Letus 35mm Adapter Questions (From a Newbie)
 

Alright. So I read this forum everyday, especially since purchasing my A1 and I tend to hear a lot about the Letus Extreme and 35mm adapters in general. To be honest I am quite new in the professional camera world and had some very basic questions as to how the 35mm adapters work. Knowing there are so many of you who are knowledgeable about the products, it would be great to hear a basic rundown of what the adapter does, how it works, what else you need besides the adapter, and what the final set up consists of. I know these questions are beyond basic but I really would like to take full advantage of my XH-A1 and from what I have seen in sample clips, the Letus Extreme will help me do just that.

If you go to the Alternative Imaging Forum here at DVInfo. you can follow the development of the Letus, and other adapters over several years, and your questions will be answered to boot....

I just got my Letus about two weeks ago and love it.

So, the real nutshell version:

• It's an adaptor that allows you to use still Camera lenses with your XH A1 (or other video cameras)

• Basically, it allows you to record footage with a much smaller Depth of Field (y'know, when your subject is in focus, but the background is out of focus) This adds to the "film" look. (Video tends to be all in focus)

• It screws into your camera's lens (in your case 72mm)

• On the other end you attach a still camera lens (they recommend the Nikon 55mm 1.8 or so to start off with, although you can use a wide range of lenses)

• The still camera lens "sees" what you're shooting - the Letus flips the image into the proper perspective (otherwise, it would be upside down and backwards) and the XH A1 records what is projected onto the Letus' internal imaging screen (ground glass that vibrates)

• You'll need the Letus itself, rods to help support the weight (Letus sells these, too) and a lens

The staff at Letus is very friendly and has answered all my email questions quickly.

Hope this helps.

Ditto to the friendly staff. I ordered through LetusDirect.com, and I give high marks to their staff for keeping in personal contact with me as I've waited for my unit. Great guys.

I should be able to show images from my Letus and XH-A1 soon! :)

Thanks everyone. Very helpful. Just a couple more questions and I think ill have everything I need to know. So, with the rods for support, what does it matter which length I get? Is just is for the size of the lens? And also, is it recommended to go with the Letus extreme or economy? I didnt see much difference between the two so was wondering what those would be.