Maarten Kroonenburg

For sale ARRI Lightweight Follow Focus unit in perfect working condition. I bought it for my ARRI SRII and later applied to Letus Extreme35 for my 35mm Superspeed Primes with Sony EX1. Please note that follow focus unit has two tension reduction gears which makes focus pull very smooth and flawless. New units have only one gear applied directly to the lens and most of them have only one rod support. Asking $850

 

Ben Butin

Cinematographer

Hello Ben, I am looking for a follow focus for my Letus land lenses, is your follow focus still available? If so, can you send me a picture to maarten@bell.net.

Thank you

I shot a feature film this summer with the EX1. In preparation I wanted to try the external recorders, the one that was available at the rental house was the Convergent one. I shot some comparison tests and had them printed to 35mm. Then I screened them split screen with native codec on the bottom, and external recorder on top. There was absolutely no difference. Then I took the footage to the post production facility to look at was was happening close-up. As we zoomed in on the images to check color binding etc. we drew the same conclusion. So yes, on paper it sounds like it should look better, 4.2.0 against 4.2.2, 25 megabits per second against 125. But try this test and you will see for yourself.

I guess I have a question for you. Why are you shooting a movie with this budget on something like an ex1. I have worked on much smaller projects where an f900, red and even 35mm film was feasible.

 

As for the zoom, I would probably stick with the stock lens, unless there is another lens made for the 1/2" format. Using lenses designed for 35mm (without your letus) and 2/3" cameras will give you essentially longer focal lengths. Like putting a 50mm lens on a 16mm camera and seeing the effective field of view of a 100mm lens on 35mm. The same applies to 2/3" designed lenses though obviously not as dramatic. Still if you insist on something other than the stock lens here is a link that you might find helpful in order to find the right lens and what equivalent focal lengths it will produce on a 1/2" sensor.

 

Panavision Focal Length Conversion Calculator

Hey there Andrew, I shot a 35mm film in Anamorphic for $40.000 with Russian Elite lenses. I know it can be done. The director is insisting that we shoot on video. He finds that the RED is trying to be a 35mm camera, but not succeeding. The F900 is starting to become to big physically to get the loose wrist feel that we want the camera operator to have. So that leaves me with the EX3 as the best options as far as I can gather. I will have to shoot some test with the EX3 and screen them on the big screen to see the damage of the codec. I am also scared to take the RED into the woods, and it adds a data wrangler to our crew, and then there are issues with RED at night, and how it deals with the blacks.

I know what you mean though, it sounds pretty silly to shoot a picture with a half a million dollars on the EX3, but if that is what the story asks for, then we are supposed to tell the story in the most appropriate way, and necessarily the most beautiful way. It is this subservience that I still have the most difficulty with.

As for the lenses, you are right to remind me about the changes in size and we mix platforms. Wide is important however, so I guess my only gadget will the Ki Pro, if it ever comes out.

Maarten

I think relying on batteries to power lights all through a night of shooting is a bad idea. At night, you can't see more than hundred yards in any direction unless you light the far background, so what's the point in being out in the woods away from a power supply when you could be ten feet from a building next to some trees and get the same look at night, but with convenient power?

 

Batteries are OK for an eyelight or other small light, but for a wide 360 master shot of the woods? And you think are car battery is too much to deal with, so you're talking about, what, a bucket-load of AA's? If you brought several car batteries, let's say, to light a string of Chinese Lanterns, or several 1x1 LitePanels, you may have a chance of pulling this off for a night shoot.

 

What about shooting your one-shot scene at dusk with an on-camera light? I mean, if the point is to be realistic, then what sort of light would a camcorder be able to shoot in? Either it would be an onboard light, ala "Blair Witch Project" or it would involve night vision. A scene lit with moonlight that a camcorder is able to shoot in is a bit of a cheat if you're sticking to the restriction that this can only be the footage that a consumer camera can record.

 

My worst experiences on low-budget films has been when I had to rely on battery-powered lights for a major sequence. Except for the tiny ones, they are too unreliable and the batteries drain a lot faster than you think.

First of all, thank you David for your sharing your experiences with me. I am not too concerned with the 'reality' and logic off night lighting in this case. If the story is good, and the acting is good, you can get away with alot. That being said, it take your point about the batteries running out quickly. I also think you are right about questioning the wisdom of being far away from electricity, if you cannot see very far anyway.

I am faced with 2 situations, on the first night of the camping trip the kids play spin the bottle around a campfire, this scene takes 35 pages in the script, and should be around 5 nights in our 18 day schedule. This location should be lit with the Helium balloon, although I am worried that the thick foliage might block my precious lights. So this location needs a genny, or to be near a tie-in. The second night is more problematic, for the kids are travelling. They are carrying flashlights, but I do not want to see just pitch blackness with the occasional beam penetrating the screen. This is where I would have liked to hide something in the woods that would give me a little something in the blacks. Chinese lanterns and car batteries are starting to sound good to me. Thank you again David, talk to you soon I hope. Going to this site to help me brainstorm was the best idea I have had in a while.

Hello guys and gals, I need your help. I am shooting a feature this summer in the woods in Canada. The story is about teenagers on a campingtrip/drugdeal that goes wrong. The film is told first person by one of the characters, and she is supposed to be filming it in the story. This means one shot scenes, looking 360 degrees and 60% of the story is at night. If lucky I will have 1 Gaffer, 1 Best Boy, 1 Key Grip. I have been dreaming about a helium balloon with 8 x 1k tungsten, but with the branches and the wind at night that might become labour intensive and time consuming on an 18 day schedule. My back-up plan would be to string some metal wires between trees and dangle some kick-ass battery powered china balls. I am looking for other suggestions for this night ambiance light. I also need a keylight that needs to be mobile. I know that I could rig a 4x2' kino of a car battery and inverter, but this is bulky and I think that we can do better with today's technology, especially with led panels. I love working with led lights, but the ones that I have used, 1'x1', and the bricks as I call them, are expensive to rent, and I do not think that the 1'x1' comes with batteries. A pocketpar might do it for the mobile key light, but again expensive. I also need some lights that I can hide in the woods, again battery powered since we will be travelling out of range of a generator. Lights that would give me just enough to give some information in the dark woods. Can anybody help me out. Much obliged.

