lenses. lens changes are an integral part of filmmaking, and the setup time gets better, the more you practice.

check to see if your camera can flip the image: most adapters you use will produce an upside-down image, and thats exactly what you see in the on camera displays! doable with only still shots, but as soon as the shot moves you feel sea sick.
 
If you have a photography background it will be nothing for you to jump in the adapter game. I learned everything about my adapter (letus extreme) right here. I didn't know what an f-stop was, didn't understand depth of field or focal length, I didn't know ANYTHING about lenses or when to apply different ones. I know though because of this site.

The set up is easy. Shooting with adapters is not hard once you get the hang of it. But the cost is what can get you. I thought 1500 is nothing, then I started researchin more and now I'm up over 5 grand and I don't even have close to everything I want but I have enough to produce some good images.

Just buy the best of everything you can afford and you will figure it out. If I can do it, anyone can.
 
Thanks for the words of advice.

How important is having extra light? Most of my stuff is natural light, either outdoors or inside in very well lit rooms. Am I suddenly going to need a lightng kit?
 
use a fast-ish lens and that will be fine... f/1.4 - f/2 ish will be fine in a very well lit room. i dont use lights 90% of the time, (i cant afford them most of the time) just a reflector... the more light the better though, outdoors looks awesome with my set-up.
 
Just having fast lenses doesn't do the trick because the DOF is often too shallow at f1.4 to keep a moving person in focus (unless you have a very good 1st AC). If you shoot outside in daylight, you should be fine... Depending on the camera and adapter you use, you might need additional lights for shooting indoors...
 
So, as a practical matter, are the adapters manageable by one person? I see alot of posts mentioning an AC to focus, yet another thread in this forum features someone who operates the camera by herself, without an AC.

It's going to be me and just me operating the camera and I need to understand what I'm (maybe) getting myself into.

Thanks for helping

cordvision said:
Just having fast lenses doesn't do the trick because the DOF is often too shallow at f1.4 to keep a moving person in focus (unless you have a very good 1st AC).
Click to expand...
 
I have done lots of shoots being the only person on camera. Still shots are 100% fine, if the actors have lots of movement use marks and put corresponding tape on the lens barrel. i shot a documentary on a nikon zoom being the only one on camera, and i did buzz a few times in action, but interviews were perfect and all the footage looked really good, as does the final thing. But hand held/shoulder mounted is a no go really, just keep your shots less busy and you should manage, if you need to.
 
TobyAshenheim said:
I have done lots of shoots being the only person on camera. Still shots are 100% fine, if the actors have lots of movement use marks and put corresponding tape on the lens barrel. i shot a documentary on a nikon zoom being the only one on camera, and i did buzz a few times in action, but interviews were perfect and all the footage looked really good, as does the final thing. But hand held/shoulder mounted is a no go really, just keep your shots less busy and you should manage, if you need to.
Click to expand...

I would generally agree. It really depends on the amount of movement that is involved and on the amount of light you have. Very important is that you put enough money away to get yourself a good monitor. Focusing on the LCD is only practical if there is no movement in the shot, for everything else, a second monitor with better resolution becomes a must. I don't think it is hard to shoot with an adapter if you have the right equipment, it just slows down everything a bit....

Besides the adapter you might need:
Lenses
Rails
High Rez Monitor + Mounting option
Follow Focus
Tripod that can handle the weight of your set-up
Follow Focus (+lens gears)
Matte Box
Filters
Shoulder mount for handheld
(Maybe more lights)

Did I miss anything?
 
Thanks. The more I read and learn (including your post) it seems that the monitor is a practical requirement. And that makes sense: to try to focus $2k worth of optical train on a tiny LCD is silly.

I've asked before but I don't think anyone answered: Can you make-do without follow focus if there's not a lot of movement? I understand that it makes it easier by not having to grab for the lens. However, is it a major PIA not to have one when just starting out?

Got plenty of lenses, and that's what got me thinking about this in the first place!

cordvision said:
I would generally agree. It really depends on the amount of movement that is involved and on the amount of light you have. Very important is that you put enough money away to get yourself a good monitor. Focusing on the LCD is only practical if there is no movement in the shot, for everything else, a second monitor with better resolution becomes a must. I don't think it is hard to shoot with an adapter if you have the right equipment, it just slows down everything a bit....

Besides the adapter you might need:
Lenses
Rails
High Rez Monitor + Mounting option
Follow Focus
Tripod that can handle the weight of your set-up
Follow Focus (+lens gears)
Matte Box
Filters
Shoulder mount for handheld
(Maybe more lights)

Did I miss anything?
Click to expand...
 
Phillip Bloom has stated that he made due without a follow focus for quite a while. But the type of stuff he shoots may be very different that your needs.

We're purchasing an EX3 and Letus Ultimate and choosing to not purchase a portable monitor. I've read on this forum that the EX3 is one of the few cameras that has such a good viewfinder that you can get by without a portable monitor. (crossing my fingers)
 
You can certainly do without an FF ... many folks do. I'd say it depends more on what your line of work is. If you're shooting professionaly with a crew, your focus puller will pretty much demand an FF, however, if you're a one-man outfit and do a fair bit of static work, then you'd be fine without. Film students from our local college don't use any FF units in their program, although that's about to change as we recently "pimped" their Bolex 16mm with our Proteus rods, Durus Follow focus and mattebox. Previously they just marked the lens with tape and the focus puller got in there and cranked.

Once you do start using one though, you'll never leave home without it. Using an adapter pretty much forces you into a more professional workflow where nothing is set to auto, and everything is planned and set manually. That said, I was recently apprised of a shooter (for money!) that didn't know he was supposed to turn the video camera autofocus off and was happily shooting this way, including zooming in the video camera instead of the 35mm lens :-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top