By Matt Jeppsen, December 11, 2008
In recent years, 35mm lens adapter systems have been gaining tremendous market share in production circles. Major rental houses have offered the P+S Technik Mini35 as well as its big brother, the Pro35, for years, enabling the use of high-quality PL lenses and film-like depth of field for video production. All the while, more affordable solutions have been gaining ground in lower-budget production circles. The Redrock Micro lens adapter system is probably the most recognized force of change in independent filmmaking. Redrock's mainstream success seemed to spark an explosion of lens adapter companies and designs.
Even with many new adapter options on the market, the rental circuit has been dominated for years by the Mini35. Use it on one project and you'll understand why. Build quality is excellent, battery options are well thought out, and setup and configuration are relatively idiot-proof thanks to P+S's kits for various HD cameras. Image quality perhaps isn't quite as sharp as some recent adapter options, but it is well within spec. And the Mini35 utilizes a spinning image screen, eliminating some of the grain and fixed-pattern-noise issues that can crop up in oscillating systems.
So I was very excited to learn at NAB 2008 that Letus (www.letusdirect.com) would be releasing a spinning adapter design dubbed the Ultimate. They had already made a name for themselves with the Letus Extreme adapter. Pricing was announced at $4,500, which immediately drew comparisons to the $10,000 P+S Mini35. Following NAB, after Letus worked out the final kinks in the system, they shipped me beta unit #4. I've been shooting with it for a while now, and I'm happy to report that the Ultimate has exceeded my already high expectations.
Setting up the Ultimate, I was immediately struck by the build quality of the unit. Constructed of milled aluminum, it is extremely solid, and the fit and finish is equally good. While not as fully integrated and heavy-duty as the P+S design, the Ultimate takes all the positive elements of the Extreme adapter and improves on them. It's basically the same size as its younger sibling, though a beefier shape. The Extreme's interchangeable lens mount design essentially remains but has been upgraded with an external mount collimation ring. Simply unlock and twist the ring to collimate the lens mount. No need to remove lens mounts and the unit remains sealed. It's a brilliant design that I immediately appreciated.
The Ultimate uses a spinning ground glass, a first for Letus. Rotation speed can be adjusted in levels from 1 to 99 by using an electronic control and LED display on the back of the unit. This allows you to tune the adapter on the fly for specific camera shutter speeds. The unit is virtually silent and vibration-less when running. Powered by AA batteries, the Ultimate can also run on 12V power. There is a low-battery warning light. The default configuration features a PL mount, but ten additional lens mount options are also available. The Ultimate is a flip adapter, so images are recorded upright on the camera, simplifying monitoring in the field. The weight of this unit virtually requires a rod support system of some kind. My review unit came with a beta version of their $600 rod support system, offering threaded 15mm rods and extensions and height-adjustable camera and adapter supports. By print time, Letus should have released a $4,500 B4 relay lens option, further positioning the Ultimate in the high-end HD market.
Letus Ultimate image quality is possibly the best I've seen on a lens adapter system to date. It's important to stress that, as this is a First Look review, my remarks are anecdotal, and I have not yet shot proper comparative chart tests. However, after working with every major lens adapter system on the market, that's not a statement I make lightly. This really is an amazing unit. Images are consistently sharp edge to edge and visually grainless. I tested the unit at shutter speeds up to 1/1000 without any adverse image issues. Indeed, smooth, grainless video can even be shot at the high f/16 and f/22 stop range. Most adapters perform well in the f/4 to f/8 range and start to exhibit ugly grain and artifacts at extremely high f-stops. The Ultimate does not appear to be limited by this issue. Sharp, deep-focus images can be obtained, given enough light. Speaking of light, loss is minimal with what appears to be a half stop of light lost in the system. And bokeh rendition is exactly what you would expect from spinner design; smooth, clean and sharp, with a minimum of the typical lens adapter frosted diffusion effect. It is truly a joy to work with the Ultimate.
A standard Letus Ultimate package includes a lens mount of your choice, an achromat and connection ring for your camera, D-tap power cable, waterproof case with cut foam, and a height-adjustable rod support bracket. It also comes with a one-year warranty.
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