Maarten

If it's supposed to bear resemblance to Blair witch, then forgo the letus.

It resembles Blair Witch story wise, in that the film is shot by the characters in the film. I do not want this film to look like Blair Witch. We have come a long way since Hi8 Video.

In my opinion I think you will find yourself shooting without the adapter.

 

As others have said, the operation of the camera and the need to light night exteriors in a forest, in my mind negates the use of an adapter.

 

I think also that the pitfalls of shooting it without an adapter won't be as much of an issue with the location you mentioned. In the woods you are not bound by four walls and it will be a lot easier to create dynamic frames and separation between your foreground and background. You can also make up for some of the softness the adapter will create by using some filters in front of the lens.

 

As for using a zoom in front of the adapter, that sounds even less likely. The cine zoom lens you are talking about would likely be too heavy for the mount of the Letus without rod support. If you are adding lens supports in front of a camera system that is already front heavy, you will have even more operating headaches. Also say goodbye to your actors being able to operate the camera. The fastest still zooms that I am aware of are in the f2.8 ballpark, which to me is two stops too slow for night exteriors in the woods with your proposed plan.

Hello Andrew, thank you for your advice. I am starting to see the folly of my ways in wishing to shoot with the adaptor. I guess I am just an old film addict, trying to make video look the same. You are right about shooting in the woods, and it lending itself to easier depth creation in the frame. The thing I heard about the Letus going straight onto the EX3, thus bypassing the lens that comes with the EX3, is that you gain 2 stops, but the Letus extreme that I own, only cuts 1/3 stop, so were do these 2 stops come from. I guess that I am just worried about shooting a feature for half a million dollars with a prosumer camera without the cinema look of the lens adaptors, so now do I shoot with the lens it comes with, or do I take a film lens that opens at 2.2, 2.5, or do I take a 2/3 inch lens. I cannot use primes do to the nature of the shoot, so I need 1 lens from 16 to 55 lets say. Any suggestions?

I have an EX-1 with a Letus Elite and it works great. I've been using Nikon primes and my partner has been using Canon's and we have never had any issues (except for just forgetting to turn on the vibrating mirror :).

I would be more worried about lighting night woods exteriors with a limited lighting package.

Thank you for your input Andrew, I appreciate your concern about lighting the woods at night. My A plan is using a balloon with 8x1k Tungsten, and 2 hand held Kino, and or some Led Panels. The balloon can be Helium filled and fly, but branches and wind might be an issue, you can get it high at the end of a highstand, but my gaffer tells me that you defeat the purpose of the balloon that way, since it becomes labor intensive to move. My plan B is to string a metal wire between some trees, and hang some china-balls from it, battery powered if possible. I will go to the lighting forum to discuss this properly, but I need lots of input from you guys.

Sounds like the EX3 is a great choice. Its probably the cheapest 1080x1920 camera available.

 

I recommend you test the Letus adapter and your set of lenses against the standard Sony lens .

Keep in mind operating issues as well.

 

Good luck

Thank you Nadav, I am testing a ex1 with his lens, against a ex3 with a Letus, I heard that the ex1 cannot fit a Letus, a close focus issue, have you heard about this. Our local rental house tried it, and told me about this problem. As for operating issues, you are right to bring this up. The Letus rig will be more cumbersum, and it will require a focuspuller. My director wants the crew as small as possible, so as not to be too intrusive to the young teenage cast. Also the camera will be more awkward for the actress that will operate sometimes. I will let you know which look fits the film better in my opinion.

Maarten

This is my first posting on this forum, so maybe I am doing something wrong, since nobody is answering me. Is the Sony EX3 the best prosumer camera out there? Should I use the Letus or not? The Film I am shooting is scripted to be shot by one of the characters, like in Blair Witch, and Cloverfield, and Rec., and the actress will shoot herself at times. So in a way the 'video look' of the film is justified, at the same time I want to make a visually appealing film. The budget is limited, so we can not rent a Red or a F900, and those cameras would be to bulky to get that quick of the wrist feeling a Sony or Panasonic P2 has. I am sure that the Sony delivers a better picture then the P2. Sony with the EX3 I could remove the lens that comes with the camera, and go straight to the Letus Ultimate, and then I need some recommendations for a wide zoom that is pretty quick, maybe an angenieux or the new Red zoom 16-45. Did anybody try the Ki Pro yet?

I guess that I forgot to ask my question, can anybody suggest a better low budget camera package ?

I am thinking of shooting a feature film with the Sony EX3. So far I have come up with the following set-up to be the best one. Sony EX3 no lens, Letus 1/2 Relay Lens, Letus Ultimate, and some kind of Kick-ass Lens. The camera will record onto the AJA Ki Pro, in full res 4:2:2 resolution. The film I am shooting is a shoot in the woods in Canada, 60% night, with minimal crew. The budget is will not allow a RED or a 900. Is this the best option. The film will be released in the big screen in the theatre festivals on HD projectors, and a Film print might become a reality if interest is shown. So my concerns are the range of my camera in the whites and the blacks, and the resolution for the blow-up, and the 4:2:2 work-flow as opposed to 4:2:0 with less latittute in post, and thus less forgiving if the exposition is not right on.