The Letus Extreme "smear"

David Chia · October 31st, 2007, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Bloom

It's not quite as bright as the Brevis but then again it's flipped, the difference is tiny.

It is not as Bright as the Brevis? I can't wait till Dennis sent you the flip unit. It would interesting to see how they match up . When both adapters offer flip image and one has light smear.

Phil Bloom · October 31st, 2007, 04:42 PM

I think the Letus will win out against the Brevis with the flip. Apparently the letus loses just half a stop, very similar to the Brevis CF1. Not sure how much more the Brevis flip loses, I think it is around another half a stop.

I would be very interested to hear if Redrock are planning to catch up with the competition...They haven't touched their M2 in ages whereas the Brevis is constantly being revised and the Le brothers have stuck a big two fingers up to P & S and Movietube with their adaptor.

Now, all they need to do now to make me happy is bring one out for the JVC with a relay. Now that would be one sweet combo.

Bob Hart · October 31st, 2007, 07:04 PM

For aerial image pass-through, tighter apertures are not going to help much except for reducing the actual soft area around the pinpoint so it may be less apparent as an artifact.

You may find you have to use a polariser to dull reflections down a little and maybe do some tricky things with black-stretch in the camera if you have it, to pull down bright highlights and bring up the dark detail to compete for attention in the image.

As a mater of idle interest, try 1/100th sec shutter to see if the groundglass fixed pattern artifact comes back. If you can wring 1/100th sec out of it, this will make a few music video folks who like to shoot a sort of slowmotion quite happy.

Alan Ortiz · November 1st, 2007, 12:35 AM

...i second that jvc relay...although id prefer it if Dennis came up with one first...

Bob Hart · November 1st, 2007, 07:03 PM

For those who are desperately impatient and already own a Letus for JVC, chances are, and I must emphasise "chances" -- with all the uncertainty, grief and malaffection that comes with uninformed comment (mine) subsequently acted upon by innocent others (you?) with disappointing outcomes ---- got this far ---

okay caveat expressed --- and Quyen, please beat me down to a quivering pulp of bundled neuroses if I am wrong so no harm be done, ----

---- chances are, that the relay for the original Letus35 flip for JVC GY HD100 might be in the meantime usuable from the flip module rearwards with a small mod, on a LETUS Extreme or maybe more easily, on the LETUS economy.

Almost certainly, the bridging tube from the rear of the flip enclosure would have to be carefully drilled with precise screwholes to match the screw fitment of the bridging tube on the Extreme. The internal diameter of the bridging tube might need to be skimmed to match the diameter of the rear shoulder on the Extreme but it may not if the same tube material has been used on both.

Aaron Pinto · November 6th, 2007, 12:27 PM

Posted by Hien over at LetusDirect regarding the JVC

Quote:

We are working on that one. Available in couple of months, we know exact what to do already, just finding some good glass for it. It will hook right onto your extreme (Yes, it is modular).

Phil Bloom · November 6th, 2007, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron Pin

Posted by Hien over at LetusDirect regarding the JVC

Modular...brilliant news. There was me thinking how I can justify coughing up another $1200 or so!

Tell the boys if they need a guinea pig, I AM THAT PIG!

Alan Farrel · November 9th, 2007, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamon Lewis

Phil what cam are you using the Extreme with? (not that it had anything to do with the smear your talking about). I'm trying to put some positive pressure on Quyen to get a move on with a HD100 "Extreme" version. I have the current version of the Letus HD100 and am getting great results but would love a thinner GG and less blooming that comes with the new condenser.

Hi Jamon ...I did the same thing but Quyen just answered me " They are working on that" I tried to ask again asking if they have already expecting dates but he never aswered, Do you have another response from Quyen?

Thanks, I guess it would be a good combination....

Jamon Lewis · November 9th, 2007, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Farrel

Hi Jamon ...I did the same thing but Quyen just answered me " They are working on that" I tried to ask again asking if they have already expecting dates but he never aswered, Do you have another response from Quyen?

Thanks, I guess it would be a good combination....

Hey Alan,

I actually Talked to Hein (I hope i spelled his name right) and he said that he was actually playing with one not too long before I talked to him. He said that it was brighter than the stock Fujinon, I don't know if he was just talking but I wont doubt it, I love the Letus. I couldn't nail him down on a date but i will say he hinted before X-Mas so....As you probably gathered from the modular quote they are actually working on a relay that will be sold separately. The relay is probably gonna be around $1,000.

Phil Bloom · November 17th, 2007, 06:41 AM

I came across the smear again yesterday. Will post examples. Worst culprit was my f2 nikon 105mm dc. When I used the dc function I could minimise or exagerate it. This could be vital information as to why it is happening.

Bob Hart · November 17th, 2007, 07:45 AM

As a side-effect, does the DC function move the plane of the iris blades forward or backward on the optical centre axis relative to the focal plane?

This might have some bearing on it if it does.

Ash Greyson · November 23rd, 2007, 01:27 PM

Every adapter will have some effect on the picture, you are shooting thru a diffuser.

M2 has less blooming and very little grain but loses a TON of light and the bokeh has a distinct and sometimes "fake" look, like it was forced in post

Brevis has very little blooming, loses very little light but can get grainy very fast, especially with CF3L. CF1L is a great diffuser but you will need to stack some ND's in front of it to get more DOF.

