TurboHoopty2000™
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at 1:10PM 
The Canon HV20 with the Brevis35 and, like, everything else, as exhibited and discussed here.
I'm totally anti the whole "gear fetish" thing. I've seen some DVX100 rigs that were clearly designed more to look badass than to actually create nice images. But this "HV20 on 'roids" is not frivolous at all—everything on it is something you'd eventually discover you need once you've made the decision to use a 35mm lens adapter. And this rig is still missing the BeachTek adapter that would allow the use of pro mics!
But while it's fun to contemplate how one might pimp out such a camera, let's not forget that the thing itself, right out of the box, can capture images that can help you tell your story. The rig above is a great reminder than the sultry images that 35mm adapters allow come at the cost of one of the DV Rebel's most valuable assets: agility.
Reader Comments (18)
Was it ever determeined whether you can control light variances when panning? Specifically how manual the camera actually is? I think I heard that was a concern when this first came out.
if you can make it manual for the adapter. i may get this one myself.
Uh, gear lust. My HV20 is feeling a little inadequate about itself now.
You know, I appreciate the need for shallow depth of field. However, with a $12 step up ring you can add on still 35mm lens adapters. I'm borrowing a fisheye from a super 8 camera that works awesome. The add on lens adds weight so you're less likely to suffer shaky hand-held.
Even on tape, the image is AMAZING. Particularly for under a grand. I played back HDV tape through HDMI into a 1080P set and was blown away by the sharpness of text recorded by this camera at a distance. The odd thing is that the cine mode applies a "blush/blur" to skintone. Kind of unflattering.
Thanks for knocking gear fetish. This camera is a blessing for broke-ass people. Don't get too smart about it. Only gear heads care about gear. Audiences want to see a decent image- and at 24p this camera deliver. Forget "pro" audio- buy a Rode Video mic with extension cables and you can boom if needed.
Having seen my footage on a 1080p screen, I feel lucky to own this camera. At the same time, I'm over the bleeding edge. The camera with a rode mic is enough.
I know folks who spent $10grand for lenses for XL-1s. They never saw their money back. For the day rate you could book a D.P. with decades of experience who wasn't shooting miniDV. And look at the opportunity cost: all the guys who bought HVXs and rented them out- well, they've had to work them for a year and half to pay down 1/2 or 3/4 the cost, not to mention the wear and tear. Buy one of these HV20s, keep it to yourself. It's a fun, discrete toy. Play with it. Shoot stuff. Make movies. (and the DVD workflow is awesome on Final Cut 5 to DVDSP!)
Very cool, but, hmmm, don't forget that Marshall monitor, which I just got and it's awesome, was $1600 with the Nebtek battery upgrade. Ouch. It does make a BIG difference tho.
What's the arm holding the monitor, btw?
Exactly Anonymous—it's the dirty little secret of 35mm adapters. While you _can_ run and gun with them in a pinch, you quickly start to want a follow focus knob and a monitor on which you can actually make critical focus evaluation, both of which are pricey add-ons.
So i take it there is a manual override for the camera exposure?
I believe there's an exposure lock function of some kind.
Check out the thread over at the http://rebelsguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=209" REL="nofollow"> Rebel Cafe for more details.
You can lock exposure, no problem.
Stu- Speaking of pimping out your camera - are you famililar with Cinetactics? Haven't seen it mentioned on your blog. Great little company that makes a velcro matte box/french flag system and LCD hoods. I have an HV20 and just bought some gear from them. Very light weight, easy to collapse and carry, and very agile. Perfect for indie rigs...
http://www.cinetactics.com/
BTW, I'm reading your book right now. Bought it at NAB. Good stuff. I recently directed my third feature and used a lot of your ideas (without realizing it). Shot on the Varicam. It's an action/thriller called "Killing Down". Sold the film at AFM last November. You can check it out at www.killingdown.com. I'll send you a DVD if you'd like to check it out.
Thanks,
Blake Calhoun
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/camcorders/hands+on-canons-hr10-hd-camcorder-records-on-dvds-in-full-1080i-258216.php
heres the newest bro that records on dvd instead but down at the bottom of the article is a great description of canons intent on data collection and retrieval/delivery.
Hi Stu.
I own a Canon XL2 PAL and i'm wondering which of the following adapters is the best for my equipment:
- mini35 (P+S Technik)
- M2 (Redrock Micro)
- LetusXL (Letus)
- Brevis35 (Cinevate)
I have to say i think mini35 is the most comfortable because it mounts in the camera body instead of the lens terminal (in such case i'll have a telescopy instead of a camera).
The idea is to use one of these adaptors with Arri lenses.
Thanks a lot.
I'm reading your book by the way. It's a masterpiece.
Hi Fernando, thanks for the kind words about the book!
I'm no expert, but it seems like with the XL2, the mini35 is the only choice that makes any sense. Maybe others will chime in as well.
It should be noted that the HV20 employs a rolling shutter. This makes all pans look horrible. I really considered getting an HV20 to lighten up my Brevis rig (I have an HVX200), but the rolling shutter issue killed that impulse.
I recently sold my mini35. After receiving my Redrock M2 and comparing the image, it was obvious what to do next. I've got a friend with the Brevis and as we were comparing the image, the thing shorted out and wouldn't power up! Very happy with the M2 images AND the build quality! Very interesting seeing a handycam being used with an adapter!
Putting on a 35mm lens with a step up ring would not get you shallow depth of field; without a macro lens or achromat you might not even able to focus. Shallow depth of field to me is purely a matter of taste; it is not something essential. There is, however, no such thing as too expensive or unworthy--just as there are $10000 cars and $50000 cars; why buy the $50000 one when either of them can carry you from one place to another?
Stu, thanks for the post :-) I'm with you on function before form and it's true...none of that gear is superfluous. When shooting http://www.cinevate.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=479" REL="nofollow">this clip I just used the onboard LCD and left the Marshall and power supply behind. I am however a huge fan of using the follow focus and 4x4 filters in the mattebox. In an adapter setup, the video cam is really just an imaging engine an for this, the HV20 is excellent. Exposure locking/manual control is now pretty much a non-issue with posts like http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=96503" REL="nofollow">this at dvxuser.
The Marshall monitor support is just a Bogen RC2 ball head used with a Bogen (#2933)grip part.
Anonymous, It's not true that all pans are horrible. I pan all of the time with my HV20. True it employs a rolling shutter but my pans (carefully done) looks just as awesome as any other cam. Avoid jerky motions...this is where you get those types of ugly pics (footage you would not use anyways... no matter what type of cam you have).
Quite an impressive setup.
You and your readers may be interested in a new product I developed. It's a XLR adapter, that includes a low-noise preamp. It allows you to reduce the camcorder hiss while recording fine audio detail:
http://www.juicedlink.com/" REL="nofollow">www.juicedlink.com
Thanks!