At the moment I am prepping for a documentary and I am in need of buying some new gear. I am looking for a good 35mm adaptor that will work fine with a sony z1 and an ex3. I did my research but I am still confused. Please give me some suggestions on which adaptor to choose between the redrock m2 encore and the SG Blade. Thanks.
Please help me choose between the Redrock M2 Encore and the SG Blade
- Thread starter rgatt
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Lenilenapi
Carbonite Member
I don't much about the encore, but I do think there were some posts awhile back about the achromat not being optimized for the EX camera. I would look into that . The Blade works well with the EX as does the Letus. Those are the only adapters I know of that will give sharp corner to corner pictures with an EX-1 wide open.
Let me clear though I'm not saying the Encore won't I would just suggest some research. I believe there is a dedicated "relay lens" for the Ex-3 with a Letus that as I recall Phil Bloom gave fantastic reviews to, but that's a lot more money - I don't recall exactly but it might be $3K + . again I can only suggest more research on that.
I'm a fan of the Blade these days but the Encore also sounds good - have never seen one though.
Lenny Levy
Let me clear though I'm not saying the Encore won't I would just suggest some research. I believe there is a dedicated "relay lens" for the Ex-3 with a Letus that as I recall Phil Bloom gave fantastic reviews to, but that's a lot more money - I don't recall exactly but it might be $3K + . again I can only suggest more research on that.
I'm a fan of the Blade these days but the Encore also sounds good - have never seen one though.
Lenny Levy
jwing
Active member
Everything will come down to preferences, but I think for the price you pay and what you get, the SG Blade is a fantastic unit. But what I recommend more than anything is to go on vimeo and search for sample videos of each, especially with your camera options. Of course the quality will be lower, but at least you might see some differences and be able to make a decision with your eyes as to what appeals to you more.
jwing
Active member
Another thing worth noting is the weight. Honestly, I worked on a personal documentary project last year, and I started it with the SG Pro (precursor to the Blade), and honestly, I don't think I would do that ever again. The reason being, the weight of my rig was increased, making run and gun more difficult, and I had to deal with focus pulling, and I needed more light. I don't know the nature of your project, but I personally feel like filming a documentary should be minimal and simple. I've gotten fantastic images without a DOF adapter and I've seen great documentaries shot with a stock lens. For my documentary, I still used some of the shots with the DOF adapter, but I ended up doing most of my interviews without it, because it was just too much to deal with.
Loren Simons
DVXuser Sponsor
That was an issue with their previous achromat, but now that they have moved over to their new integrated achromat it works beautifully with the EX-series.
I'm not sure what the light loss on the SG Blade is, but I know that the Encore now losses less than a stop of light, and most of that is lost in the flip unit, I remember hearing somewhere you loose 1/10th of a stop or something outrageous like that, but hey, I love my encore and it's a definite HUGE improvement over the prior M2 model
Lenilenapi
Carbonite Member
That's good news about the Encore. I'm curious as to whether you've shot or seen resolution charts on the EX-1 with the EX lens wide open. I ask because i have seen many claims about adapters working great with the EX-1 that actually turned out to be less than stellar when looked at on a chart. In fact the only charts shot wide open that I've ever seen I had to post myself.
BTW - light loss estimates are notoriously far off the mark as well. My first Redrock was billed as - "1/2 stop" and it turned out to be more like 2 1/2 so I'm really skeptical of those numbers unless I see how they were created. I'm sure the encore is way better than the M2 though and probably similar to the others.
Lenny Levy
BTW - light loss estimates are notoriously far off the mark as well. My first Redrock was billed as - "1/2 stop" and it turned out to be more like 2 1/2 so I'm really skeptical of those numbers unless I see how they were created. I'm sure the encore is way better than the M2 though and probably similar to the others.
Lenny Levy
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I agree with jwing... unless you are filming a music video or a cinema type film the adaptor will not be a good idea. First of all you will spend more time carrying gear around and worrying about focus and logistics than actually concentrating on the subject matter which requires being everywhere at the right time without too much hassle.
I am in the middle of a feature production and I went the adaptor route. Believe me, it has been like filming with a film camera. You always need an assistant and the preparation and transport requires a team of people. If you are a one man show and you want to take advantage of the versatility of digital cameras which allows you to get excellent images on the fly then don't even think about getting an adaptor. Adaptors are for those who want to do it the hard way just to emmulate a certain type of look which has nothing to do with documentaries.
Otherwise a the same price I would get the lighter adaptor and the one which is easiest to get fixed when it breaks down. Did I not mention the adaptors can break down anytime?
I am in the middle of a feature production and I went the adaptor route. Believe me, it has been like filming with a film camera. You always need an assistant and the preparation and transport requires a team of people. If you are a one man show and you want to take advantage of the versatility of digital cameras which allows you to get excellent images on the fly then don't even think about getting an adaptor. Adaptors are for those who want to do it the hard way just to emmulate a certain type of look which has nothing to do with documentaries.
Otherwise a the same price I would get the lighter adaptor and the one which is easiest to get fixed when it breaks down. Did I not mention the adaptors can break down anytime?
MovieSwede
Well-known member
One good thing with an adapter, is that you dont have to use it. Some stuff doesnt need low DOF. Other stuff screams for it.
Nick Walters
Mentholated Member
I love adapters....but "A tool for every purpose", is a good phrase to remember when planning. I own an M2, lenses, anamorphic adapters, wide angle adapters, tele-converter lenses, shoulder mount, steadicam, etc. etc etc.....the last thing you'll see me doing on a doc. is having the camera shoulder mounted with the M2, a long lens, with a tele-convetrer on the front, then a wide in front of that, and then the anamorphic adapter stuck right on the end of that one...and then mounted on my Steadicam, while carrying a tripod on one arm, and a monopod on the other...I have tools, and I select them for a REASON...don't get caught up in using a tool because you own it, and you'll be fine.
odd how this thread has been steered WAY off the original, lol.
Like has alrady been said, access your needs, look at test footage...perhaps even try to find another Cinematographer locally who owns the tools you are thinking of combining, and then make a decision that will fit your needs.
odd how this thread has been steered WAY off the original, lol.
Like has alrady been said, access your needs, look at test footage...perhaps even try to find another Cinematographer locally who owns the tools you are thinking of combining, and then make a decision that will fit your needs.