Jean-Philippe,
I kept getting an error message as well (unknown error # C00D11CD) and became very frustrated because of how interesting this is. Finally, I downloaded the clip to my harddrive (right click - save target as) and it worked perfectly. Hopefully that's what you're running into.

Agus,
Great job on the mini35 project. I can guarantee that I will be visiting your website. I'd like to suggest something too... maybe you could set up a donation link (through paypal?) so people, like myself, can send you a small "thank you for all your work" donation after using your free plans. You definately disserve full credit for this discovery and it would be nice to recieve something in return.

Donation for what ?... come on guys, i learned a lot in this forum, it is time to give something back, also if this forum wouldnt exist, i would never knew how to build it.

Hey peter... come on, dont be lazy, it is a very fun project to do, once you get the projection coming in the ground glass, you just need to put all together....

Wish me luck, today i will shoot a tv spot.. hope the adapter really works in the real world.

<<<-- Originally posted by Jean-Philippe Archibald :

P.S.: Which "film lens" are you using? -->>>

I am an Minolta 50mm 1:2 lens from a SLR minolta camera, but i saw some 35mm lens from nikkon, with zoom, and focus control in like aprox $450 (reason that i willl shoot the video today, perhaps i could buy it if they take the ad)

Agus, how did you figure out how far to place the 35mm lens from the CD and the CD from the lens of the DV camera?

paulb

I am horrible at building anything, couldn't even put together a dolly right, with help...

so the offer is out there... if anyone can build one of these please email me an offer, cause I am looking to buy such an adapter

Thanks

Peter

Peter, why dont you make me an offer, and let see what i can do.

hey i would love to see how this thing works in great detail.. like a 3d plan or at least a proper schematic.

I would then build a version which is more compact and using ground glass not a plastic cd.

Could you please send me full details of dimensions and alike, and exactly what is needed.

My email is zac@mindfreeproductions.com

If i get one built, there is no reason i couldn't get more built after.

I use a dvx-100e.

Zac

ps. when you video the picture on your camera, does it come out upside down, and you have to flip in post?

Yeah, exactly, you get the picture upside/down, which it is a bitch to shoot, but you can correct it in post, today we shoot a xmas ad for a tv network with the adaptor, it worked prefectly, i will post some material when i get it edited...

i can get used to after a while, but still it is a bitch.... hehehe now... if i could get a pentaprism from a SLR camera, i could correct the image from the adaptor. just like the SLR camera...

I will make all plans in 3dsmax, with complete animations to download and step by step explanations and tips... remember.. this is a homemade version, something that you can make it fast and works 100% perfectly, from there you can improve it and therefore get better video (better ground glass, selective speed, correct image orientation...

A fast solution with the upside/down video is using a LCD monitor fliped out in the tripod, or the stabilizer... i will make some tests with my monitor soon as well.

<<<-- Originally posted by Agus Casse : http://altoque.tv/35mmAdapter/spotAdapter35mm.wmv

Some sample... hey.. i was bored... :) -->>>

That looks GREAT! You are a hero!

just a question.

I have an old broken canon FD slr, if i removed the parts that run from the lens up to viewfinder, and blocked the light from other sections.....

well if i placed spinning ground glass at the end instead of the viewfinder ground glass... would that work... and then used say a diopater to magnify the image.... is that how the real mini-35 sort of works?

Zac

Yeah, give it a try... try first with a homemade ground glass... or the SLR camera ground glass... if it works, replace it with the spining one

awesome
 

footage looks great, can't wait to see more. really looking forward to your tutorial agus, great job.

I second to that.
 

I'm very much looking forward to your tutorial. I'll try to mount it to a XL1.

What modification would it require if it was to be mounted directly- that is without the
16x removable lense- to the cam?

Anybody been experimenting on this?
As for the XL1, it'd be much more practical, as the adapter could be made fit with the lense mounting mechanism!

I couldnt tell, i use a TRV18... but actually you should be able to mount it everywhere.

