Androo Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 hi,First of all i would like to thank everyone for the comments left on vimeo and the forum I was checking my inbox and found a few people were interested in the adaptor i used to film with so i thought i would post info on here!I am still new to the film making world so this is just info that i have picked up over the last few months.Basically the adaptor is used to atchieve depth of field seen in movies, it is also used to 'pull focus'alot of cameras out there have manual focus but its hard to atchieve a good depth of field usign a bare video camera (but possible!)( one example Dof adaptors are used is to draw attention away from what happening in the background, if your filming an interview or something.)The basic idea is to use a lens from an slr camera and fit it to the video camera (using the lens to focus)A few companies exist that make such devices (brevis,Letus) most of which are based in america and cost upto and over a £1000 I heard a lot of good reviews about a guy in canada building his own adaptors at a fraction of the cost (quality and build is still very good!)so i purchased from him ( i used static adaptor with achromat)www.twoneil.comI havnt seen any biketrials filmed with an adaptor as yet but skateboarding and bmx vids occasionally appear on vimeo,this is possibly due to the adaptor being quite hard to use and needs alot of practice in order to get the shot in focus and keep it in focus when filming sports!Photo of adaptorAnd what is achievable if you know what your doing (unlike me!)http://www.vimeo.com/1550639 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMack Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Nice one for posting this up, I've been checking out tutorials and such as it's something I'm gonna look into building in summer maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-A Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 When I was going to be camera assistant an a low budget feature film I used a movie tube adapter ( one of the professionally made DOF adapters) with a panasonic hvx200 and some awesome cannon 35mm film camera primes (10k each kinda awesome) on a test shoot and the results were stunning. The first shot we set-up we ended up just standing around looking going 'wow' for 10 mins THese DOF adapters can really help give that lovely soft filming look to video. On the down side they are heavy, and you loose quite a bit of light through them. A good couple of stops, which when shooting indoors and stuff can be a right pain.I've been looking into this for a while and I've started building one on the cheap just to play with. I've got some macro tubes of ebay to fit cannon EF lens, I've glued a set-up ring from my cameras 37mm thread onto the back of these, so they mount on the camera,. Next step is to get hold of a SLR cameras focusing screen. I've had a little experiment with a wet 'n' dry'ed clear CD as a screen and its going to work, but the sand paper scratches in the CD were huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMack Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/index.php...product_uid=605That might help Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Motivator Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 but the sand paper scratches in the CD were huge.Go to Asda and buy the pack of 25 blank CDs for £1.98, they come with two totally clear CDs to protect the top and bottom CD when sitting on the shelf! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-A Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Thats what I was using, but you need a grain effect for the image to focus on. So i carefully sanded the one side with wet 1200 grit, I could see the concept was gonna work but the 'grain' was huge. I've ordered a proper focusing screen now so the project can move up a notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Motivator Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 Ah I see I'm missing the point I know it doesn't really matter now, but how about cutting compound? The paste you use to blend in new paint work, that is very lightly abrasive, much less than 1200 grit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Androo Posted April 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2009 When I was going to be camera assistant an a low budget feature film I used a movie tube adapter ( one of the professionally made DOF adapters) with a panasonic hvx200 and some awesome cannon 35mm film camera primes (10k each kinda awesome) on a test shoot and the results were stunning. The first shot we set-up we ended up just standing around looking going 'wow' for 10 mins THese DOF adapters can really help give that lovely soft filming look to video. On the down side they are heavy, and you loose quite a bit of light through them. A good couple of stops, which when shooting indoors and stuff can be a right pain.I've been looking into this for a while and I've started building one on the cheap just to play with. I've got some macro tubes of ebay to fit cannon EF lens, I've glued a set-up ring from my cameras 37mm thread onto the back of these, so they mount on the camera,. Next step is to get hold of a SLR cameras focusing screen. I've had a little experiment with a wet 'n' dry'ed clear CD as a screen and its going to work, but the sand paper scratches in the CD were huge.yes you do lose at least one stop, and i have not tried it indoors yet. A set of rails is next on my list as it should help with shakes, and will support the adaptor and take the stress of the threads.i think the major downside with diy adaptors is getting used to filming upside down, thats where a flip module on the more expensive adaptors come in handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolver Posted April 3, 2009 Report Share Posted April 3, 2009 I've had a little experiment with a wet 'n' dry'ed clear CD as a screen and its going to work, but the sand paper scratches in the CD were huge.Try toothpaste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMack Posted April 3, 2009 Report Share Posted April 3, 2009 Ah I see I'm missing the point I know it doesn't really matter now, but how about cutting compound? The paste you use to blend in new paint work, that is very lightly abrasive, much less than 1200 grit.That's actually what they suggest you use for making your own ground glass for adaptors like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-A Posted April 3, 2009 Report Share Posted April 3, 2009 Was just a little test to see if my camera could focus on the screen or if i needed a macro lens as well. For this the sandpaper worked absolutely fine. You really need a plano-convex lens in there somewhere to reduce spotting and to vignetting, as most SLR focusing screens have this built in that was always going to be the way to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Gray Posted April 3, 2009 Report Share Posted April 3, 2009 amazing have been researching this man thanks x. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-A Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Got my on the cheap static adapter up and running now, had a bit of a play in bristol yesterday. First impressions are: I love the diffusion, the light response of the focussing screen and the soft focus. I loath the excessive vignetting, how hard it is to film riding when the viewfinders upside down and the wrong way round and how much a single speck of dust shows up!Next port of call is to try moving the focussing screen further from the video camera with slightly longer extension tubes to see if this reduces vignetting. Might need to pick up a macro lens so I can zoom in enough and focus on the screen still. I might also see what I can do about the vignette in post and make sure I turn image stability off in the camera.Edit: A quick test reveals that if I had the focussing screen further from the video camera it would solve numerous issues, so more cheapo ebay macro tubes are in the post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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