Letus35 Extreme and the EX1 LCD Screen

R

richmondfloyd

Active member
Hi,

I'm striving for more of a cinematic look for my productions and came across the Letus Extreme.

I'm at an early stage of my business, so funds are not readily available, however, I can stretch to buy the Letus35 Extreme Starter Bundle for my EX1 and an inexpensive lens.

I cannot afford a field monitor (the £2000 price tag is a little high!), so was wondering what experiences Letus Extreme uses have had with the EX1 LCD screen and if peaking is enough to keep the image in clear focus without a field monitor?

Also, could you recommend any cheaper lenses to use with the letus - i'm prob going to go with the Nikon adapter.

Finally, has anyone seen any productions that have a mix of standard EX1 footage, mixed in with the Letus - i'd be interested to see how the mix in the same production.

Many thanks
 
If you can, stretch the budget and get a spinning adapter like the Shoot35 Blade. You'll be happier in the end.

I don't have the Letus but I do have the Blade and I've rented a Letus. No problems whatsoever focusing using the EX-1 LCD. It's quite fantastic and the peaking feature works well, just as it does without the adapter. Plus you always have the expanded focus feature.

Not to name drop, but I once asked Phil Bloom if he uses a monitor with his EX-1 and he saw no reason given the quality of the LCD.

One thing I found is that the expanded focus on the EX-1 seems to return to "normal" quicker when using an adapter than shooting naked. Not sure why.
 
the ex1 lcd is sharper than most field monitors. beats the marshall, ikan, smallhd, etc. the latest nebtek is as sharp but not sharper. of course it's bigger but it's all realy negligible. the peaking on the ex1 screen is so strong, it leaves no question as to whether you are focused or not.

i could use an external monitor if i wanted to but no need for the extra bulk.
 
cheezweezl said:
the ex1 lcd is sharper than most field monitors. beats the marshall, ikan, smallhd,
Click to expand...

But it doesn't. The EX1's LCD has a resolution of about 640 x 480. All the monitor you mentioned at much higher res than that, especially the SmallHD which has a 720p resolution.
 
Thanks for your reply.

I assumed that the peaking function wouldn't work as your using the still lens (will prob use the Nikon) and not the EX1 focus ring, which I understand needs to be locked off.

Just out of interest. What lens would you recommend for shooting interviews? 50m, 85m?

Everything in this industry is soo expensive, but so tempting to get. Especially as I shoot a lot of interviews and have been left frustrated by the lack of DoF with the EX1- unless I have an extremely long hall way to work with :)
 
Also, in terms of which version to buy. The elite is a LOT more money, but has a back focus ring. Will this make a cruitial difference or can I get away without a back focus ring? I will be using the EX1.

Also I'll be shooting 720 25p with the Letus Exteme with my EX1 and mixing with footage shot without the letus adapter. How do the images come out when converting down to a SD DVD? and also Blu-ray?

Thanks
 
I don't own one but from what I have heard Redrock M2 seems to get the thumbs up from most people. A lot of people don't rate the Letus. Horses for courses I spose.

Plus, is it true that 35mm adaptors turn the image upside down in the veiwfinder?
 
Hmm, I haven't come across anyone that knocks the Letus yet. All great reviews. I wonder why some people don't rate it?

Most if not all adapters turn the image upside down...apart from the letus...
 
The only problem with the LCD on the EX1 and EX3 is that they scratch ridiculously easily.

I would say, get the EX1 first it such a nice camera, you may find you don't really need the Letus.

I really like the Letus. The only real problems I've had with it are with cleaning it. Sometimes dust gets on the elements inside and cleaning it can become a nightmare.
 
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Huy Vu said:
But it doesn't. The EX1's LCD has a resolution of about 640 x 480. All the monitor you mentioned at much higher res than that, especially the SmallHD which has a 720p resolution.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately you're right Huy. I was mislead by Sony's claim of 920000 effective pixels but they are breaking it up into RGB (x 3) like misleading ads for the cheap headrest monitors.

That being said I've been using the hoodloupe 3 and hitting the focus assist button for decent manual focusing.
 
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