LEX motor noise! at DVinfo.net

Piotr Wozniacki · March 31st, 2008, 07:31 AM

Just got the LEX for my EX1. First thing I noticed: achromat glass slightly chipped off; lucklily out of view (I hope so, didn't check properly yet due to lack of time). Secondly: the GG rectagle not level when mounted on rails and fixed to the camera (twisted some 5-10deg). Again - hopefully, can be adjusted.

But what's most disappointing is the noise of the GG spinning! Do all make so much noise? Frankly, recording sound with on-board mic is impossible!

Or is mine defective? Comments welcome.

Barry Green · March 31st, 2008, 01:43 PM

Talk to Letus, your issues are not normal. Mine is so quiet that I literally cannot hear it from 3" away.

Piotr Wozniacki · March 31st, 2008, 02:00 PM

Here is a sample of the vibrations that the onboard mic of my EX1 records. You must listen to it using full freq response monitors.

Christopher Drews · March 31st, 2008, 06:43 PM

I feel your pain, Piotr. My mic audio is useless also. Infact, I even mounted a really good Sennheiser mic on my HVX with LEX EX and rails. The audio contains a constant hum with the motor vibrations. Good thing we were running a second system.

-C

Piotr Wozniacki · April 1st, 2008, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barry Green

Talk to Letus, your issues are not normal. Mine is so quiet that I literally cannot hear it from 3" away.

Barry, we are having different opinions here; some are saying this is normal with Letus (if it is, I feel cheated by their marketing the LEX as almost inaudible in operation).

I'm attaching a new sample - this time with the Sony ECM 763 shotgun. Compared with this, the sample I posted yesterday (with the E1's own mic) can really be considered silent :(

Sami Sanpakkila · April 1st, 2008, 09:33 AM

Yes, it sounds pretty much the same what I hear as well. Here is a sample. No normalizing or anything done to it, just straight render to mono Wav file from Vegas. The click in the beginning is me changing picture profiles from the top handle joystick.

The biggest problem indeed is the vibration to the mic, I cant hear the Letus at all if Im behind the camera (as I normally am :).

Sami

Piotr Wozniacki · April 1st, 2008, 10:57 AM

Sami, did you listen to my second file (with the Sony shotgun)?

Your's virtually silent compared to mine - even the first one (I assume this was recorded with the EX1's own mic)!!!

Was your setup on the rails & tripod?

I opened a ticket with Letus support and uploaded the samples - no answer so far.

Sami Sanpakkila · April 1st, 2008, 12:31 PM

Yes I listened to your both files and the second was very loud indeed. Its all vibration I assume though. Not the actual sound of Letus.

The example I sent you was on Cinevate rails but not on tripod so this will make a huge difference in the way the sound carries to the mic. Yes this was recorded with the EX1 mic.

I doubt there is anything wrong with your Letus. Try again holding your rig in your hand and you will hear the difference. Also there is unfortunately not much Letus people can do I think.

If you are familiar with audio and vibration charasteristics you could try and cut the vibration before it travels to the mic.

Piotr Wozniacki · April 1st, 2008, 02:27 PM

Sami,
I have tried the rig out of the tripod, just holding it in my hands. Unfortunately, even the the on-board mic is still pickig up the same amount of vibration noise from the Letus.

On the LCD, with dead silent room, the audio level indicators are fixed at two bars - regardles of wheter on tripod or not.

I guess my unit's spinning assembly is unbalanced, which translates into the increased vibration noise. In fact, the whole camera body is vibrating; I'm afraid it may suffer some damage in the long run.

Paul Frederick · April 7th, 2008, 08:22 AM

Piotr,

Mine makes the same amount of noise as yours. Unfortunately....

Have you adjusted the angle of view so that it is no longer 10-15 degrees at an angle? It's quite easy to do. With the LEX mounted on your camera, no lens on, turn camera on, zoom out until you can see the inner workings and the "whole" frame. Now loosen the 3 allen screws closest to the camera. This will free up the main unit, you then turn the LEX until the rectangle is perfectly straight, then tighten the 3 screws.

I'm using the LEX on my V1, I'm not sure if the EX 1 has an expanded focus button, if so, I find this the best way to focus on the ground glass. Just punch that and focus away (again, no lens on, pointed at a window), the bright light makes it easy to focus on the GG.

Happy shooting!

