George Griswold
Forum Replies Created
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Have not used it, but the fact that you can use a Sony VCT quick release plate is a good sign… question is, is it rigid enough?
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Sachtler head will be fine… fluid may become thicker as temp drops…just like motor oil.
Be careful with the camera when you go back inside because that is when you may have condensation. Any barrier to air contact until the camera warms up (even partially) is a good idea… depends on what humidity levels you encounter indoors. -
Keep that battery warm or your run time will tank. Don’t know if Li-ION batteries have freezing issues at colder conditions than you expect.
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If you have time put the camera in a plastic bag or wrap and let it warm up before you enter the pool area.
I have also put a camera on the floor of my car and blasted the heater for a few minutes. The colder camera body is what causes the condensation… if you warm it up no droplets will appear. -
If you want to save some cash and have a top notch repair done I would turn to:
ENG Optical Service
https://engoptical.homestead.com/Ron has worked on many of my lenses and charges a fair price that is probably 50% less than manufacturer’s shops.
I think this is what you were after– a personal recommendation of a good service facility. Call Ron and see if he works on that lens.
George
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Fooling with the BPAV folder will result in tears, frustration and the probability you will have fragments (if any) of your two sessions. Storage is cheaper than re-shooting.
If there is one thing that SxS Sony EX cards require (any card media really) is very stringent “data hygiene”. Many of the posts that ask about corrupted or missing files stem from some breach in the protocol.
All risky habits best broken. Used to be you never rewound Betacam SP tapes in the field, always pushed the REC INH tab, and labeled cassettes as they came out of the camera. Usually you only did NOT do one of those things once… and hopefully never. I digress….
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Most of Sony’s smaller cameras have lower than ideal monitor output levels. The Z1U was really really low. The EX-3 has just enough with the Sony headphones mentioned above. Noisy environments can be a problem if you are trying to confirm good audio on a lav mic.
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I forgot to mention that there is a 50mm f1.4 that will work fine (I have not used it for Letus, but had one that I loved many years ago). Also the 85mm f1.8 is quite nice. Both are quite a bit less expensive and will get you there.
Another option is to keep an eye on Craigslist and if a nice set of lenses pops up for some other brand, just get the Letus adapter for that. The old Pentaz Super Takumar lenses were very good and would be a steal if you found the right deal. I think the 42mm screw adapter would take those (check first).
George
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Michael,
Any of the non-auto focus Nikons will work just fine. The AI ones look great. Older ones don’t have the best lens coatings, but work fine.
For the real DOF look the manual focus Nikon 50mm f1.2 is incredible…(https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/50mm-f12.htm) they can be found for about $300-$450 used. Amazing but true, they are still in production and are available for $650 (https://www.adorama.com/NK5012.html) I wouldn’t fool around with any glass that isn’t mint because you will have flare issues and end up trying to sell it to get a clean one.
In real life the 50mm is not quite enough magnification for tight single person interviews… (you cold always zoom in the EX-3 lens a bit more to make it work- I have not tried that, but others have).Being a Nikon user for stills I have had a chance to use all the lenses in my kit, but ended up adding one that I found remarkable… The 85mm f1.4 is a stunner. In either manual focus (AI era) or the new 85mm f1.4 D AF are amazing. I popped for the D Auto focus so I can use the AF on my still cameras and the manual focus is better than the previous generation of AF lenses– smoother and more responsive. One of the main factors that determines the bokeh of the lens is the number of aperture blades– more blades the “rounder” the out of focus points of the picture. The 85 f1.4 (old and new) has 9 iris blades and the smooth bokeh that is one of he best in their lens line-up. If my memory serves me correctly the 50mm f1.2 has nine blades too. Most lenses have between 5 and 7 and it can result in nifty little geometric shapes in out of focus points of light– not very pleasing.
Those are my two recommendations, there are tons of 105mm f2.5 AI out there, but the image is just not that tactile and is too powerful for interviews in smaller spaces.
Hope this helps,
George -
That is truly insane…..
I would love to see a surveillance tape at the moment when you both realized what the deal was….
Sony stopped thinking, consulting with end users, and being at all reasonable way back when SX seemed like a good idea to them (only). I have an EX-3 and am thrilled with the results, but until you really work with a piece of gear you never really know.
Recorder/Media button idea is perfect– they should give you a deck for the posting.
I seem to mutter more and more, “this is progress.. this is progress”.
George