Canon EOS and 35mm Adapters

[Timothy Lou Ly]

The Canon EOS 5D and 7D have been out for a while now, as well as all the other EOS cameras that are getting rave reviews for their HD video capabilities. I've seen the images and yeah, it's no wonder why they're so popular. I've read that the cameras have/will bring death to 35mm adapters; but to be honest, I'm not so sure.

 

Yes, the footage from the 5D and 7D is remarkable and the DOF is insane. Aside from some downsides involving control issues, the cameras are amazing. The pictures are just clear beyond belief. In a way though, that's kind of what bothers me.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love how incredibly sharp the images can be, and how great the DOF is, but the clarity of it all seems just a bit unnatural. Am I crazy for thinking this? I mean the purpose for 35mm adapters was to achieve that DOF that the EOS cameras have, but am I crazy for missing the grainy feel and look that the spinning/rotating ground glass provided in the adapters? A cinematic look is more than just DOF, isn't it?

 

So my question then is, would it be at all possible (when shooting video with the EOS DSLRs) to have the ability to make/use a grain glass adapter before the lens? Would it defeat the purpose all together if this ever happened?

Edited May 3, 2010 by Timothy Lou Ly

[jacob thomas]

The Canon EOS 5D and 7D have been out for a while now, as well as all the other EOS cameras that are getting rave reviews for their HD video capabilities. I've seen the images and yeah, it's no wonder why they're so popular. I've read that the cameras have/will bring death to 35mm adapters; but to be honest, I'm not so sure.

 

Yes, the footage from the 5D and 7D is remarkable and the DOF is insane. Aside from some downsides involving control issues, the cameras are amazing. The pictures are just clear beyond belief. In a way though, that's kind of what bothers me.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love how incredibly sharp the images can be, and how great the DOF is, but the clarity of it all seems just a bit unnatural. Am I crazy for thinking this? I mean the purpose for 35mm adapters was to achieve that DOF that the EOS cameras have, but am I crazy for missing the grainy feel and look that the spinning/rotating ground glass provided in the adapters? A cinematic look is more than just DOF, isn't it?

 

So my question then is, would it be at all possible (when shooting video with the EOS DSLRs) to have the ability to make/use a grain glass adapter before the lens? Would it defeat the purpose all together if this ever happened?

 

You can always add the grain in post. I've been adding grain to my 7d footage with nuke which does quite a nice job.

Having said that I quite like the look of the footage straight out of the camera (with the sharpening, saturation and contrast turned down of course).

It's really not that sharp especially when you compare it to Red, Genesis or 35mm.

[Oliver Christoph Kochs]

The adaptors (mini and pro35 by P+S or the Letus i.e) lose at least two stops of light. They are an optical (macro) lens focused on a tiny groundglass that rotates to become less visible.

I like(d) the possibilities when these adaptors came out, but to be honest, they bring nothing but problems. The added grain interferes with the compression a lot and the images are often soft not because of the FFD of the taking lens but the open iris or FFD of the adaptor. Sorry but a ground glass in front of a fullframe DSLR is IMHO nonsense. You already have a FF sensor and thats what the adaptors were created for: to fake a fullframe image to a muchmuch tinier ccd.

[Timothy Lou Ly]

You can always add the grain in post. I've been adding grain to my 7d footage with nuke which does quite a nice job.

Having said that I quite like the look of the footage straight out of the camera (with the sharpening, saturation and contrast turned down of course).

It's really not that sharp especially when you compare it to Red, Genesis or 35mm.

 

Interesting. Do you have any videos pre-grain and post-grain by chance? I'd love to see them.

[Michael Kubaszak]

If you're missing grain that much shoot s16. :P