Redrock, Brevis, SGPro Shootout

Chad Terpstra · February 11th, 2007, 10:06 PM

Great images, Phil. Your compositional skills are top notch. Especially when it's cold out it can be very difficult to still think artistically! It's too bad this couldn't be posted in HD to get a better idea of the sharpness. The compression can kill the actual quality sometimes. Do you have any stills you could share? It looks pretty sharp in places!

Jane, I'd suggest contacting Dennis or going over to the Cinevate forums at this point. http://www.cinevate.com/phpBB2/index.php I know he does custom cuts for rod length as I ordered 18 inchers from him for only a little extra. Can't let you know of the quality yet as they are hopefully going to be in the mail this week... Right, Dennis? ;-) But I'm sure they're great. He has made sure they're industry standard to an exacting degree so I think they'd work with your setup. But ask just to make sure.

Ryan Lindsey · February 12th, 2007, 01:51 AM

I've been trying to contact you, but with no luck. I ordered the Brevis, Rail Support, Rails and Cinefuse3 and have a couple of questions.

I'd also like to add 2 items to the order before it ships. The Step Down Ring for cameras like the HVX and the Spacer for cameras like the XH A1.

Shoot me an email when you get a chance.

Thanks.

Dennis Wood · February 12th, 2007, 02:58 AM

Ryan, we've just moved web providers, (successfully for a change) and will be catching up with email over the next day or two :-) If you sent the email between 10pm and 4am, it may have gone astray as the DNS entries were propagated..so please resend it :-)

Phil, check your email!

Jane, our support will work with your rails, and in a week or so, expect the release of a new adjustable height mount.

Phil Bloom · February 12th, 2007, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jane snijders

I own a Sony Z1 equipped with a chrosziel mattebox.
This mattebox already gives me a support system.
I suppose I only need to get longer rods if I want to use a brevis or m2 with it..
I think the brevis suits my needs best. Quick set up/light weight.
Will the brevis supportadapter fit on the rods of my chrosziel?
The chrosziel rods are 15mm thick and have 4.5 cm space in between them.
Is Cinevate supplying extra long rods? How thick are they.
Anyone experience with this set up?
Advice highly appreciated.

You need rods with the M2, if you opt for your own rods then you will have a nightmare getting in lined up. The M2's rods system are optimized for tweakig the position to get it lined up.

Rods aren't so important for the Brevis, but if you use them yours will be fine. I am using ENG support rods for my JVC and they are fine. As long as they are standard 15mm you won't have a problem.

Phil

Phil Bloom · February 12th, 2007, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis Hingsberg

Phil, great shots and composition. On the shorts 2 film I noticed vignetting on left and right edges of images. Was this done in post or in camera? It's not overly obvious, but enough to notice if you didn't want it there to begin with.

Any pictures of the rig - that would be sweet to see as well!

There is a combination of intentional and unavoidable vignetting. To get the full wide of the 20mm a bit of vignetting crept it but I actually thought it added to the look so I didn't zoom past it. I liked it so much put vignetting in some of the shots by stopping down the SLR lens.

I will put some screen grabs up on the site.

There is a pic of the rig on the page in the shootout section and on another thread somewhere on here so I can't put it on this thread too!

Jane Snijders · February 12th, 2007, 05:45 AM

thnx for all your advice guys! I joined the cinevate forum.
it all looks clear to me now :-) what I need. The brevis will be my next purchase. The fact that it blends with the camera is also a big plus to me.
Will I be able to flip the image on my lcd by using a magnet ? ( sony z1 )

I now use a canon 1.4 tele on my z1 to get a nice depth of field if the shot is suitable. ( using step down rings)
But of course this lens has limited possibilities.....
Does anyone have experience with using the tamron tele for the canon eos 400 with the brevis? Which lenses would you suggest? I have to decide which brand I am going to use.... availability in the 2nd hand market is important as well. sorry for all the questions....

Phil Bloom · February 12th, 2007, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jane snijders

thnx for all your advice guys! I joined the cinevate forum.
it all looks clear to me now :-) what I need. The brevis will be my next purchase. The fact that it blends with the camera is also a big plus to me.
Will I be able to flip the image on my lcd by using a magnet ? ( sony z1 )

I now use a canon 1.4 tele on my z1 to get a nice depth of field if the shot is suitable. ( using step down rings)
But of course this lens has limited possibilities.....
Does anyone have experience with using the tamron tele for the canon eos 400 with the brevis? Which lenses would you suggest? I have to decide which brand I am going to use.... availability in the 2nd hand market is important as well. sorry for all the questions....

How long is the tamron. I am finding anything over 180mm gets severe vignetting with the Brevis..this may be fixed now though. Sony Z1 magnet flip is easiest one out there. You need the tiniest magnet and it works great.

