As I'm nearing development completion, I wanted to gather some links to make it less likely that they'd get lost in the random noise of other disparate discussion threads.

The footage here involves the Pro version of what will be my commercial adapter and should cost in the neighborhood of $550-600. All footage is from a Canon GL1 unless otherwise noted, no CC, straight from NTSC DV .avi to QT7 2000kbps h.264.

The newest bit of business, random shots using a macro extension set (http://go-35.com/vids/macroplay-h264-2pass.mov).

Other recently shot clips can be seen here:

Outside Clip 1 (http://go-35.com/vids/outside1-h264-2pass.mov), Outside Clip 2 (http://go-35.com/vids/outside2-h264-2pass.mov), and Outside Clip 3 (http://go-35.com/vids/outside3-h264-2pass.mov).

There is also a bit of interior business in QT6 (http://go-35.com/vids/handsworking.mov) as well.

My apologoies for the somewhat sloppy nature of some of these shots -- working hard to get the adapter out the door leaves for little time to actually do some quality shooting... otherwise, some have pointed out some dust seen in shots and I'm almost embaraased to say that much of what's there is actually inside the lens of my cam :(

Within the coming weeks I'll have more footage to show, from different cams and under different shooting conditions. Please, stay tuned -- and thanks for all the input and hard work shared with this community over the years I endeavored this project.

- jim

DVX test yesterday was rushed, so it will be some time before a proper shoot can be set up -- a week or so should have some footage with that cam.

Meanwhile, here's a still (http://go-35.com/Images/go35.jpg) -- it was just two guys and a cam at a cafe table for about 20 minutes...

Jim.


Very nice. Made me feel like falling off the wagon the image is that fresh.

I tried hotspraying orchard wax (canauba - not micro) = didn't work but may have potential if it could be gradually built up in a hot mist coat. The orchard wax is an emulsion,also red brown coloured as it builds up but wipes clean with a slight opaque patina where it has separated out of the emulsion and stuck to the disk.

Great looking footage. Are you still producing the adapter for the $209 you stated in another post? What is the main difference with the pro and $209?

Yes, I'm still producing the $209 Go35SD. I'll explain their differences in depth in the upcoming FAQ, which I thought would've been done by now but I've been weathering some personal things and so haven't had the time to get it posted.

Since the logo contest is closed as of tomorrow, the weekend will be the perfect time to put the FAQ up with the new logo and some new footage :)

Thanks for your interested and patience...

- jim

Indeed the footage looks great. Very sharp and crisp. A nice job overall.

Is the logo on your website now?

The logo's now on the footage.

Check these out -- did a test with the DVX yesterday, mixed 50mm and 80-200mm zoom lenses:

http://go-35.com/Images/go35pro-80-200zoom.jpg

http://go-35.com/Images/go35pro-80-200zoom2.jpg

http://go-35.com/Images/go35pro-50.jpg

Here I've got a series of clips, from the GL1 with the Nikon 50mm stopped down to a range of between f/5.6 and f/11. I did this because I know adapters generally work best stopped down a little to get some DOF back, but this also highlights the grain and proves problematic for a non-moving adapter. I find the grain in these images to be acceptable, and it only gets better on the DVX:

http://go-35.com/vids/gypsy.mov

http://go-35.com/vids/dogs.mov

http://go-35.com/vids/cowbell.mov

http://go-35.com/vids/bongoband_nosound.mov

I will have footage from yesterday's DVX shoot up later today...

- jim

This is footage from the DVX with the 80-200mm zoom attached (http://go-35.com/vids/go35pro-dvxtest-setup.mov). It's simple playin' around, but you get a chance to see how good the detail retention and how little grain there is with this adapter.

There is minor vignetting and chromatic aberration due to, I would guess, the cheap macro I'm currently using. Next up is having a custom achromat machined for the adapter.

If anyone is interested in getting in on the ground floor with this adapter, I'm going to do a limited quantity of beta units that will be manufactured and sent in the next two weeks while I wait for the achromats to come in. Beta testers will get a significant discount on the unit ($430), and I'm offering a free upgrade to the final production unit from there.

