Brevis or Redrock for my HD110? at DVinfo.net

Wade Spencer · April 20th, 2008, 11:34 AM

Gah...my brain hurts. I've read all the specifications and technical info, and I now I just want some opinions. I've narrowed it down to either the Brevis or the Redrock adapter.

If you are shooting with an HD100/HD110/HD200 and are using one of these, or have used either one, what did you like/dislike about them?

From what I've read I'm assuming the Brevis will have very little light loss...is that correct?

Thanks...

edit: MODS, I guess this could have been in the other section, but I'm specifically looking for opinions of owners of the JVC cameras, since that's what I shoot with. Thanks.

Alan Ortiz · April 20th, 2008, 03:34 PM

I own an HD100 and have used both. I own the Brevis 35. My experience has been that the M2 is much more cumbersome and front heavy compared to the Brevis. Everything about the cinevate products seem to revolve around weight and light loss (as in less of both!). The Brevis looks more like an extension of the camera rather than an add on, and acts like it too. I just slap it on in a matter of minutes- check backfocus- and GO. The M2 was a lot harder to adjust and required a lot more light. I knew this going into it when I used it combined with a DVX and that combo sucked up more light than my HD100/Brevis combo. However, depending on what you plan to use it for, this may be irrelevant. The M2 has a slightly different look compared to the Brevis- something i can only describe as a slight milky or silkiness to it. However in some aspects i feel the image is inferior to the edge to edge sharpness of the Brevis, and at times also feels "contrived" and not as natural. Some people love this particular look though and feel it is far more filmic. You'll have to look at examples to decide for yourself. The Redrock forums have quite a bit of M2/HD100 footage, and some of the best Brevis/HD100 footage can be found at cinevera pictures where our own Chad Terpstra has demonstrated what i feel is some of the best HD100 footage out there. Im more concerned with a relay- as soon as that happens im jumping ship to WHOEVER does it better and first because i miss having a shorter, lighter rig.

Wade Spencer · April 20th, 2008, 05:20 PM

Thanks Alan...you are exactly the type of person I was hoping for a reply from.

Do you have any pictures of your Brevis setup? What kind of shooting do you do with it? What lenses are you using?

Thanks...I hope you don't mind me picking your brain a little bit.

Alan Ortiz · April 20th, 2008, 10:14 PM

Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the setup- im attending some good ol Army schooling right now and im away from home. However, if you go to cineverapictures.com and dig around you'll find some pics of their setup. Its actually not as big as you would think- it just ends up longer than you would like. However in operation ive found the rig to balance nicely with a hefty IDX batt on the back and an FS4 attached.

What have I shot with my Brevis/HD100? Well, all sorts of things in the very short time ive had it and have been actually shooting. You can see most of it at www.cinematicdream.com

I'm currently using all Nikons- 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4, and 28mm f2. The 28mm has the softest image and the 85mm while pricey is the sharpest and has the nicest bokeh of them all. Im hoping to invest in a 105mm next and something wider and sharper.

Cheers.

Stuart Campbell · April 21st, 2008, 04:36 PM

Wade, do you mind me asking why you have ruled out the Letus Extreme? (assuming you have, that is). I don't know what your budget is but there is also a P+S MiniC for the JVC and the JVC relay lens. Both worth looking at?

We have done pretty much what you have by the sounds of it. We've spent DAYS researching and testing all of them and found the Letus to produce the best results for the money. Now, the real deal clincher was the fact that Letus are bringing out a relay lens for the HD100/200 cams any day now. The downside to the Letus is that it comes with a poor rails/support setup (our opinion), so we costed up (and are about to order) a Zacuto rig (who also sell the Letus).

If you are interested I can provide you with an A4 page of cost breakdowns of every permutation of a Letus Extreme from Letus and Zacuto using both sets of rails, and also complete with a complete set of Zeiss planars. I think we found the cheapest!

Mind fuzzing isn't it!

Wade Spencer · April 21st, 2008, 11:45 PM

I haven't entirely ruled out a Letus, but I owned the LetusXL for my XL2, and the light loss was INCREDIBLE...I just wasn't happy with that aspect of it. I expected some loss, but man...that thing just ATE light.

Perhaps I will give them another look. Thanks for the heads up.

Stuart Campbell · April 22nd, 2008, 01:25 AM

It might be worth moving this to the adaptor forum and doing a poll to see if there is a definite favourite out there? I think whichever one you go for there will be plus points and minuses.

The main reason I will buy the Letus is because of the relay lens. Operating and setting up any adaptor on set (especially when outside) when you have to stick it on the end of the Lens is absolutely ridiculous. On many shoots we switch between TV lens and adaptor regularly and doing that in the back of the vehicle is a proper pain in the arse.

When that relay comes out it will eliminate all of those problems!

In fact, Letus if you are reading....please get a move on with the relay!

Alan Ortiz · April 22nd, 2008, 08:54 AM

I second that. Once the relay comes out the combination will be hard to beat and I think it will make choosing an adapter for the hd100 a little harder. I don't think slapping a brevis on the end of the stock lens is very time consuming or rediculous at all. It just makes the whole rig way too long. That and the stock lens is really the weakest element in the system minus the cheap viewfinder. I think a high quality relay could do alot to extend the life of the camera.

