A1/Nikon - Wheat Fields and Yellow Flowers

[Benji Wade]

So this is officially my second shoot with the A1 and Brevis. I will post a couple minutes of footage soon.

DOWNLOAD - 720P (100MB)

I'm using Nikon primes in this footage and none of it has been corrected for color or contrast. The two lenses, in particular, are 50mm F1.4 and 105mm F2.5 Macro.

I'm still getting some chromatic aberration on the edges of the 50mm but edge to edge sharpness is great.

One thing I've noted is that it's far better to keep the 35mm lenses half a stop from fully open or fully open while leaving the A1 around F6.2 or so. Using the built-in A1 ND is also completely functional and doesn't seem to diminish from image quality. All of this footage was taken using 1/6th ND from the A1.

If you want good shadow detail, you really really need strong ND, particularly if you prefer shallow depth and therefore need the primes wide open. I am still overexposing a bit, but I think within my next couple shoots, I'll be more comfortable stopping down without fears of underexposing.

http://www.benjiwade.com/private/lac...pictures/3.jpg

http://www.benjiwade.com/private/lac...pictures/4.jpg

http://www.benjiwade.com/private/lac...pictures/5.jpg

http://www.benjiwade.com/private/lac...pictures/6.jpg

http://www.benjiwade.com/private/lac...pictures/7.jpg

http://www.benjiwade.com/private/lac...pictures/9.jpg

http://www.benjiwade.com/private/lac...pictures/8.jpg

(Thanks to my girlfriend for being cooperative and accommodating my silly "directions" while she stood in the middle of these compositions. :D)

[Nicholas Tran]

Nice....

I like the look. Nice color, nice exposure, nice natural contrast. I got to get me a 35mm adapter soon. Is there a large difference in adapters? Would you recommend one over the other?

[Trish Kerr]

The footage looks fantastic. Even the really bright parts worked stylistically.

I'm also looking into the brevis but am holding off for the flip version but there will be light loss. How are you handling the upside down image?

Trish

[Benji Wade]

Originally Posted by Nicholas Tran

Nice....

I like the look. Nice color, nice exposure, nice natural contrast. I got to get me a 35mm adapter soon. Is there a large difference in adapters? Would you recommend one over the other?

The color is somewhat flat, but that's how I've configured Steven Dempsey's VIVIDRGB preset. I may add a little bit of color at some point, but generally I'd prefer to tweak color with After Effects.

As for the adapters, I've only used the Brevis because I like its design, the fact that it's modular, and that it loses less light than its competitors. If I were to buy a different one, it would be the SGPro. More particularly, if I lived in the UK, I'd look very strongly at the SGPro, but so far, I love the Brevis.

The biggest difference among adapters is probably regarding light loss. The Brevis typically loses a full stop less light than the other adapters.

Originally Posted by Trish Kerr

The footage looks fantastic. Even the really bright parts worked stylistically.

I'm also looking into the brevis but am holding off for the flip version but there will be light loss. How are you handling the upside down image?

Trish

Thanks, Trish!

The flip version shouldn't have any more light loss than the Brevis. Maybe you know something I don't?

As for the upside down image, that's the real pickle with adapters. I think you MUST use a video tap of some sort. I bought the Marshall because it seemed like the best option on the market, excluding price of course. In other words, I just mount the upside down Marshall to solve the flip problem. That still doesn't help for the post-production workflow, which is still quite a pain in the ass.

[Trish Kerr]

I am green in the 35 adaptor area but I think Dennis Wood mentioned the light loss on the flip model they are working on would be minimum. In the half a stop range.

Why there would be light loss, I'm not sure but I imagine it's due to the extra mechanism that flips it rightside up.

Trish

[Benji Wade]

I'm working on a color/gamma corrected version of this footage.

I'll upload a clip of it soon.

[Trish Kerr]

You mentioned the SGPro as an adaptor you'd consider. Between the brevis and the SGPro would you still go brevis? I haven't heard as much about the SGPro as the redrock, letus and brevis.

Trish

[Benji Wade]

Trish - I definitely don't have buyer's remorse, so having researched and thought about this topic extensively for the last several months, I'm still in the pro-Brevis camp.

The SGpro was my second favorite adapter for the following reasons: edge to edge sharpness and diffusion. Simply put, images I saw coming from the SGpro were excellent. However, I've seen great images from the Brevis and Letus, too. My decision came down to craftsmanship, light loss, and the modular nature of the Brevis. All that and it produces great images.

[Benji Wade]

I have done some color, brightness, and contrast correction.

720p (81 MB) - 2:33 - I also added some music:
http://www.mediafire.com/?dxtdt3lddlg

1080p (58 MB) - :58 - no audio:
http://www.mediafire.com/?adbdhm4xnj5

Here are some grabs:

http://www.benjiwade.com/photos/lacrosse/3.jpg

http://www.benjiwade.com/photos/lacrosse/5.jpg

http://www.benjiwade.com/photos/lacrosse/8.jpg

[Brad Vaughan]

Benji,

Could you possible post a shot of your rig with the adapters on it? I would truly appreciate seeing it in all it's glory.

Nice stuff and what a truly beautiful woman your girlfriend is!

[Stephen Pruitt]

The footage is excellent. . . except for the horrible chromatic aberration on th edges. Can that be eliminated, or is that just the way it is???

Thanks much.

Stephen