HVX200+Letus Handheld?

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I'm looking to build a reasonably priced rig using an HVX200 and a Letus35 Elite adaptor (with some cheap prime Nikon lenses).

We want to do some handheld stuff--nothing too complex, but I want to get smooth shots out of it. Probably the most "difficult" movement would be following a moving subject walking down the road or along the beach.

I've looked at Zacuto's stuff a bit--they have some awesome shoulder mount rigs for the HVX+Letus, but it gets pretty pricey. For anyone using Zacuto products: If I bought the basic ZGrips, shoulder mount, battery pack, base plate + rails from them (something like this) would it be fairly easy to mount an external monitor/follow focus/matte box that I could buy elsewhere for cheaper?

Alternately, are there any more budget friendly options that'll give me the ability to do reasonably smooth handheld shots with this setup?
 
zacuto's stuff is compatible with just about all 15mm pro gear. i have pretty much exactly the zacuto rig you mention and it accommodates my indifocus rig, my ikan monitor, various matteboxes, as well as my bebob lens control devices.

but going handheld with a 35mm setup introduces a number of different variables... i see a dolly in you future.
 
And possibly a wireless follow focus. Adaptors are a slippery slope. Once you get started buying, its hard to draw the line and stop.


Jason
 
We're thinking about building our own dolly--I actually didn't realize that there were wireless follow focus units (I'm really really new to this, trying to learn as much as fast as I can). Are there any follow focus units that put the control near the camera operators hands if they're using grips (like the Zgrips)?

I know with an adaptor the focus needs to be constantly watched and adjusted--seems like with a rig like the Zacuto one above, it would be somewhat tough to do that with the follow focus in the traditional position. Of course, I haven't used a setup like that yet, so I could be wrong.

Anyway, thanks for the responses. I'm definitely feeling myself slipping down the slope--thankfully, a limited budget will keep me from going too far. I'm just trying to figure out where the money would be best spent.
 
Can anyone give me a rough idea of what I should expect to spend if I want to build a full handheld rig using the HVX and the Letus? All I currently have is the camera and adaptor, so I'll need everything else (rods, shoulder mount, follow focus, matte box, monitor, possibly hand grips, etc.)

If this is completely outside my budget, I don't want to waste time trying to find a way to make it affordable. So if you have experience putting together a rig like this on a small budget, what should I expect to spend?
 
For the price, the indifocus system is pretty good. Pretty much everything you just mentioned is available there.

As far as a monitor, the manhattan lcd's are the cheapest (price-wise) hd monitors that I know of.

I'm using this stuff with my HPX/LEX setup and it works fine. Only thing is that the matte box could be a little better quality.
 
youre also going to NEED a decent HD-friendly external monitor and unless you have the letus+flip, you'll need something to flip the image for framing.

my kit consists of the following:
original brevis $1000
brevis to rails mount $125
ikan v8000hd $650
zacuto rails shoulder pad and grips (and various monitor arms and required adapters) - $3000
indifocus follow focus - $450
4 nikon lenses $1200
mattebox+filters (i rent as needed)

you can pay more or less for each individial item. but i think overall what i paid for my kit (which is still considered pretty basic) is pretty much the average.
 
the biggest question in my mind - as you appear to be a new shooter. why do you think you NEED to use an adapter? a lot of people, especially newbies, think thats whats going to give them the "pro" look. that can be true. but as often as not, its just one more variable to screw up.

with that said, going handheld with an adapter can be a BIG challenge depending on how creative you plan to get with your focus behavior. and for someone with not a lot of experience it WILL be a LOT to get your head - and your hands around...

i cant think of ANY manual follow focus system that would be easy to use for a single operator on a traditional handheld/shoulder mount system. sure, you CAN do it. but to do it well, you'd need to rig your kit to have a single very well center-balanced handle in order to free your other hand to operate the follow focus. the biggest roadblock to the single grip approach really will be balance. as youre going to have an external monitor on your rig. so, much like a steadicam, youre going to have to precisely balance your entire rig in order to keep it anywhere near ergonomically realistic...

the cheapest and esiest option would be to get the longest whip available for your follow focus and employ a "focus puller" (someone to operate the unit)

another option is to get a wireless remote folow focus unit - but there arent but a couple of them out there to my knowledge and they are quite pricey!
 
wgzn said:
youre also going to NEED a decent HD-friendly external monitor and unless you have the letus+flip, you'll need something to flip the image for framing.

my kit consists of the following:
original brevis $1000
brevis to rails mount $125
ikan v8000hd $650
zacuto rails shoulder pad and grips (and various monitor arms and required adapters) - $3000
indifocus follow focus - $450
4 nikon lenses $1200
mattebox+filters (i rent as needed)

you can pay more or less for each individial item. but i think overall what i paid for my kit (which is still considered pretty basic) is pretty much the average.
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Thanks, this is exactly the info I was looking for--and a rig like this would be about in my price range.

