Nyc Sg Pro - Letus Extreme Shoot Out

Let's get back on topic - SG Pro / LE. Start a separate Focus throw thread. I guess I kind of started it with my observation about the 80-200. Would really like to hear observations about LE/SG from tests or experience.
 
I emaile dWayne to ask if there was any difference between Rev2 and Rev3 and he said same GG same optics and distance for the tube, so he was mystified why one would be faster than the other. When I get a chance I'll redo my comparison of Letus vs. SGRev2 at least a quick eyeball anyway.
 
Ahhh it seems like the sgpro lost this test for you.

I really appreciate the screengrabs Tim. The bokeh rendition of the letus was better than I had expected from other footage I had seen on the forum. I still prefer the sgpro image in the end.

Do you have any pics of your rail set up with the letus?
 
My Rev2 is a Rev1/2/3 hybrid though..... I kinda have the first and only REV2 REV3 and Rev1 all i nthe same frankenstein adapter.... Wayne had been updating that one for a while.....

So it has a intermediate GG. I cant wait for my SGfilp to come.
 
Matty g,
"Ahhh it seems like the sgpro lost this test for you."

It sounds like you think I am biased or have a vested in interest in my own tests. Fact is I bought all three so I have no horse in this race.
I wanted to try them all partly because I read so many uninformed comparisons that I wanted to make my own.

I think my tests and Tims are the first to honestly try careful side by sides. Odd that we came up with different numbers for the Letus / SG speed, but actually they are relatively close anyway and our other results were very similar. Tim had pics though - nice.
 
Aerialsfilm M* said:
I think Matty was targetting Tim Naylor, because now he is selling his SGpro on the Marketplace.
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Does that mean the Sgpro lost? Kinda get that impression, but it doesnt seem the test had come to a conclusion as to why.


Tim Naylor said:
I may end up keeping both if either does great things the other can't (ie. the SG can shoot extremely high shutter speeds as well as high F stops, up to 11-16, without artifacts - very cool, few adaptors can do this).

Tim
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I was hoping to see these tested out as well?
 
Winner?

Winner?

Aerialsfilm M* said:
I think Matty was targetting Tim Naylor, because now he is selling his SGpro on the Marketplace.
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Will probably be selling LE as well because I'll be purchasing an HPX to go with the B mount Letus. Time to move on and up. I've never come to terms with the HVX macro blocking - makes me ill. Holding on to the LE just to see if it's upgradeable to B mount in the coming weeks.

As far as a winner goes, if pure beautiful image, shutter and fstop flexibility goes, I like the SG's image better because of the bokeh. There, I said it. Some of my fellow testers likes the LE because of sharpness. At the end of the day, I think audiences go with what has the most emotional impact and the bokeh in the SG has more than the sharpness of the LE. Hell I like my CRT Sony 35" inch big ass tube over just about any LCD and Plasma on the market. Despite its SD rez it's just a better picture. But that too I must sell (if anyone will buy it - short of the Smithsonian), since it's not what clients see these days.

Also, as I can afford to only keep one adaptor, I'll keep what's most client friendly which is the LE because it's right side up. Which kind of sucks because in an ideal world beauty comes before pragmatics - but not in a world where you must make a living.

If Raylight had a flip for Mac, I'd keep the SG for now. But for some reason, their efforts are Windows first for the time being. I can tolerate the flip in 720 but in 1080 it really slows the work flow. Also, I haven't the patience to wait for the SG Flip. Should SG ever make a B4 mount adaptor, I'm first in line.

I'm a total believer in the spinning GG over the vibrator mode. Few artifacts and higher stops.

Anyway, if I could have an SG flip tomorrow, my LE would be on the market.

Tim Naylor - DP

PS. I plan to retest the Sensitivity with a waveform monitor as well as the shutter/fstop thresh hold before I sell anything.
 
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Damn, now I'm torn. I just went back and looked at both stills at a 2.0 for each adaptor and I really think the SG blow the LE away in terms of pleasing image. May pull that marketplace ad. This is such a tough decision. I really don't like the LE's bokeh in the distance as where the SG's just looks "magical". My eyes don't lie. The 2.0 is significant as I don't shoot wide open often but a 2.0 is one of my most used stops indoors.

