bmp4k adventures

[tupp]

  

19 minutes ago, leslie said:

i feel the metal base with the mounting options and the dummy battery gives one a lot of flexibility.

The first battery plate that I linked (with the BMP4K power cable) is metal.

 

Regardless,  here is a video that gives a rundown on the various sizes of NP batteries.

[leslie]

13 minutes ago, tupp said:

  

The first battery plate that I linked (with the BMP4K power cable) is metal.

 

Regardless,  here is a video that gives a rundown on the various sizes of NP batteries.

thanks for the link. Not really been bothered with external or extra batteries. Up till now been pretty happy using the original battery or having it plugged into ac adapter around the house. But i can see a time when it would be advantageous to have extra power and not from a bunch of lp-6e's. The goldilocks inside of me is saying vmount might too big and lp-6es to small,  sony np  batteries may be just right. 😉

getting back to the metal base i do like the smallrig because they give you two options to mount it either by 1/4 Thumbscrew or Two Hex Screws. It seems to me they have done a bit of thinking concerning this, both of those option are probably used on the smallrig cage. I dont have the cage but if i bought the smallrig np battery i'd be tempted to get the cage as well at some point. Plus two ways to power it with either dc in or the dummy battery. I'm not sure how anyone could make it much easier, but then i am no cinematographer either.

there's probably is good vlog in buying a cheap battery plate drilling / tapping and maybe countersinking a couple of holes in it to aid functionality in bolting it to a camera. However i'm kinda lazy if smallrig want to do the work for me i'll pay them a $100 😎  i can see the value in that

[tupp]

44 minutes ago, leslie said:

there's probably is good vlog in buying a cheap battery plate drilling / tapping and maybe countersinking a couple of holes in it to aid functionality in bolting it to a camera. However i'm kinda lazy if smallrig want to do the work for me i'll pay them a $100 😎  i can see the value in that

Of course, all of the battery plates that I have linked/mentioned already have mounting holes/screws.

 

Furthermore, each of the videos that I have linked show the plates mounted to cameras and cages.

[leslie]

5 minutes ago, tupp said:

Of course, all of the battery plates that I have linked/mentioned already have mounting holes/screws.

 

Furthermore, each of the videos that I have linked show the plates mounted to cameras and cages.

i thought having provision for 2 different thread sizes was forward thinking. i presume that all would have 1/4 inch holes at least but some times you might not be able to get a 1/4 inch hole where you want it. Having a couple of smaller holes could be advantageous when positioning the unit. As i said earlier i'm no cinematographer. what is the norm for you may not be the most obvious path for me. i still have a way to go 😀

[leslie]

Inspired by kyes... GET OUT THERE and shoot something pep talk earlier today.  Here's a collection of static shots taken from around the house. 

if you have a spare 52 seconds,  bmdp4k + my new fotga fd-m43 adapter and the standard canon fd 35mm f2.8

 

[leslie]

ok not real pleased with how vimeo and youtube do their own compression / or basically murders anything sent their way. So i have set up a rather basic website in the interests of a purer visual experience for fellow connoisseur's. There's a higher quality video of the one above if you would like a more representative effort of what the p4k can do.   Not sure what i have done but on the video page you need to right click on the image and click play or view video. I am using bluegriffon 3.0 if anyone has an idea what i done wrong i'd be happy to know how to fix it.

https://troveofstuff.com/videos.html

[leslie]

small update, a fvd-16a has been ordered. So i presume in 3-4 weeks perhaps 5 weeks, i hope to be joining the ranks of those who have a single focus solution. i'm kinda excited

[leslie]

Picked up 11 of these bad boys from a factory swapping over to leds. I think at least 7 of them work, no cost to me just had to remove them. There's a fair layer of dust over them so they'll need a good clean up. Considering keeping a few as original, maybe hacking a couple to  take some sort of led bulb. Anyone else  got some other ideas on what i could do with them ? the diameter of the reflector is about 420mm. On the flip side i guess i could start a grow room 😉

 

Also another vintage lens... circa 1971. While not the oldest lens around, is now making its way to the land down under, more about it when it turns up. Perhaps i should look at getting a really old lens something pre multiple coatings or even single coatings for comparative purposes.

