Mini35 Samples online
 

I have recently uploaded samples shot with the Mini35/DVX100

http://www.danmccainproductions.com/demo_reel.html

DAN McCAIN
Owner Operator
Atlanta, GA
dan@danmccainproductions.com

those are some nice samples...

I saw that you used Nikon lenses on several occasions; could you tell us which ones you use?

JD

I use: Tamron 18-35 zoom, nikkor 24mm, nikkor 35mm, nikkor 50mm, nikkor 85 and tonika 80- 200 zoom.

Don't you get too much breathing with those zooms?

I'm about to get a set of nikon lenses together for an adapter (not the mini35 but the Movietube, which is about to drop in about 2 weeks) and i'm trying to find out which ones are good and which ones aren't.

JD

I tested the Tamron for breathing, and did not notice any problem. The 85mm prime lens does breathe a bit. You may want to test different lenses, or shoot with cine lenses.

I will most definately be shooting with cine lenses as well, but I want to own a set of cheaper still lenses for smaller budget shoots, test shoots and spontaneous projects.

I'm also going to test some sigma lenses as they've got some interesting ones.

JD

Another thing to look for is light distribution especially with the zoom lenses. On the long lens the light falls off in the bottom corner and looks like a vingette. Thankfully the falloff happens under the underscan so it isnt a huge issue.

those shots are really impressive, but i can see clearly the images you used to demonstrate the use of the mini 35, it appears you had additional fill key and back lights in your scene, also your framing and action for the scenes were different. so in my opinion its not a true comparison, also the image looks very diffused and soft, maybe some de interlacing used ?
still impressive though.

Actually we shot this comparision with two cameras side by side. This is the reason that the framing is different because one camera is slightly off axis. Look very carefully at the bar tenders arm in the back ground when the charater raises the cigarette, you will see the movements match. No soften or sharpen filters were added during production or in post. The shots were given to me by the editor slightly color corrected, so i tweked the mini35 version a bit (crushed the blacks). However, since the mini35 is not a color enhancement system, this comparision is meant to show the difference in depth of field, and lens characteristics.

On the demo DVD, I feed the two streams on seperate video tracks so the user can toggle between the two streams for a real time comparision. Im sure someone would know how to do this in flash etc., and if they they would like to engeneer this I would gladly supply the footage.

What's going on with Movietube anyway?
 

Does anyone have any footage shot with movietube? Has it been released yet?

It has been released; I own one of the first batch of 20.

For availability and rental houses you might want to get in touch with the people who make it: info@movietube.com

I personally don't have any footage available, but this clip was shot with a FX1 on a Movietube with Arri Ultra primes by German DP Christopher Haering:
http://www.ch71.de/clips/glashaus-version02.mov
(I saw it on another forum)

What is your opinion of the Movie Tube compared to the Mini35? What are the differences in terms of price, picture quality and other factors?

I haven't worked with the Mini35 but the things I like about the Movietube are:
1) no moving GG means no noise, no vibration, no need for extra power
2) you don't need a $1500 adapter for each type of camera you want to use (but you can't use the XL1(s)/XL2... which isn't a problem for me)
3) the basic setup is cheaper than the Mini35 and soon there will be extra add-ons available (shoulder-rest, ENG viewfinder connection,...)

I can't compare the consturction of both products but the movietube is well-built and I assume the Mini35 is very well built too.

I think the picture-quality of both products is equally good.

JD

Updated Samples
 

http://www.danmccainproductions.com/demo_reel.html
New Samples have been added since the orginal post, and are now available for viewing.

For those interested in seeing what the new JVC HD100 camera can do with the Mini35, you might be interested in this article I wrote that includes frame grabs and clips:

http://www.hdvinfo.net/articles/jvcp...ini35test1.php