Canon XL2 & LetusXL Flip
 

I just purchased a LETUSXL Flip for use with my Canon XL2 and have only had a short time to undertake tests (like half hour). My first impression is that Quyen's product is a great resource for certain shots where I need a shallow DOF. I am currently using a Canon f1.4 50mm lens on the end of the LETUS. It seems to me that there is just a little vingetting and some possible circular distortion, BUT that might just be my setup.

For others that are using the LETUS specifically with the XL2 (and using the LETUS relay lens) what have you found to get the best look?

Thanks!
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Lyon Films
www.LyonFilms.com
Canon XL2

I will work a little more with my setup because the vingetting (if any) is likely due to my learning a new piece of gear. I would still love to hear other people's advice. Thanks!

Hey,
I believe that there are very few people that actually have the LetusXL at the moment. I should have mine waiting for me when I get home from my business trip, so I hope to do more testing this weekend.

What iris settings did you have on both the relay lens and the 50mm?

i never had the flip.. but i have the letus35xl and the orginal letus. The 35xl is perfect for me. So much more compact, easier to set up instead of having to thread it on.. make sure its lined up, zoom in, focus on the screen. I found it to be a big hassle.. (which i gladly put up with because i loved the image so much) if you have a xl series cam i cant think of any reason why you wouldnt want the relay version. the iris control is great.. my fav part.. so easy for adjustments.. its a smooth iris control instead of set stops. Really easy to adjust exposure. I just took the week off work and have been working for the past week on pre prduction on a short ill be shooting this weekend. After putting this adapter through this ill take the time to write a full review and post some nice footage.. we did the screentests with one of the actors today.. and i used the 35xl and they all came out looking awesome. really nice to have some live talent for test shooting instead of flowers.. or clocks.. or windows.. or cats.

Two incredibly rough clips up at: www.lyonfilms.com/test.html
The second clip has a human, but starts out a little out of focus.

I used the 50mm at 1.4 and the relay I just adjusted on the fly because it is a smooth and easy adjustment wheel. Quite nice.

Devon,

Try stopping down with just the relay lens leave the SLR lens fully open or only one stop down. That should get rid of the vignetting.

Couple questions for you LetusXL users as I've been playing with mine.

This may sound a bit newbish. :) What is the reason we step down the aperture on the relay lens and not the main lens?

Does anyone else's aperture on the relay not move all the way down to the last most open mark? Mine hits the F16 mark dead on, but is about 1/4" away from the most open stop at the other end.

Jacob, one control over the DOF you have is the aperture of the main lens. The more you stop it down the more is in focus. The iris on the realy lens doesnt affect the DOF at all. And yes, yours is normal, mine doesnt seem to reach the end either

Would a 28mm lens be even better to combat any possible vingetting and barrel distortion? Also, how fast of a lens, keeping it at a reasonable price point, should I be able to purchase? Does a 28mm go down to f1.2 and f1.4?

Thoughts? THanks!

I'm waiting on my letus 35xl with fd mount to arrive .Along with a smc takumar 50mm 1.4 and a m42 to fd adapter.

I almost tried to get Quyen to make me a pl mount one.I wanted to get around the breathing issue with the slr lenses.I was thinking of using LOMO lenses which aren't real expensive but only open up to about f2 or 2.3. But this would be a little more costly and I'm not sure that's a wide enough aperture. But it might be something I reconsider down the road if I like using adapters.

How many if you shoot with your lens at f2 or higher?
It seems to me some of the clips I see wide open at 1.4 are almost too shallow for practical use but I wont know till we start testing on our own adapter.I found it interesting that one guy recommended opening the lens all the way up to get rid of vignetting.It seems to me being able to stop down the lens would be crucial in controlling the dof you want.In some shots you might want it drastic ,in others you might just want the background a little out of focus .

I'm also wanting to try 85mm and 135mm telephotos for a more compressed look.Those usually run between f2 and f3.5 maximum.

Did anyone else see flicker in the two clips above?
Is that from the vibrating gg?
I hope mine doesn't do that!

The barrel distortion and vignetting (at least in my humble opinion) doesn't seem to be coming from the size of the lens, but rather the iris. If you stick to lenses with an f-stop of f2 and higher you should be fine. I don't think I've seen a lens that wide that has an f-stop of 1.2 or 1.4 if one exists (I think I've seen a canon at f1.8 but I'm not sure) it will be very expensive. But hey, if you can afford it, get it.

So you're saying dont use the iris on the adapter wide open.
So provided you have enough light you can use smaller apertures on the actual lens and avoid the vignetting too?

Keep the SLR lens open or at least near fully open and use the iris on the relay lens to stop down if necessary. If the SLR and the relay are both full open you will get a soft image.

i stop the 50mm down to f2.0 and it looks fine. Im up early this morning because i have my first shoot with my 35xl. It'll be a fun two days. Action/comedy sequence involving a guy in his late twenties running around uptown like a madman in a pair of one piece red pajamas. Post it and my observations of the 35xl when im done after the weekend

Andrew, I'm looking forward to your footage and any advice you can pass along. I should post another test shot late today or early tomorrow involving a girl walking through bushes with yellow flowers.