Illya Friedman

Dear Brenton, It's your PL to MFT adapter. Most brands fail in this regard. If you had the original PL to MFT adapter, the Hot Rod Cameras "Hot Rod PL" you would not experience this problem. I.

Perhaps you'd be surprised how many people really don't know what's going on and need help. Also, I've learned the hard way that "SHOULD" has nothing to do with a functioning piece of motion picture equipment, especially when you are losing the light! My two cents... there's several potential problems going on, and if you want this figured out it's better to swallow some pride and ask a professional for help. I.

Well said.

As was already stated 16/35 PL mount lenses are supposed to be the same FFD, but it's of course possible that someone shimmed glass to a particular camera, rather than the proper way (the other way around.) Any qualified lens tech can tell you if you lenses have a FFD problem in a few minutes. Since you are in L.A. Tyler, Hot Rod Cameras can of course do a quick check for you in a few minutes for a small fee. All the best, I.

The SR I can be modified to PL. I would contact Jorge at http://www.cinematechnic.com/ to see if he would do it, or recommend someone who still does. I have a feeling that these days purchasing a PL mounted SRII/SRIII might be less expensive. Good Luck, I. Illya Friedman President Hot Rod Cameras Hollywood, California www.hotrodcameras.com

Any PL mount that is not shimmable should be avoided for professional work. Few mounts are properly shimmable, and shimming requires expensive test equipment. This service runs about $100-$150 on average from a professional rental or lens service facility. We have solved this problem by performing the shim service for free on any mount purchased directly from Hot Rod Cameras. As the inventor of the PL mount adapter for MFT cameras, and the source of the PL mount adapters to professional motion picture rental houses world wide- my company knows a little something about this.

In the interest of full disclosure my company sells bags… I am also working with a company based in Europe who has made the highest quality bags for another industry for more than a decade and is looking to launch a new brand and line of bags for motion picture, and they are inviting feedback. What is it that you like/love about a particular bag or what is missing from other bags out there that you would like to see? I have a list myself, but I'd be interested to hear what others think before I send an email with a "wish list". I. Illya Friedman President Hot Rod Cameras Hollywood, CA www.hotrodcameras.com

Hi Adam, I think you mean electronic shutter rather than electronic sensor. The answer is yes. All the Canon DSLR cameras have a curtain shutter in addition to the mirror shutter. The mirror shutter does not actually control the exposure time, it's the curtain shutter which is left intact directly in front of the sensor plane. If you lift up your mirror you can see it.

This is not true. Both the Canon 7D and 5D Mark II retain all still photo capabilities (including time lapse with an external controller). The only exception would be program modes which would rely on the light meter to make the exposure choice. There is a lot of misleading information on the web. If you don't have the right equipment, changing out even 1x PL for EF mount could be a several hour event. Better to have someone qualified do it the first time. Once your EF mounts on the lenses and shimmed correctly, they will work fine, with some limitations. This is what I would recommend to someone who can live with the rotational play inherent in the EF mount design and doesn't want to use two or more cameras with their lens set at the same time. For professionals this is generally (although not always) a deal breaker. Also with EF mounts you can't share lenses and keep accurate focus marks, attempting to do so will result in a different focus mark for every EF mount camera you attach the lens to. This is because EF with cine lenses is actually a "cheat" as the ONLY way to get accurate marks is to miss-align the lens by shimming to a camera with a sensor position in what is considered sloppy tolerance. Only PL mount lenses will allow you to share the lenses and you'll know they will always work. I've had 2x people send me their Ebay EF to PL adapter asking if I could "fix" it. Turns out the ebay sellers, don't understand the basics of what it is they are selling, and are quite silent when the customer is angry because many of the lenses on the list don't fit on the camera. I know for a fact that they DO NOT work with any CP lens. One of the ones I received was built so poorly that it wouldn't actually close on any PL lens correctly, regardless of being attached to a EF mount camera or not! If you can live with the limitations I outlined above, definitely go with the EF mounts for your CP.2 lenses. I would contact your place of purchase for the lenses to see about ordering the EF mounts specific to the lenses you have (they are different). If you aren't sure if your vendor can do this for you competently, you're welcome to contact me directly. Hot Rod Cameras is a Zeiss dealer, and we have many of those mounts in stock and can make the change over for you. Hope this helps, I.

Hello all, I have a Sony F3 camera for sale. Camera has had little use and includes everything in the original box. Prices is $2500 off the new camera price- $11,460 (or best offer). I have the expensive removable S-Log option, although I was not planning on including it with the camera. You can purchase the permanent upgrade for $899 now direct from Sony, or I will sell the $4000 version for $799. Camera is located in Burbank California and I would prefer to sell to someone local if possible. This was a camera I purchased for a project, and I paid the sales tax, so there would be no sales tax even inside of California. The camera needs a good home. Please email me at circle_of_confusion@yahoo.com or call me at 323-230-3589 office. Thanks, I. Illya Friedman President Hot Rod Cameras www.hotrodcameras.com

If you are using the same size/shape imaging sensor and the same optics on all cameras, they will all have the same depth of field, as these are the two criteria that effect DoF. "Best quality image" is a loaded question. If we are talking about the Red 1 pre-MX upgade, the dynamic range king would be the GH1, followed by the Canon 5D Mk2, then Red (yes, really) but we are splitting hairs here, they all have about identical useable (not measurable) dynamic range of 8-stops. Test for yourself if you don't believe. However, post MX upgrade, Red is in front with dynamic range, GH1 second, 5D mk2 in last. Resolution based on what the camera can output actually or hypothetically? Actually Red, hypothetically Canon. What will give you the best 1080p image per $ spent is probably the best question, I used to say it was the Canon HV20, but for the past 13 months, you can't get a greater bang for you buck than the GH1. At $1,189.95 online, it's astoundingly impressive.

Hi Peter, No misunderstanding. You got it right. I agree that it's odd, this has not been my experience with other cameras. So far the most dynamic range (and most pleasing images) is coming from the setting the camera at 100 ISO and rating the meter at 640. Everything in the teaser posted was shot this way (or at 400 ISO rated at 2500!), color correction in the teaser is not final. The rule of thumb I've found with the GH1, protect your highlights, fill light your shadows.

Hello all, I've been helping some talented filmmakers put together feature film over the last few months. The website finally went live this weekend and I can now talk about the project. The website/blog for the movie can be found here - www.finndependent.com The project is also a milestone for myself, because it's the first feature film to use my product, the Hot Rod PL. I'm happy to answer technical questions about the movie to the best of my ability. I. Illya Friedman Hot Rod Cameras www.hotrodcameras.com

Two Evolution bodies are on hold/standby for a studio project that started shooting with them last year. Despite the many inquiries I've received about availability, AFAIK DALSA has made no concrete or public plans to rent them to anyone else. A shame really, several high profile jobs were lining up for Evo cameras in 2009. Unless something remarkable and unexpected happens, all will end up shooting on another film or digital imaging format. I.

Hi Stephen, I don't have permission to distribute frames from "Reach for Me". However, I may be able to get a frame from another project to be made available. I. Illya Friedman DALSA Digital Cinema Division Woodland Hills, CA www.dalsa.com/dc