Oh absolutely! I've asked for a res chart etc in the past. Hopefully he will have these sort of things soon!

I too like what I see, but I can still detect the spinning or the moving GG in it. Now to a purist, this won't do, but to me it is ok, but still something I would like to eliminate. I am hoping the design guide has enough room to move for the user if they want to experiment!

Hey guys,
Aaron was right about the first clip. It was using the hoya macro. Which was awful. Chromatic and distortion problems. It was also using vinyl stuck on the cd for a gg.

The second clip was using my second gen gg, but using my first homemade macro.

The third clip was using an older gg (that flickered) and my latest macro. Its a real achromatic diopter. No more chromatic and distortion problems. You would have noticed chromatic problems in the shot of the statue with the darker background. (It's where I finally ended up pulling that Hoya off and chucking it across the field!)

I'll try to get a res chart up soon. I'm waiting on the new ggs.

Got to get some work done today, so I'll be posting more info tonight. Thanks guys!

Are you making your own GG's or ordering them? Also, the macro's that you are making, do you find that they are in fact better than what is available out there?

I'm having them made here in town to my supplied design.

Yes, for this application, my homemade design is far better than what's out there. The price certainly helps too.

Ok, so if you can't make them yourself, you are getting someone else to make them - does this factor into your $45 worth of parts? Or is this extra? Or do you specify what to do if a person wants to go to a glass-smith and do it themselves?

The guide explains how to make a good gg that works well. See the second clip on the website.

The reason I'm having them made, is because I don't have the time to make a thousand CDs in my garage. ;)

Thanks Mandy!

james.

Sorry, I meant the macro lens! I thought you said in a previous post you were making your own macro lens - or did I miss something?

This device does not flip the image rightside up, correct?

still no micro35.com

No web site is configured at this address.

when will you take an order for the guide?

@ Obin

Maybe give this domain a try :-)

http://www.micro35.com/

dbl post :-(

No it doesn't. But the guide explains how to flip the image on the camera. You can also turn any previewing monitor upside down. In addition to that, many external LCDs being used on shoots today have settings to rotate the image as well.

The guide explains how to get great DOF footage at a price below $45. There's no way to incorporate a prism assembly into the project at that kind of price. Not to mention that your standard indie person would have problems putting it together mechanically.

But at that kind of price, flipping the image in post is no problem for me and many other money concious folks.

I've used the adapter on my shoulder, on my tripod, and even on my steadicam. With the simple work-arounds, the shoot goes on.

I'm thinking about building a more expensive device that does rotate the image correctly, by either digitizing the signal, or using a prism assembly. But to be honest, I'm having problems design a more expensive device that will end up having the same quality footage as the $45 model. That's why I chose to release the guide. There is no reason why you should go spend more money for something that YOU can build yourself. That's why these forums have soo much action. People will not live with what the industry has given them. And I won't either for that matter. That's why I'll be releasing a Follow Focus unit and a Nice Matte Box soon.

Does this help Ari?

james

You're probably right Eric. I'm running about 8 sites on this server and I believe that the "www" is required.

THanks!

Thanks James, answers my question. Signed up for the mailing list, waiting for more info :)

Hey guys and gals,
The new enclosures just came in!! They're soo dope! They're powder coated black! So they shouldn't scratch easy AND you won't have to paint them like I did!

And yes! The guide gives you the source for them!

James, I looked through the thread, but couldn't tell what lens systems this is compatible with. Canon, Minolta, Pentax? Which mount?

James, what I and I'm sure many others would love to see, is if you could post some completely uncompressed sample footage using the very latest of your new product, so that we can download it and watch on our own editing monitors/tvs.

I think it would really help sell your product too, if the end footage is without distortion or flickering or other strange abberations, and we can scrutinize with our own eyes in an environment that's not on a computer. It's very hard to judge footage quality without seeing it on your own editing monitor/tv.

I think the best move you could make would be to make a demo DVD to send out, with not only footage from the adapter but also of the camera and adapter.

Blank DVD-Rs can be had for less then 50 cents these days, throw on another 50 cents for postage... send them out for free or charge $2 for it which you then discount from purchase price if they decide to buy.

Totally understandable!

I thought about doing the DVD thing. Still might. I'll have more uncompressed footage up soon. You'll also be able to view the footage from other shorts and music videos that are using the device.

I'm sort of curious about the lens mount myself. Not that it matters a whole lot to me...the only lens I have is a mostly broken 35-75 autofocus zoom....so I'll be starting from scratch buying lenses anyways....but it would be helpful to know if it works with nikon lens mount...those seem to be the cheapest lenses.