One other thing i have learned  when using the fd adapters. mine has a lock and an open position on the adapter . when you position the fd lens onto the adapter, you need to align them properly as if you do it wrong the aperture doesn't work  on the lens. Not sure if you could break anything by forcing it but i wasn't game to try. Took me several goes to work it out and that was swapping the lens between the p4k and my old canon t90. I guess anyone with fd lenses already knows this.  Just a heads up for anyone thinking about adapting fd lenses. 

[leslie]

well the fvd-16a has shipped apparently, but i did get another bill for the shipping, as that cost an extra $25. Have to email rapido to figure out the best way to send the money. I have also bought a 120cm camera slider rig. I sure do hope you guys aren't over slider shots yet, as there's alot more coming 😉   Also lashed out on a 77mm Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8. I would have liked a 58mm but couldn't find one at a reasonable price. So i have grabbed the last 77mm listed at what i think was reasonable. Maybe i have to look at getting a bunch of step up rings at least it will fit the  tokina atx-pro 28-70 and another lens i have here.

[leslie]

well them silly victorians are stuffing it up again 😉. With a second wave of corona. not sure how bad things will go this time around, but i figured i should get something to keep myself amused, if we do go back into lockdown. So with a four hour round trip to the big smoke and a visit to the only camera shop in town, without further ado may i present.

 

yes it is diverging slightly from videography  but i plan on sticking the  p4k  on it and seeing if i can catch the moon next time it pokes its head up.

Of course the day i pick it up, snow is forecast, i'm expecting late winter rain and a wet spring with torrential rain now that i have a reason to go out at night 🙄 Hopefully i can try my hand at an unboxing video tomorrow, that should be epic,  no doubt

[PannySVHS]

On 6/26/2020 at 9:14 AM, leslie said:

One other thing i have learned  when using the fd adapters. mine has a lock and an open position on the adapter . when you position the fd lens onto the adapter, you need to align them properly as if you do it wrong the aperture doesn't work  on the lens. Not sure if you could break anything by forcing it but i wasn't game to try. Took me several goes to work it out and that was swapping the lens between the p4k and my old canon t90. I guess anyone with fd lenses already knows this.  Just a heads up for anyone thinking about adapting fd lenses. 

Haha, yes, these FD adapters are quirky. Even the awesome one I got for my S1 from Cieco from Ebay, who uses another aproach without turning a ring on the adapter. Instead you align your lens to one of two dots and turn it to the other one and then the ring of the FD lenses needs to be turned. Funky, still much more solid and a bit less confusing. These FD beauties are worth the trick though. 28mm 2.8 one of the best lenses for indoor filming. Outdoors I have not been so lucky, maybe because of the reflecting surfaces of the adapter I used back then of mft.

Back to bmp4k, you need to film some faces with your set up. Slowmo, bro, hair in the wind:) Cam tests are the realf films for camlovers! 🙂 cheers

On 7/9/2020 at 6:08 AM, leslie said:

well the fvd-16a has shipped apparently

tasty. watching forward to seeing that cat in action!

[leslie]

13 minutes ago, PannySVHS said:

Haha, yes, these FD adapters are quirky. Even the awesome one I got for my S1 from Cieco from Ebay, who uses another aproach without turning a ring on the adapter. Instead you align your lens to one of two dots and turn it to the other one and then the ring of the FD lenses needs to be turned. Funky, still much more solid and a bit less confusing. These FD beauties are worth the trick though. 28mm 2.8 one of the best lenses for indoor filming. Outdoors I have not been so lucky, maybe because of the reflecting surfaces of the adapter I used back then of mft.

Back to bmp4k, you need to film some faces with your set up. Slowmo, bro, hair in the wind:) Cam tests are the realf films for camlovers! 🙂 cheers

tasty. watching forward to seeing that cat in action!

you should have said something earlier, its been three degrees Celsius and a howling wind today. i also now have a laser pointer which drives the cat bonkers. I have no idea how many g's that cat is pulling trying to catch that red dot but if it were me i'd probably pass out. videoing the cat chasing the red dot is on the agenda 😀

[leslie]

to help get my head around dof and different lenses that i own, i have made dof scale, basically two rulers screwed to an alloy frame. its kinda like one of them  front / back focus test charts, just a fair bit bigger range. there's a three millimeter green perspex sheet sandwiched between the two rulers. i have some leds and a battery pack  ordered to help illuminate the "zero point" some positional testing maybe needed so that the leds don't overpower things too much.  I thought having some leds might help with using it indoors. May even drill out some holes for out of focus bokeh. it will be one blinged out ruler 🙂

seems to work ok, but i need to buy a notepad as i dont write anything down and i have no idea if this is the pentax m42 50mm f1.4or the 85mm f1.9 🙄 and with the 35 mm f3.5 nearly everything is in focus. More testing to come also need to mount it to something as well.

