Letus Extreme FOV vs 35mm still camera

[Ted Spencer]

I've got a nice set of Nikon and Zeiss lenses for my HVX200a and Letus Extreme and am contemplating getting a Nikon camera body so I can use these lovely lenses for stills as well. I'm trying to decide between the $900 D90 and the (gasp) $2700 D700. The biggest difference is that the 700 is a full 35mm frame (FX) format and the D90 is the smaller DX format, which means about a 1.5 multiplier is used for a lens's focal length. Of course the 700 is better in many other ways, particularly in low light, but the main question is...

...whether what I'd see in the D700 would pretty much match the field of view that I see through the same lenses on my LEX/HVX setup. If so, it would make a much better rationale for getting it. If I could scout movie locations with it and be able to frame test stills just like the HVX/LEX will when I shoot with it, it would be mucho convenientemente. I know that the D90 will definitely not do this (or at least I think I know), so that scenario is out.

Anyone know the answer to my potentially expensive little question?

 

[Trey T]

it only make sense to use it w/ the D90 bc it has video.

dont spend $2700 FFrame still camera and prioritize it w/ a set of MF lenses. it just doesnt make any sense to NOT to use the AF tool built-in to help you capture better pictures. especially in live event, youll miss a lot of moments.

just my 3cents.

 

[Ted Spencer]

Hi Trey.

Thanks for your comments. I have an very well accessorized HVX200a rig, so video is not a concern. D90 video is quite problematic anyway, so even if I had one I'd almost certainly still use the HVX. And all my lenses have both manual and auto focus except the Zeiss 50mm, but that's also covered by a Nikon 28-70 ED.

My only concern is whether the D700's FOV will match the HVX/LEX's with the same lens. I went ahead and bought a D700 yesterday, so I'll have my own answer soon. I'll post what I find when I do. By the way, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the in-store price at B&H was $2400, not $2700 as listed on their site.

 

[Ted Spencer]

For anyone who might be curious, here's the answer to my own question:

With the HVX200A zoomed in to 77 on the Letus Extreme's GG and a Nikon 28-70 ED zoom set to 35mm, the setup's field of view matches the D700 SLR with a Nikon 17-35 ED set to 35mm (I checked both lenses first on the D700 to verify that they had matched FOVs at 35mm - they do). I should mention that the matching FOV in the HVX included the entire frame - not just the "video safe" area inside the hash marks. Since the D700 has no such marks, and the entire HVX frame could be used in a filmout, this seemed reasonable. I should also note that the vignetted outer area of the LEX image was pretty safely outside the FOV at this setting.

For video-only applications I'll need to come up with a way to estimate either the HVX hash mark locations in the D700 or calculate the FOV reduction in the HVX in mm or percentage to compensate. A clear plastic overlay cut to size, taped onto the D700's view screen and marked with a Sharpie to match the HVX's boundaries might do it...

In either case it looks like I'll be able to take the D700 to locations and make test shots that will perfectly match what the HVX/LEX will see later on with the same lenses and settings. Sweet!