Letus Extreme Lens Adapter: Great Depth of Field

Radek Michalik here giving a rundown on a sleek little piece of hardware I just invested in. I'm talking about the Letus Extreme lens adapter.

For those not in the know, lens adapters came about as a means to bridge the visual quality gap between film and video. One of the most noticeable differences between the two is depth of field. Film cameras naturally have a narrower depth of field, resulting in a very cinematic, organic image. Through mystical optics wizardry that I won’t go into here (mostly because I don’t really understand it), the lens adapter was born, allowing a filmmaker to use 35mm lenses instead of the video camera’s stock lens.

Letus Extreme adapters are for videocameras, both standard def and HD. It will work with almost any of them, provided you get the correct mount for the camera you will need to use it. The adapter works only with videocameras, but allows you to use lenses of different focal lengths that were originally designed for 35mm still cameras. The image was of me below was captured as a video, and I just grabbed a still frame from it. 

Using a lens adapter sounds complicated but really isn’t. The most cumbersome thing is that it more or less doubles the weight of your camera, and makes it significantly more cumbersome to use. This is because along with the lens adapter, you also need to purchase a camera rails system to provide support and stability to the lens adapter, which attaches precariously to the end of the camera, and to the 35mm lens itself, which attaches to the end of the adapter.

Once everything is properly mounted:

• Turn on your camera and focus onto a ground glass plane inside the lens adapter.
• The ground glass has a very fine pattern of grain to it (which disappears once the Letus is turned on)
• Once that grain is as nice and sharp as you can get it, you lock down the focus knob on your camera.
• From that point on, you will focus using the lens focus knobs only.
• Now all you need is some 35mm lenses and you’re set.

It’s important to get lenses that are as fast as you can afford, as your images will turn out darker than you’re used to with your camera. Remember, the light now has to travel through another lens and the Letus adapter, even before it reaches your camera proper.

All of this culminates in a nice, shallow depth of field, as you can see in the image below. Notice how it naturally draws your eye to the subject. Also notice how it turns me into a much more attractive man. I hope this quick rundown has been useful. If you have any questions, post a comment to me below.

By the way, here’s a link to a review that covers the entire Letus line much more eloquently and with prettier pictures: http://philipbloom.co.uk/other-hd/35mm-films/the-letus-extreme/

Plus, there are a lot of nice videos shot with Letus lenses.

And for all manner of Radek-related riff-raff, including more stills captured from video images shot with the Letus Extreme adapter:
http://bnb-radek.blogspot.com/

See more of Radek’s video projects overall at his site:
http://www.blueinblack.com