Letus Ultimate short films
 

I have made my first short using the Letus Ultimate prototype and the EX1.

There is a better quality version being uploaded to exposureroom.com right now but in the mean time here it is:

http://www.philipbloom.co.uk/Philip_...eer_Vegas.html

a semi sequel to Piccadilly Furs

More info and photos on my blog.

There are three more to edit. Two with the Ultimate from the Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon and the third using the Extreme at Death Valley

My second short "Red, Red, Rocks" is now up

http://www.philipbloom.co.uk/Philip_...Red_Rocks.html

I'm guessing this thread is quiet because nobody has anything bad to say about this adapter. I may not quite have the most critical eye here when it comes to these adapters, but this stuff looks pretty darn great to me.
Still not sure I'd pay $4,500 for one, but then again as I've said before I'm probably not the target audience for this thing.

On second viewing, I may have noticed some grain in the upper left corner of the shot where a guy is walking his kids up a hill with the sun at the top left of the frame and blue shy at the top right. (it's right after the slowmo dog a little more than half way through) In the sky I can either see the spinning glass, or compression artifacts. I'm not sure which it is.

Phil, what is your take on the adapter, or are you allowed to say at this point?

I am mightily impressed.


As for artifacts, except for high bright overcast, this environment was one of the more likely which would provoke them.

The graininess in the top left blue sky after the dog, I think is the compression scheme taking shortcuts. With the Letus disk arrangement and the appliance mounted lens-low, grain should be visible in the bottom centre before anywhere else. Lens-high, it should be in top centre, - not there either. No "vortex from hell" so very encouraging.

The dog shot as a slowmo should have provoked an artifact in the sand shadows but I did not see any. This suggests the disk speed should be good for higher shutter speeds up to 1/150 sec, maybe higher before the grain becomes frozen in each frame.

I thought I saw something going on with the lower rail in the walkway shot however the irregular repetition rate is not typical of a spot-on-disk artifact. Nor is the apparent direction of the artifact movement. With the small diameter high rpm arrangement chosen for the Letus, any spot-on-disk artifact should be represented as a very bendy arc and this is not.

Spot-on-disk is a rare problem, usually found in unsealed home-mades and usually related to keeping the appliance stored in an enclosure when not in use. In my home-made, a cockroach had got in and left a large coffeespot on the disk.

A later second wide shot of the same walkway shows overhanging vegetation up-sun on the left. I conclude that in the earlier shot a disturbed branch likely threw a moving diffuse narrow shadow on the rail. An artifact should be evident in the surrounding image and it is not.

This is only a pre-release prototype. -- The final version should be very interesting indeed.

How will P+S Technik step up to this one? My one guess - Their quickest option might be a revised Series 300, much faster rpm with 400 series groundglass texture and larger groundglass image area for using SLR still-camera lenses only. The 400 might require some heavy redesign if it is to divert from the existing motion picture frame standard it complies with.

Phil,

When you met with Hien, did he mention the forthcoming relay lens for the Extreme by any chance? When it'll be out, how much etc?

Many thanks
Stuart

yeah, they had the prototype on display on the zacuto stand. No idea of pricing yet. I guess a couple of months to perfect it? I don't think it will be that cheap considering the quality of glass they are using.

How did it look?

I really didn't imagine it would be a cheapy by any means. But, if it still makes the Letus Extreme cheaper than a P+S miniC (which they must have figured out) it's a must, and would surely make them the ONLY adaptor for the JVC HD cameras.

i actually didn't get to see it... but here is a photo from the zacuto stand

Phil you are a diamond! It's great to see that, and that's much more like it. Much more workable rather than the current set up with JVC for example.

I'd love to know what glass configuration is in that little thing. Looks interesting.

Just wish they'd bloody hurry up and release it!

Interestingly enough that photo has also helped me figure out which Zacuto mount to get!

Cheers Phil
Stuart

Next time you venture out this way (I live in Cedar City, UT -- 2 1/2 hours north of Las Vegas) you should come north if you really want to see "Red Red Rock." Southern Utah has several National Parks that are crying out for you to shoot: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase, Arches -- and that's just naming a few of them.

In any case, I enjoyed your short. Just curious, what method did you employ to achieve the slow motion effect with the dog?

60fps overcrank. Next time am out there will definately go!

My new short and first with the Ultimate prototype Mark 2 is online here: http://www.philipbloom.co.uk/Philip_Bloom/southend.html

Loads of info and what I used on my blog...

Thanks for that Phil,

That made my evening. It almost made me miss home (well ......almost)

So, how many times were you threatened? 'you filming my bird'?!!, oi, wot ya doin? etc etc You must have come close to a fight surely? I did a live OB for Meridian Broadcasting many years ago in Southend and almost had a fight. Lovely place.

I can't also help but think that a Chas n Dave number would have been better for your soundtrack!

Jokes aside, lovely stuff. The long lens stuff (was that the 400) was gorgeous. Glorious colour too. What did you have on the front of the lens? Polariser, anything else? Extra ND for the glare off the sea or just the 2 built in? Also, what aspect ratio have you got there? Did you Pan/Crop that in the edit then?

Well done. Really enjoyed watching that. Thanks.

Thanks Stuart

Only threatened once! There was a fight but i didn't catch it time. Bloke smashing a bottle over someone's head. Would have been a great slow motion shot!