Production Tests
Panasonic HVX200 and Letus Extreme Lens Test
3minuteshorts.ca
Date: March 16th 2010
Film By: Preston Kanak
Camera By: Preston Kanak
Equipment: HVX200 and Letus Extreme (Various Lenses)
Special Notes: Wascana Lake, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Description: When I first purchased my HVX200, I also purchased the Letus Extreme which is a 35mm lens adapter. Recently, I have been having an issue with it whereas as images I capture with it are grainy. At first I thought it was potentially because of the low quality lenses I was using but know I did not have this issue when filming a short film last year entitled “The Life of Wayne Kanak“. I decided to test out this theory so I went out and got a few more lenses to test. I used the following lenses:
* Vivitar 28mm F 2.8
* Vivitar 135mm F 2.8
* Vivitar 200mm F 3.0 Series 1
* Nikon ED AF 80-200mm F 2.8
* Tokina 11-16mm F 2.8 (IF) DX
* Nikon 70-300mm F 4.0
* Nikon 28mm F 1.4
* Nikon 50mm F 1.4
Now I know a lot of you are thinking that either I wasn’t focused on the ground glass, the battery was low on the Letus, the shutter was to high(it was turned off), or OIS was activated. None of this was the case. I am hoping someone else has some suggestions as to why I am having these issues. In post, I added a vignette to the footage. The Letus did not create it. Also as the day went on, the grain got worse (maybe because of the cold?). It was -5 C.
Results The footage from these lenses were very muddy. The grain is also very visible. I tried to also change the focal length on my HVX, making sure to refocus (with the lens off) when adjusting. I found the best results were achieved using the 80-200mm and the 200mm prime lens. As for the Tonika, the results were so bad that it appears as if the Letus was not even activated. I know it has to do with the lenses but is there anything else that I am missing besides carl zeiss lenses?
Panasonic HVX 200 vs 7D
Date: March 14th 2010
Film By: Preston Kanak
Camera By: Preston Kanak
Equipment: Panasonic HVX200 & Canon 7D
Special Notes: FNUC, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Description: Recently, I was asked to shoot one of the “I Heart Regina” projects tentatively entitled, “A Foreign Song” with Helder Mauricio Carvajal. We were also told strictly that we have to use the HVX but being that we have access to a 7D with lots of glass, and since I have never shot a short film with it yet, I thought we should take it out for some tests to see how it matched with the HVX — since the other films were to be shot on the HVX and RED. Before these tests, I was convinced that the best thing for me to do was to sell my rig and move towards the DSLR’s.
Everyone knows that the rave right now is the video capabilities of these cameras to achieve a nice Depth of Field and because of it’s low light capabilities. Unfortunately, after these tests, I am not totally sold that this is the way to go — at least with the 7D and HVX beside each other. I am sure the 5D Mark II and 1D Mark IV is a different story but I am still not convinced. You can see in the video that in the first set-up that the 7D picks up more details in the low light and the HVX crushes the blacks. You can also see that the image is crisper and the quality looks better with the HVX but this could simply be that the 7D was way out of focus — I was shooting with both cameras in my hand and following the subject.
In the second shot, the DOF of the 7D is remarkably better than the HVX at the same distance from the subject but if I was to step the camera back, I could achieve something similar. The rolling shutter issue is very present in the 7D footage. The same goes for the third shot in regards to the depth of field.
The tracking shot isn’t a good test since the 7D was not white balanced correctly and is under exposed. I think if both things were fixed, the 7D would be the better shot without question. For this shot, the HVX is wide open — shutter set to 1/60th.
Lastly, I believe the HVX performs better in the shot in the locker room — in this test. The 7D image is soft and the image was in focus. However, we used the 28-135mm lens. With better glass, I am sure the 7D would blow the HVX out of the water….
Conclusion: If I dare make the switch, I think the best option would be to get the 5D or 1D with some very good glass, otherwise, it is probably smarter to stick with the HVX — for my style of shooting.
