Combination of adaptor and adaptor-less footage at DVinfo.net

Jay Cowley · August 16th, 2007, 09:31 AM

When you guys use your adaptor, do you take it off for wide shots and just use the camera on the lens?

It seems to me that 35mm are useless for wide shots, because you have to zoom in with your camera and lose a lot of the image because of vigneting on it. And it seems that with the wider the lens (35mm, 28mm) the more the image is vignetting, and you have to zoom in even more.

Can you disguise raw camera footage as footage shot by an adaptor, ie give it a slight softness, add a bit more blur to the edges, so that it appears as if it was shot by the adaptor? How else would you take wide shots? These adaptors seem great for closeups, and get beautiful depth of field, but the only shots you can get with them are medium at best, and then closeups.

Ben Winter · August 16th, 2007, 05:58 PM

It depends on the quality of your adapter. I constantly mix adapter and non-adapter footage on my shoots. On my website, "Explanations" music video mixes adapter footage with non-adapter footage shot on a crane, and they look indistinguishable even on a 108" projection screen. I shot with 35mm and 24mm focal length lenses on that, which you can consider wide angle I suppose.

At the beginning of using adapters I wanted to use it for everything. Now I know it depends on the look you want and the available light as well. My 24mm works without any vignetting on my Brevis so I feel comfortable knowing the option is there, regardless. Keep in mind even wide angle 35mm lenses have significant DOF at close distances.

It also depends on the look you're going for. Wide angle shots on an adapter can have advantageous vignetting that may match the look you're going for. Keep in mind that wide angles can exhibit vignetting even on actual camera bodies, and if not, the image you have to zoom in to achieve is the actual intended focal length, so you're not turning it into a telephoto.

Generally I remove the adapter for only these reasons:
The rig I am using cannot support the weight.
Wide angle shots.
Shots whose DOF would not change with or without the adapter.

Robert Ducon · August 18th, 2007, 03:11 AM

For the last two days - without seeing this entry - i've been thinking the same thing. The verdict?

You can mix the footage, and you can get away with it.

Have I done this? Not really.. not with a finished project. But like Ben suggests, use the lens where it's appropriate. I'll use my Adapter for most of the shots if I'm going for that look (which for my next project I will) but where it's weaker, say with a 28mm lens (which doesn't work well with my Brevis and HV20), or an "extreme telephoto" I'll use the camera's bare lens or with a video camera wide angle lens.

If I have to match the vignette, the effect can very easily be recreated in After Effects - a lot of motion graphic ads are doing it these days.

Ben: The 28mm prime I'm talking about is a Nikon and vignette's horribly, despite being fast. I've got the achromat and spacer along with the ride with my Canon HV20. What brand 24mm lens and camera are you using?

Ben Winter · August 18th, 2007, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Ducon

Ben: The 28mm prime I'm talking about is a Nikon and vignette's horribly, despite being fast. I've got the achromat and spacer along with the ride with my Canon HV20. What brand 24mm lens and camera are you using?

I've got a Sony FX1 with a Brevis + CF1L diffuser which compensates for vignette in wide angle lenses. The 24mm lens is a f2.4 Leica m42 screwmount with a Canon FD mount adapter on it.

Ian G. Thompson · August 18th, 2007, 12:19 PM

Hmmm...this is all good to know and was also a concern of mine. I don't have an adapter as yet but from what I always read I was told once you use the adapter you should use it for the entire project because of matching problems.

August 16th, 2007, 09:31 AM	#1
Jay Cowley Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Niagara, Ontario Posts: 141	Combination of adaptor and adaptor-less footage When you guys use your adaptor, do you take it off for wide shots and just use the camera on the lens? It seems to me that 35mm are useless for wide shots, because you have to zoom in with your camera and lose a lot of the image because of vigneting on it. And it seems that with the wider the lens (35mm, 28mm) the more the image is vignetting, and you have to zoom in even more. Can you disguise raw camera footage as footage shot by an adaptor, ie give it a slight softness, add a bit more blur to the edges, so that it appears as if it was shot by the adaptor? How else would you take wide shots? These adaptors seem great for closeups, and get beautiful depth of field, but the only shots you can get with them are medium at best, and then closeups.

August 16th, 2007, 05:58 PM	#2
Ben Winter Trustee Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 1,675 Images: 1	It depends on the quality of your adapter. I constantly mix adapter and non-adapter footage on my shoots. On my website, "Explanations" music video mixes adapter footage with non-adapter footage shot on a crane, and they look indistinguishable even on a 108" projection screen. I shot with 35mm and 24mm focal length lenses on that, which you can consider wide angle I suppose. At the beginning of using adapters I wanted to use it for everything. Now I know it depends on the look you want and the available light as well. My 24mm works without any vignetting on my Brevis so I feel comfortable knowing the option is there, regardless. Keep in mind even wide angle 35mm lenses have significant DOF at close distances. It also depends on the look you're going for. Wide angle shots on an adapter can have advantageous vignetting that may match the look you're going for. Keep in mind that wide angles can exhibit vignetting even on actual camera bodies, and if not, the image you have to zoom in to achieve is the actual intended focal length, so you're not turning it into a telephoto. Generally I remove the adapter for only these reasons: The rig I am using cannot support the weight. Wide angle shots. Shots whose DOF would not change with or without the adapter. __________________ BenWinter.com

August 18th, 2007, 03:11 AM	#3
Robert Ducon Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Victoria BC Posts: 400	For the last two days - without seeing this entry - i've been thinking the same thing. The verdict? You can mix the footage, and you can get away with it. Have I done this? Not really.. not with a finished project. But like Ben suggests, use the lens where it's appropriate. I'll use my Adapter for most of the shots if I'm going for that look (which for my next project I will) but where it's weaker, say with a 28mm lens (which doesn't work well with my Brevis and HV20), or an "extreme telephoto" I'll use the camera's bare lens or with a video camera wide angle lens. If I have to match the vignette, the effect can very easily be recreated in After Effects - a lot of motion graphic ads are doing it these days. Ben: The 28mm prime I'm talking about is a Nikon and vignette's horribly, despite being fast. I've got the achromat and spacer along with the ride with my Canon HV20. What brand 24mm lens and camera are you using? __________________ Mac + Canon HV20

August 18th, 2007, 12:19 PM	#5
Ian G. Thompson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Rockledge, Florida Posts: 351	Hmmm...this is all good to know and was also a concern of mine. I don't have an adapter as yet but from what I always read I was told once you use the adapter you should use it for the entire project because of matching problems.