ok, a few DOF solutions, but how much?
 

How much we talkin for a WELL MADE DOF solution, i'm thinking of just making my own if they are going to be as costly as the mini35 (over 7 grand) i'd like to pay substantialy less than a grand if i can pull it off, or else im going to radio shack and grinding down a cd. Which ones are the good cheap ones?

BUY a Letus and it's over
 

Just buy a Letus35 www.adapterplace.com for a few hundred bucks and you'll save yourself so much in head ache, time, and money... Of course this is a DIY community... Kind of like Burger King... Have it your way......

If you wait a bit you can save yourself some money over the Letus. Jim Lafferty, a member of this board, is bringing out a low cost adapter that (last I heard) was going to be targeted at $209. Jim, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. So far I've been very impressed with the footage from his adapter tests and I'd definitely recommend him if you are looking for a quality, low cost adapter.

before thinking of the Letus35, read this article, it is a shootout between the Letus and the SG35. basically the Letus sucked bad in light loss. about 3 stops. But the SG35 only last about 1/2 a stop. now thats an amazing accomplishement. but building your own is definatly a good way to go. you could build a nice one for under $80 if you think smart, and buy only what you need. ive already made a static adapter, and i am in the midst of building a spinning adapter. but i have a problem of making a good glass (or plastic) without getting hot spot.

I agree,
If you have the time, try building one, at least to begin with. Its a great learning curve.

forrest.. what article are you talking about.. you didnt post a link.. and im having probs trakcing it down on here.. from personal experience you dont get 3 stops light loss with the letus. i have the older version and with a 50mm 1.4 lens i dont detect much loss at all. definately nothing greater than a stop IMHO

haha, sorry bout that

http://dvxuser.com/articles/35/

about light loss, dont tell me, pictures are worth a thousand words

If you have an older version then you probably don't see as much light loss. The version in the article is the 'flip' version, which DOES suck up a lot more light than the earlier versions that did not flip the image.

Also, in that article the SG35 doesn't get a fair critique. Ok, let me rephrase that. It gets a fair critique of the adapter that they received, but that is not the typical quality of the SG35. I have seen other footage that is MUCH better than that shown in the article. I'm not saying it's any kind of bias on the part of the testers, but from what I have read concerning this the adapter that was shipped was defective. And it is also being redesigned, so it will be even better in the near future.

Also, you can build your own relatively cheaply. Depending on what kind of GG you use (and other options) you can make the main tube assembly for as little as $60, depending on where you source your materials. The $209 adapter that I mentioned earlier will have a pretty dang good GG in it, and Jim does plan on selling it separately. You may want to look into building your own tube assembly and then using his GG. It's really not that hard to make these once you have the concepts down. But then there is a difference between making one that works, and making one that works well. Best of luck to you.

Also in that article, all the shots and footage and still grabs of the Letus35 were done using the unflipped letus35. the written part of the article was about the flip version, which does take up alot more light. but look at the old letus35 grabs compared to the SG35. those were done with the older, and lose a fair bit of light. alot in fact.

if you get yourself a good beattie screen, then you will be getting almost no lightloss, am i correct? thats what Dan states with his MPIC. which uses a beattie intenscreen. anyways, if you can make that screen oscillate. then your pretty much set. ttyl

cheapest one they list is 600 bucks....

I'd be down to buy one at that price range if it's for real and not a piece of junk... ...jim, you have a website?

go-35.com, though it is little more than a placeholder at the moment. If you'd like to see some high res footage from the $209 prototype, they are here:

http://go-35.com/vids/go35standard-lg.mov

http://go-35.com/vids/go35standard-lg2.mov

Low res footage from the Standard is the "Demo" link on that page, as well.

I also have DVX footage with the Go35SD ("standard"), but I'm hesitant to show it as in truth the adapter needs a proper achromat to work with the DVX at its full potential. The DP I rented the prototype out to over the past few days laughed when she saw the vignetting -- "You know, plenty of people pay a ton of money to get that look in post..."

Yes we did find the problem once i received the unit back after testing. Was a build error o my part, resulting in the dvx being about 5mm too close to the GG.

I am sending them an SGpro next month, so they can update the article.

You're looking at the Letus Flip version. Click the Letus35 link on the left side of the page, scroll to the bottom and you'll see he offers regular Letus models starting at $300.

Steven, how would you define "well made"? I'm interested in your point of view. It's not something often discussed in the current crop of adapters.

Good to hear, Wayne. I'm a bit disappointed in the shootout, as it seems like neither product was shown at what it truly could be. The Letus had a misaligned mirror (or something similar) and yours was a bit off, as you mentioned. Can't wait to see the SGpro. Seems very exciting.

i also find that the adapters take some time and tinkering to get the results that you want... i find every time i put my letus on my xl1s (or when i turn it on.. because it never comes off my cam) im finding my quality it getting better and better. the more and more practice and playing with presets and testing you do the more comfortable your shooting becomes and your image gets better and better.

Good point Andrew. Every cam has it's idiosyncracies..and the adapter needs to be setup correctly too. In that regard, there "shouldn't" be anything to do, except ensure that your lens flange to GG distance is correct.

Definitely knowing your cam, particularly the pro-sumer cams, makes a big difference...and shooting/testing helps to get the look right.

The other topic seldom discussed is using the 35mm lens properly. My last test shoot was with a CP filter applied to the 50mm lens, which I stopped down to F4 (with the cam still dialling in F11!!). There is a visible difference if you take the time to address the basic technicalities of good photography. Blowing out a GG with a wide open 35mm lens in outside conditions, and maxing your camera at F16 is not a recipe for good footage with even the best adapter. It seems obvious...but I wonder how many shooters are blindly seeking shortsightedness. (pun intended :-)

So true. I'm finding as I'm fooling with the Go35Pro it really responds better the more you treat it with the kind of care you'd treat film with. The more light you give it, or the better you are at controlling the light available, the more the adapter eats it up and makes the footage respond well.

That said, I just wish I had a camera that had decent lowlight response -- the GL1 fairs so poorly without an adapter, adding one just highlights the shortcoming of a first gen cam all the more.

Just something that wont break easy, i try to be careful with my stuff, but you know, stuff happens

Hey Jim
 

Hey jim, i'm looking at getting an hdv cam, like one of the cheaper 3ccd sony ones, any problems with that?