A1 with Letus
 

I have several Canon(EF)lenses including prime and zoom.

Is there a Letus adaptor that would work with them and my A-1?

Also, what rails, tripod(etc.) would I need to support such a setup?

TX.

Wow, you really didn't do any homework did you?

Do a search for Letus here and then go to the letus website and you'll learn tons.

Hello Scott,

First off, thanks for replying.

Please keep an open mind when I respond here.

Homework?

I've read a lot of posts, on several forums. I've looked at several sales websites re: the Letus and, as you apparently know, there are several combo's of Canon lenses, the Letus and different makes of cameras...

My issue is that I'm curious about combo's of equipment re: the A-1, a Letus adaptor and A-1 lenses.

Also, a number of folks will demo their wares so to speak.

They will show you how good it looks but you don't get to hear about focus issues, cost issues, what you need for equipment issues i.e. rails...etc, steadycam or just plain tripod issues.....

well, perhaps you get my drift....

So, after reading and responding to many posts....

I've learned to ask simple questions.

You get the most variable responses that way....

O.K. ?

Rog Lee

My bad, didn't mean to offend. Just thought your original post sounded a little vague.

I've been wanting a Letus for a while too, would love to hear peoples suggestions.

no I don't think he did, regardless of his claim - The letus website will tell you that an EF mount is available, there are any number of posts here that talk about EF lenses with the A1, setups, tripods etc etc etc

answers to all the questions you ask are here in the Letus and canon forums - all you have to do is search - it doesn't take that much effort and you'll learn all you need to know.

Thanks for replying.

I can see my original question is vague. Sorry about that.

Also, I can see the question is redundant. However, for example, pretty regularly I see someone bring up another question about something like "which tape to use?" so I guess I was thinking another question about Letus wouldn't be a big deal.

I'll do some more digging on my own and thanks for taking the time to reply.

Take care all.

Rog Lee

Can I suggest the SGPRO? Everything you need in one kit(Adapter,flip module,follow focus,rails,etc,etc) for £1200UK. Here's some footage I took usinf Canon EF lenses - Canon 70-200 f2.8/SGPRO/Canon XHA1 on Vimeo

And here's their website - Welcome to shoot35!

Great vids Phil, I've been really digging that SGPRO for a while now. It's got a different look altogether than the Letus and Redrock. It's more natural film DOF if you know what I mean. I've found the Letus extreme to be kinda, dreamy with it's DOF and blur, it looks more like Lord of the Rings in my opinion. Don't know how to explain it but that's what I see. The new Letus Ultimate changes that some but have you seen the price tag on that thing!!!

Will be purchasing soon, would love the SGPRO feedback if you have any.
Thanks,

Hi Scott. I tested the Letus Extreme,Brevis,Redrock and SGPRO and the SGPRO won by a long shot. The spinning glass disc gives a much nicer look than the vibrating types and is closest to the look of film. The SGPRO/XHA1 combo seems to be a very popular pairing(search vimeo and youtube). People who have no idea about film/video look at the footage and say "WOW!!". My friend,who never really comments on my films beyond "That's nice...." saw my latest short (Canon 70-200 f2.8/SGPRO/Canon XHA1 on Vimeo) and said "That looks unbelievable! Stunning!.....have you been buying expensive equipment?"

Picture quality aside,which I doubt anyone is going to dispute,there is the build quality. I wasn't expecting such fantastic quality for the price to be honest,it really is excellent. I paid £1200 for the whole 'flip bundle' , the same kit from Redrock or Letus would have cost me double. The only disappointment was the battery pack - it's crap,however I think they might be working on something new? 2 AA batteries last me a days shooting,however it is best to keep them fresh as because as they wear down the spinning glass slows down and starts to show.

I use the 17-40 f4L and the 70-200 f2.8L lenses but I am considering fast prime lenses instead(24,28,35,50 and 105) for that extra 'bite' and sharpness(not that the zooms aren't sharp!)
I've seen videos of people setting up adapters and heard all sorts of comments about it taking hours,I can honestly say it took me less than 45 minutes.

I haven't once had the 'did I make the right choice' thoughts either!

I don't work for Shoot35 so please don't anyone flame me! These are just my personal opinions and everyone will have differing needs/tastes (Canon/Nikon, BMW/Mercedes, blond/brunette,etc,etc,etc....)

Anyway Scott, I hope this helps....



.

Thanks all.

Good stuff.

Thanks again.

Rog Lee

I'm just wondering how much it would end up costing having an sgpro shipped over into the states or Canada, in my case.

Trish

Thanks Phil, your comments totally helped. Now time to start saving up that money!

Not sure? The exchange rate would put it at $CAN2400 + shipping(I'd say about $50?) but I'm not sure how your import tax works? You could get someone to send it as 'a gift' or get someone to bring it to Canada(this is what my friend in Owen Sound does,but I bring him tea bags and HP sauce....)

yeesh - that's about twice the price of the brevis and letus - i have heard it is a great adaptor though

duty would probably be at least 15% on top of that

trish

yea - that one comes up regularly and I'm sure it ticks more than a few people off. The guys that have been here a while (and I count myself as a newbie) have seen and answered all of these questions.