How did the ad shoot go Agus? Got any footage to share?

paulb

agus thank you for all your hard work. looking forward to the
chance to build this great device . your footage is great , and our tiny dv camcorders , now have a chance to make some great images

I have been trying to make this work with a 35mm lens and I can't seem for the life of me to get a good image that is not croped. I zoom but my camera (pd150) can't keep the focus

You'll likely need a close-focus diopter on the front of your lens.

man o man, I cant wait for this tutorial!

in the meantime what do you guys recommend for a Film Lens? 35mm ..50mm? Brand?

I will have the footage of the ad as soon as i finish it adding the 3d animation.

Thanks you all for the interest in this adapter, it is a great thing indeed... i have been working all this week, and the results have been superb so far. I want to make the better ground glass next week.


Peter Sciretta, i solve it using an magnifying glass from a wide conversion lens that i have, the first piece will manify the image without ruining it.

John Gaspain, my best advice would ask for photographer about it, but i found that 50mm lens doesnt actually make closer or farther the image, the 35mm will make it a little up wider, me for example i am using a 50mm minolta lens, but i want to try up 35mm... once you build the adaptor, try to find photographer that let you try some type of lens, then you choose which you preffer.

I reckon I can get one of these on to an XL1s..

Ages ago I got a cokin P-series adapter, which I've not used a great deal as I've since got some tiffen screw-in filters that meet most of my needs. Anyway, the cokin set came with a 72mm adapter designed so that you could slot the P series mount over the top. They do a whole range of them, which step up whatever screwthread you have to the P-mount slot size.

If you were to make a 72mm diameter hole in the cd-spindle then you could put the cokin adapter ring on the other side and then screw it into the camera, holding your adapter firmly in place. The only problem is that you need something larger in diameter than your average cd spindle in order to be able to have a motor spinning at the centre point... However, a cd should be just about the right size to project the image on to.. If you're using something other than an XL1s, this would probably be the best, cheapest way to secure the adapter to the camera, and you can get these rings from camera stores for about £5..

I'm going to have a go at making one when i get back home from Uni..

A couple of questions for you Agus, could you take a still of what the projected image looks like with no zoom on the camera? Also, have you tried mounting the lens at various distances from the "ground glass", how does that affect the quality of the projection? and last of all, did you get the motor out of a dreamcast vibration thing? it's just I'm sure I've got a N64 rumble pak lying around somewhere that would probably make a good motor...

Thanks,
Kieran

PS
A link to explain the cokin adapter thing (I'm suggesting that at stage one in the diagram you put Agus' wonderful device between the camera and the ring, and then secre it to the camera via the ring through the whole in the cd spindle):

http://www.cokin.com/ico1-p2.html

and a chart for getting adapter rings:

http://www.cokin.com/ico2-p3.html

The motor was actually from a cheap toy, i found it very useful cause i also remove the batery compartiment, and the on/off switch from it.

There are several ways to make the adapter, i think using a 25 spindle, will be the best one, cause the spindle have all the exact measures, and you only need to paint it so the light wont contaminate the image built in the ground glass. Also you only have to drill hole in the center, which almost all electric motors found in cheap china toys will center almos perfectly... that is why i choose it... also you have the choice to unmount the cap, in case you need to change the ground glass... it is very practical, easy to build, and useful..

I have been working on a Xmas ad, and i have to tell that for the first experience it was great, but i loose too many light steps and my cheap trv18, make a lot of video noise, i am workin now on remove it, but dont be scare, cause in daylight or in a very illuminated scene, with 4 steps down from the max exposure, you get perfectly video noise clean image... something really great.


Kieran, i would definitely, insist in building it with a 25 cds spindle.

definately looking forward to your footage from the ad you filmed....

Would also love to see a before and after color correction so that we know what comes out on the video without post production.

I have tried to much failure to duplicate your design, so when your design is in the more perfected stage I would like to make an offer to you to build me one...

I thank you for your work in this area...

