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Questions about using a P+S 35mm adaptor with HVX


Kirk Anderson

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So,

 

We're gearing up for a shoot on Monday and we ran some tests today with our gear.

 

I've never used a P+S adaptor before and had some questions.

 

Our Setup:

HVX 200 with FireStore

P+S 35mm adaptor

set of zeiss Super speeds

Mattebox

 

 

Everything outdoors looked really bright, even when I was all the way at F-16.

 

1) Can I use the ND filters built into the HVX or should I use external glass ones? (PS, I don't have any yet.)

 

We've been shooting with the internal F-stop completely open.

 

2) Can I use the internal f-stop in conjunction with the 35mm lens? (is this a bad idea?)

 

3) When we were shooting some bright blue sky, it almost seemed as though it was flickering..... I thought the spinning ground glass would smooth things over...any suggestions?

 

4) I was tooling around in the scene files to get some good outdoor exposure...anyone have an outdoor scene file that they swear by?

 

I searched old threads and all over the internet and the manual we have doesn't seem to answer these questions.

 

I really appreciate any quick responses, because we're going back out tomorrow for more tests before the big shoot.

 

Pardon my NOOBness, I shoot a lot of 16 and this is a first with all the bells and whistles of HD.

 

Now that you read all that, here's a quick test we shot today asking all of those questions in camera.

 

http://www.vimeo.com/1283123

 

THANKS AGAIN!

Kirk

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Hey Kirk,

 

1) Can I use the ND filters built into the HVX or should I use external glass ones? (PS, I don't have any yet.)

Don't use the camera's internal NDs. You want to cut down the amount of light that's hitting the ground glass, and the camera NDs are behind the adapter so they won't do you any good. The Mini35 has a built-in ND filter wheel for this purpose. I would also rent glass NDs since you have a matte box, that's the proper way to go. They should be around $8/day a piece, so they won't break the bank.

 

We've been shooting with the internal F-stop completely open.

2) Can I use the internal f-stop in conjunction with the 35mm lens? (is this a bad idea?)

You can use the internal iris down to about f/2.8. If you go much beyond that the pattern of the ground glass will start to come into focus. Ditto with the taking lens, keep it around f/2.8 or wider.

 

3) When we were shooting some bright blue sky, it almost seemed as though it was flickering..... I thought the spinning ground glass would smooth things over...any suggestions?

That flicker probably was the spinning ground glass coming into focus. You need to open up the internal iris and the aperture on the taking lens, remove the internal NDs, and switch to glass NDs or use the ND filter wheel on the Mini35. The adapter also has a speed control on the side which makes the ground glass spin faster, so you can set it to a higher spin rate if you start to see it.

 

4) I was tooling around in the scene files to get some good outdoor exposure...anyone have an outdoor scene file that they swear by?

Well, it's all up to individual taste, but most DPs I've worked with shooting HVX/HPX cameras use Black Press gamma because it reduces the amount of visible noise in the image by slightly crushing the blacks. And as I'm sure you know, the HVX is a pretty noisy camera. Beyond that, just make sure you light it well and don't underexpose. One trick that I learned is to set white balance A & B to the same white card and then dial in a bit of warmth into B with the phase. Then you can easily toggle between A & B before you roll and get the color balance just how you want it very quickly without resorting to special filters or white balance cards.

 

Anyway, good luck with your shoot and let us know how it went.

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