Smallest moving GG solution yet???

In a shameless attempt to garner the pity of the beta group, I can tell you that not only have I shed blood on this project, but now apparently suffered virological infestation to boot.

I have some wonderful drugs here to treat what my physician refers to as a "minor case of pneumonia". Just in case you guys thought I was slacking off...
 
You have no pity from me but conserns that you be ok.Really looking forward to the Brevis35.It just sounds sweeter and sweeter as we closer to April 6th.
 
I give you pity dude... I am just getting over a really bad cold... still coughing a ton... I feel your pain... hang in there... lookin' forward to this awesome adapter!
 
I've been doing a fair bit of research on this one and there is no one perfect setup. The adapter will work obviously with no additional optics on many cams. The final design attempts to address the Sony HD minimum focus distance, large lens (HD100, HVX100) vignette issues, and so on. The expectation I have is that the only thing required for some cams, is a fairly weak macro. There are many factors to consider for all the cams out there.

At this point I would predict based on the screen shots that I've seen, that the DVX will require in the area of a +2 diopter macro. Some of the still tests I've seen have suggested that with a fairly mild macro, chromatic aberration is not an issue. These comparisons have suggested that once you get past the +2/+3 diopter area, the lense gets strong enough to start seeing chromatic issues....at which point a more expensive achromat becomes necessary. I have an inexpensive ebay macro set that I will experiment with, to see if I can demonstrate this. Either way, a cheap ebay set of macros will allow you to determine the ideal setup. At that point, if required, the proper strength achromat can be sourced. Once the beta group is out, we'll know what is required for just about every semi-pro cam out there.

If I do see chromatic issues at low diopter values, there are a few good alternatives to the Century optics at 1/4 the price in 72mm sizes.
 
guskersthecat said:
Rafa, I've done a quick test on the Xl1s (72mm) and it worked fine with the prototype...which by the way has a smaller opening than the production version by 10mm, and is in a smaller tube than the production version. I was able to frame the GG fine, no vignette, and zoom in only enough to frame the GG properly. Remember the GG image is effectively much larger than the letus, M2, etc. I'll be going back to see the XL1s owner with the final version and I will definitely post the footage. Given that the production version GG is closer to the rear mount, is in a larger tube, and is framed by a larger opening...I can say with 100% confidence that it will work perfectly.

I've also modified the final design for the HD100, based on email exchanges and framing tests with an HD100 shooter. All told there's at least another 10 hours of CAD work/tweaks that have been done.

I should have the first production adapter in my hands this weekend. What I won't have this weekend are the new diffusers, but I will pop in my beat up prototype version for a quick test.

After reading the adapter review here's one thing for sure...you guys are going to love the Brevis!
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I LOVE ALREADY!!!! :love4:
 
I've had a bit of an epiphany...and I'm looking for your help. The issue about the DVX's needing a macro has been bugging me, so with the CNC folks poised to begin cutting, I have a pretty cool design change that will reduce the distance from the camera's filter threads to the GG to 30mm.

I've posted up a pdf file here, and I'll like to find out how the DVX, DVXa and DVXb (and any other cams out there interested in the Brevis) will perform with it. Right click, save as, then print from Adobe Acrobat. Make sure Adobe is not trying to scale it to your page.

Here's the procedure:

1. Print out the pdf at it's normal resolution...it should be to scale when measured.

2. Tape it to a wall, and move your camera 30mm away, measured from your filter threads.

3. See if you can zoom in and frame the image properly. If not, move your camera until you can properly frame/focus the image and note the distance. If your cam does 16:9 (native mode) please try that too.

4. If you can, grab a frame of the cam at 30mm, and email it to sales@cinevate.com making sure to specify your camera type, distance from the test image (if 30mm won't do it), and 16:9 or 4:3 mode in this format:

Camera Brand/Model:
4:3 mode distance in mm:
16:9 mode distance in mm:

My hope is to avoid macro use for the majority of cams out there...if it's possible. Thanks!
 
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Spartacus, the prototype, CAD files, and materials are with the CNC folks as we speak. We're stil on schedule for an April 6 ship date. By Wednesday, I should have a production version in my hands, and more footage to follow. To be honest, with all the parts/locations involved, I'm utterly amazed that we're ahead of schedule.

At this point, the only delay will be about a week likely for the Canon FD mounts. I have the Nikon mounts in my hands.

The rails system is also going into production with a target price under $120US.
 
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guskersthecat said:
At this point, the only delay will be about a week likely for the Canon FD mounts. I have the Nikon mounts in my hands.
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Nooooo....not the canon fd...not a week...the horror...the horror...
 
You need to update your site man.... ;)

Did my test help you out any? I'm at work, and they block GMail, so I can't check.

Lookin forward to the rail system. :)
 
Ha, Josh, I'm waiting for pics of the production version before unveiling your handiwork:) I just checked and I didn't get an email from you...

The rails will be very similar to the pics on my site, however the adapter support will be CNC machined instead of my hokey strap, as will the rest of the parts. The rails will be simple, strong and inexpensive. Letus users will find them a near perfect fit.
 
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guskersthecat said:
Ha, Josh, I'm waiting for pics of the production version before unveiling your handiwork:) I just checked and I didn't get an email from you...
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Ah nuts, i forgot gmail went down right as I hit send.

I'll send it again when I get home. Only 3 more hours....
 
Impressive adapter I want one... do you know the final price of your adapter?

congrats
 
Thanks AV. The final pricing on the production version:
  • .5 to .7 F/stops light loss with 50mm F1.4 attached
  • custom manufactured engineered diffusor
  • interchangeable lens mounts (Nikon/Canon FD, more coming)
  • carbon fibre/CNC machined aluminum parts
  • internal power with external AC or DC options.
  • CPU controlled charging system
  • 20 hours run time
  • fore and aft fully coated dust shields.
  • "bulletproof" case.
I'm trying very hard to keep the package under $700 US. The CNC machined rail/mount system would add about $120 US. I should have pics by mid next week of the production model. The sweet new PHP web site, compliments of Joshua, aka Viruum, and online purchase system will be unveiled at the same time. It's safe to say there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours expended collectively on this project.
 
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How about that XL1 footage, Dennis? You should film your dad again...the canadian Humphrey Bogard ;-)
 
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