The Letus EX has almost no light loss but you get the smeary bloomy effect. It is on EVERY unit but it is situational. It is the easiest adapter to use.

Bottom line, know your unit and how to work around its faults. There will never be a unit that addresses all the issues, to fix one, you create another, it is just the nature of shooting thru a diffuser.

ash =o)

Sam Doyle · December 5th, 2007, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamon Lewis

Phil what cam are you using the Extreme with? (not that it had anything to do with the smear your talking about). I'm trying to put some positive pressure on Quyen to get a move on with a HD100 "Extreme" version. I have the current version of the Letus HD100 and am getting great results but would love a thinner GG and less blooming that comes with the new condenser.

I'd be up for a HD100 Extreme, should it eventuate.

Sam

Aaron Pinto · December 6th, 2007, 02:31 AM

The HD100 version of the Extreme will be a modular addon for the existing Extreme. This makes the Extreme very versatile as it can be used now by threading onto a lens or when the HD100 module comes out, it can be attached directly to the JVC body.

Coco Bermudez · December 6th, 2007, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamon Lewis

I'm trying to put some positive pressure on Quyen to get a move on with a HD100 "Extreme" version.

I already built my own LetUs Extreme for my HD100...work beautifully. And I am not talking about adding the adapter to the end of the fujinon lens. I was able to get a adapter to connect nikon prime to the HD-100 body and then attach the Extreme to it...works like a champ!

EXTREME - NIKON PRIME - JVC

October 31st, 2007, 04:42 PM	#17
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	I think the Letus will win out against the Brevis with the flip. Apparently the letus loses just half a stop, very similar to the Brevis CF1. Not sure how much more the Brevis flip loses, I think it is around another half a stop. I would be very interested to hear if Redrock are planning to catch up with the competition...They haven't touched their M2 in ages whereas the Brevis is constantly being revised and the Le brothers have stuck a big two fingers up to P & S and Movietube with their adaptor. Now, all they need to do now to make me happy is bring one out for the JVC with a relay. Now that would be one sweet combo. __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net

October 31st, 2007, 07:04 PM	#18
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	For aerial image pass-through, tighter apertures are not going to help much except for reducing the actual soft area around the pinpoint so it may be less apparent as an artifact. You may find you have to use a polariser to dull reflections down a little and maybe do some tricky things with black-stretch in the camera if you have it, to pull down bright highlights and bring up the dark detail to compete for attention in the image. As a mater of idle interest, try 1/100th sec shutter to see if the groundglass fixed pattern artifact comes back. If you can wring 1/100th sec out of it, this will make a few music video folks who like to shoot a sort of slowmotion quite happy. Last edited by Bob Hart; October 31st, 2007 at 07:07 PM. Reason: can't spell

November 1st, 2007, 07:03 PM	#20
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	For those who are desperately impatient and already own a Letus for JVC, chances are, and I must emphasise "chances" -- with all the uncertainty, grief and malaffection that comes with uninformed comment (mine) subsequently acted upon by innocent others (you?) with disappointing outcomes ---- got this far --- okay caveat expressed --- and Quyen, please beat me down to a quivering pulp of bundled neuroses if I am wrong so no harm be done, ---- ---- chances are, that the relay for the original Letus35 flip for JVC GY HD100 might be in the meantime usuable from the flip module rearwards with a small mod, on a LETUS Extreme or maybe more easily, on the LETUS economy. Almost certainly, the bridging tube from the rear of the flip enclosure would have to be carefully drilled with precise screwholes to match the screw fitment of the bridging tube on the Extreme. The internal diameter of the bridging tube might need to be skimmed to match the diameter of the rear shoulder on the Extreme but it may not if the same tube material has been used on both. Last edited by Bob Hart; November 1st, 2007 at 07:06 PM. Reason: added text

November 17th, 2007, 06:41 AM	#25
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	I came across the smear again yesterday. Will post examples. Worst culprit was my f2 nikon 105mm dc. When I used the dc function I could minimise or exagerate it. This could be vital information as to why it is happening. __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net

November 1st, 2007, 12:35 AM	#19
Alan Ortiz Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Washington, D.C. Posts: 392	...i second that jvc relay...although id prefer it if Dennis came up with one first...

November 17th, 2007, 07:45 AM	#26
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	As a side-effect, does the DC function move the plane of the iris blades forward or backward on the optical centre axis relative to the focal plane? This might have some bearing on it if it does.

November 23rd, 2007, 01:27 PM	#27
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	Every adapter will have some effect on the picture, you are shooting thru a diffuser. M2 has less blooming and very little grain but loses a TON of light and the bokeh has a distinct and sometimes "fake" look, like it was forced in post Brevis has very little blooming, loses very little light but can get grainy very fast, especially with CF3L. CF1L is a great diffuser but you will need to stack some ND's in front of it to get more DOF. The Letus EX has almost no light loss but you get the smeary bloomy effect. It is on EVERY unit but it is situational. It is the easiest adapter to use. Bottom line, know your unit and how to work around its faults. There will never be a unit that addresses all the issues, to fix one, you create another, it is just the nature of shooting thru a diffuser. ash =o)

December 6th, 2007, 02:31 AM	#29
Aaron Pinto Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 52	The HD100 version of the Extreme will be a modular addon for the existing Extreme. This makes the Extreme very versatile as it can be used now by threading onto a lens or when the HD100 module comes out, it can be attached directly to the JVC body.