letus adapter for F350 at DVinfo.net

Kakhaber Mshvidobadze · July 8th, 2008, 01:22 AM

hallo everyone, i am new at this forum and i need your help. We have Sony XDcam F350 and want to nuy adapter for it, but we don't know which one Letus Extreme or Ultimate. both of them we want with nikon lenses. plz help us which adater buy and what the main diference is between them. thank you.

Kakhaber Mshvidobadze · September 20th, 2008, 03:15 PM

nobody want tell smth?

Oleg Kalyan · September 20th, 2008, 10:56 PM

Please check out The Adapter Place
I do not think they offer adapter for the 350, but do not quote me no that, better confirm with them.

Bob Hart · September 20th, 2008, 11:46 PM

Letus are working on direct relay lenses for ENG style cameras.

Now, the only way is to put the Letus on front of the camera lens you already have. For the 1/2" CCD image area, you probably need the Letus version with achromat for Sony PMW-EX1.

Go to Philip Bloom Home and ask him a question on his forum or email him.

He has a F350. He may have tried the Letus Extreme on it.

To fit the Letus Extreme or Ultimate to your camera, you probably need the full kit including rails. The front of the camera lens will need to have a filter thread. Some of the Canon lenses dont have this. The largest diameter threaded lens adaptor ring Letus make is 77mm.

If your camera lens focus barrel moves the end of the lens, you cannot mount the Letus to it because the lens must be free to move for relay focus. You would have to make a slip sleeve and mount the Letus to rails separately. There is only one small support pillar for the front of the Letus. You would have to make a rear support.

Jeff Regan · September 20th, 2008, 11:58 PM

The Letus Extreme uses oscillating ground glass and is lower cost than the Ultimate. The Ultimate uses spinning ground glass enabling the taking lens to be used at any F-stop without seeing the ground glass grain. It is variable speed with an LED display. The Ultimate is very sharp, you can use shutter speeds of 1/1000th, and it has easy back focus adjustment via two thumb screws. The Extreme limits you to stopping down no more than F5.6 and back focus requires tools.

The Ultimate back focus adjustment is now available in a new product, the Elite, which is an Extreme except for the Ultimate back focus and costs a bit more than the Extreme.
The Elite is only available through Zacuto in Chicago, USA. An Extreme could be ordered
and specifiied to have the Ultimate back focus added to it for $600 through Adapter Place
or Letus Direct, the latter sells more of the products than anybody else.

Extreme is $1200 USD, Elite $1800, Ultimate $4500, the latter comes with a PL mount and
camera optimization kit for palmcorders such as HVX200 or EX1, which, when sold separately for the Extreme, would be over $600.

Neither the Extreme or the Ultimate can be mounted to the bayonet mount on the body of a 2/3" or 1/2" imager camera. For that you will need the B4 Relay lens for 2/3" or the version for 1/2" cameras. These relay lenses have not been released yet, the B4 Relay is supposed to be out soon and expected to cost $4500.

You could mount the Extreme, Elite or Ultimate onto the end of an ENG zoom lens, but you
will have chromatic aberration and soft corners, plus a very large camera/lens footprint.

The Sony EX1 is a very good camera for the Extreme or Ultimate, very good resolution, especially in 1080p with the Ultimate, good edge to edge focus with the optimized achromat, little chromatic aberration. The Extreme and Ultimate only lose 1/2 F-stop.

Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
Shooting Star Video

Jeff Regan · September 21st, 2008, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hart

The largest diameter threaded lens adaptor ring Letus make is 77mm.

Bob,

Agree with all you posted, but Letus has 82mm rings, this is what the HVX200 uses, and it
will work with many ENG zoom lenses that are internal focus with 82mm threads. Not great
optically, but it will work.

I have an Ultimate, but the B4 Relay is running behind schedule.

Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
Shooting Star Video

Bob Hart · September 21st, 2008, 01:29 AM

Jeff.

Thank you for correcting me.

Kakhaber.

Please forgive my error and misleading information. I had overlooked the 82mm ring which is of course for these lenses and the JVC GY-HD--- camera family with standard Fujinon zoom lens.

Kakhaber Mshvidobadze · September 21st, 2008, 02:32 AM

so can i Use Ultmate on my F350? to make this adapter in front of lense? i know that camera will be very long, but if it possible to use i will buy.