Agus,

Wow. I am glad I made the post back on Nov 1st looking for the guys that had done this. That is what got you going on this and I'm sure glad it did. I knew that I was very interested in this and felt like you should be able to build something for much less than $8500! As we can now see many people are very interested, 86 posts between the 2 threads and over 3,200 veiws of these threads. Wow. You are doing great work. Keep it up.

BTW I have tried contacting the people I was looking for, to see if they had done any more work on it. I have not heard anything back from them. I think you are as far or further along than they were. Congratulations.

Paul

I am pretty sure that i will make a comercial version of the adapter, also i will post the plans to build a simpler version like this one, the another adapter will be really beatiful,i started planing it internal system, always with rotating ground glass.

Keeping in the real thing, i almost finish the ad, isnt my greatest job.. but a great experiment.

How would these plans adapt to larger lenses (on the DV Camera side). Like the 58mm on the Sony VX2000 or the 72mm on the Panasonic AG-DVX100?

Also, where did you put the fresnel/magnifying glass? Between the lens and ground glass or between the ground glass and the DV camera?

Sorry for all the question, I was able to make the ground glass with spinning mechanism and also able to mount the lens, but I don't know where to mount the fresnel/magnifying glass. Thanks for all your help!

between the ground glass and the DV camera,

Show some pictures of the adapter built !!!

i would love to see the second mini35 Homemade Adapter.

It's not finished yet, still testing focal lengths and what not. Unfortunately I don't have a fresnel lens that fits so I am going to hunt for it sometime this week. Here is what I have so far

Ghetto35 Digital Adapter on the VX2000 :)
http://infrastructuredv.com/g35d/

Thanks again for all your work, Agus!

Good work on the Ghetto35!

I can't wait to see what this thing can evolve into

The footage from both units so far look awesome...

Jun,

Did you just use what Agus has posted so far to come to this? Was it easy? I am waiting for Agus' plans and want to do this bad...maybe I'll start tomorrow...Thanks you guys! Awesome stuff...

WAY too cool !!!

i am going to be famous !!!! :)


hey dude... put some creditin the adapter... make it with a knife... hehehe j/k

I am sooo glad that it worked for you and those pictures looks really great... !!!!

No noise at all...


Cool man... really cool ...

i loved this part "This adapter is a modified version of the ORIGINAL made by Agus Casse."

HEHEHE ok dudes... i will post this tutorial next week with full plans !!!

BTW did you get too much noise from the motor, also, who is the vibration doing, i had to use some homemade pieces from the motor to the ground glass, but let me tell you this tip...

It is almost imposible to make it Zero vibration, try puting a tape in the center of the ground glass cd, and then put in the motor, this way, if the cd is kinda of loose, the self spining force will center it with no vibration and reduce increible the video noise.

I am really glad that you well able to made it, and it worked for you... now we are two owner of a Mini35 adapters for less than 10 bucks !!!!

ISNT that GREEEAAAT ??

Tomorow i will put my adapter to the task, i will shoot a Gokarts race. that will be exciting.

hhehe i noticed in one of the pictures that there are some cds behind that have no case !!! hehheee those cds are now homeless...

Hey Jun,

What was the thing mounted between the camera lens and the cd spindle?

My problem with making one of these for the XL1s will be having to create some distance between the lens and the spindle and then zooming (which may require the addition of some sort of magnifier to help focus). The (stock) canon lens has a diameter of around 8.5cm and the cd spindle is only 12cm in diameter.. However, most of the 8.5cm is just housing, the lens itself is only using a small amount of that diameter.. The problem is mounting the motor at the centre point, when the lens' housing overlaps that centre point.

I'll probably have a go at doing this in about half a month though, so there's still some time to see the next generations of the Agus-35 and see how they deal with it :-)

Kieran

mmm Seens like the mini35 real adapter have the same problems, if you see it, they use another lens to the XL1s, from the box to the camera... perhaps that's the relay lens...

Try to find a really old canon lens from a SLR camera, you should be able to fit it in the XL1s, and then get the image from the ground glass.

J. Clayton, Yeah all I was going on was what Agus had posted about this. Definately try it out if you have the parts handy. Once I get a better fresnel I'll try to make a more permanent and durable version.