I made the same mistake when I first joined -
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/taking-ca...t-problem.html

here was I thinking I was unique, but it was just another "what camera do I buy" post.

so I started searching and reading and searching etc etc. To search properly you need to set aside some time (a couple of hours at least) and focus on one topic - that might not give you an answer but it will help focus the questions for your next search.

I now have the Canon XH-A1, Letus Extreme, Canon FD lenses, Indifocus rails & followfocus, cavision handgrips & shoulder mount & Libec LS-38.

in my humble opinion they are the best from a price/ performance angle - but you must remember I'm not a professional.

It's your money - take the time and make it your decision, not someone elses.

search the forums (this is by far the best)
take the opinions with a grain of salt (I'm a cynical old bugger)
watch the footage (what looks good to you, not someone else)

there is rarely a clear winner in any of these races (apart from RED) it's got to be the right decision for you - that means you have to do the work.

First off, it's been a good learning experience for me, reading these posts.

It appears that the Letus is still the winner. From what I can glean from the posts I read, the Letus, rails and the extras are going to run in that $2,000 U.S. range.

Paul, good points regarding research and repeat posts.

It's interesting to me that each of the camera/video forums that I frequent have their own 'personalities' if you will.

Some of the forums that I read/participate in encourage mulitiple semi-repeat threads with members sharing and exchanging info...and that seems to work well for those forums.

This forum seems to encourage more 'on your own' research and that seems to work here.

Nice to read your inputs all.

Take care.

Rog Lee

Roger, as a long time Letus user (FE, XL, Extreme, Ultimate) I will tell you that I have had little or no issues with quality build and usability.

Now that that's out of the way, let me address a few more issues:

1. Focus is a challenge. Once you are dealing with shallow depth of field, you have to pay particular attention to focus. I would recommend an external monitor for critical shoots but for regular shooting, make sure you check each shot using the focus assist before you commit anything to tape. Focus and an understanding of depth of field will enable you to get the best shots possible for what is called for. Having said that, however, you are simply not going to have the same kind of forgiveness as the huge depth of field of the native video lens.

2. I suppose this should have been number one but you have to treat a camera/adapter combo in a whole different way to what you have been used to using the camera solo. You have to make many more decisions when taking a shot. For instance, you will really get to know what a 50mm field of view is going to look like versus a 35mm because you are going to be changing lenses quite a bit if you are shooting mainly with primes. It's going to take time but if you are willing to do the work, then you will get great results. One of the mistakes I see time and time again is that people are too obsessed with gear and they think that once they have a cool new gadget, the shots they get are going to look spectacular. I have news for you...if you don't spend time learning all the nuances of shooting with an adapter, your footage is going to look way worse than the worst stuff you shot with the native lens.

3. You must use a rails/rods system. To do otherwise is to risk damaging the front of your camera. Relatively speaking, these are pretty cheap compared to replacing your whole camera. They also act as added protection should you drop or bump your camera.

4. I have not used this combo on a steadicam system but you will not be able to use a Merlin, for instance because the combined weight of the camera, adapter and lens will exceed the maximum capacity so keep that in mind when buying a stabilizing unit. People have used the system quite successfully...it's just a matter of getting the appropriate unit.

5. There is an added cost in lenses but you can get a great picture using regular Nikon or Canon still lenses and they are relatively going for a song on eBay and similar used equipment outlets. We are talking hundreds of dollars for a nice prime set as opposed to thousands if you were buying movie lenses or additional video lenses for an interchangeable camera.

6. So long as your tripod meets the payload of the whole camera/adapter/lens/rails rig, you will have no problem. I did not have to update my tripod to accomodate the extra weight and it works just fine. Obviously make sure you have a decent quality tripod...not something you get at Radio Shack (joking, of course, don't take offense).

Adapters are like everything else. Make sure you do a lot of research before you part with your cash. Shelling out a couple of thousand dollars is a big deal so you should feel like you are getting your money's worth. Also make sure it's something you are going to use. If it's more of a novelty, you will be easily distracted and it will probably end up with all of the other toys found in a typical basement.

Personally, I have worked hard to get the best picture possible from this combo and I can tell you I would not turn back. I leave my adapter permanently affixed to my camera and I'm glad I put some sweat into understanding it to the point where it's second nature to me now and the picture produced still thrills me.

I hope this helps you in your decision.

The pictures you produce thrill most of us and are, as always absolutely inspiring

Steven,

Thank you for your insight and responding to this thread. I have been following this thread because I too am considering purchasing a 35mm adapter. I have done a lot of research and I do beleive that the Letus Extreme would be the best choice.

I just want to add, when I first signed on here and saw one of your videos, that was the deciding factor in getting my A1. Recently I joined the Canon XH A1 group on Vimeo and discovered you are a member as well. I watched all your videos and I must say you are truly a master of your craft.

You do for the Canon XH A1 what Andrew Kramer does for After Effects. True inspiration.

Thank you for sharing your talent with us.

-John

Steven,

Excellent reply as are your videos.

It's great to have you here as a resource.

Thanks so much for taking your time.

Rog Lee