Email me if interested -- info at go-35 dot com.

Wow, this looks quite impressive for a static adapter! Could you post some full ress grabs? Something with lenses stopped really down so we could see the amount of the grain. Im starting to get interested!

Oh, and the big question allways asked: what about light loss?

Hi Mikko,

Well, you can't really see the grain unless you underexpose a shot. I generally don't underexpose, so I don't have much if any footage where the grain is evident. The footage above is mixed f/2.8, f/5.6 and I think f/11 iris on the SLR lens, with the DVX's exposure increased or decreased to compensate and expose properly. We even shot some stuff at f/16 and the grain doesn't increase.

If you'd like me to provide some full res stills from the DVX, I'll be happy to, but please allow some time. I've been rendering two pass h.264 from the DVX shoot -- started it at about 11am this morning and at 6:52pm here, it's only 64% done! :O

I do have some full res stills up from the GL1 shoot -- they are here (http://go-35.com/Images/pro_stopped_down.zip). All these shots were gotten again at a range of f/5.6 - f/11 on the SLR lens. The GL1 was set to 1/60th shutter at f/2.0.

edit: Oh, and light loss? I haven't really tested it but I would suspect it's in the neighborhood of 1 stop.

Thanks for your kind words!

- jim

New clip. This is with the DVX, Nikon 50mm at mixed exposures from f/2.8 to f/11. Even at around 60mb, it's worth the wait (http://go-35.com/vids/go35pro-dvxtest-cat.mov).

Wow. That's really sharp. At least, in the middle...

I don't want to sound harsh and bump into the discussion, but I hope you get your anchromats soon!

I really hope you can pull it off!

It's not a matter of hope -- just time and money.

Jim, are you the one in black shirt?

Nice footage. Hope the achromat will sort your sort edge issue and seperation.

Jim, am I right in saying you are the guy with the beard, and the guy with the black shirt and glasses is Timur?

Jim, am I right in saying you are the guy with the beard, and the guy with the black shirt and glasses is Timur?

Yes, that's correct.

Man, tough crowd.

edit: I just figured out how to resolve the edge distortion issue on the DVX today. I have some parts coming middle of the week, but I have a working mockup here already and will likely have results to show in the next couple of days. With this resolved, I'll be opening pre-orders next week, April 30th, for the Pro series.

I have the final optical elements in place and will be ordering a mass produced shipment of them shortly. This gives you a full frame image with no chromatic aberration or color separation from edge to edge.

Here is a short clip playing around in Union Square, then a cab ride up to "The Video Geek's Crack Den," aka B&H (http://go-35.com/vids/go35pro-dvxtest-bh.mov). It weighs in at about 65mb.

For the DVX users out there, the focus/zoom settings on the lens were about z80 and manual focus at f31. The lens was a stock Nikon F 50mm 1:1.4 at f/2.8. No color correction done -- just straight cuts, out to uncompressed AVI, then to QT7 h.264.

Great work Jim. In your last thread you mentioned the possibility of selling the GG separately. Is it still a possibility? I understand you might not have all things sorted out, but I was wondering if you decided not to sell, in which case I'll be buying a beattie for my static adapter.

Best of luck to you,

Dmitriy Uchakin
Kilo35 (http://redmushroom.blogspot.com/)

Yes, selling is not a problem. $120 with a week to meet the order and ship.

I'm thinking once the site goes live, there will be a "DIY Corner" and I will help people like you looking to build a DIY adapter around my glass.

That Kilo35 looks great!

And thanks for your luck, btw...

- jim

Thank you for the prompt response. Are you going have a site on which we can order the GG or do I contact you directly for an order? Do you think your ground glass is "perfected" or do you plan to make improvements on its design? Also, what is the diameter of the GG?
If you are interested in making a site for your adapter and don’t have the means, I am a web developed based out of Dallas and will be glad to help. Maybe we can work out a deal or something. (pm me if you are interested)
Sorry for the bombardment of questions. I am just really looking forward to get rid of my ground glass and get new one.