Piotr Wozniacki · April 7th, 2008, 08:38 AM

Paul, thanks for reassuring.

However, your recipe for leveling the Letus - while sounds easy when the adapter can be rotated around the camera lens axis - is not practical when both are mounted to the rail system. Unfortunately, the adapter can be fixed to the lens in one position only, and this is when it's rotated relative to the camera.

Paul Frederick · April 7th, 2008, 09:04 AM

I'm not sure I follow you? Do you mean that you want the adaptor in a position other than straight up or down? The red button needs to be either on the top or the bottom in order for the image to be squared up. If yours is at an angle that is different then up or down, loosen those screws and rotate the adaptor until it's up or down. Then make sure your threaded on the lens nice and tight with the other part and finally tighten the screws again. You may have to take it off the rails to get it correct, but once it's done. It'll be good to go and can be mounted on the rails in a perfect manner. I suspect you want the button off to the side, and while I agree this makes it easier to see, it won't allow you to square up the adaptor.

Piotr Wozniacki · April 7th, 2008, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Frederick

I'm not sure I follow you? Do you mean that you want the adaptor in a position other than straight up or down? The red button needs to be either on the top or the bottom in order for the image to be squared up. If yours is at an angle that is different then up or down, loosen those screws and rotate the adaptor until it's up or down. Then make sure your threaded on the lens nice and tight with the other part and finally tighten the screws again. You may have to take it off the rails to get it correct, but once it's done. It'll be good to go and can be mounted on the rails in a perfect manner. I suspect you want the button off to the side, and while I agree this makes it easier to see, it won't allow you to square up the adaptor.

Paul - now I am not following you at all :) Are you talking Letus Extreme? If so, which button do you mean?

I am mounting the adapter (and the camera, of course) on rails in the only obvious way possible. Now, suppose that before mounting on the rails, I have rotated the adapter around the thread ring in the camera's lense so that the GG rectangle is level in the viewfinder (that's pretty easy, of course), and re-tighten the three screws. BUT, with the setup assembled this way, the hole underneath the adapter "nose" (where the rails front supporting bracket's screw is going) is NOT aligned with the bracket's screw, and I cannot attach the adapter to the bracket when on rails!

I hope it makes sense to you now :)

Piotr Wozniacki · April 7th, 2008, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotr Wozniacki

with the setup assembled this way, the hole underneath the adapter "nose" (where the rails front supporting bracket's screw is going) is NOT aligned with the bracket's screw, and I cannot attach the adapter to the bracket when on rails!

I tried again, and it's even worse: with the adapter twisted to align the gg rectangle in the camera's viewfinder, its nose doesn't even fit the front support cradle :(

Well, I hate to be picky, but for the price the Letus is definitely not a masterpiece of precise engineering. And precision is essential for getting good pictures! The mounting should be much more flexible (see my problems with leveling); the lens mounts mounted more precisely than with those crappy three screws (backfocus adjustment, involving pulling the mount out of the adapter, cannot assure its being planar); finally - everything should have some firm but soft contact surfaces for dumping vibrations (like rubber verges etc).

Well, I guess I'm expecting too much...

Paul Frederick · April 7th, 2008, 11:38 AM

Piotr,

I guess it has to do with your rail system. The button I refer to is the big red one that turns the vibrating glass on and off. I'll attach a few pictures to show how mine is set up. Maybe it'll help? I'm not even using the bracket that came with the Letus Extreme, I use a couple rubber gromets and the Zacuto rails to hold it up. I see alot of people mount theirs the other way, with the red button down, but this is working for me. If I were to do it that way, I would have to raise the camera way up.

It is sort of complicated to set up. These adaptors are new and stem from a "cottage industry" of enthusiasts. It could be easier I suppose, but it could also cost even more.

