HPX171 and SGBade - Need expert advice

good questions id like to know more in depth tho.

i heard the sg35 pro was really good with hpx170 check it out on youtube.
it says its recommended to be supported by rails because its a long lens that needs support.
ive seen people use them on vimeo and you have to like calibrate them and focus the ground glass and all that but at the end of the day its way worth it.
 
I'm using the SG Blade on an HPX170 and it's great. Build quality is excellent, images with Nikon lenses are lovely. It's a bit of fiddling to setup but no big deal. Unfortunately the HPX viewfinder is low res, and the flip function (designed for lens adaptors) switches off all the on-screen displays so an external monitor is usually a must, same with any adaptor
 
the sgblade is probably the second most popular 35mm adapter. just behind the letus.
its been around and updated for years. a VERY good choice!

its no more difficult to use than any other adapter. but i personally find the whole adapter approach, kind of a pain in the ass and not really worth it UNLESS you absolutely NEED the cinematic DOF look.

reason i say this is that a lot of folks buy them because they think theyre supposed to... or just think its cool. - which it is!
but many new to the game also think its just a matter of slapping on the adapter and a lens and youre done - which it IS NOT!

no doubt, 35mm adapters are the BEST way to achieve the cinematic DOF with an hvx/hpx or similar camera - but if you do both shorts/feature as well as traditional ENG, industrials, run and gun work, etc. you will find yourself always setting up and breaking down and that means both time spent and opportunities for dust/moisture and gear lying around. and for my uses. it was usually more work than it was ultimately worth.

BUT if all or most of what you do is cinematic style work and can leave your setup rigged most of the time, your experience would be far easier...

what they mean by "other method" is lens support. like this:
http://www.shoot35.com/products/rodsupport/rodsupportmainframe.html
or this
http://www.cinevate.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=62

reason being is that the adapter screws on to the front of your camera, then a lens screws onto the front of the adapter. so youd be putting a lot of stress on the front of the camera.

so if you use really ANY brand of 35mm adapter youre going to ALSO need at very least:
a baseplate
rails
lens mount

and if your want to get full and proper use of the rig: a follow focus and matte box

all-in, with the rig mentioned above and 3 or 4 key lenses. and a monitor as brian mentioned above. you wont get even a basic 35mm adapter rig for less than about $3000-$4000.


 
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