funny that you say that because I was going to ask you about 35mm adapters today till I found this... :) If you come accross more educational videos like this let me know. Or better yet maybe there should be a posting on the HG10 Channel for just educational videos?

Yea, and most of the videos are "test" videos. Is anyone producing anything with these things?!

Rhetorical question. Yes, there are lots of great vids produced using these adapters, here for example:

vimeo.com/filmlook

I already subscribe to that channel, and, yes, there are some good shorts being made, no question. However, I think most people would be better off perfecting their film making techniques before turning to a very imperfect solution to a low budget, and having overly high expectations of the equipment suddenly upping their level of production.

And possibly the first step would be to upgrade to a better camera before bolting on a DOF solution, though I fully concede that more than impressive results are being had by some people with budget cameras, a Letus, and lots of skill.

I am currently oevr the moon with my setup. And I dont do tests. I make shorts. Including a t.v. pilot. By no means am I saying that my stuff looks like film, but years of practice and a miniscule budget are a gift form the gods. Please feel free to look at some of my stuff.

I did watch your stuff (and replied to your other comment below), but let me summarize here as well (because it's worth it): GORGEOUS.

Interesting - thanks for brining this into the discussion. As a professional, how do you feel about people trying to "buy" their way into the industry?

At first glance (1) it makes me cranky, but then I think (2) it won't matter, because when you give a hack a million dollars worth of gear, he's still gonna be a hack and it'll show.

Thanks man ... and nice ears! Yea, I took a step back on the audio on this one (embarrassed to admit: 60Hz ground loop!). Recovered in the "DIY Steadicam" segment, but you are exactly right: I am REALLY struggling with audio. In my garage (so a shotgun won't work). With the Sony HDR-SR7 (which compresses the audio coming in the mic jack). I've even treated about 40% of the space with acoustic foam, but I think I've reached limits to what I can do with the equipment I've got.

Yea, good questions and I think there are three things going on here:
(1) beginners building/buying 35mm adapters without knowing what they are getting into
(2) serious amateurs that have already mastered their camera and have good technique already and THEN they buy a 35mm adapter to enhance their already excellent video
(3) Pros that know exactly what they are doing.

Pixel Viking definitely looks like category (2). He has a $1,000 camera, $1,000 adapter and a pair of nice lenses to work with, so probably $3,000-$5,000 worth of gear. He shoots and fames very artistically, with the eye of a photographer.

The Magic Bullet "looks" stuff is nice, but I think his shots look good without it. MBLooks is a nice shortcut to some cool effects, but (with a little effort and knowlege) you can do the same thing with the tools that come with your editing software - levels, color correction, etc.

Our conversation about "buying into" the profession does not apply here. We mean someone (like a lawyer or stock broker) that quits their job or a bored rich kid that decides to become a "filmmaker" because it looks fun, so they drop $20,000 on gear and decide to make a movie. These people very very quickly learn it takes more than money!

A fantastic example is White Red Panic - vimeo.com/1333375 - Shot with a HV20, no adapter and graded in Magic Bullet Looks. It's amazing!

As for people buying into the industry, who really cares - of course they'll realise it takes more than gear ... just 'cause you drive a Ferrari doesn't make you Michael Shumacher but I'm sure it's a lot of fun anyway :)

35mm adapters, Magic Bullet etc ... they're all just tools. Ultimately, it's about how you use the tools available not the tools themselves.

As for my 35mm adapter ... you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands ;)

Please don't misunderstand me: I think quality 35mm lens adapters + a quality lens *when used appropriately* are great (as you already know). What I'm trying to communicate to people who DON'T already know, is that they aren't magical "Make My Video Look Like Film" devices - which is often how they are portrayed.

Thanks! And that footage you shot with the EX1+Letus is gorgeous. I can see why you are happy with the adapter!

Heya, Michael: All consumer equipment, less that $5K for everything from camera to computer. Camera is a Sony SR7, lots of lights, nothing else special.

Fantastic to hear that. I tried the NTG2 and it was a total failure, but I had been reading that maybe a hypercardiod was the right solution (I was looking at the Octavia). I think I've solved part of the problem with a unidirectional lav (even tried it on a boom) and it works fairly well (at least no echoes to speak of). Used a pals Sennheiser wireless lav the other day and it was wonderful. Anyhow, I'm at "good enough" now (for sub-$300 in audio gear), but I'll put the NTG3 on my short list.

And thanks: there is no perfect mic, so the only real way to know is to find folks in nearly identical situations and give it a try yourself.

Thanks. And just to be clear, I'm not anti-35mm lens adapters. It's just that they aren't magical devices that will make up for poor fundamental technique. Right tool for the right job and all that. And just to be doubly clear: I have serious gear lust and if I had the money, a 35mm lens adapter would be somewhere on my list of things to get. (A new camcorder, a new secondary LCD and a new i7 core computer are higher on the list, however, so we are really talking about if I had $10,000 to spend on new gear before I got to the adapter...)

Absolutely, I agree 100%.

And might I add: you and I are using the same camera (more or less), but the difference is night and day. Right tool for the right job and all that and I am happy with the info I am communicating as clearly as possible, but... my goodness, your video is GORGEOUS! I am envious AND inspired!

Upside down on computer too - trivial to correct in your editing software, so not really a concern.

Pretty sure Nikon dSLRs will shoot all sorts of nice 1080p video in the immediate future (as will Sony, Pentax, Olympus, et al).

I believe that is only a "potentially stupid" question!

But seriously, the answer is "YES!" you could (theoretically) saw off the front and get it to work, more or less, but the lens is NOT designed for a 1/3" sensor (~9mm) and instead is for a 35mm imaging plane, so it wouldn't get the full DoF advantage.

Not to mention that it would destroy the camcorder, which would no longer work at all anyhow, but as a thought experiment, it's interesting.

So the real answer is "NO!" do not do this!

Yes! Just one trick of many in a bag full-o-tricks for the modern cinematographer. Anyone that thinks that one trick is enough and perfect for every situation is a fool and anyone that does not take advantage of every trick available is also a fool: right trick for the right shot and all that!

And thanks on the congrats.