Jeff Regan · September 21st, 2008, 08:13 AM

Kakhabar,

You can use any of the Letus 35mm DOF adapters on the end of your ENG zoom lens if the
lens has 82mm or 77mm threads. The image quality will not be great--edge to edge sharpness will be problematic, chromatic aberration will be evident. I wouldn't buy the Ultimate because you won't get the full optical advantage it offers for a premium price.

If you can afford the Letus Relay Lens, this will be far superior image wisa and form factor wise, or an EX1, which would be a much better form factor and higher quality optically.

Based upon my experience mounting an Ultimate on a Fujinon A15X8BERM ENG zoom lens, I
cannot recommend the purchase of a Letus, certainly not an Ultimate which would be wasted
quality wise.

If you have access to a Letus from a rental source, it would be worth testing for yourself.

Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video

Kakhaber Mshvidobadze · September 21st, 2008, 09:04 AM

thank you Jeff :) i try to wait for B4 :)

Jeff Regan · September 21st, 2008, 09:43 AM

Kakhaber,

Not the B4 Relay Lens, that's for 2/3" cameras, you need the one for 1/2" cameras. The plan is for Letus to build three different relay models, last I heard, one for 2/3", one for 1/2", such as XDCAM HD and EX(EX3) and one for 1/3", such as the JVC HD100-200 series.

I expect the B4 Relay to be out by next month, don't know about the others.

Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video

Kakhaber Mshvidobadze · September 21st, 2008, 01:35 PM

Jeff Regan

and when letus build for 1/2"? next month? on the letus website, there is not any inforamtion about it :(

Jeff Regan · September 21st, 2008, 05:20 PM

Hien Le, one of the Le brothers who co-own Letus. told me what the delay was with the B4
Relay Lens. He will not give a date for when it is available for ordering or shipping. I have
never spoken to him about the other Relay Lenses for smaller formats, just read info from others, so best thing to do is contact Adapter Place or Letus Direct about status.

I expect the B4 Relay to be out in the next few weeks, but this is just supposition based on
what I have been told by Hien and Letus Direct and Zacuto. I think it's worthwhile for anybody interested in any of the three possible Relay Lenses to let Letus know, make sure
they have a sense of what the demand level is.

Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video

July 8th, 2008, 01:22 AM	#1
Kakhaber Mshvidobadze New Boot Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia Posts: 21	letus adapter for F350 hallo everyone, i am new at this forum and i need your help. We have Sony XDcam F350 and want to nuy adapter for it, but we don't know which one Letus Extreme or Ultimate. both of them we want with nikon lenses. plz help us which adater buy and what the main diference is between them. thank you.

September 20th, 2008, 11:46 PM	#4
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	Letus are working on direct relay lenses for ENG style cameras. Now, the only way is to put the Letus on front of the camera lens you already have. For the 1/2" CCD image area, you probably need the Letus version with achromat for Sony PMW-EX1. Go to Philip Bloom Home and ask him a question on his forum or email him. He has a F350. He may have tried the Letus Extreme on it. To fit the Letus Extreme or Ultimate to your camera, you probably need the full kit including rails. The front of the camera lens will need to have a filter thread. Some of the Canon lenses dont have this. The largest diameter threaded lens adaptor ring Letus make is 77mm. If your camera lens focus barrel moves the end of the lens, you cannot mount the Letus to it because the lens must be free to move for relay focus. You would have to make a slip sleeve and mount the Letus to rails separately. There is only one small support pillar for the front of the Letus. You would have to make a rear support. Last edited by Bob Hart; September 20th, 2008 at 11:55 PM. Reason: errors

September 21st, 2008, 01:29 AM	#7
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	Jeff. Thank you for correcting me. Kakhaber. Please forgive my error and misleading information. I had overlooked the 82mm ring which is of course for these lenses and the JVC GY-HD--- camera family with standard Fujinon zoom lens. Last edited by Bob Hart; September 21st, 2008 at 01:30 AM. Reason: error

September 20th, 2008, 03:15 PM	#2
Kakhaber Mshvidobadze New Boot Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia Posts: 21	nobody want tell smth?

September 20th, 2008, 10:56 PM	#3
Oleg Kalyan Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: MOSCOW Posts: 860	Please check out The Adapter Place I do not think they offer adapter for the 350, but do not quote me no that, better confirm with them.

