Letus Flip and Canon XHA1

Steven Dempsey · March 25th, 2007, 07:44 PM

My lovely daughter assisted.

I would have liked to light her face a little more but I just used what was available.

My Letus actually was damaged in the mail and the mirror was loose so I'm sending it back to Quyen for repair/replacement. You'll see a side effect of that damage with some vignetting towards the right side of the frame. This will not be on the fixed one.

First shot is a 28mm Nikon f2.8
After that I used a 50mm Nikon f1.8
Last few shots are with a 100mm Nikon f2.8

The sharpness of this adapter is better than the Letus I was using on my XLH1 which surprised me.

See for yourself:

http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/a1letustest.wmv

Paul Watkins · March 26th, 2007, 04:22 PM

Footage looks nice. I have the A1 and the Letus FE. You give me something to shoot for, dispite the vignetting. What preset did you use?

Steven Dempsey · March 26th, 2007, 04:24 PM

PANALOOK (Available on this site under Presets)

Jeremiah McLamb · March 28th, 2007, 09:02 AM

I hope this question doesn't sound too stupid....but...with the 35mm adapter..how do you focus? Do you have to break out a tape measure and know how to do all that?

Chris Barcellos · March 28th, 2007, 10:07 AM

Steven:

Is this with achromat supplied by them ?

Whats your take on the light loss in the flip and is it worth it ?

Can you do magnet flip with A1? (I understand that is only on LCD.)

(Aside: My granddaughters have been getting a lot of camera time. Emily showed up the other day with a card she made on her computer (prompted by her mother, my daughter I'm sure) indicating is now a SAG member. )

Steven Dempsey · March 28th, 2007, 02:48 PM

Light issue is not a big deal. It's adequate for outdoor filming and I will simply light whatever I need to for indoor stuff.

For filmmakers that have a lot of indoor shoots, it would be a pain because it would require a lot of lighting.

Yes, it is a self contained unit so the achromat is built in.

The convenience of not having to flip the image is huge for me. I don't know if you can flip the LCD on the A1

Jeremiah, technically you could use a measuring tape, etc but the focussing is done with the attached Nikon or Canon lens and all you need is a good monitor to make sure it's in focus.

Marty Hudzik · March 29th, 2007, 01:30 PM

Mighty impressive I must say. My faves are the 50mm shots. They have that perfect feel. The 28mm look good to but they a lot more DOF. The 100mm are nice but the DOF is so shallow as to almost make it dreamlike....seems more of a specialized look on that.

What do you attribute the sharpness to on the A1 over the H1 setup you had before? Since the H1 has a direct relay lens it theoretically should be sharper....yet you are seeing a difference. What do you think?

Also, realistically, how do you plan on using this in your general mode of shooting? You know, landscapes and beautiful wildlife. The shallow DOF seems like it would be a hinderance here.

Peace.

Steven Dempsey · March 29th, 2007, 01:36 PM

Marty,

Although I do specialize in nature cinematography, I have done some narrative work and plan on doing more. Also, there are many animals and birds that stay static enough for me to get that appealing shallow depth of field.

When I have access to an adapter like this, I feel like I possess magic itself.

Marty Hudzik · March 29th, 2007, 01:54 PM

Thanks Steven. Can you give any opinions on why you feel the image might be sharper on the A1 with adapter as opposed to the H1, which on paper should be better?

I ask because I kept my H1 partially because I expect it to deliver a better image with a 35mm adapter than a unit that hangs on the end of the existing camera glass.

Thanks.

Steven Dempsey · March 29th, 2007, 01:56 PM

Marty, I haven't a clue...it's beyond my expertize. I'm just commenting on this based on what I am seeing.

Marty Hudzik · March 29th, 2007, 02:14 PM

One last question.....I promise. The Letus for the XL series says it magnifies the image by 1.8x thus rendering a 28mm as close to a 50mm. This seems a bit extreme. Do you notice if there is any magnification of the image using the Letus Flip with the A1 or is this strictly a limitation with the XL mount series?

Thanks.

Steven Dempsey · March 29th, 2007, 02:16 PM

Not a problem with the non-XL version. The magnification was a limitation of the XL only. Frankly, I'm thrilled about that because I was tired of using my 28mm and having it look like a 50mm

Marty Hudzik · March 29th, 2007, 02:37 PM

Thanks Steven. I have to say that really stinks for an XL user like myself. A big reason to consider the Letus was to use a 28mm and have a real "wide" lens. This is really disappointing. Bummer.

Douglas Villalba · March 29th, 2007, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Dempsey

My lovely daughter assisted.

I would have liked to light her face a little more but I just used what was available.

My Letus actually was damaged in the mail and the mirror was loose so I'm sending it back to Quyen for repair/replacement. You'll see a side effect of that damage with some vignetting towards the right side of the frame. This will not be on the fixed one.

First shot is a 28mm Nikon f2.8
After that I used a 50mm Nikon f1.8
Last few shots are with a 100mm Nikon f2.8

The sharpness of this adapter is better than the Letus I was using on my XLH1 which surprised me.

See for yourself:

http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/a1letustest.wmv

Very nice. It looks really sharp.

I went to the Letus page and I was really disappointed to see such a poor page for a product that seems promising. I love their prices, but there is no phone number just an email. I am not use to buying on the internet so here is the question. How safe is it to buy from them?
Since I own an FX1, HVX200 and soon an XH A1 would it also work on the Pani's 82mm?