[leslie]

its monday night and its christmas in july,  Just  had ebay messages say that my tiffen black promist 1/8 had been delivered, which is odd as the postman didn't stop today. So  i had had a look at the tracking and surprisingly there was a message saying it had been left in a safe place on the 16th which makes it a thursday delivery. which is bloody odd for the postman, normally he honks when there is registered mail. Well i gave the carport the once over, no joy there, surely its not out by the front door i thought.😨 yep sure enough, there was two boxes and a new telephone book. First package was the tiffen, the next box has usa postage, and theres only one thing, thats coming from america at the moment and yes the fvd-16a has arrived, its only been sitting out by the front door for 5 days🙄 Thats $850 aus just sitting at the front door, minding its own business. 

i have had a quick once over with it and took a few pics for posterity. firstly the fvd-16a is solidly constructed and it weighs a good handful, not saying its heavy,  just substantial. You could bolt this onto a tank and it wouldn't look at of place, neither do i think there's must chance of it falling apart either.  I think there's about 1/4 of a millimeter between the fvd16a and the front of the elmoscope with a single layer of masking tape on the front of the elmoscope the fvd slides on and the three set screws hold both together nicely. one small issue on rotating the focus there is a small grease spot, i hope it doesn't get any worse.

lastly i put the tiffen on the tokina atx pro 2.8 and took two shots one with the bpm 1/8 and one without. The first is no promist, the second has the promist, its subtle but its there, i'll have to test a lot more before i decide but at least you guys can have a look as well.

[kye]

A little late to this party, but good stuff in here @leslie!

Firstly, great to get out and shoot.  Those models you've got there don't look particularly bright - just hanging around each other like sheep.

You're in good company with the FD lenses.  I've got the 70-210/4 and a 2X TC, which I used yesterday to film my son playing football and also today to shoot a camera test.  I was very confused about how to put the FD mounts together, and now I just have the lens, TC and adapter all as one piece.  It works as I don't have any other FD lenses.  The mount sure is strong though.

The good company I speak of for FD lenses isn't me, it's this guy: https://www.youtube.com/c/MatteobertoliMe/videos

He's a professional DP and a talented one at that, and you'll find a few videos he's shot with the P4K and FD lenses.  He's upgraded now to P6K and Leica lenses, but the fact he had FDs before that implies they were a second preference which is high praise from him.

Good score on those lights.  I'd suggest first job is to put out the fire that appears to be burning the entire earth from below in this photo though:

In regards to covid, we're also watching from the west with concern and disapproval.

 

[leslie]

cats and brick walls seem immune to the bpm or its very subtle if it is happening. With the  lambs i think there could be a lightening or slight haziness in the shadows at the back. I guess i need to throw some indoor lighting into the mix or point it at the sun perhaps. that could be something to try tomorrow. So far i'm liking the black promist 1/8 i think it will stay on the front of the tokina for the moment. I can fit it to the fvd16 as well but haven't had a chance to do much with it today. about the only thing i did with it was to give the focus ring a twist, the three set screws seem to be doing their job, but i may give each a slight turn with a screwdriver however i'm a bit hesitant to mark the elmoscope.

[leslie]

Done some experimenting with the fvd16a and the russian 40mm lens as it seems to be the widest i can go. Main issue with the russian lens is to change the aperture you need to turn the little ring that surrounds the glass. Which is a little inconvenient when the anamorphic is mounted. 