Jane Snijders · February 12th, 2007, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Bloom

How long is the tamron. I am finding anything over 180mm gets severe vignetting with the Brevis..this may be fixed now though. Sony Z1 magnet flip is easiest one out there. You need the tiniest magnet and it works great.

Great to hear that the magnet trick works with my z1!
the tamron is: AF75-300mm F/4-5.6 LD Macr...... so I guess using this lens is a bit too much for the brevis?

Phil Bloom · February 12th, 2007, 06:47 AM

Hi Jane

it is too long and much too slow. I wouldn't touch anything over f2.8

Aim for prime lenses around f1.8 or f1.4 if you can afford them. My sigma 20mm is f1.8 and my vivitar 135mm is f2.3. my 35mm, 50mm and 85mm are f1.4/ I have a zoom that is f2.8 24mm to 70mm and it works fine.

I have now uploaded a hgh resolution file

http://www.1080studio.com/philipbloom/jvcbrevis2.mp4

it is over 60mb. Thanks to Chris Witzke for hosting the file for me!

Chad Terpstra · February 12th, 2007, 07:26 AM

Downloading the new file now. Thanks!

I would disagree on the longer lens. You might find a use for it outdoors where there's plenty of light. But certainly a 2.8 or less would look much better for DOF and be more flexible indoors. If price is a concern, I shop used at B&H, Adorama, KEH, and other random stores. I got most of my Nikon primes for < $100, but if you shop for non-Nikons you could get a good set for much less yet. I don't think the quality will be much different for adapter use but I'm not sure on all brands or focal lengths. I got a "Miscellaneous Brand" 28mm from KEH for $20 and it's quite sharp.

I didn't know about the vignetting. Why would this happen??

Phil Bloom · February 12th, 2007, 07:32 AM

f2.8 is the slowest lens I own, having wasted money buying slower originally. Way too limiting.

Dont know why the longer lenses vigenette with the Brevis, Dennis Wood did explain it to me a while back and there is a possible solution.

Christopher Witz · February 12th, 2007, 08:20 AM

If you guy's want wicked DOF control... mount one of these babies to your adaptor....

http://www.lensbabies.com/index.php?r=GSLensbaby

I've used them for stills when "artsy" was the goal.... the new one actually locks down.. the old version was like playing a trombone to focus.....

CA's pretty bad if you bend it to the extreme.... so I tend to go B&W or at least a sepia tent to hide the CA.

Phil Bloom · February 12th, 2007, 08:23 AM

quite fancy trying that out!

Thanks for the hosting of my file Chris. Am doing a re encode now as there was a bad shot in the edit that I had to replace!!

Christopher Witz · February 12th, 2007, 08:35 AM

ya... the lensbabies create the look of tilt/shift of large format bellows camera.... I think it would be nearly impossible to use handheld in a camcorder..... but for product like a wine bottle when on sticks.... cool.

don't expect top tier optics... although the version 3 is much better than previous ones.

actually.... might be interesting to mount directly on the jvc? at 50mm it might be too long thoough aye?

also... the concept of the screws might be a nice way to set backfocus and keystoning of the ground glass in the adaptors.... not having to crach one open.... hmm.... lets go a bit further with the idea and bypass the focusing of the 35mm lens.... and create a follow focus that moves the 35mm lens near and far! Just a big knob on the DOF adaptor! never touch the 35mm lens!

OK... I've had way to much esspresso this morning!

Dennis Hingsberg · February 12th, 2007, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Bloom

There is a combination of intentional and unavoidable vignetting. To get the full wide of the 20mm a bit of vignetting crept it but I actually thought it added to the look so I didn't zoom past it. I liked it so much put vignetting in some of the shots by stopping down the SLR lens.

I will put some screen grabs up on the site.

There is a pic of the rig on the page in the shootout section and on another thread somewhere on here so I can't put it on this thread too!

Sorry if I missed this, but what lens was used? I would really love to see the results using a PL mount lens.

Phil, did you sell your other cameras or keep 'em?

February 12th, 2007, 01:51 AM	#227
Ryan Lindsey New Boot Join Date: May 2006 Location: austin, tx Posts: 18	Mr. Dennis Wood I've been trying to contact you, but with no luck. I ordered the Brevis, Rail Support, Rails and Cinefuse3 and have a couple of questions. I'd also like to add 2 items to the order before it ships. The Step Down Ring for cameras like the HVX and the Spacer for cameras like the XH A1. Shoot me an email when you get a chance. Thanks. Last edited by Ryan Lindsey; February 12th, 2007 at 03:13 AM.

