Thinking of Selling Letus Ultimate

[Nicholas de Kock]

I sold my Letus as soon as I heard that the 5DII was coming out. If you have complete control over what you are shooting the EX1/Letus combo will give you higher grade video however if you are shooting events and cant always control lighting then the 7D/5DII is amazing not to mention compact. Events clients don't really care so much about having the best codec all they want is to re-live the event. Sell your Letus.

[Manish Pandit]

There is something about the MKii images which holds the attention of people. I agree that it has the lack of resolution in detail,(compared to the EX3) but the images are so pretty that documentary makers like me are indeed shooting a large portion of our material on it now.
I somehow can't imagine that 80% of footage shot on a camera like this would be unusable, I actually went and shot a lot of footage back on a MK II in India(100% more footage) after shooting on a EX3 the previous time around for the same documentary.
I am not sure what it is about the MKII footage in summer in India but the highlights are not so overexposed when trying to keep the foreground and midground at the correct exposure. Maybe it is because of the sensor size,anyway....
I would sell the Letus, the price is dropping anyway....


Saraswati Films | News and Events

[Paul Joy]

I somehow can't imagine that 80% of footage shot on a camera like this would be unusable

Just to reiterate what I said, 80% of the shots I got on that specific day were unusable in my opinion, the 5D didn't handle what I was shooting particularly well, the 7D was a lot worse because I used it in 720p/60. I've never said that's always the case, in fact I love shooting on the 5D and plan to use it on a documentary I've got coming up myself. I'm also still learning how to get the best out of these cameras and where the limits are.

That being said, my initial point still stands. Due to the aliasing / line twitter problem there's times where this camera doesn't work as well as a 35mm adapter on something like an EX1 would. Personally I've sold my brevis in favour of using the 5D for shallow depth of field but anyone considering doing the same needs to be aware that much like a 35mm adapter these cameras come with a new and different set of boundaries.

[Phil Hanna]

Well, I put the Letus Ultimate kit on Ebay and the response is better than I thought it would be. If I get my magic number, I will order the 5dMKII in about a week. Thanks to all of you for your help and guidance.

Phil

[Fei Meng]

Did you ever consider replacing the Letus Ultimate with a less expensive 35mm adapter, such as the Letus Extreme? You would be able to afford that in addition to the 5D. Did you already consider a less expensive DSLR, such as the 7D or the new T2i/550D?

I'm just saying that there are more options out there than "either Letus Extreme or 5D Mark II."

If you're set on buying a 5D, consider buying a lightly used one. The used prices hover around $2300-2400. I sold my 5D several months ago on eBay for under $2500, but after eBay, PayPal, and shipping fees, my net revenue was a lot less than that. The best deals can be found on forums like this one and DVXuser.com, as well as craigslist. If you buy used, make sure to get the original sales receipt so that you can still be covered with the remainder of the warranty period.

[Phil Hanna]

I guess I am surprised. The Letus package I have on eBay is at $3900 and I have 4 days left. I have and a few direct offers for more, but will only honor the eBay agreement. So, if this keeps up, I should be in great shape to order the 5DMKII. Any suggestions as to where to buy or more importantly where to stay away from. I understand there will be limitations to the 5D and certainly appreciate everyones input. I primarily will use this for interviews and shallow DOF shots. I love my EX-1 and so I will look at each as a tool that has a specific purpose. I found the Letus a great piece of gear and did exactly what it is advertised to do, but as nearly 60 years old, I think the time will come where schlepping a heavy adapter on the end of a camera, may be more than I can handle. I think the 5dMKII will provide me will great shots and be more manageable for me in the future.

Phil

[Alex Rankin]

I have an EX1r and letus extreme and picked up a 7d as B cam/fisheye cam just before xmas, its been amazing fun and used on every job since i picked it up, but it has also boosted my use and love of the ex1 and letus, i find they match up well + for flexiblity I bought a tamrac 9x bag it can hold the ex1 with letus and rails, plus the 7d and few lenses, this new setup, lets me ride or hike with and amazing range of kit, at present if you have some eos glass I would consider the lower cost 550d and keep the letus ultimate and ex1 as your main unit until you are sure. ta alex
edit
Oh just read that you have the kit on ebay, 5d will be a great camera for you good luck..

[Daniel Ridicki]

Originally Posted by Manish Pandit

There is something about the MKii images which holds the attention of people. I agree that it has the lack of resolution in detail,(compared to the EX3) but the images are so pretty that documentary makers like me are indeed shooting a large portion of our material on it now.

I could not agree more on this one Manish. I mix EX3 an 5DMk2 now regularly in my documentaries and no one so far ever disputed the outcome. On the contrary - people are blown away with Canon shots. Granted: there are shots I reject on account of well known artifacts, but I have learned how to control them and i always shot at least twice as much then I really need, so there are always replacement shots that are great.

ON that note, I am familiar with your work Manish and I congratulate you on it. It always
feels good to see so many talented people around doing meaningful projects.

[Nigel Barker]

I am so glad that when I was seriously thinking about buying a 35mm adaptor for the XH-A1 that Canon brought out the 5DII. I still have the two XHA1s but they are almost never used so I will likely sell one XH-A1 & buy myself a 550D to add to the two 5DIIs we already have.

[Peer Landa]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

I am so glad that when I was seriously thinking about buying a 35mm adaptor for the XH-A1 that Canon brought out the 5DII.

I was in the same situation -- after trying to build my own ground-glass adaptor, I was just about to lash out some serious dough on a Letus setup when Canon saved me with the release of their 5DII.

-- peer

[Dan Chung]

Just to put the cat amongst the pigeons I have just been testing my Zeiss lens/Redrockmicro M2/EX-1 combination with the AJA Kipro and the results are pretty amazing. This setup is not going to replace my 550D/7D/5DmkII/1DmkIV setups and its certainly nowhere near as portable or discreet, but it has its uses. To be able to get a moire free image in Proress 422 HQ and 10 bit colour is pretty amazing. If I had the money for the Kipro I would certainly add it to my bag of tricks.

Dan

[Mestizo Devon]

I looked at that option as well, but the price of the AJA kipro, makes me think about a different camera like ex1r.. and all I need at this point is another 5lbs on my rig?

[James Huenergardt]

I'm in the same boat.

I have the EX1 (2 of the actually, just sold my third one) and the Ultimate.

Just ordered the nanoFlash and think that I'm going to keep the Ultimate/EX1/nanoFlash as a higher-end setup. With 50 or 100Mbps, that will be some pretty good looking footage.

I'm seriously thinking about a 5D as well. Then I can have the best of all worlds. If the Canon or Nikon cameras ever give me full 1080P out the HDMI so I can record to my nanoFlash, that would be the day I sell my Ultimate.

It's a tough call.

[Rahn Kim]

Originally Posted by Denis OKeefe

not to mention it was as big as a bazooka.

I also owned a Letus and when I think back on it, this is the *perfect* imagery of the setup.