Dmitriy Uchakin
Kilo35 (http://redmushroom.blogspot.com/)

Just saw your homepage. You are web designer yourself. Looks like you dont need my help. ;)

I appreciate the offer, nonetheless. Honestly I find myself wanting to do less and less web design, and the irony of course being that literally the moment I decided that for myself, three new clients fell into my lap. I do have someone doing all the work for the final go-35.com site, since I'm completely out of my element where database work is concerned.

If you want to oder the GG, it is right now 50mm diameter, and ready to ship as of mid next week. Just email me at: info at go-35.com

I'm going to keep quietly experimenting over the coming months to see if it can be improved upon, but this is a very low priority as I'd rather be out shooting with what I've got now -- I love the way it works and looks, and want to begin learning how to make films with it.

Great. I look forward to be one of your customers.

Go35Pro is officially out of beta stage. The final adapter measures just under 4" long and is 52mm in diameter. It is a very simple assembly -- just a small tube, the mount, and whatever step rings needed to fit your cam. Setup time should be under 2 minutes :) Price and order info soon.

I took what is now the first official release grade model and my poor dusty GL1 outside yesterday and did some shooting at f/4.0. Here are two short clips in full res, to give you exactly an idea of what the footage looks like (nothing done to these clips but the flip):

Please right-click and save

Human (http://ideaspora.net/go35/human.avi) (267mb)

Objects-bokeh (http://ideaspora.net/go35/objects-bokeh.avi) (311mb)

Get 'em now -- I'll be taking them down shortly.

- jim

Objects-bokeh (http://ideaspora.net/go35/objects-bokeh.avi) (311mb)
This has got to be the most promising bokeh I've ever seen with an affordable (?) 35mm adapter. I think it's the first time I've actually been able to count the iris blades (sun reflections off cars in the shot of the water bottle... and the greenery in the background of the shot of the glass bottle).

1. I'd be interested in seeing this adapter on an HD camera.

2. Could you do some medium shots with rack focusing? Damn near every time a rack focus example is shot, it's of close up objects... or it's too compressed to be of any use.

3. Will the Go35Pro come with a mount for support rods?

Thanks for your kind words.

As for your questions:

1) Yes, I would too. But I think it would need to move to a larger projection area. I honestly think I'm at the practical limit for res and lack of grain in a static adapter using 35mm SLR projected image dimensions. I could see using the same projection surface but the image would have to be larger -- perhaps something with a PCX lens between the SLR lens and the diffuser could be done to increase the image area, though you'd then have to contend with a shift in focal length... it does get the wheels turning though.

2) I have a short clip (150mb) uploading right now that doesn't quite fit your criteria but may be of some help... once my beta testers get their footage rolling in you'll see more stuff like this.

3) Right now I'm just selling the adapter. I'm not yet to the place where I can machine out things like support rods. I generally push people in the direction of Dennis Wood or Cavision for stuff like this. Rods and an external 7" LCD are a must -- you simply cannot get good focus just by looking at the flip out LCD. You will see this in the clips -- from the LCD, I thought I had my girlfriend's face in focus, only to find when reviewing the footage later, that her hair was in focus, or vice versa.

I have found EVF detail function found in DVX100, DVC30 and HVX200 to be my best friend with these adapters. I use it with my Go35 beta all the time. I have been able to pull very precise focus with it and it also highlights static grain and dust so it's easier to combat them. Very very great feature, I couldn't live without it.

You people and your post-1999 era video cameras... with all their features... :D

Thanks for your kind words.
3) Right now I'm just selling the adapter. I'm not yet to the place where I can machine out things like support rods. I generally push people in the direction of Dennis Wood or Cavision for stuff like this. Rods and an external 7" LCD are a must -- you simply cannot get good focus just by looking at the flip out LCD. You will see this in the clips -- from the LCD, I thought I had my girlfriend's face in focus, only to find when reviewing the footage later, that her hair was in focus, or vice versa.

