best 35 mm adapter for xh a1? at DVinfo.net

Sam Johnston · December 7th, 2007, 08:31 AM

Not sure if this is the right section... but here goes

I have a Canon XHA1 and am fortunate enough to have access to a variety of canon L series still camera lenses. I would preferably like something with no crop factor at all and minimum light loss and maximum sharpness.

I've been looking at the letus35, any opinions?

Kyle Prohaska · December 7th, 2007, 10:59 AM

The Letus Extreme has already proven itself to be the best adapter in its class. The only other adapter from now on I would consider other than it is the SGPro Rev3.

- Kyle

Brandon Freeman · December 7th, 2007, 11:16 AM

Word is the Letus Extreme is the best option out there. I'm looking to go that direction myself when money is right. Image Flip, only a half stop loss of light, and no edge issues. I have no personal experience -- that's just going off of others' experience here and their own website.

David W. Jones · December 7th, 2007, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Johnston

Not sure if this is the right section... but here goes

I have a Canon XHA1 and am fortunate enough to have access to a variety of canon L series still camera lenses.

Are they FD or EOS mount?

Dmitry Yun · December 7th, 2007, 12:45 PM

Nice; L series...those are perfect, If they are EOS though you'll need the DSLR to control your F-Stops. I've owned all of the adapters out there except for the Guerilla35 and I've settled on the Letus Extreme, it is the best worth for the money at the moment, I loved the SG but the light loss killed it for me same for the M2, The Brevis was really nice, but I was kind of tired of flipping the image all the time so I got the LEX and haven't been happier since, it covers every aspect for me and the price is the best bargain for the money.

Good luck.

Sam Johnston · December 7th, 2007, 03:04 PM

Thanks for the responses; I'm pretty much set on the letus now but their site lists a 3-4 week "usual delivery time", will it really take an entire month to be shipped?

Also, speaking specifically of the letus35; what effects would said adapter have on focusing? Would it be identical to usage on a normal still camera?

Also, if I had a f1.2 lens and I adjusted the XH-A1 to be at F8 and left the addon lens at 1.2, would it have the depth of field of 1.2 or 8?

Also, what accessories should I consider? What do I need the rails for?

Also (that's 4 also's), my favourite lens is a 200mm 2.8 L, it weighs a bit (something around 700 grams iirc), and is a bit longish, would I need some sort of support system for it? Or would mounting it work fine on its own?

Quote:

Originally Posted by David W. Jones

Are they FD or EOS mount?

They are all EF mount (what everyone else seems to be calling EOS mount)

Dmitry Yun · December 7th, 2007, 03:37 PM

Yes, the lead time is about 3 weeks but it's worth every sweet day of waiting for it :)

I've seen people use an adapter on a point and shoot but what's the reason you'd do that, or did I misunderstand the question?

Usually in a normal lighting condition you'd never have to use F1.2 I use an f1.4 lens and never have used the f1.4 stop I usually have the ND filter on when I'm outdoors; indoors really depends on your lighting situation. Someone more qualified can answer this a little more in depth.

Rails are for a number of things, first the LetusEx is quite heavy and puts a lot of strain on the Canon lens so you'd need a set of rails just for that safe feeling in your stomach, also if you want to use a matte box (duh! right :)

Which brings us to which lens support you want to use, I settled on the Cavision rods from B&H they ran about 170$ and I got my Letus to rails mount for free as I was in that batch of orders, I think now it's about 60$ to get it but it works really well with any rails so I would definitely recommend it, a lot of people have been using the Cinevate rails but Letus is about to release their own rail system in a bit so if you're willing to wait I'm sure that's going to be the best choice as they're from the same company and configured to work best together.

I'm sure you're aware that locking your F-Stops on the EF lens is a bit tricky, you will need a DSLR with you at all times and set the F-Stops while holding the preview DOF button release the lens, it gets a bit annoying but you can get used to it.

Also I found out the hard way that focusing without an HD monitor is pretty much a no go, Although I can still get jaw dropping results using my A1 monitor with peaking and focus assist I will need to invest in an HD monitor, for that purpose I'm building my own using the kit from http://www.manhattanlcd.com/ there are more in depth explanation on that at the www.hv20.com forums under modifications, will run at about 400$ for the whole thing can't beat it if your pockets are running thin.

Good luck, you'll be flabbergasted when you see the whole thing come together. It'll be like seeing the world through a different eye ;)

Michael Friedman · December 7th, 2007, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Johnston

Also, if I had a f1.2 lens and I adjusted the XH-A1 to be at F8 and left the addon lens at 1.2, would it have the depth of field of 1.2 or 8?

In this case it would be f1.2. The 35mm lens on front would control depth of field more than exposure (especially at the wide end of the lens). The aperture in camera would primarily control the exposure of the image. Think of it as videotaping a movie screen. The projector (your 35mm lens) controls the image on the screen (your adapter). Your video camera just focuses on that screen and tapes it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Johnston

Also, what accessories should I consider? What do I need the rails for?
Also (that's 4 also's), my favourite lens is a 200mm 2.8 L, it weighs a bit (something around 700 grams iirc), and is a bit longish, would I need some sort of support system for it? Or would mounting it work fine on its own?

You need rails to support the Letus Extreme (it is about 3lbs) plus the weight of your lens. Otherwise, you will destroy your camera. If you want to shoot short lenses (50-85mm) without rails, you could buy a Brevis adaptor (it will shoot upside down without the flip unit...if you get the flip unit, you are back to needing rails). With the length of lens you like, you should definitely plan on getting rails.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Johnston

They are all EF mount (what everyone else seems to be calling EOS mount)

You will have to set your aperture on your EOS camera, then hold the depth of field preview button while you release the lens. It is sort of a pain.