Also how does it handle a lens like a Nikon 80-200mm f2.8?

Steven Polley · March 29th, 2007, 05:10 PM

I just received mine today very quick shipping...

But I do have a question for Quyen which i have emailed him.... Would love to have a phone number to call...

Stephen, does your adapter come apart from the base silver thread end that goes on the camera?

thanks

March 25th, 2007, 07:44 PM	#1
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Letus Flip and Canon XHA1 - Quick and Dirty Test My lovely daughter assisted. I would have liked to light her face a little more but I just used what was available. My Letus actually was damaged in the mail and the mirror was loose so I'm sending it back to Quyen for repair/replacement. You'll see a side effect of that damage with some vignetting towards the right side of the frame. This will not be on the fixed one. First shot is a 28mm Nikon f2.8 After that I used a 50mm Nikon f1.8 Last few shots are with a 100mm Nikon f2.8 The sharpness of this adapter is better than the Letus I was using on my XLH1 which surprised me. See for yourself: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/XHA1/a1letustest.wmv __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 26th, 2007, 04:24 PM	#3
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	PANALOOK (Available on this site under Presets) __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 28th, 2007, 10:07 AM	#5
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Steven: Is this with achromat supplied by them ? Whats your take on the light loss in the flip and is it worth it ? Can you do magnet flip with A1? (I understand that is only on LCD.) (Aside: My granddaughters have been getting a lot of camera time. Emily showed up the other day with a card she made on her computer (prompted by her mother, my daughter I'm sure) indicating is now a SAG member. ) __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

March 28th, 2007, 02:48 PM	#6
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Light issue is not a big deal. It's adequate for outdoor filming and I will simply light whatever I need to for indoor stuff. For filmmakers that have a lot of indoor shoots, it would be a pain because it would require a lot of lighting. Yes, it is a self contained unit so the achromat is built in. The convenience of not having to flip the image is huge for me. I don't know if you can flip the LCD on the A1 Jeremiah, technically you could use a measuring tape, etc but the focussing is done with the attached Nikon or Canon lens and all you need is a good monitor to make sure it's in focus. __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 29th, 2007, 01:36 PM	#8
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Marty, Although I do specialize in nature cinematography, I have done some narrative work and plan on doing more. Also, there are many animals and birds that stay static enough for me to get that appealing shallow depth of field. When I have access to an adapter like this, I feel like I possess magic itself. __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 26th, 2007, 04:22 PM	#2
Paul Watkins Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: glassboro, NJ Posts: 87	Footage looks nice. I have the A1 and the Letus FE. You give me something to shoot for, dispite the vignetting. What preset did you use?

March 28th, 2007, 09:02 AM	#4
Jeremiah McLamb Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Fayetteville, NC Posts: 174	I hope this question doesn't sound too stupid....but...with the 35mm adapter..how do you focus? Do you have to break out a tape measure and know how to do all that?

March 29th, 2007, 01:30 PM	#7
Marty Hudzik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 1,771	Mighty impressive I must say. My faves are the 50mm shots. They have that perfect feel. The 28mm look good to but they a lot more DOF. The 100mm are nice but the DOF is so shallow as to almost make it dreamlike....seems more of a specialized look on that. What do you attribute the sharpness to on the A1 over the H1 setup you had before? Since the H1 has a direct relay lens it theoretically should be sharper....yet you are seeing a difference. What do you think? Also, realistically, how do you plan on using this in your general mode of shooting? You know, landscapes and beautiful wildlife. The shallow DOF seems like it would be a hinderance here. Peace.

March 29th, 2007, 01:54 PM	#9
Marty Hudzik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 1,771	Thanks Steven. Can you give any opinions on why you feel the image might be sharper on the A1 with adapter as opposed to the H1, which on paper should be better? I ask because I kept my H1 partially because I expect it to deliver a better image with a 35mm adapter than a unit that hangs on the end of the existing camera glass. Thanks.

March 29th, 2007, 01:56 PM	#10
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Marty, I haven't a clue...it's beyond my expertize. I'm just commenting on this based on what I am seeing. __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 29th, 2007, 02:14 PM	#11
Marty Hudzik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 1,771	One last question.....I promise. The Letus for the XL series says it magnifies the image by 1.8x thus rendering a 28mm as close to a 50mm. This seems a bit extreme. Do you notice if there is any magnification of the image using the Letus Flip with the A1 or is this strictly a limitation with the XL mount series? Thanks.

March 29th, 2007, 02:16 PM	#12
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Not a problem with the non-XL version. The magnification was a limitation of the XL only. Frankly, I'm thrilled about that because I was tired of using my 28mm and having it look like a 50mm __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

March 29th, 2007, 02:37 PM	#13
Marty Hudzik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canton, Ohio Posts: 1,771	Thanks Steven. I have to say that really stinks for an XL user like myself. A big reason to consider the Letus was to use a 28mm and have a real "wide" lens. This is really disappointing. Bummer.

March 29th, 2007, 05:10 PM	#15
Steven Polley New Boot Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Tupelo, MS Posts: 24	I just received mine today very quick shipping... But I do have a question for Quyen which i have emailed him.... Would love to have a phone number to call... Stephen, does your adapter come apart from the base silver thread end that goes on the camera? thanks __________________ Steven Polley www.yourinfocus.net