Tim
 
That's a good point, Tim, and a very good reason to start reconsidering what you're choosing.

In all honesty, I think if I were in your position I would end up keeping both as well. The quality is matched so close that I bet you could mix footage (with careful eye to detail such as white balance, etc) and have the best of both worlds when needed.

High shutter - SGpro

Low light indoors - Letus EX.
 
To me the image is infinitely more beautiful on the SGpro. The Letus is slightly sharper, has built-in flip and low light loss but the bokeh is nothing special and I think it's a huge drawback that you can't stop down past f/5.6.


Marco
 
to realy be honest with you,and this is just my opinion.the the letus at 1.4 seems to still be sharper then the sg at f.4 stops.and as for bokeh beauty,look again at phillip blooms work.not an issue.it basicly comes down to what tim naylor said.some will need sharpness over bokeh and vice versa,but for me i think the letus brings the best of both worlds.not to mention the thins that are most important to the vast majority on this site,and thats a fliped image,edge sharpness,and low light capability.to prove my point,when i first began lurking this site red rock dominated the 35mm threads,now the letus has done the same.i need my image sharp and even with a sub par lens i can easily match my footage to my canon a1,and to me thats the most important thing.
 
to realy be honest with you,and this is just my opinion.the the letus at 1.4 seems to still be sharper then the sg at f.4 stops.
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In my experience with adapters they are just as sharp when you set your taking lens to f/1.4 as when you set it to f/4.0 (if it's a good lens). Remember that these lenses were designed for 35mm which is twice or more times the resolution of HD. So while shooting wide open on a 35mm still camera may produce a sligihtly softer photo, it is more than sharp enough for an HD camcorder.

I know this from shooting twelve or more films with my Brevis which is incredibly sharp with all my lenses wide open. I never notice an increase in sharpness when I stop down, perhaps only on my 20mm.

That said, I don't doubt that the Extreme is sharper than the SGpro. My Brevis is a tad sharper than my SGpro but the SGpro is still very sharp and I think that the bokeh is more beautiful. You don't get clear out of focus circles on the Letus Extreme or the Brevis unless you stop down quite a bit. Otherwise it's just blurry blobs. And then there's the issue that you can't stop down past f/5.6 or use very fast shutter speeds. I'm willing to have 95% of the sharpness and have more shooting options and what I consider to be a better bokeh. Flipped image is convenience only (or maybe not that convenient if you consider the added weight and awkward mounting) and 1/4 stop additional light loss is negligible.


Marco
 
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I am continually surprised that people seem to find the need to tell others what the best of these three adapters is. Fact is they all have their pluses and minuses and none of the minuses are terrible. It comes down to what your particular needs and preferences are.

As an interesting test by the way would be to try raising the detail a point or 2 on the SG and see if it still looks softer than the Letus. Aklso see if you can see any negatives from a slight bump in detail.

Actually an even better test would be to look at the SG after it has the Letus flip added.
 
Lenilenapi said:
I am continually surprised that people seem to find the need to tell others what the best of these three adapters is. Fact is they all have their pluses and minuses and none of the minuses are terrible. It comes down to what your particular needs and preferences are.

As an interesting test by the way would be to try raising the detail a point or 2 on the SG and see if it still looks softer than the Letus. Aklso see if you can see any negatives from a slight bump in detail.

Actually an even better test would be to look at the SG after it has the Letus flip added.
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What's the point? If you have to raise the detail then it's obvious that the other adapter is sharper... because you had to add sharpening.

In reality, the SG and Letus EX have THE sharpest image, and I'm inclined to believe that the only thing that can get better about these adapters at this point is the use of better glass on user end.

They both win.
 
Lenile As an interesting test by the way would be to try raising the detail a point or 2 on the SG and see if it still looks softer than the Letus. Actually an even better test would be to look at the SG after it has the Letus flip added.[/QUOTE said:
With any tests the variable is what you test, the constant is everything else. If I raise detail on one and not the other, it would nullify the comparison unless of course I did the same to the LE. What would be really cool is to test both adaptors at a variety of detail settings from negative to positive numbers.

I think a new round of tests are in order. Aside from detail, send me suggestions for other variables you'd like to see.

Tim
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