There seems to be another solution posted here:
http://redrockmicro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3137

Sure, it is $400, but it allows you to use all of your EF lenses. Before I found it, I was considering buying all Nikon lenses just for my adapter, which would have been silly..

Sam Johnston · December 7th, 2007, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Friedman

You will have to set your aperture on your EOS camera, then hold the depth of field preview button while you release the lens. It is sort of a pain.

There seems to be another solution posted here:
http://redrockmicro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3137

Sure, it is $400, but it allows you to use all of your EF lenses. Before I found it, I was considering buying all Nikon lenses just for my adapter, which would have been silly..

I would love to have full aperture control and I have a number of old SLR's lying around that would be ideal for this purpose (canon 10d and some old film one); I'd much prefer that solution as it doesn't seem to involve 'hacking' the lenses. What is that adapter specifically called and how much is it (for canon lenses); I've tried googling but to no avail.

EDIT: Found it on bhphoto (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...apter_for.html) and it costs around 500 USD, kind've excessive given the adapter will cost ~1200 /:

Michael Friedman · December 7th, 2007, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Johnston

EDIT: Found it on bhphoto (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...apter_for.html) and it costs around 500 USD, kind've excessive given the adapter will cost ~1200 /:

Well, you have two options: Remove the lens every time you need to adjust the aperture, or get a mount for a lens type (Nikon, Canon FD) that supports manual aperture. If you have a collection of manual lenses (Non EF) around already, you can just get an adapter with that mount and save the money.

I just faced all of these choices when I bought my SLR and my adapter at the same time. I chose to go with an EOS 40d camera knowing that there was a price to pay when connecting the lenses to my camera. Like I said, I considered buying a set of old Nikon lenses just for my adapter, but that seemed like such a waste.

I am going to try it when my Letus arrives. I will post the results here.

December 7th, 2007, 08:31 AM	#1
Sam Johnston New Boot Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Dubai Posts: 19	best 35 mm adapter for xh a1? Not sure if this is the right section... but here goes I have a Canon XHA1 and am fortunate enough to have access to a variety of canon L series still camera lenses. I would preferably like something with no crop factor at all and minimum light loss and maximum sharpness. I've been looking at the letus35, any opinions?

December 7th, 2007, 10:59 AM	#2
Kyle Prohaska Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ransomville NY Posts: 239	The Letus Extreme has already proven itself to be the best adapter in its class. The only other adapter from now on I would consider other than it is the SGPro Rev3. - Kyle __________________ Online Portfolio \| Feature Film on XHA1

December 7th, 2007, 11:16 AM	#3
Brandon Freeman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 226	Word is the Letus Extreme is the best option out there. I'm looking to go that direction myself when money is right. Image Flip, only a half stop loss of light, and no edge issues. I have no personal experience -- that's just going off of others' experience here and their own website. __________________ Canon EOS 7D, Final Cut Studio 2

December 7th, 2007, 12:45 PM	#5
Dmitry Yun Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 170	Nice; L series...those are perfect, If they are EOS though you'll need the DSLR to control your F-Stops. I've owned all of the adapters out there except for the Guerilla35 and I've settled on the Letus Extreme, it is the best worth for the money at the moment, I loved the SG but the light loss killed it for me same for the M2, The Brevis was really nice, but I was kind of tired of flipping the image all the time so I got the LEX and haven't been happier since, it covers every aspect for me and the price is the best bargain for the money. Good luck.

December 7th, 2007, 03:37 PM	#7
Dmitry Yun Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 170	Yes, the lead time is about 3 weeks but it's worth every sweet day of waiting for it :) I've seen people use an adapter on a point and shoot but what's the reason you'd do that, or did I misunderstand the question? Usually in a normal lighting condition you'd never have to use F1.2 I use an f1.4 lens and never have used the f1.4 stop I usually have the ND filter on when I'm outdoors; indoors really depends on your lighting situation. Someone more qualified can answer this a little more in depth. Rails are for a number of things, first the LetusEx is quite heavy and puts a lot of strain on the Canon lens so you'd need a set of rails just for that safe feeling in your stomach, also if you want to use a matte box (duh! right :) Which brings us to which lens support you want to use, I settled on the Cavision rods from B&H they ran about 170$ and I got my Letus to rails mount for free as I was in that batch of orders, I think now it's about 60$ to get it but it works really well with any rails so I would definitely recommend it, a lot of people have been using the Cinevate rails but Letus is about to release their own rail system in a bit so if you're willing to wait I'm sure that's going to be the best choice as they're from the same company and configured to work best together. I'm sure you're aware that locking your F-Stops on the EF lens is a bit tricky, you will need a DSLR with you at all times and set the F-Stops while holding the preview DOF button release the lens, it gets a bit annoying but you can get used to it. Also I found out the hard way that focusing without an HD monitor is pretty much a no go, Although I can still get jaw dropping results using my A1 monitor with peaking and focus assist I will need to invest in an HD monitor, for that purpose I'm building my own using the kit from http://www.manhattanlcd.com/ there are more in depth explanation on that at the www.hv20.com forums under modifications, will run at about 400$ for the whole thing can't beat it if your pockets are running thin. Good luck, you'll be flabbergasted when you see the whole thing come together. It'll be like seeing the world through a different eye ;)