Brevis or M2: I can't decide on what 35mm adapter to get for my HVX200E at DVinfo.net

Eva Drangsholt · September 26th, 2006, 12:20 PM

I'm just going to get a 35mm adapter for my HVX200E.

I have now narrowed down the list of units to choose among to the Brevis and the M2, but now I just can't decide which of the two to get.

The M2 seems to have a more substantial track record, while the Brevis seems sleeker and more up to date.

Any thoughts from owners of the 35mm adapters in question?

Jason Burkhimer · September 26th, 2006, 12:40 PM

Im in the same boat my man!

Gene Crucean · September 26th, 2006, 12:45 PM

For what it's worth. I just ordered a Brevis (haven't recieved it yet though) and here are a couple of the main reasons why I chose it over the M2.

- Battery life is 20 hours on a 1.5hr charge.
- It screws onto the front of the camera which has multiple benefits.
- Less light loss than the M2.

I'll let you know how she handles once I recieve it.

Eva Drangsholt · September 26th, 2006, 04:10 PM

I've heard that the Brevis vibrates quite a lot. Is this more so than with the M2, and is it a problem?

Christian Schmitt · September 27th, 2006, 04:17 AM

Over on dvxuser they wanted to make an adapter shootout for better comparison, but I don´t know if they have already done it...
The M2s advantage for my is the complete unit with FF and rods, even if it is possible, I don´t want to mount an adapter and a lens on front of my HVX without any support.
And pulling focus without a FF is to unreliable for my needs.
But the Brevis has put out some great images lately and I think its look is more to my taste...

Gene Crucean · September 27th, 2006, 06:09 AM

The brevis can be a complete package with rods and support ordered straight off the cinvate site.

I customized my package with the brevis and lens support but the RR rods. It ended up costing a little more than the M2 though which was one minor downside. Not too much though.

Leonard Levy · September 28th, 2006, 12:55 AM

What makes you so sure the Brevis loses less light.
The quoted lightloss figures from both adapters seem very hard to apply to the real world to me.
Until someone here posts a direct comparison I wouldn't be sure about anything.

Greg Bates · September 30th, 2006, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonard Levy

What makes you so sure the Brevis loses less light.
The quoted lightloss figures from both adapters seem very hard to apply to the real world to me.
Until someone here posts a direct comparison I wouldn't be sure about anything.

I can tell you this as a Brevis owner...you lose no light.

Amos Kim · October 1st, 2006, 01:01 AM

Dennis says there's a .5 stop light gain!! And I hear that brevis is a lot less complicated to calibrate and setup.

Leonard Levy · October 1st, 2006, 01:24 AM

Greg ,
Have you compared it to the redrock for sharpness and eveness across the field?
Really no light loss!!!!
How does it do that?

Greg Bates · October 2nd, 2006, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonard Levy

Greg ,
Have you compared it to the redrock for sharpness and eveness across the field?
Really no light loss!!!!
How does it do that?

Its a trade off Leonard as the diffusion is character and bokeh is cleaner IMHO. Dennis has recently developed a swappalble system of diffusers allowing you to pick just how much diffusion you want to introduce to your picture. I have not compared it to the M2...I don't know anyone who owns an M2 near me so I can't say how they compare, and I can't judge from web footage, but I have always been a fan of the M2. I love my Brevis and the support Dennis provides and the picture is sharp and clean.

Leonard Levy · October 2nd, 2006, 11:52 PM

Greg,
I must admit you are tempting me. The web shots look great.

How sharp are the corners vs. the center?
What lenses are you using with it.

No light loss? How is that possible?
I wonder if it has something to do with the size of the image.

Out of curiosity what Zoom & focus #'s on the HVX do you end up working at?

Does this use a vibrating screen rather than a rotating one?
Any noise?

Ash Greyson · October 3rd, 2006, 12:06 AM

I have used them both... hard to go wrong with either but the M2 is harder to set up and calibrate but it is a more solid build. The Brevis is a nice unit but it absolutely loses light, there is some convoluted math floating around that says it gains light but that is just plain WRONG. The light loss is among the best of all the lower cost units though.

ash =o)

Dennis Wood · October 3rd, 2006, 09:16 AM

If you attach the Brevis to your camera, with the standard diffuser in place, you should be seeing .5 to .7 stops loss with a 50mm f1.4 lens attached. This is assuming the same framing/distance/lighting with and without the adapter. In other words, if your cam was at f2.0 without the adapter, it will be at f1.5 to f1.7 with the adapter and 50mm f1.4 lens attached. If you ignore the fact that the diffuser is a break in the convential optical physics chain, you would calculate that the diffuser itself gains .5 stops to make this possible.

This is contrary to logic in that the lens itself should be losing 1 full stop all by itself at f1.4 and a guaranteed invitation to controversy :-) However, the most relevant measure of light loss to shooters is, IMHO, how their camera's exposure will compensate for the adapter. Obviously if you are using an f2.8 28mm you will see a few more stops, because the 35 lens itself is losing 2.8 all by itself. I use the 50mm f1.4 as my standard as it is likely the most common lense being used by adapter users.

