the JVC GYHD 111E + mini35

[Sere dave]

Hey,

 

I'm Dave Seré, a Belgium director and DOP who want's to buy a JVC GYHD111E.

 

Is there someone who has ever used the JVC HD111E in combination with the mini35 and ARRI prime lenses? I want to buy this equipment for shortfilms and docu's, but nobody in Belgium uses the JVC HD111E with the mini35.

 

 

greetz

 

 

Dave

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

I have used one with the HD-250, which is similar. A few pointers:

 

- Take great care that everything is properly set up. Back focus is extremely critical and should be checked regularly - certainly every setup, and with extra care after lens changes. If you can't get the blue focus assist highlighting to appear, something is wrong.

 

- Bear in mind the lowering of contrast. If you usually shoot with a very low contrast setting, as you might if you intend to later grade the image, consider reducing the effect. Results can look horribly sat-up (with a high black level) if you get things wrong.

 

- In addition to the low contrast issue, don't be afraid to use a healthy exposure. The mini35 doesn't really increase dynamic range, but it does make overexposed highlights look much less unpleasant than they usually would. Because of the tendency of the image to become a bit low-con and mushy, you can expose slightly more like you would for film for maximum apparent sharpness.

 

- It's heavy and oddly shaped. Ensure that you get all the right accessories to mount it satisfactorily to whatever grippage you're looking at using. It can be particularly painful handheld. The mount for the mini35 has two locations to bolt handgrips on, if you are shooting handheld - and you will want to have a handgrip on both of them at once. Holding it on only one side is painful. Normally they seem to be supplied with only one handgrip so get another.

 

- The viewfinder ends up being in a very odd position compared to the centre of gravity. Get an onboard monitor or be prepared to use the flip-out.

 

- Be careful about short focal lengths or high shutter speeds, as either can cause the groundglass grain to become apparent.

 

 

In short it is a good tool but I would strongly suggest you shoot tests before making a decision on what to do with it. You should also ensure that you have access to a high grade, full HD monitor, if only to check for sharpness problems. Sharpness problems are I think the biggest issue.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Phil

[Paolo Ciccone]

Expensive unit but defintely well built, it adds a lot of flexibility to the JVC ProHD 1/3" cameras. I used it with the HD100. Phil has given already very good advice, I would add to keep an eye on the battery that supplies the Mini35 and be prepared to keep spare batteries handy. The model that we used had no warning about the battery life and stopped spinning the ground glass a couple of time in mid-shot. That makes the "grain" very visible.

Here is a phot of the whole setup with a Cooke zoom: http://www.paolociccone.com/images/imageline-06.jpg

[Sere dave]

Thanks for the advice,

 

How was the picture in general, does the " natural film look" increases using the mini35?

 

buy,

 

dave

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I have used one with the HD-250, which is similar. A few pointers:

 

- Take great care that everything is properly set up. Back focus is extremely critical and should be checked regularly - certainly every setup, and with extra care after lens changes. If you can't get the blue focus assist highlighting to appear, something is wrong.

 

- Bear in mind the lowering of contrast. If you usually shoot with a very low contrast setting, as you might if you intend to later grade the image, consider reducing the effect. Results can look horribly sat-up (with a high black level) if you get things wrong.

 

- In addition to the low contrast issue, don't be afraid to use a healthy exposure. The mini35 doesn't really increase dynamic range, but it does make overexposed highlights look much less unpleasant than they usually would. Because of the tendency of the image to become a bit low-con and mushy, you can expose slightly more like you would for film for maximum apparent sharpness.

 

- It's heavy and oddly shaped. Ensure that you get all the right accessories to mount it satisfactorily to whatever grippage you're looking at using. It can be particularly painful handheld. The mount for the mini35 has two locations to bolt handgrips on, if you are shooting handheld - and you will want to have a handgrip on both of them at once. Holding it on only one side is painful. Normally they seem to be supplied with only one handgrip so get another.

 

- The viewfinder ends up being in a very odd position compared to the centre of gravity. Get an onboard monitor or be prepared to use the flip-out.

 

- Be careful about short focal lengths or high shutter speeds, as either can cause the groundglass grain to become apparent.

In short it is a good tool but I would strongly suggest you shoot tests before making a decision on what to do with it. You should also ensure that you have access to a high grade, full HD monitor, if only to check for sharpness problems. Sharpness problems are I think the biggest issue.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Phil

[Paolo Ciccone]

How was the picture in general, does the " natural film look" increases using the mini35?

It does in the sense that you can use selective focus in a way that is not available with the 1/3" lenses and sensor.