April 20th, 2008, 11:34 AM	#1
Wade Spencer Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Wellsboro, Pa Posts: 285	Brevis or Redrock for my HD110? Gah...my brain hurts. I've read all the specifications and technical info, and I now I just want some opinions. I've narrowed it down to either the Brevis or the Redrock adapter. If you are shooting with an HD100/HD110/HD200 and are using one of these, or have used either one, what did you like/dislike about them? From what I've read I'm assuming the Brevis will have very little light loss...is that correct? Thanks... edit: MODS, I guess this could have been in the other section, but I'm specifically looking for opinions of owners of the JVC cameras, since that's what I shoot with. Thanks.

April 20th, 2008, 03:34 PM	#2
Alan Ortiz Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Washington, D.C. Posts: 392	I own an HD100 and have used both. I own the Brevis 35. My experience has been that the M2 is much more cumbersome and front heavy compared to the Brevis. Everything about the cinevate products seem to revolve around weight and light loss (as in less of both!). The Brevis looks more like an extension of the camera rather than an add on, and acts like it too. I just slap it on in a matter of minutes- check backfocus- and GO. The M2 was a lot harder to adjust and required a lot more light. I knew this going into it when I used it combined with a DVX and that combo sucked up more light than my HD100/Brevis combo. However, depending on what you plan to use it for, this may be irrelevant. The M2 has a slightly different look compared to the Brevis- something i can only describe as a slight milky or silkiness to it. However in some aspects i feel the image is inferior to the edge to edge sharpness of the Brevis, and at times also feels "contrived" and not as natural. Some people love this particular look though and feel it is far more filmic. You'll have to look at examples to decide for yourself. The Redrock forums have quite a bit of M2/HD100 footage, and some of the best Brevis/HD100 footage can be found at cinevera pictures where our own Chad Terpstra has demonstrated what i feel is some of the best HD100 footage out there. Im more concerned with a relay- as soon as that happens im jumping ship to WHOEVER does it better and first because i miss having a shorter, lighter rig. Last edited by Alan Ortiz; April 20th, 2008 at 09:59 PM.

April 20th, 2008, 05:20 PM	#3
Wade Spencer Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Wellsboro, Pa Posts: 285	Thanks Alan...you are exactly the type of person I was hoping for a reply from. Do you have any pictures of your Brevis setup? What kind of shooting do you do with it? What lenses are you using? Thanks...I hope you don't mind me picking your brain a little bit.

April 20th, 2008, 10:14 PM	#4
Alan Ortiz Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Washington, D.C. Posts: 392	Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the setup- im attending some good ol Army schooling right now and im away from home. However, if you go to cineverapictures.com and dig around you'll find some pics of their setup. Its actually not as big as you would think- it just ends up longer than you would like. However in operation ive found the rig to balance nicely with a hefty IDX batt on the back and an FS4 attached. What have I shot with my Brevis/HD100? Well, all sorts of things in the very short time ive had it and have been actually shooting. You can see most of it at www.cinematicdream.com I'm currently using all Nikons- 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4, and 28mm f2. The 28mm has the softest image and the 85mm while pricey is the sharpest and has the nicest bokeh of them all. Im hoping to invest in a 105mm next and something wider and sharper. Cheers.

April 21st, 2008, 04:36 PM	#5
Stuart Campbell Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hannover, Germany Posts: 400	Wade, do you mind me asking why you have ruled out the Letus Extreme? (assuming you have, that is). I don't know what your budget is but there is also a P+S MiniC for the JVC and the JVC relay lens. Both worth looking at? We have done pretty much what you have by the sounds of it. We've spent DAYS researching and testing all of them and found the Letus to produce the best results for the money. Now, the real deal clincher was the fact that Letus are bringing out a relay lens for the HD100/200 cams any day now. The downside to the Letus is that it comes with a poor rails/support setup (our opinion), so we costed up (and are about to order) a Zacuto rig (who also sell the Letus). If you are interested I can provide you with an A4 page of cost breakdowns of every permutation of a Letus Extreme from Letus and Zacuto using both sets of rails, and also complete with a complete set of Zeiss planars. I think we found the cheapest! Mind fuzzing isn't it!

April 21st, 2008, 11:45 PM	#6
Wade Spencer Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Wellsboro, Pa Posts: 285	I haven't entirely ruled out a Letus, but I owned the LetusXL for my XL2, and the light loss was INCREDIBLE...I just wasn't happy with that aspect of it. I expected some loss, but man...that thing just ATE light. Perhaps I will give them another look. Thanks for the heads up.

April 22nd, 2008, 01:25 AM	#7
Stuart Campbell Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hannover, Germany Posts: 400	It might be worth moving this to the adaptor forum and doing a poll to see if there is a definite favourite out there? I think whichever one you go for there will be plus points and minuses. The main reason I will buy the Letus is because of the relay lens. Operating and setting up any adaptor on set (especially when outside) when you have to stick it on the end of the Lens is absolutely ridiculous. On many shoots we switch between TV lens and adaptor regularly and doing that in the back of the vehicle is a proper pain in the arse. When that relay comes out it will eliminate all of those problems! In fact, Letus if you are reading....please get a move on with the relay!

April 22nd, 2008, 08:54 AM	#8
Alan Ortiz Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Washington, D.C. Posts: 392	I second that. Once the relay comes out the combination will be hard to beat and I think it will make choosing an adapter for the hd100 a little harder. I don't think slapping a brevis on the end of the stock lens is very time consuming or rediculous at all. It just makes the whole rig way too long. That and the stock lens is really the weakest element in the system minus the cheap viewfinder. I think a high quality relay could do alot to extend the life of the camera.