MICRO 35's quality a myth or reality?

[freddie bonfanti]

hey all

 

im not far away from preproduction for my next project and still i have a huge dilemma which unfortunately i cant solve. this short film is supposed to look like a 1950 horror/kitchen sink flick and our budget is absolutely low, 7 grand. now, id love to try out this "so much renoun" micro 35 adapter on a Z1E, geared up with some nice nikon primes and telephotos, the only problem is that there is no rental house around bonnie scotland i can get it from and TEST IT, so im kinda stuck. yes i read the nice reviews here and there but im not convinced yet. has anyone tried it shooting in bw? should i go for it or id rather use 16 mil? if that adapter works it would save lots of money we would spend on film...

 

let me know

[Adam Frisch FSF]

Is it the Mini-35 adapter from P+S Technik you mean? I've used that couple of times and if you keep a close eye on it (lots of scope to mess up), it can turn out some nice images. It's not very well suited for production, though. Here are the main problems:

 

1. When using the Z1 you tend to pick up the whole rig by grabbing the cameras handle. This mess ups the very delicate spacing between the adapter and the lens. There is a handle on the actual rig that you should use, but it's much smaller and not as convenient to grab.

 

2. As stated above, the cameras lens is actually pointing into a diopter that's focusable and then relays the image of the ground glass. This means that any slight misalignment (like picking it up by the handle) will not only screw up the focus, but also the centerline. Results being that the image is out of focus AND starts to vignette in one corner (because it's not pointed straight down the center). You MUST check focus and alignment every time you'e about to turn over, which becomes tedious real fast.

 

3. If you're using the Z1's onboard monitor, it's IMPOSSIBLE to tell if the adapter is focused properly, so you do need a bigger monitor.

 

4. Very easy to forget to turn the vibrating groundglass on, which makes the image look like poop. And if it's a bright exterior, that LED lamp supposed to tell you it's running is impossible to see unless you black it out. This is where most mistakes happen, 'cause the sun reflections in the LED globe looks like it's lit up and on, when in fact it isn't.

 

5. Nightmare to handhold and not very user-friendly.

[freddie bonfanti]

thanks for the reply, adam

 

it would be the red micro 35. what do you reckon, is it worth saving a bit on film and being more careful and well prepared whilst shooting or would you rather shoot in 16 mill...once again its in bw so im sure the difference between video and film wont be as dramatic as if it was in color. i hate when i cant test things myself but i really dont know what else i can do.

 

cheers

[Michael Collier]

I would try it on a camera with a removable lens, if possible. like the canon. That would at least aleviate the vinetting, out of focus problem Adam spoke to. to solve the problem of the GG, you could get the adaptor that mounts a canon battery to run the gg, and (leaving the adaptor on at all times) split that out to an adaptor that runs your camera. I am unsure weather one battery would have enough amps to run both, but I doubt the adaptor has a high draw.

 

Dunno if you NEED to shoot with it, but I have always loved to use DOF, and personally I like the DOF 35 provides. If you use a lot of DOF work in your photography, it might add a nice touch to it, and if you like to use Deep Focus techniques more often, then I would skip the adaptor and just rent a high quality lens.