March 31st, 2008, 07:31 AM	#1
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	LEX motor noise! Just got the LEX for my EX1. First thing I noticed: achromat glass slightly chipped off; lucklily out of view (I hope so, didn't check properly yet due to lack of time). Secondly: the GG rectagle not level when mounted on rails and fixed to the camera (twisted some 5-10deg). Again - hopefully, can be adjusted. But what's most disappointing is the noise of the GG spinning! Do all make so much noise? Frankly, recording sound with on-board mic is impossible! Or is mine defective? Comments welcome. __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

April 1st, 2008, 10:57 AM	#7
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Sami, did you listen to my second file (with the Sony shotgun)? Your's virtually silent compared to mine - even the first one (I assume this was recorded with the EX1's own mic)!!! Was your setup on the rails & tripod? I opened a ticket with Letus support and uploaded the samples - no answer so far. __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

April 1st, 2008, 02:27 PM	#9
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Sami, I have tried the rig out of the tripod, just holding it in my hands. Unfortunately, even the the on-board mic is still pickig up the same amount of vibration noise from the Letus. On the LCD, with dead silent room, the audio level indicators are fixed at two bars - regardles of wheter on tripod or not. I guess my unit's spinning assembly is unbalanced, which translates into the increased vibration noise. In fact, the whole camera body is vibrating; I'm afraid it may suffer some damage in the long run. __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

April 7th, 2008, 08:38 AM	#11
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Paul, thanks for reassuring. However, your recipe for leveling the Letus - while sounds easy when the adapter can be rotated around the camera lens axis - is not practical when both are mounted to the rail system. Unfortunately, the adapter can be fixed to the lens in one position only, and this is when it's rotated relative to the camera. __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

April 7th, 2008, 11:38 AM	#15
Paul Frederick Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: WestChazy, NY Posts: 291	Piotr, I guess it has to do with your rail system. The button I refer to is the big red one that turns the vibrating glass on and off. I'll attach a few pictures to show how mine is set up. Maybe it'll help? I'm not even using the bracket that came with the Letus Extreme, I use a couple rubber gromets and the Zacuto rails to hold it up. I see alot of people mount theirs the other way, with the red button down, but this is working for me. If I were to do it that way, I would have to raise the camera way up. It is sort of complicated to set up. These adaptors are new and stem from a "cottage industry" of enthusiasts. It could be easier I suppose, but it could also cost even more. Attached Thumbnails

March 31st, 2008, 01:43 PM	#2
Barry Green Barry Wan Kenobi Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,863	Talk to Letus, your issues are not normal. Mine is so quiet that I literally cannot hear it from 3" away.

March 31st, 2008, 06:43 PM	#4
Christopher Drews Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 628	I feel your pain, Piotr. My mic audio is useless also. Infact, I even mounted a really good Sennheiser mic on my HVX with LEX EX and rails. The audio contains a constant hum with the motor vibrations. Good thing we were running a second system. -C

April 1st, 2008, 12:31 PM	#8
Sami Sanpakkila Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Finland Posts: 317	Yes I listened to your both files and the second was very loud indeed. Its all vibration I assume though. Not the actual sound of Letus. The example I sent you was on Cinevate rails but not on tripod so this will make a huge difference in the way the sound carries to the mic. Yes this was recorded with the EX1 mic. I doubt there is anything wrong with your Letus. Try again holding your rig in your hand and you will hear the difference. Also there is unfortunately not much Letus people can do I think. If you are familiar with audio and vibration charasteristics you could try and cut the vibration before it travels to the mic.

April 7th, 2008, 08:22 AM	#10
Paul Frederick Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: WestChazy, NY Posts: 291	Piotr, Mine makes the same amount of noise as yours. Unfortunately.... Have you adjusted the angle of view so that it is no longer 10-15 degrees at an angle? It's quite easy to do. With the LEX mounted on your camera, no lens on, turn camera on, zoom out until you can see the inner workings and the "whole" frame. Now loosen the 3 allen screws closest to the camera. This will free up the main unit, you then turn the LEX until the rectangle is perfectly straight, then tighten the 3 screws. I'm using the LEX on my V1, I'm not sure if the EX 1 has an expanded focus button, if so, I find this the best way to focus on the ground glass. Just punch that and focus away (again, no lens on, pointed at a window), the bright light makes it easy to focus on the GG. Happy shooting!

April 7th, 2008, 09:04 AM	#12
Paul Frederick Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: WestChazy, NY Posts: 291	I'm not sure I follow you? Do you mean that you want the adaptor in a position other than straight up or down? The red button needs to be either on the top or the bottom in order for the image to be squared up. If yours is at an angle that is different then up or down, loosen those screws and rotate the adaptor until it's up or down. Then make sure your threaded on the lens nice and tight with the other part and finally tighten the screws again. You may have to take it off the rails to get it correct, but once it's done. It'll be good to go and can be mounted on the rails in a perfect manner. I suspect you want the button off to the side, and while I agree this makes it easier to see, it won't allow you to square up the adaptor.