Yes, it will work with Nikon. It should work with all standard 35mm still camera lenses.

more specifically, in the price you quote for the adapter, what lens mount comes on it, or does one have to be added?

Hey James,

Would using some old Binocular lens and stacking them be close to the idea of a macro lens?

James, please explain "standard" 35mm lenses. As far as I know, there are twenty to thirty "standard" types of lenses, every manufacturer has at least a handful of different mount types. Are we assuming certain types of adapters will be readily available?

Ari,
The guide tells you how to make the mount. Everyone that purchases assembled units will get a mount from me. As a matter of fact, my mounts from canon arrived today.

Mandy, don't think so. You need an achromat.

The mount type isn't the issue, it's the distance from the lens to the gg. I'll just say, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, etc.

I got the new GGs in today. I also got the new Canon mounts in as well. It should be a interesting weekend!

I updated the www.micro35.com site.

Here is an interesting quesiton. You have said that the adaptor is pretty much modifiable to any camera. But is this a permenant modification? In other words, if I build my adaptor for a dvx100 can I pop it off and put it on an XL with not much problems (say just changing the macro and a step up or something)...or even maybe a consumer camera. This is fairly important to me because over the next few weeks I am going to be using alot of different cameras.

I've preordered the guide...can't wait for it to come in!

Matt

Hey Matt,
Yea, that should be fine. It will just require step up rings.

james

Ok, so if I went to a glass-smith and said 'I want an Achromat', would they have any idea what I was talking about? I know you said in your guide that you would show how to get a macro lens for under $10 - I am assuming it is using someone similiar to a Glass-smith to create it, right?

Mandy,
I've never contacted a "Glass-Smith" so I don't know if they can help you. If you're going to "go somewhere" you should look for an optical facility. But... They'll be very expensive. The problem is the larger diameter achromats are hard to find especially with the size of the diopter you'll need. AND Expensive.

I can't stress enough how important the Achromat is. It is the key for making "ANY" device work. The Ground glass part is the easiest peice. But it's the Macro that will make or break a design (Whether its a high priced precision design, or a low cost home built design). Both designs yeild the same results, but if one doesn't have a good macro, it won't do you any good. (Unless you mount a two foot tube on your setup. This is very camera specific BTW.)

The Macro peice is probably where I spent the most money trying to solve my issues and I know it has consumed the most time. Just the macro information in the guide will pay for itself.

James what is your ship date of the Manual? and your selling all the parts for it right? what would it cost me to jsut buy your unit built? for the dvx100 what would it cost for the book and parts? when will the parts ship? I have a project coming up very soon that I would like to use your device on..how long will it take to build?

thx for any and all info

First of all, I am very interested in this project. I am excited and can't wait for the manual to be shipped!

I have a couple things. The first one is, how many pages is your guide? Because I have an idea. If you have a large amount of pages 40+, you could goto cafepress.com and upload your pdf and create a book. Of course a small cut would be given to cafepress.com, but I would find it personally much more useful if you offered it in a book. You could also just leave some pages blank if it is too small (towards the end) for notes. You could also make stickers that have the "Micro35" logo-- I personally would buy one and add it on my setup.

Another thing is the price for the parts via you, whether it be assembled or not. $445 or $245, that is steep price, especially since you claim to buy the parts for $40. I understand it is labor, but I think it would be more realistic if you were to lower both by $100. I would almost certainely would buy the guide with the disassembled parts for $145 (leaving you with a $105 profit).

These are just kind suggestions, please don't take offense or feel obligated to anything. These are just my initial thoughts.

Kindest Regards,
Josh

Obin,
We're hoping to start shipping manuals early next week. We're spending this weekend build units to the guide to make sure we're not missing anything. There are three options:
1. Guide ($45)
2. Kit ($250) parts and cutting
3. Pre-Assembled ($500) This comes with the new GG and the new mounts.

Two to four weeks on the Kits and Pre-Assembled units.
If you're building the unit, it takes about two days.

Josh,
I'd like to release it as a .pdf, but everyone on the net would have a copy in hours.

I'm thinking about the stickers. I've got a silkscreen setup for the Kits and Pre-Assembled units (yeah!)

Steep Pricing: Two days to build... The $105 wouldn't be much of a profit after 16 hours of work. ($6.50 per hour).... Sorry! I wish I could!!!

Build it yourself!!! It's the cheapest way to go!!!

Thanks for the response guys!!!!