September 20th, 2008, 11:58 PM	#5
Jeff Regan Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Foster City, California Posts: 192	The Letus Extreme uses oscillating ground glass and is lower cost than the Ultimate. The Ultimate uses spinning ground glass enabling the taking lens to be used at any F-stop without seeing the ground glass grain. It is variable speed with an LED display. The Ultimate is very sharp, you can use shutter speeds of 1/1000th, and it has easy back focus adjustment via two thumb screws. The Extreme limits you to stopping down no more than F5.6 and back focus requires tools. The Ultimate back focus adjustment is now available in a new product, the Elite, which is an Extreme except for the Ultimate back focus and costs a bit more than the Extreme. The Elite is only available through Zacuto in Chicago, USA. An Extreme could be ordered and specifiied to have the Ultimate back focus added to it for $600 through Adapter Place or Letus Direct, the latter sells more of the products than anybody else. Extreme is $1200 USD, Elite $1800, Ultimate $4500, the latter comes with a PL mount and camera optimization kit for palmcorders such as HVX200 or EX1, which, when sold separately for the Extreme, would be over $600. Neither the Extreme or the Ultimate can be mounted to the bayonet mount on the body of a 2/3" or 1/2" imager camera. For that you will need the B4 Relay lens for 2/3" or the version for 1/2" cameras. These relay lenses have not been released yet, the B4 Relay is supposed to be out soon and expected to cost $4500. You could mount the Extreme, Elite or Ultimate onto the end of an ENG zoom lens, but you will have chromatic aberration and soft corners, plus a very large camera/lens footprint. The Sony EX1 is a very good camera for the Extreme or Ultimate, very good resolution, especially in 1080p with the Ultimate, good edge to edge focus with the optimized achromat, little chromatic aberration. The Extreme and Ultimate only lose 1/2 F-stop. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video Shooting Star Video

September 21st, 2008, 02:32 AM	#8
Kakhaber Mshvidobadze New Boot Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia Posts: 21	so can i Use Ultmate on my F350? to make this adapter in front of lense? i know that camera will be very long, but if it possible to use i will buy.

September 21st, 2008, 08:13 AM	#9
Jeff Regan Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Foster City, California Posts: 192	Kakhabar, You can use any of the Letus 35mm DOF adapters on the end of your ENG zoom lens if the lens has 82mm or 77mm threads. The image quality will not be great--edge to edge sharpness will be problematic, chromatic aberration will be evident. I wouldn't buy the Ultimate because you won't get the full optical advantage it offers for a premium price. If you can afford the Letus Relay Lens, this will be far superior image wisa and form factor wise, or an EX1, which would be a much better form factor and higher quality optically. Based upon my experience mounting an Ultimate on a Fujinon A15X8BERM ENG zoom lens, I cannot recommend the purchase of a Letus, certainly not an Ultimate which would be wasted quality wise. If you have access to a Letus from a rental source, it would be worth testing for yourself. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video

September 21st, 2008, 09:04 AM	#10
Kakhaber Mshvidobadze New Boot Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia Posts: 21	thank you Jeff :) i try to wait for B4 :)

September 21st, 2008, 09:43 AM	#11
Jeff Regan Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Foster City, California Posts: 192	Kakhaber, Not the B4 Relay Lens, that's for 2/3" cameras, you need the one for 1/2" cameras. The plan is for Letus to build three different relay models, last I heard, one for 2/3", one for 1/2", such as XDCAM HD and EX(EX3) and one for 1/3", such as the JVC HD100-200 series. I expect the B4 Relay to be out by next month, don't know about the others. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video

September 21st, 2008, 01:35 PM	#12
Kakhaber Mshvidobadze New Boot Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia Posts: 21	Jeff Regan and when letus build for 1/2"? next month? on the letus website, there is not any inforamtion about it :(

September 21st, 2008, 05:20 PM	#13
Jeff Regan Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Foster City, California Posts: 192	Hien Le, one of the Le brothers who co-own Letus. told me what the delay was with the B4 Relay Lens. He will not give a date for when it is available for ordering or shipping. I have never spoken to him about the other Relay Lenses for smaller formats, just read info from others, so best thing to do is contact Adapter Place or Letus Direct about status. I expect the B4 Relay to be out in the next few weeks, but this is just supposition based on what I have been told by Hien and Letus Direct and Zacuto. I think it's worthwhile for anybody interested in any of the three possible Relay Lenses to let Letus know, make sure they have a sense of what the demand level is. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video