February 12th, 2007, 06:47 AM	#234
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	High resolution version now upped Hi Jane it is too long and much too slow. I wouldn't touch anything over f2.8 Aim for prime lenses around f1.8 or f1.4 if you can afford them. My sigma 20mm is f1.8 and my vivitar 135mm is f2.3. my 35mm, 50mm and 85mm are f1.4/ I have a zoom that is f2.8 24mm to 70mm and it works fine. I have now uploaded a hgh resolution file http://www.1080studio.com/philipbloom/jvcbrevis2.mp4 it is over 60mb. Thanks to Chris Witzke for hosting the file for me! __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net Last edited by Phil Bloom; February 12th, 2007 at 08:46 AM.

February 12th, 2007, 07:32 AM	#236
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	f2.8 is the slowest lens I own, having wasted money buying slower originally. Way too limiting. Dont know why the longer lenses vigenette with the Brevis, Dennis Wood did explain it to me a while back and there is a possible solution. __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net

February 12th, 2007, 08:23 AM	#238
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	quite fancy trying that out! Thanks for the hosting of my file Chris. Am doing a re encode now as there was a bad shot in the edit that I had to replace!! __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net

February 11th, 2007, 10:06 PM	#226
Chad Terpstra Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 320	Great images, Phil. Your compositional skills are top notch. Especially when it's cold out it can be very difficult to still think artistically! It's too bad this couldn't be posted in HD to get a better idea of the sharpness. The compression can kill the actual quality sometimes. Do you have any stills you could share? It looks pretty sharp in places! Jane, I'd suggest contacting Dennis or going over to the Cinevate forums at this point. http://www.cinevate.com/phpBB2/index.php I know he does custom cuts for rod length as I ordered 18 inchers from him for only a little extra. Can't let you know of the quality yet as they are hopefully going to be in the mail this week... Right, Dennis? ;-) But I'm sure they're great. He has made sure they're industry standard to an exacting degree so I think they'd work with your setup. But ask just to make sure.

February 12th, 2007, 02:58 AM	#228
Dennis Wood Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 916	Ryan, we've just moved web providers, (successfully for a change) and will be catching up with email over the next day or two :-) If you sent the email between 10pm and 4am, it may have gone astray as the DNS entries were propagated..so please resend it :-) Phil, check your email! Jane, our support will work with your rails, and in a week or so, expect the release of a new adjustable height mount.

February 12th, 2007, 05:45 AM	#231
Jane Snijders Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: europe Posts: 42	thnx for all your advice guys! I joined the cinevate forum. it all looks clear to me now :-) what I need. The brevis will be my next purchase. The fact that it blends with the camera is also a big plus to me. Will I be able to flip the image on my lcd by using a magnet ? ( sony z1 ) I now use a canon 1.4 tele on my z1 to get a nice depth of field if the shot is suitable. ( using step down rings) But of course this lens has limited possibilities..... Does anyone have experience with using the tamron tele for the canon eos 400 with the brevis? Which lenses would you suggest? I have to decide which brand I am going to use.... availability in the 2nd hand market is important as well. sorry for all the questions....

February 12th, 2007, 07:26 AM	#235
Chad Terpstra Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 320	Downloading the new file now. Thanks! I would disagree on the longer lens. You might find a use for it outdoors where there's plenty of light. But certainly a 2.8 or less would look much better for DOF and be more flexible indoors. If price is a concern, I shop used at B&H, Adorama, KEH, and other random stores. I got most of my Nikon primes for < $100, but if you shop for non-Nikons you could get a good set for much less yet. I don't think the quality will be much different for adapter use but I'm not sure on all brands or focal lengths. I got a "Miscellaneous Brand" 28mm from KEH for $20 and it's quite sharp. I didn't know about the vignetting. Why would this happen??

February 12th, 2007, 08:20 AM	#237
Christopher Witz Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 591	If you guy's want wicked DOF control... mount one of these babies to your adaptor.... http://www.lensbabies.com/index.php?r=GSLensbaby I've used them for stills when "artsy" was the goal.... the new one actually locks down.. the old version was like playing a trombone to focus..... CA's pretty bad if you bend it to the extreme.... so I tend to go B&W or at least a sepia tent to hide the CA.

February 12th, 2007, 08:35 AM	#239
Christopher Witz Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 591	ya... the lensbabies create the look of tilt/shift of large format bellows camera.... I think it would be nearly impossible to use handheld in a camcorder..... but for product like a wine bottle when on sticks.... cool. don't expect top tier optics... although the version 3 is much better than previous ones. actually.... might be interesting to mount directly on the jvc? at 50mm it might be too long thoough aye? also... the concept of the screws might be a nice way to set backfocus and keystoning of the ground glass in the adaptors.... not having to crach one open.... hmm.... lets go a bit further with the idea and bypass the focusing of the 35mm lens.... and create a follow focus that moves the 35mm lens near and far! Just a big knob on the DOF adaptor! never touch the 35mm lens! OK... I've had way to much esspresso this morning!