Smallest moving GG solution yet???

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Ok, here's a few quick and dirties done with high bit rate wmv...full size. Other than zooming 10% (ouch) to cover my inadequate framing, and slowing one clip, it's untouched footage. It's all natural light, including the indoor shots. For the GS400, that's a bit of a challenge BTW...it's nowhere near as good as the DVX in low light. I sold my rails with the guskers35..and I miss them. The good news is that I bit the bullet and purchased a nice floor standing drill press, and 2 axis cross slide vice. The new rails are soon to be born.

Cam: GS400 in procinema mode (16:9, 30F)
Lens: Minolta Rokkor 50mm F1.4
Filter: CP for outside shots to bring down cam's f/stop from F16 to F11.
In camera settings: Sharpness -3, Contrast -2.
Cam f/stop: Inside ~2.8, outside F11 with CP.
 
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Results look excellent Dennis, I think you might have the best adapter out there. Congrats you must be stoked. Was the OIS on? Looked pretty shakey, OIS will amplify the shake with an adapter. At least once you have the image erector finished you'll be able to use OIS again.
 
Thanks guys. I normally don't use OIS, particularly on tripod. I wish the shake was just me trying to emulate Boston Legal's DP, however it's a result of racking focus with an adapter/camera off rails. The GS400 front plastic threads are hardly an ideal mount and the multi-purpose ring housing has a lot of flex. If you hold the camera and tug on the adapter, you can easily get 1 to 2mm of movement at the prime. I have a schematic of the GS400 chassis, and the entire front bezel is held on by 3 tiny screws in plastic. For this camera, rails are a necessity just to keep the adapter/cam relationship calm. I shot exclusively on rails with the previous adapter.

Of course, most shots don't involve racking focus like I was doing, so I guess you could manage fine without rails if you weren't adjusting focus during the shot.
 
That looks really good.
Did you do any CC?
What is the name of the adapter?
When will this babe be available?
Does it absolutely need rails?

ARGHHH...so...many...good...adapters...being...built...hard...to...choose
 
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Rawfa, no CC. The only post processing was inversion/reversion, zoom 10%, and one clip was slowed 20%. Otherwise the footage is exactly what came from the camera. The "Guskers35" will be available in 2 or 3 weeks. I've been vascillating on the pre-order subject, but I may move in favour of that setup as I'd hate to order parts in volume, and sell two.

There's a collection of CNC/machined parts required for the production model, and these will take some time. My design goal was to have backfocus easily adjustable, allow the prime lens to be adjusted upright (so you can see focus markings), and also required that the unit be adjustable once fixed to the camera to right the 24x36 frame.

Rails are not required at all...providing the bezel supporting your camera's filter threads is solid. In fairness to camera manufacturers, those threads were never designed to accomodate an adapter.
 
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Things are looking good, man. Congratulation! That footage is sharp. Sharper than these other more accessible adapters. Is the adapter heavy? Post some more footage when you can.
 
Thanks Rafa. I don't have an accurate-to-the gram scale, but with the batteries on board, the adapter is about 10% lighter than my 50mm F1.4 lens. It's very light.
 
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You're certainly raising the bar for a moving adapter. Your specs and ideas sound promising...

Are you a machinist yourself? The talk of buying a drill press has me salivating for my own, but with no room to put it in, I'm hard pressed (nyuk, nyuk) to justify something like that. My girlfriend is a metalsmith, so I have a healthy respect for getting the right tools...
 
Jim, not a machinist, more a jack of all trades, master of none. For now, the big issue was accurately drilling the materials for rail supports and the like. Unfortunately lower end tools just aren't capable of the kind of repeatable accuracy required, and don't generally support handy tools like the cross-sliding drill press vice that I also picked up. It's a lot of money to drill a straight hole, but that's pretty much what it takes. Now I just have to find room for the 200 lb behemoth in my little shop. :crybaby:
 
Virium, I realized that I missed your offer of FTP space. Are the high bit rate wmv's doing it for you? The wmv files look virtually identical to the source on my 19" LCDs. MPEG4 at a high bit rate (3000kps) looks better in fact than MPEG2 done at 9500kbs IMO.

I'll be posting up some more this weekend, time permitting.
 
I've watched your footage a bunch of times now....really clean image dude.

Very nice work.

-rook
 
Thanks Rook. I just received a shipment of NiMh batteries in today, so the prototype is once again in pieces in front of me. Once I get everthing wired up, batteries installed internally etc, I'll be heading out and about for some more footage. It'll be nice not having a couple AA's taped to the case!
 
guskersthecat said:
Virium, I realized that I missed your offer of FTP space. Are the high bit rate wmv's doing it for you? The wmv files look virtually identical to the source on my 19" LCDs. MPEG4 at a high bit rate (3000kps) looks better in fact than MPEG2 done at 9500kbs IMO.

I'll be posting up some more this weekend, time permitting.
Click to expand...
Your samples are great. :) Thanks! Send me a PM when you are accepting orders, this is the one I want.
 
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