Proper exposure for interviews at DVinfo.net

Bill Parker · March 26th, 2008, 04:39 AM

I just received my Letus Extreme and will be using it with an EX1. I set it up with a Nikon 85mm 1.4 lens and threw on a 600w softbox about five feet from my subject. W/ the gain set at -3db, I need to have both lenses wide open and it still isn't quite enough light. I need to go to 6db to give me enough light to be able to back off the iris at the high end. I'm happy with the image, but that strikes me as more than 1/2 stop of light loss. Could I be doing something wrong or is this more or less normal with this set-up?

Thanks.

Bob Hart · March 26th, 2008, 06:39 AM

Bill.

Phil Bloom is pretty much the guru on the EX1/Letus Extreme combination.

In meantime, two questions.

What shutter speed are you using?

Are you shooting progressive or interlaced?

You will lose light with any adaptor, some more than others. I'll leave it to others to give you the info on the Extreme. I don't have recency with the Letus since the XL flip model.

Bill Parker · March 26th, 2008, 07:19 AM

Bob. Thanks. I just solved my problem. I took the lens off, did a better job of centering the sensor, refocused on the GG and when I put the lens back on, I suddenly had the light I needed at -3db. Don't ask me why. For the record, I was shooting at 48 and progressive.

I would like to have my Nikon lens at 4 or 5.6, but it has to be pretty much wide open, unless I increase the gain considerably n the EX1 or add more light (since a lot of my clients are seniors, I'd rather spare them that). Any thoughts? Thanks.

Bob Hart · March 26th, 2008, 08:50 AM

My personal preference is not to go wide-open with the Nikon lens iris just because I can, however about f3.5 is about as closed as I would go with it.

If you want the deeper depth-of-field, yet still have some background softness, maybe use a shorter focal length lens and place the camera closer to subject.

Bill Parker · March 26th, 2008, 09:02 AM

That sounds about right. I discovered if I have the EX1 at 0db gain, that gives me the latitude to go to 2.8 on the Nikon. Thanks.

March 26th, 2008, 04:39 AM	#1
Bill Parker Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Cambridge MA Posts: 207	Proper exposure for interviews I just received my Letus Extreme and will be using it with an EX1. I set it up with a Nikon 85mm 1.4 lens and threw on a 600w softbox about five feet from my subject. W/ the gain set at -3db, I need to have both lenses wide open and it still isn't quite enough light. I need to go to 6db to give me enough light to be able to back off the iris at the high end. I'm happy with the image, but that strikes me as more than 1/2 stop of light loss. Could I be doing something wrong or is this more or less normal with this set-up? Thanks. __________________ Bill Parker www.hindsightmedia.net

March 26th, 2008, 07:19 AM	#3
Bill Parker Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Cambridge MA Posts: 207	Bob. Thanks. I just solved my problem. I took the lens off, did a better job of centering the sensor, refocused on the GG and when I put the lens back on, I suddenly had the light I needed at -3db. Don't ask me why. For the record, I was shooting at 48 and progressive. I would like to have my Nikon lens at 4 or 5.6, but it has to be pretty much wide open, unless I increase the gain considerably n the EX1 or add more light (since a lot of my clients are seniors, I'd rather spare them that). Any thoughts? Thanks. __________________ Bill Parker www.hindsightmedia.net

March 26th, 2008, 09:02 AM	#5
Bill Parker Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Cambridge MA Posts: 207	That sounds about right. I discovered if I have the EX1 at 0db gain, that gives me the latitude to go to 2.8 on the Nikon. Thanks. __________________ Bill Parker www.hindsightmedia.net

March 26th, 2008, 06:39 AM	#2
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	Bill. Phil Bloom is pretty much the guru on the EX1/Letus Extreme combination. In meantime, two questions. What shutter speed are you using? Are you shooting progressive or interlaced? You will lose light with any adaptor, some more than others. I'll leave it to others to give you the info on the Extreme. I don't have recency with the Letus since the XL flip model.

March 26th, 2008, 08:50 AM	#4
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	My personal preference is not to go wide-open with the Nikon lens iris just because I can, however about f3.5 is about as closed as I would go with it. If you want the deeper depth-of-field, yet still have some background softness, maybe use a shorter focal length lens and place the camera closer to subject.