Letus Extreme and... - Page 6 at DVinfo.net
DV Info Net

Go Back   DV Info Net > Special Interest Areas > Alternative Imaging Methods

Alternative Imaging Methods
DV Info Net is the birthplace of all 35mm adapters.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old April 28th, 2008, 11:58 AM   #76
New Boot
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 7
Sounds like something is seriously flawed... Perhaps you should go after that refund.

In my experience, the adapter is not an easy piece of equipment to work with when it comes to adjusting and then maintaining back focus - and especially not for the average person without any experience with collimation and shimming. I have been far from impressed with Letus's build quality and some of their oversights... Of course these problems are no different than those I've found in other inexpensive adapters – inexpensive when compared to the P+S or MovieTube adapters.

However for me… Despite being a pain, it does make a nice image… And as long as it doesn't compromise my work in the process, the nice image is what counts. I bought it to use on the same specs and low budget projects that I used to use the P+S on... My feeling is that optically, it blows the P+S away... And I'm willing to put up with a little extra work if it get's me a better image... I'm not crazy about the extra hassle, but nothing is free.
Tom Burt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 29th, 2008, 06:47 AM   #77
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Poland
Posts: 4,086
I have taken some pictures (with my mobile - sorry for the very poor quality; I was in haste), showing what happens to the front tube alignment with the front bracket after I turn the adapter on its thread ring in my EX1, so that the GG rectangle is level in the viefinder.

In spite of the poor pictures quality, it's obvious that - with the camera and the adapter on rails - I can either have the front bracket aligned and the screw tightened but the GG twisted as per the pictures I posted earlier in this thread, or have the GG level, but the front tube unable to rest on the bracket and the two connected with the screw.

I hope Aaron will address this obvious machining error...
Attached Thumbnails
Letus Extreme and...-dsc00077.jpg   Letus Extreme and...-dsc00078.jpg  

__________________
Sony PXW-FS7 | DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive
Piotr Wozniacki is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 29th, 2008, 09:54 AM   #78
Major Player
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Utrecht, NL | Europe 3rd Rock from the Sun
Posts: 612
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piotr Wozniacki View Post
Couple of days ago, Aaron has offered issuing RMA to me as well - does anyone know how it works from Europe? When first importing my LEX bundle, it spent 2 weeks at the customes, and I had to pay the duty and VAT an the total price (Fedex rate included !!!)
Hi Piotr,

This should be fine as long as Letus marks it apropriately (as 'no value' repair/exchange) as I'm sure they will. Be sure to keep your reciept for returning the 'old' unit; customs may ask for it (but I've never had them do so).

George/
George Kroonder is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 29th, 2008, 10:14 AM   #79
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Poland
Posts: 4,086
Thanks George for reassuring - do you know if the RMA number as provided by Letus (in the form of just passing its value with e-mail) is of any meaning to the way customs may handle it? I'm asking, because a customs officer told me on the phone today that if I have it printed on paper, it will suffice to clear it hassle-free both directions - but I understood it's supposed to be a document, not just a number per se...

Apart from the customs procedures, what still holds me from sending my LEX back not being certain that what I'll get back will be completely flawless. Is it possible that all other units are OK, and I was unlucky enough to get mine plagued with all kinds of possible flaws?
__________________
Sony PXW-FS7 | DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive
Piotr Wozniacki is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 29th, 2008, 10:32 AM   #80
Major Player
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Utrecht, NL | Europe 3rd Rock from the Sun
Posts: 612
Hi Piotr,

Just include a copy of the e-mail in the box (always good) and you could attach another one to the FedEx form. Usually I find it enough to mark it as "warranty repair" on the customs documents/shipping label. Letus will do something similar, and you should be fine.

You seem to have more than your fair dose of 'bad luck', but I believe you can expect to get the unit back fixed. The crooked GG seems really bad. I'd include a checklist of everything you believe is amis with the unit when you send it back.

George/
George Kroonder is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 1st, 2008, 03:13 AM   #81
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Poland
Posts: 4,086
my LEX woes continued...

Not having any support from Letus, and with a very important project coming soon - I managed to make my Letus usable (far from perfect - the GG' stands pushed back in order to stop the whining, but at the cost of infinity softness; the GG not level but at least being able to fix the front tube on the rails, etc).

Now I am facing another problem: when setting the critical focus of my EX1, with GG stationary (and of course without lens), I cannot get the peaking to be even close to uniform over the whole frame. When it's on in the middle (only possible near the upper edge), it disappears at both sides; slightly turn the focus ring and it appears on the right side, but vanishes from the middle; it never appears on the left side!

Now, is this how the new, "improved" EX1 achromat is supposed to behave? I don't think so; in fact I have serious doubts whether mine is indeed the improved version (it came fixed to the main adapter body, not as a separate screw-on part). What do you think?

Another reason for non-uniform focus might be the GG is not planar; given the nature of push/pull actions involved in back-focus adjustment, and how crude and unstable that is - it almost seems impossible to ensure it's 100% planar!

And indeed - after I set it to peaking near the GG's middle area and put a lens on, my test shots exhibit considerable softness near the edges (particularly the right one - funny, because the left edge area has been impossible to achieve peaking at all, and yet it's much sharper with the lens on)...

Any comment welcome!
__________________
Sony PXW-FS7 | DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

Last edited by Piotr Wozniacki; May 1st, 2008 at 05:39 AM.
Piotr Wozniacki is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 1st, 2008, 05:06 AM   #82
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 188
I'd be willing to bet that the GG position is the source of your focus problems. If rolling through the focus causes the peaking to move left/right, I'd say it is very likely the GG is shifted. These are very minute changes, and I'm honestly a little surprised about the crudeness of the adjustment. For some reason I remember Steve Cahill saying the improved Nikon mount has a depth adjustment?

-Sean
Sean Donnelly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old May 1st, 2008, 06:20 AM   #83
Major Player
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 276
Images: 2
It does, kinda. You can push and pull it out slightly before you lock it down with the alen wrench
Jeremy Hughes is offline   Reply
Reply

DV Info Net refers all where-to-buy and where-to-rent questions exclusively to these trusted full line dealers and rental houses...

B&H Photo Video
(866) 521-7381
New York, NY USA

Scan Computers Int. Ltd.
+44 0871-472-4747
Bolton, Lancashire UK


DV Info Net also encourages you to support local businesses and buy from an authorized dealer in your neighborhood.
  You are here: DV Info Net > Special Interest Areas > Alternative Imaging Methods

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

 



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:41 AM.


DV Info Net -- Real Names, Real People, Real Info!
1998-2024 The Digital Video Information Network