M2 vs. Brevis35

M

Mediacre

Well-known member
I want to get an adapter and I think these 2 are the best out there. Could anybody point pros and cons of each as well as why they would prefer one over the other and how they handle HD? Thanks, much appreciated.
 
Brevis Pros

- Extremely light (with a light prime you can get away with not using rails...though perhaps not recommended)

- Very little (if any) light loss. Seeing that the new breed of HD cams are less sensitive than their SD brothers, and that adding extra glass results in greater light loss, this is a big plus. Additionally, most lenses are at their best closed down a couple of stops. So the less light loss from the adapter the better. (I'm not ready to move up to HMIs, and nor is my wallet!)


M2 Pros

- Bigger community / user group

- I believe a Brevis owner (Rawfa?) was suggesting that the M2 may provide better lattitude. To be determined?

- I was going to suggest that an advantage was that it was "proven", but that was before seeing bgundu's footage.
 
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Well the M2 is known for its very low light loss. So I will venture to say that little light loss is a plus/pro for both, and I do not think it is deturmined which has a lower amount of light loss.
 
Prodigy, I'm willing to bet 50c that the Brevis loses less light than the M2 (and I'm thinking at least 1 stop), and 10c that the Brevis is the best on the market in this regard.

Are you a gambling man? :)
 
Yeah, but little light loss is not always an advantage. Normally less light means a not so good bokeh. I'm of the opinion scenes needs to be well lit anyways. I don't count on shooting in available light. I’m worried about a nice bokeh and sharpness.
 
Cool cynic. If I've got my facts right and enough people take the bet, I might be able to afford those HMIs after all. :thumbsup:

I agree with everything you said Mediacre. 2 things are on my mind though - Haakon's comments about his difficulty getting enough light on "The Faithful" (everything wide open and shooting 1/24). And after seeing bgundu's latest footage with the Brevis I have no concern about the Brevis's ability with bokeh.

Another plus I can see for both - superb support. Both teams handle themselves with total class (as far as I can see).
 
StMad, just curious what is that in Us currency? :)

Anyhow, I would have to disagree with Mediacre and agree. I agree that scenes need to be well lit. I also dislike the use of available light. What I disagree with is.... I think lightloss is an important factor, because well lit scenes can be lit with the same lighting ratios, but with smaller lights.

Yes bgundu's last footage with the brevis was very nice. But who could tell light loss from that clip? All his footage was outside, if I recall. I could get that exposure from a sunny day, a M2, and my f/4 zoom lens. Lightloss is almost never a factor outside in daylight.

Despite Haakon's comments of lighting, his trailer looked very nice. I also noticed (in the trailer) many indoor and lowlight scenes.

I am not coming in here to say M2 is better. I think you are naming a victor in a contest that hasn't taken place yet. I have read this forum up and down about the two and never have seen any factual or effective comparisons. :)

Yes, I agree with StMad that both companies seem very respectable and have great support.

I think we need to pull the perverbial dualing glove out and start slapping people. Haha, Does anyone have both the brevis and M2?
 
Noboby is talking about light loss with regard to the Brevis simply because there isn't much. If you attach a 50mm lens at f1.4 you will see approx .5 f stops of total system loss (adapter + 35mm lens). Calculating theoretical loss from a lens at f1.4, you would find that the adapter itself actually gains .5 f stops. The second diffuser option just posted in the DIY section would see closer to 1 f stop of total system loss in the same setup...so adapter loss in that configuration would be 0.

Using a 50mm at f1.4 outside is impossible without at least an ND.6 or CP attached to the 50mm lens (and that's with a GS400 which is hardly a sensitive cam). Otherwise the cam is forced into the f11 to f16 range which means the diffuser is being overexposed. If you overexpose the diffuser, some haze will be evident in your frames. I like to keep the cam in the f5 to f8 area. You could of course just stop down the 35mm lens, but then you extend the depth of field.
 
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I'll take a step back and say I'm not pronouncing a winner - just providing feedback based on my reading. Of course everyone's welcome to challenge what I'm saying (and help me buy my HMIs - j/k).

I kinda feel strange talking about Haakon and his work behind his back (but I did start it). Anyway, I agree the trailer looked great. No doubting. However for my own work I'd like to be able to stop down lens - letting me control my DOF, and perhaps providing better sharpness.

There's almost no doubt in my mind that Brevis loses less light - that's why i posted that. Not stated stated to ruffle anyones feathers. Re sharpness and bokeh I have no doubt these are more than acceptable for want i want to achieve also.

Re effect on latitude - I don't know even it is a factor / relevant...but I'm keen to learn. There also may be other factors I haven't considered - but that's why I'm here. :beer:
 
St, no feathers ruffled here. Having a few products out there with different characteristics will only raise the bar to the benefit of the creative souls out there behind the cameras. I'm always amazed and inspired when I see others (like Bob Bgundu's recent work) taking advantage of these tools.
 
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What is good is that there is plenty of competition out there, which means these makers will continue to work on and improve their products to be the best.

I own an M2 and have been very happy with it. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't mind test driving a Brevis or another make to compare and make my own decision.
 
So it seems it's basically boiling down to this(?)

M2= sharper, better latitude

Brevis35= less light loss.

How about Bokeh? To me they seem to be the same on this level.
 
I would venture to say that these questions would be best answered by a proper review :-) Sharpness in a given test shoot is moderated by the camera used, back focus accuracy, the prime used, achromat used, aperture used, and focus accuracy. Different diffusion levels add to the impression because more or less of the frame will appear to be in focus. Comparing adapters on different cameras with different shooters is a pretty difficult thing to do with all these variables, although over time an anecdotal body of evidence begins to form. Having said that, sharpness and light gain continue to be prime attributes of the Brevis standard diffuser.

Latitude is a term that is being used completely subjectively and begs for a proper clinical analysis. Other than my own tests comparing film shots to the same framing/lens on the Brevis, I've never seen any test shots, nor a proper analysis of the perceived latitude compression evident on most adapters. I can tell you that what I see is very significant, however, I suspect that a shooter paying attention to proper lighting may do more to enhance the illusion of latitude than the adapter itself. One thing is for certain, a careful analysis of latitude cannot be done by eye. For example, my own tests use scanned film shots compared with frame grabs. The scanning process itself is a huge variable thrown in there, as is the display of the frames on an LCD monitor.

With the standard and now the optional diffuser (with more coming) on the Brevis, the bokeh question will become even harder to answer. So, no answers...just more questions :-)
 
Roy: Questions.
Chew: I don't know answers.
Roy: Who does?
Chew: Tyrell. He -- He knows everything.
Roy: Tyrell corporation?
Chew: He big boss. He genius. He design your mind, your brain.
Roy: Ah, smart.

:D
 
I find it hard to get much info about the Brevis. the website doesn't say much. Is it fully operational and out of the BETA stage?
Is it for sale?, what's the waiting period?
Does it have the same set-up problems as the M2?
 
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