Agus, There was some vibration at first, but what I did was lay the cd on a flat surface and filled the center with hot glue and found the exact center (or close), poked a hole, pushed the motor in and hot glued in place... But yeah, it's tough to get little to zero vibration.

Kieran, between the 35mm lens and the spindle? What I used to mount the lenses was the lens cap for the opposite end of the lens that i just cut the top out of, that way I could just screw in Canon EF lenses. On the DV camera side it was a standard UV filter and a macro lens (cause I didn't have the right fresnel) stacked.

This is history in the making, once these get perfected, P+S technik has some serious competition that will surely drive their prices down. Thanks again Agus! (I'm going to say it until I sound like an infomercial! haha)

amazing!
 

I'm one of the Canon XL1 users who are waiting with bated breath to see if one of you can come up with a solution for our beloved camera. I have money in hand for the first one of y'all who comes up with a commercial, professionally useable solution, as I'm way too busy and clumsy to build one for myself.

Rock on!

Not to put a damper on the whole commercialism of this awesome idea, but I would imagine that P+S has some sort of protection (patent or otherwise) on the ideas that are being used here, seeing as how Agus said he read the Mini35 manual and just replicated that using common household items (how mad scientist-sounding).

While I agree this could easily drive their prices down (that is... if the footage is good enough and the information is spread wide enough, of course. If no one knows, P+S won't care), I don't think the "homemade" version could be sold commercially.

That said, I've been trying to get my roommate to lend me his 80mm-200mm lens so I can try some of this stuff out. <g> Keep up the good work.

I just shoot a Go karts racing event, the footage is really awesome, i will make a video, showing a demo footage.

about the comercial stuff, well, actually, i dont really think that P+S have invented something new... the tech is the same from SLR cameras, they only make the ground glass to spin, which is not a big discovering. WHat i have to admit is that their product is top noch, it is really pro, you can adapt all kind of lens, they have adjustable GG (ground glass) speed, and you can use the camera batery power to operate it.

They will never loose their clients because of this homemade device, i think it is all the way around... this device will show everybody why they should use it !!! because it is a homemade version, you will never the the perfect picture as the mini35, but you will get the same DOF.

As for a comercial Adapter, yes, i am currently working on building one, what i am pretending to sell, but keep in mind, that this is for poor people, (like me, who make it from the first thing i saw), and it will never be as good as the P+S mini35... i really doubt it... still... For all we indie filmaker, that we only own a miniDV camera, now we can have awesome shoots, for really no money, and in a way train ourself to handle profesional DOF, so if the oportunity comes, we will be able to handle a 35mm camera with no trouble.

Have fun, and the plans will be ready for next week, until then... i will be editing this footage and upload it as soon as i get it.


Thanks everybody for their support, also i want to thank to all the ones that were before me, explaining the theory of the adapter. and how it should be built.

I joined just to reply to this
 

Hello Agus,

I'm blown away by what you've done. Kudos and bravo to you! I'm really looking forward to seeing the tutorial you post online, so I can replicate one of these things for myself!

I'm still stuck on the "lowly" Sony Vx1000. I've been dying to get shallow depth of field, without breaking an arm to get it. It looks like youv'e done it.

Thank you, and good luck!!!

Regards,

Dillon Thomas

re: commercialization of this product

I don't think this product will cannibalize sales of the real mini35. For those production companies and filmmakers that can afford it, they will get the real mini35 setup because it is better. Just like cheaper prosumer stabilizers, cranes and steadicams do not cannibalize sales of their professional counterparts.

The difference is, there has never been a prosumer alternative to mini35... until now?? (please Agus, make this so!)

I'm hoping this becomes a real product that I can purchase and use on my XL1 for music videos, short films, documentaries and wedding videography (yes, imagine a prosumer mini35 setup used in a wedding!).

I will pay good money for this product, because I simply cannot even fathom spending $8k on a real mini35 setup. There needs to be a prosumer alternative to the mini35.