Using the Letus35 FE with A1

[Blake Calhoun]

Recently bought the Letus35 FE and have liked the results I'm getting from it so far. But I don't have a lot of experience with 35mm adapters, so I have a few questions for fellow A1/Letus owners...

1. Do you focus on the "ground glass" with the SLR lens off, then put the lens on and focus only with the SLR lens (not the A1)?

2. Or do you put everything on including the lens, then focus on the subject with the A1 and fine tune it with the SLR lens?

3. Do you have problems seeing the ground glass "static grain" in the shots, especially with panning or tilting? I seem to see it some. And how often do you change the batteries to make sure it vibrates enough?

4. Does your Letus35 connect to your camera snuggly? Mine seems to be slightly "loose", as I don't want to over tighten it, and I want it to line up correctly with my A1 lens.

I've searched the forum and not really found the answers to these questions. I appreciate all feedback.

Thanks!
Blake

[John Lofton IV]

I, too, would like to know the answer to these questions, as I plan on purchasing the Letus35 somewhere down the line.

Blake, which lenses do you have that you plan on attaching to the Letus?

And, once you get it all working, do you plan on posting some sample footage?

Thanks!

[Blake Calhoun]

I've actually already shot some good test stuff, and posted it here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=97222

But, I'm still learning and doing more "real world" test. :)

I have a Nikkor 24mm, a Nikon 28mm, 50mm and 85mm, and a Vivitar 28mm. All seem to work pretty well, however the Nikon 28mm vignettes more than the others.

[Steven Dempsey]

1. Do you focus on the "ground glass" with the SLR lens off, then put the lens on and focus only with the SLR lens (not the A1)?
Yes

2. Or do you put everything on including the lens, then focus on the subject with the A1 and fine tune it with the SLR lens?
No

3. Do you have problems seeing the ground glass "static grain" in the shots, especially with panning or tilting? I seem to see it some. And how often do you change the batteries to make sure it vibrates enough?
There is a pattern that is still visible, even when the motor is on. This is a weakness of the Letus but Quyen, the maker, is working to address this problem. He will be upping the quality of the ground glass soon.

4. Does your Letus35 connect to your camera snuggly? Mine seems to be slightly "loose", as I don't want to over tighten it, and I want it to line up correctly with my A1 lens.
It is a teeny bit loose but not enough to disrupt my shots. Consider drilling a hole in the plastic part and use a thumbscrew to hold it completely in place.

Okay, that should be everything.

[Trish Kerr]

thanks for these answers - i have one more - possibly newbie dumb

do you have the zoom turned off on the A1 before you attach the lens adaptor, or can you have it work at various zoom levels? or would that be something you wouldn't do anyway for logistic reasons?

trish

[Blake Calhoun]

Thanks for your answers Steven. I appreciate the info.

Your answer to #3... if/when Quyen makes this upgrade to the ground glass-- do you know if he'll upgrade models out there now? Or only for new orders? Also, how often do you change out your batteries?

Trish-- if you do as Steven has suggested and focus on the ground glass, the A1 zoom will be fixed in place within this area and won't be moved. That's how I do it now, unless I'm zooming it to check focus (and I don't think I'll do that anymore once I focus on the ground glass now). So, I think you should work with it as you would with prime lenses and move the camera, not the zoom.

Thanks again,
Blake

[Steven Dempsey]

Blake,

I can't speak for Quyen but I think the way it works is that you would pay a small charge to "upgrade" your adapter when the new glass is available. I'll let you know more when I know more myself. It's probably a month or two out right now.

Another trick that I implement is to set the preset focus and zoom on the A1 to what it should be for the adapter. That way, I can slip the Letus on and just enable these settings and I am good to go right away. It's also handy if something gets out of whack during a shoot, etc.

[Blake Calhoun]

I assume you will be right about an "upgrade" from Quyen. I'll definitely follow up with him in the near future.

And that is a great idea about the preset focus and zoom! Now I'll actually have a reason to use that feature. ;)

Last thing, do you change your AA batteries often - every new shoot? Or once a month? I guess it depends on how much use it gets...

Thanks!
Blake

[Steven Dempsey]

Basically, I change them after about 4 hours of continuous shooting. There's nothing scientific about that number, just peace of mind for me. I've never tested the batteries to see how long they actually last.

[Blake Calhoun]

Thanks Steven, I appreciate it!

[Stefan Antonescu]

Exactly the kind of information I was looking for. Great idea Blake.