Actually, I wasn't meaning the rods themselves... but a way to mount the Go35Pro to a rod system.

I think I'm not understanding you. The Go35 is fitted with step rings to your camera's lens. Provided you've got a camera with a metal housing and lens chamber, run'n'gun shooting with just the adapter and a short FL lens handheld is OK. For larger, bulky lenses and accessories, attaching a rod system is simply a matter of (as far as I know) mounting the rod system to your cam's underside and raising the support to the underside of the adapter. With Cavision's DV rods ($160), the support doesn't quite reach the underside of the adapter, so I would think it would be fine to simply wedge some stiff material between the support and the underside of the adapter.

Here is that new footage: Reflections and Rack Focus (http://ideaspora.net/go35/reflections-rackfocus.avi) (150mb)

Again, nothing done to the footage but the flip and on some clips, minor cropping. It seems the GL1's LCD does not show the full image area being recorded and consequently the zoom was off a little bit with rounded corners showing. I cropped that out. All shots with the SLR lens at f/4.0 again.

Hi,

Can the size of videos being posted here be a little bit smaller, say in 20mb range. Unfortunately some of us still living in the ice age and its daunting to think we would have to sit in front of the computer for hours downloading. Sorry, just my thought.

Can the size of videos being posted here be a little bit smaller,
Then rather both sizes... not only small.

But I think it would need to move to a larger projection area.
What size You have right now?

(Then rather both sizes... not only small.)

Good call, didn't think of that. Ya, both sizes for choice. Thanks.

I think the large sizes are full res..that way no one can complain about too small of the resolution and bitch about how if you had a bigger size they could "really see" what the adapter is capable of.

What size You have right now?

Just about 36x24mm, or ~43mm round.

As for recompressing the files, I might get to that at some point (Rich hit the nail on the head, incidentally). In the meantime, might I suggest a download application like FlashGet or Download Accelerator that allows file resume? This way you will never need to babysit the d/l, and can let it run overnight. I'll make sure the files stay up until Friday.

oh, thats nice. So, Your adapter won't eat lenes original FOV. 24x36 is framesize of 35mm photolens. If You going to use bigger target area for HD version, it'll be designed for what type of lens?

I'll let Jim correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you get the full 36mmx24mm field of view. Generally this is caused by zooming in on the GG or other medium. Your thoughts Jim?

You still can zoom on 24x36. If Your GG allows it. If You have round shaped GG it makes 45mm(in case You use 3:4). Anyway, Jims mentioned 43mm is very close to that.

I may very well be wrong. I just thought it would be best to get clarification from Jim.

I'm just guessing too, so Jim it's Your turn now.

but,
I've actually been able to count the iris blades
I'm not sure theres anything to do with adapters hidden quality issues. If lens draw thus then must be very bad adapter which will hide them. Because if there is anything which will spoil it - it must be too strong hotspot or wrong backflange. But if there is anything like that then rather overall image looks very bad. So i think it's about lens. Jim, what lens You have there?

I'm just guessing too, so Jim it's Your turn now.

but,

I'm not sure theres anything to do with adapters hidden quality issues. If lens draw thus then must be very bad adapter which will hide them. Because if there is anything which will spoil it - it must be too strong hotspot or wrong backflange. But if there is anything like that then rather overall image looks very bad. So i think it's about lens. Jim, what lens You have there?

I think we're getting mixed signals. "Counting the iris blades" seems to me intended as a complement. Maybe I'm wrong.

As for the diameter needed for a full 36x24mm image, it's 43.26mm. All the original footage that's up for the Go35Pro was, believe it or not, from a unit with only a 37mm round imaging area. The imaging area of the beta units that a few people have their hands on are 40mm round. The final release will be just over 43mm, or something like 99.6% a full 36x24mm frame.

From here the only way to create a successful HD version of the adapter would be to move to medium format lenses, or else attempt some sort of optical trickery by magnifying the projected image onto the diffuser without changing the FL of the manual lens. I don't really think it's possible, but it's an idea someone like Bill Maxwell could fully grasp and layout in short notice.