I have shamelessly exploited the cat again. my setup was p4k, viltrox speed booster, russian lens, elmoscope and fvd16 hanging off the front. I shot wide open, light level were quite low, not sure if that contributed but i feel, its still abit soft, i had focus peaking easily seen on the cat, so i figure i got that part right.  I shot it in hd and delivered it in hd so i don't think that can contribute to the issue. I figure something of my understanding is flawed or maybe the russian lens  could be contributing. I have a vague memory about this lens not reaching infinity and the seller saying that it had been modded to reach infinity.  In my next experiment i'll swap out the russian lens for either pentax  50mm or fd 50mm, leave off the speed booster and use just the elmoscope and fvd16. that should eliminate two possibilities and narrow the field.  

the second clip is of me, pulling an old canon laser printer apart for the stepper motors. i used a gopro 4 for that timelapse both clips have a little banding from the florescent lights. i think that will be easier to fix with the p4k, more experimenting with the shutter angle should sort that out i think. I also feel the second clip is the opposite of the first much sharper maybe too sharp perhaps.

My fvd being brand new is a little stiff to focus, i understand it will take some time to wear in or bed itself. and i don't have an issue with that, however it is stiff enough to overcome the elmoscope focus ring and then the elmoscope turns with the fvd16. Whats the consensus regarding this ? do i tape the elmoscope focus ring to the barrel to stop it turning or is there something else that can be done ?

I have been splitting my time between the p4k, anamorphics and website building. like everyone at the moment i have been watching youtube and to be honest, the advertising bores me, i also feel that uploading my videos even with my warts and all approach shouldn't be a justification for them to apply their own compression and gummy it to death like a 2 year old with an ice cream. Too that end i'm posting my journey and tests on my own website. If you have a spare minute and a half, you are welcome to have a look at https://troveofstuff.com/anamorphic videos/ana montage1.mp4

any constructive input as to whats happening with my set up would be appreciated.

[leslie]

The moons made an appearance the last couple of nights, but conditions have been pretty ordinary. However i did set up the tripod just on dusk tonight. Stuck the p4k and a canon fd 500mm mirror lens i received some 4 weeks or more ago on top of it. Pretty sure a 500mm mirror lens isn't something that most people would consider pairing with a cinema camera. 😉  I had a mirror lens a couple of decades ago i guess. Used it till the silver on the mirrors fell off, bit sad about that. The whole donuts thing, doesn't seem to bother me much,  although i don't find swirly bokeh appealing at all. Make of that what you will.

First light ( for me ) and the canon 500 and pk4. First attempt, there is a slight breeze to a gust every now and then. Which really shows up the less desirable traits of my tripod. found an old brake hub off something, suspended it under the tripod,  hopefully it will help with the wind next time,  seems like the wind is increasing, so may not get another chance tonight. A quick test shows that the weight acts as a pendulum in the wind, while it does a better job, gusty winds introduce a slight rocking motion. I'll probably shorten the bale twine that should help. 

500mm x the 1.9 crop on the p4k makes for a 950mm focal length, if my math is right which makes for a nice sized moon at least. After my first efforts i'm kinda impressed. Still lots to learn no doubt. Keen to see what i can obtain on a still night.

 

[leslie]

my brothers birthday yesterday, he's arrived for a couple of days r&r, I've news for him 😉

turns out he's bought a drone, he's also bought a second hand eos 5d iii. No mention of the money i'm owed 🙄   So i lashed out and got him andrew reids  mark 3 raw shooters guide. That should earn me some brownie points and keep him off my back for abit. Best thing is the guides on special... didn't mention that to my brother. 😃

[leslie]

There's forum thread post about removing lens coatings. Most everything i need to experiment with has turned up. Got a cheap super takumar 35mm f3.5, that had haze or fungus issues. The cerium oxide has arrived. " obtained " some polishing pads from the old work place, since i didn't get paid for 4 hours work the last time i worked there, i feel it was justified. Shame that's its the year 2020 and bosses still think its ok to rip workers off,  i already had the lens wrench.

I bought the 35mm super tak as i already had a 35mm smc m42 to compare it to. Still need to get some resin to make a lap with and i need to take a stack of photos for reference, before and after. i guess i'll pull it apart clean the glass reassemble, take some photos  and then repolish one of the lenses and see what develops. not sure which lens would have the most impact but we can chat about that later.  I'm guessing contrast should drop off abit, so will need some sort of shots with light in it for the flaring as well. Might be a good idea to re purpose one of those tungsten lights i picked up for nothing.

one thing i better do is video everything as there's a good chance it will take awhile and i'll forget a step in the process for sure