XH-A1 35 mm lens

[Michael Thames]

I'm looking into getting a 35 mm lens for my A1, as well as my HV30. I'm looking at the Cinevate Brevis35. Since I'm new to all of this I have some questions. Why does this unit need a battery? Do the images appear upside down in the monitor? Are there other 35 mm lens, I shouls know about?

Also could someone recommend a good 35mm lens for a HD30?

Thanks
Michael

[Bill Pryor]

That's not a lens, it's a lens adapter with a spinning ground glass (which is why it has a battery) that allows you to use 35mm lenses on the end. By focusing the image onto the ground glass, you get the same depth of field control as shooting with a 35mm size chip, at the cost of a few f-stops and some loss of sharpness. The image will appear upside down unless you get a model that automatically flips it. Those always cost more.

[Joel Peregrine]

Hi Michael,

Originally Posted by Michael Thames

Also could someone recommend a good 35mm lens for a HV30?

You didn't mention what your use will be, but if this is your first venture into adapters you may want to start out with a rig that is cheap and uncomplicated. I find 35mm adapters too fiddly for run and gun event work - but I use one for family stuff. I went with a twoneil static (no battery) adapter and an f1.4 manual focus 50mm Nikon I picked up on eBay for $50. Its really compact and light loss is minimal.

index

In retrospect a JAG adapter would have been much cheaper and possibly better, but I don't have one to compare the twoneil with.

JAG35ST

The downside of a static adapter is the subjective aesthetics of the bokeh they produce...

Bokeh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

... and an increased chance dust will be a problem on the focusing screen. You really have to be diligent about keeping the adapter dust free and have a cleaning method ready should dust show up. The tiniest piece of dust can be a very annoying dot in your finished product.

My father-in-law made a bracket that allows me to shoot upside-down:

~ Flip it ~

and I had the FlipHack modification done by JAG:

Flip Hack

I have an achromat macro lens for the Twoneil adapter that decreases vignetting but I actually prefer to keep the rig shorter and more compact. I'd probably add a vignette when editing anyway for a more super-8 film look.

~ July 2, 2009 ~

[Michael Thames]

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

That's not a lens, it's a lens adapter with a spinning ground glass (which is why it has a battery) that allows you to use 35mm lenses on the end. By focusing the image onto the ground glass, you get the same depth of field control as shooting with a 35mm size chip, at the cost of a few f-stops and some loss of sharpness. The image will appear upside down unless you get a model that automatically flips it. Those always cost more.

Thanks Bill, you can see how much I know about this! Ha Ha! I do know that I like the look of 35mm film!

[Bill Pryor]

These adapters won't give you the look of 35mm film; all they do is decrease your depth of field.

[Joel Peregrine]

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

These adapters won't give you the look of 35mm film...

as the only consideration, you're right, though imho its an essential ingredient, just as important as frame rate, resolution, aspect ratio and control over your dynamic range by knowing how to light and the limitations of your sensor.

[Morgan Crossley]

Will the twoneilHD and the JAG fit on the A1? Isn't the A1 lens too big?

[Michael Thames]

Is it possible to create more depth of field on the A1 without a 35 mm lens? I have basically only used the Auto focus. So I haven't explored the manuel features as much. If this has been discussed or if there is a website explaining this I would appreciate someone pointing me in the right direction.

Also I've looked at the Letus adopter looks nice but very expensive.

Thanks!

[Marcel D. Van Someren]

What you are trying to accomplish is Shallower DOF, not more DOF. This can be done by moving the camera farther away from the subject and then zooming in and focusing on the subject. That will cause the background to be out of focus provided the background is at least 4 or more feet away from the subject.