I completely agree that the adaptor adds a whole set of new challenges that I, as a new shooter, might not be ready to handle quite yet. However, I'm really working more as the producer on this project--pulling pieces and people together, working with some who are much more experienced behind the camera than I am. While I might spend time behind the camera as well, I'll certainly have help.

Do you have any experience renting a setup like this? I can see that it might be worth it for me to rent and play with it first, just to see if I can get the results I want before springing for the whole thing.
 
Do you have any experience renting a setup like this?
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of course i do. that's where the "my kit" part comes in.

unless youre in a major market, very few retail rental shops rent 35mm setups. most that do, rent the P+S TECHNIK mini35 and other higher end units. you might find individuals who rent out their brevis, letus, sgpro, etc... kits.

what kind of shooting are you going to be involved with here?
 
I'm near Chicago, so there's probably a good chance that I can find someone willing to rent out their adapter.

I'm developing a series of short "films"--not so much narrative films, more like a single storyteller, telling his story on camera in a relevant location, with some cutaway visuals, etc. The project is growing--it has been around for a year or so in other forms, but we're trying to expand (and consequently I am trying to expand my filmmaking abilities to match).

Another possibility I'm considering is picking up an old Glidecam V-20... I've heard stories of that working decently well with an HVX and 35mm adapter. Any thoughts about the viability of a rig like that?
 
what youre going to run into any time youre using a 35mm adapter is distance between the subject and the camera. when you take your camera off the tripod that distance becomes more dynamic. its there of course with the stock lens as well, its just not as dramatic and easier to control under normal circumstances .

now if youre just standing there, the slight change in focus could be (and is) considered a stylistic element. but if youre moving and the subject is as well. the focus and the camera operators ability to control it becomes a bit more crucial.

if youre on the shoulder, most shoulder rigs have two handles. and you have to keep both hands on them to maintain control/balance. you might be able to rig a long whip from your follow focus to some kind of clamp on one of the handles. but thats a pretty tight angle. youd at very least nead a good solid and light weight follow focus unit, like the one from cinevate, to make that work.

thats why i mentioned setting up a single center-balanced handle. then you could free up your (typically right) hand to operate focus.

but depending on the size of your adapter and lens and the rest of the rig. its going to get heavy. this is where the wireless remote follow focus (several grand last i checked) or a good long whip and a seperate operator would be the way to go.

the one big downfall of the single grip aproach - at least for me, is that when i go off the tripod
im shooting high one minute and low the next. so even my beloved, super easily adjustable zacuto rig becomes unweildy.

im overdramatizing the problem here just a bit. just to make you aware of what youre up against. but people do this everyday. but typically with a good crew, a lot of time or deep pockets.
 
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adapter and rails and followfocus i think would far outweigh an ab brick. and you still havent accommodated your external monitor or a mattebox.

so no. i wouldnt suggest a stasis as an adapter accessory.
 
The Stasis may be a viable option, at least as a temporary solution. It wouldn't provide the smooth shots and overall control that a Zacuto setup would, but I think that I'm toning down my expectations a bit.

For now, it may be more realistic to use a tripod or homemade dolly for most shots, and then intersperse short handheld shots if/when necessary. I'm just not sure I have the expertise or resources to outfit a rig capable of extended, moving handheld shots using an adapter.

I think I'll most likely just get the basic rails/plate from Zacuto to support the Letus, and leave the shoulder mount/grips etc. for a later date, after I've had a chance to learn how to shoot with the adapter.

Thanks so much for your help! If you have any more suggestions or ideas, let me know.
 
this would be pricey, but something to consider.

zacuto makes something called the z-offset that moves the camera about 4" to the right to accommodate those who want to use the built in monitor of a camera. i wonder if you could put that in front of instead of behind the camera and put one of their pistol grips for a DSLR under it. that would, at least in theory allow you carry half the weight on the grip then work the follow focus with your right.

its a stretch, but might work... zacuto stuff is VERY adaptable.
 
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