So Greg's comment is not atypical...I've had zero complaints regarding light loss with the adapter. With a fast lens, in decent conditions, it may "appear" that the adapter is losing very little/no light. In fact, with a rather lossy cam myself, minimal light loss was one of my primary consideration in building the adapter.

Leonard Levy · October 3rd, 2006, 06:10 PM

Dennis could you answer the other question re: #'s for Zoom and focus on an HVX?

September 26th, 2006, 12:20 PM	#1
Eva Drangsholt Tourist Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 3	Brevis or M2: I can't decide on what 35mm adapter to get for my HVX200E I'm just going to get a 35mm adapter for my HVX200E. I have now narrowed down the list of units to choose among to the Brevis and the M2, but now I just can't decide which of the two to get. The M2 seems to have a more substantial track record, while the Brevis seems sleeker and more up to date. Any thoughts from owners of the 35mm adapters in question?

September 26th, 2006, 04:10 PM	#4
Eva Drangsholt Tourist Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 3	Is vibration annoying with the Brevis? I've heard that the Brevis vibrates quite a lot. Is this more so than with the M2, and is it a problem?

September 26th, 2006, 12:40 PM	#2
Jason Burkhimer Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 220	Im in the same boat my man!

September 26th, 2006, 12:45 PM	#3
Gene Crucean Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 295	For what it's worth. I just ordered a Brevis (haven't recieved it yet though) and here are a couple of the main reasons why I chose it over the M2. - Battery life is 20 hours on a 1.5hr charge. - It screws onto the front of the camera which has multiple benefits. - Less light loss than the M2. I'll let you know how she handles once I recieve it.

September 27th, 2006, 04:17 AM	#5
Christian Schmitt Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Germany Posts: 59	Over on dvxuser they wanted to make an adapter shootout for better comparison, but I don´t know if they have already done it... The M2s advantage for my is the complete unit with FF and rods, even if it is possible, I don´t want to mount an adapter and a lens on front of my HVX without any support. And pulling focus without a FF is to unreliable for my needs. But the Brevis has put out some great images lately and I think its look is more to my taste...

September 27th, 2006, 06:09 AM	#6
Gene Crucean Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 295	The brevis can be a complete package with rods and support ordered straight off the cinvate site. I customized my package with the brevis and lens support but the RR rods. It ended up costing a little more than the M2 though which was one minor downside. Not too much though.

September 28th, 2006, 12:55 AM	#7
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	What makes you so sure the Brevis loses less light. The quoted lightloss figures from both adapters seem very hard to apply to the real world to me. Until someone here posts a direct comparison I wouldn't be sure about anything.

October 1st, 2006, 01:01 AM	#9
Amos Kim Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 335	Dennis says there's a .5 stop light gain!! And I hear that brevis is a lot less complicated to calibrate and setup.

October 1st, 2006, 01:24 AM	#10
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Greg , Have you compared it to the redrock for sharpness and eveness across the field? Really no light loss!!!! How does it do that?

October 2nd, 2006, 11:52 PM	#12
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Greg, I must admit you are tempting me. The web shots look great. How sharp are the corners vs. the center? What lenses are you using with it. No light loss? How is that possible? I wonder if it has something to do with the size of the image. Out of curiosity what Zoom & focus #'s on the HVX do you end up working at? Does this use a vibrating screen rather than a rotating one? Any noise?

October 3rd, 2006, 12:06 AM	#13
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	I have used them both... hard to go wrong with either but the M2 is harder to set up and calibrate but it is a more solid build. The Brevis is a nice unit but it absolutely loses light, there is some convoluted math floating around that says it gains light but that is just plain WRONG. The light loss is among the best of all the lower cost units though. ash =o)

October 3rd, 2006, 09:16 AM	#14
Dennis Wood Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 916	If you attach the Brevis to your camera, with the standard diffuser in place, you should be seeing .5 to .7 stops loss with a 50mm f1.4 lens attached. This is assuming the same framing/distance/lighting with and without the adapter. In other words, if your cam was at f2.0 without the adapter, it will be at f1.5 to f1.7 with the adapter and 50mm f1.4 lens attached. If you ignore the fact that the diffuser is a break in the convential optical physics chain, you would calculate that the diffuser itself gains .5 stops to make this possible. This is contrary to logic in that the lens itself should be losing 1 full stop all by itself at f1.4 and a guaranteed invitation to controversy :-) However, the most relevant measure of light loss to shooters is, IMHO, how their camera's exposure will compensate for the adapter. Obviously if you are using an f2.8 28mm you will see a few more stops, because the 35 lens itself is losing 2.8 all by itself. I use the 50mm f1.4 as my standard as it is likely the most common lense being used by adapter users. So Greg's comment is not atypical...I've had zero complaints regarding light loss with the adapter. With a fast lens, in decent conditions, it may "appear" that the adapter is losing very little/no light. In fact, with a rather lossy cam myself, minimal light loss was one of my primary consideration in building the adapter.

October 3rd, 2006, 06:10 PM	#15
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Dennis could you answer the other question re: #'s for Zoom and focus on an HVX?