James

Ok we need T-Shirts.. OK

An incentive would be to give a slight discount to the people who “Pre-Order” due to you not having the final Product finished and No video posted with the new GG. Maybe $199.99 for manual and parts? or $30.00 for the manual that is not yet published? So as of now we are expected to buy a manual to a product that seems to still be in BETA testing... Please don’t take this wrong… But there are a bunch of us who really want this but we can’t see the final product yet…Did you jump the gun a bit on taking orders VS selling the product that is still in development? Well I can’t realty say. Does it seem that you have made a very large investment for research and even inventory in hopes to sell and also help a large video community with a product at a decent price at the same time? YES…. But it does seem to warrant a bit more on the “proof of the product” before having to dish out several hundred dollars… thanks again for the hard work…

PS: don’t you have a regular job other then responding to this board all day? Just wondered...

Still very interested in seeing res and color charts too :-D

I can't blame James for wanting to make sure interest is there as he proceeds. Let's just keep pushing him to get it done instead of griping about anything just yet. I'm just ecstatic that someone is taking it this far to make a finished purchase-able product. Kudos, James, and just git'r'done.

If you can provide the proof in the pudding I have no problem shelling out the cash for it. IF it works, and IF the quality of footage is true.

I sure do. But I don't like leaving questions un-answered :).

The product for sell right now is my research that has been organized into a simple how-to-guide. What's a year and a half research and development, and several thousand dollars of failed experiments worth to you? From what I know now, I would have paid $500 for the guide a year ago.

The "Pre-Order" people are getting the "Guide". The "Guide" which explains how to build the $45 micro35 adapter. I think that's been made clear. That's why it's for sale already. Also, people that get the guide first, as I'd recommend, will get the $45 price of the guide deducted from the Kit and Pre-Assembled price. It also places them first in line for the initial release units.

The only product in development is the Kit & Pre-Assembled units. And it will continue to be in development until it is "perfect". But as a customer, you'll be notified about the updates, and will have access to my parts and vendors.

If you have any worries about the quality of the footage, please don't purchase anything, but please keep checking back because I will be post more footage (including res and color charts Aaron;) ).

T-Shirts sound cool. And maybe a sticker for the case.

I appreciate the comments Craig! Great suggestions!

Thanks Imran! If you go reading through these posts on dvinfo and dvxuser, you'll see I've been pulling for the indies for a long time! Not about to stop now!

james

ok so I can't have a till 3 weeks? what if I buy you parts?

Obin,
I've got the parts. That's not the delay. It's a few different things. I just want to make sure everything flows well (including the kits and pre-assembled units).

Ok, I've got to go work... Thanks guys.

James, what you might want to try and to pacify myself and others is put one page online at your site of the guide - a page that won't give too much away, just a teaser of what is to come, then viewers can see the quality of the guide and the amount of work that went into it. I have seen others do this with great results.

Just a suggestion.

1.
Sorry for asking this pretty stupid question.. but, this Micro35-adapter is driven with a CD-motor right?

2.
At least it's not a static adapter, right?

3.
The GG you are talking about, is that the size of a CD? You also mentioned the "NEW GG".. and something with laser. Didn't really get that part, explain if you can.

Thanks in advance

How about the Sony HD FX1. I have done some film transfers of footage shot on FX1. Will the adaptor holds the resolution requred for the Hi Res image, for a film out?.

If you need someone in the DFW area with an XL2 to test your adapter on, let me know. I'm just getting up to speed on all of this, but I'd be glad to lend a hand.

I do intend to purchase your guide and take a crack at making one myself.

Monty

I just added to the list. And its probably (just maybe) the first one flying to Spain. I really wish everything goes well and i can add the sticker and my smile to the next post!

Im not completely two left handed, so im willing to try make it by my own. And the price is worth to pay; even the complete micro35 as seen the rest of machines flying around.

Anyway, if it doesn´t work the first times im sure i will ask for one. And reccomend it to my fellow camera friends in my surroundings.

After being little selfilsh for a while and see their faces with the footage, of course...

It´s the first time i really enjoy (even smile) reading ten pages of so big thread. Really anxhious waiting!

Hey Monty, I sent you an email.

so what are we looking like now James? also James are you able to get professional metal mounts for the 35mm lens on the front of the micro35?

DVX100 is good as of this weekend.

Yes, I've received the first batch of canon metal mounts.

More news to come.

UI hate to push you James but we have an up coming project and I have been called to use the mini35 on it..what is the timeline looking like?

Dude I hate to say this but I would never experiment on a project that has any importance to me.. Sorry but you might want to consider figuring out another way to save the project by shooting at telephoto and wide open with the aperture or just shooting normal and adding a few effects in post.. I would also never try to do or sell a service to someone without knowing what my equipment can do.. As for this adaptor I serious doubt you will have the time to get the unit, learn how to shoot a new style with the image backwards and upside down and also learn new lighting techniques by the time James has a complete unit for you… sorry for the bad news. But it seems to be the truth about production.