- jim

My comment was a compliment. ;)

1. How big of an image area on the GG would be necessary for a "successful HD" image?

2. Do the current higher end adapters on the market (Movietube, Mini35) have a larger imaging area or is there something else they do that make them better for HD (assuming they would be considered "successful")?

From here the only way to create a successful HD version of the adapter would be to move to medium format lenses, or else attempt some sort of optical trickery by magnifying the projected image onto the diffuser without changing the FL of the manual lens. I don't really think it's possible, but it's an idea someone like Bill Maxwell could fully grasp and layout in short notice.

Changing FL shouldn't drive to success. You can try it with extender unit. Result is like lens with longer FL but with extender eats even more light.
Enlarging target area? It means usually change backflalge distance as well.
It may work even very well. But it'll be optically difficult to build and even bigger problem is that 35mm lens give enough brightness only to 24x36. If You'll distribute that constant amount of light to larger area You'll get darker image overall. And i'm sure You'll experience very serious vignetting problems as well.

Sam.

I've rambled on about resolution previously but comments might be buried a bit deep by now.

Off an AO5 moving groundglass 16:9 image area of about 28mm width, in good lighting, a test chart aquired through a good Nikon 85mm f1.8 prime lens, relayed through two prisms and a Century Optics +7 acromatic dioptre into a Sony FX1/Z1P will just come up to but not exceed 850 TV lines of horizontal resolution.

This was testing with a home made optical glass disk groundglass. Wax can yield a sharper result. With a larger wax based groundglass image area as Jim suggests, my imagining is that for the same prime lens and relay path of equal performance, the resolution of HD should be achievable.

The biggest difficulty would be with the fixed grain structure of the wax becoming visible during pans, tilts, etc. and larger plain featured objects travelling across the frame.

One method of dealing with this coincides with one method of getting better resolution, using a larger groundglass image.

I understand the P+S Technik products to use a 21mm diameter image area off the groundglass and that the Redrock also may be using an area not much larger and by finer groundglass textures, achieving the resolution required.

Don't take too much notice of my comments however, as I am neither industry professional nor optical engineer and know only enough to be a danger unto myself.

New footage from Daniel Wee (http://blog.tsebi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=9). He writes:

I've finished shooting a project using the GO-35Pro. Note that this is my first real project using any 35mm adapter so it may be a bit on the rough side. It was also shot in about 3-days. I'd say about 60-70% of the shots were made using the adapter and it should be pretty obvious which are the ones.

You need to click on the "play" button to get it started after you see the download bar move a bit.

Daniel Wee

My fav shots by far are the image of the man kneeling over the water with the stick (7:33), and shortly after that (8:06), the melting ice -- mmm, bokeh :)

Incidentally, I just had an order spot open up for a discounted adapter shipping on the 6th. Cost is $585 + shipping/handling fee of $30.00 for domestic orders. International rates determined per order.

The adapter is already completed and assembled, just waiting to go out with the rest of them on the 6th.

Email me if you're interested: info@go-35.com

It's really hard to tell with the flash compression - do you have some still of the image for the Go35?

Not from this footage, unfortunately. I have posted full res stuff in the past:

http://www.go-35.com/vids/go35pro-dvxtest-cat.mov
http://www.go-35.com/vids/go35pro-dvxtest-setup.mov
http://www.go-35.com/vids/go35pro-dvxtest-bh.mov

Most recently I shot a test to see what sort of minimum illumination is needed for interiors -- I shot this with a combined 175W of light (http://go-35.com/vids/go35pro_exposure_test.mov), spread out from three domestic bulbs (a desk lamp with a shade, a ceiling fan, and a c-clamp styled work light). It's a 50mm Nikkor at f/2.0 on a GL1 at 1/60th.

Though I'm pleased with that, I can't wait to do a similar test with a better camera, something that has better res and is capable of a slower shutter, like 1/30th.