letus35 elite

A Word of Welcome

Thank you and congratulations on your purchase of the Letus35 Elite! This manual covers the basic installation and operation of your 35mm adapter along with additional information on Troubleshooting and Technical Support.

35mm Lens(user provided)

Back-FocusAdjustment Ring

Condenser Lens

PrismCasing

InterchangeableLens Mount

Ground Glass (GG)& GG Holder

AchromatLens

InterchangebleConnection Ring

Getting to Know the Letus35 Elite

Below is an image of the different components of the Letus35 Elite for refer-ence throughout this user guide.

Letus35 Elite User Guide 1

TABLE OF CONTENTSUnderstanding The Letus35 EliteI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Package ContentsA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Optional AccessoriesB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Main FeaturesC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Installation and SetupII. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

UnpackingD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Connecting The Letus35 Elite To The CameraE. . . . . . . . . . . 3

Aligning The AdapterF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Focusing The Camera Lens To The Ground GlassG. . . . . . . . 4

Attaching The Lens Mount And LensH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Powering Up The Letus35 EliteI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Happy ShootingJ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Changing The Lens MountsIII. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Measuring FocusIV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Adjusting Back FocusV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Cleaning The SystemVI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Trouble Shooting And Technical SupportVII. . . . . . . . 9

WarrantyVIII. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

NotesIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11


Understanding The Letus35 EliteI.

This section provides information about the Letus35 Elite, package contents, optional accessories and its main features.

Package Contents:A.

Letus35 Elite 35mm DOF Adapter »Lens caps for the Elite (one for each side of »the adapter) Lens mount (which you specified with your »order)Your choice of a connection ring (72mm, »77mm or 82mm). You also can upgrade to the camera specific optimization kits (e.g. Sony EX1 kit, Panasonic HVX-200 kit, etc.)Allen wrench »

Optional Accessories:B.

Support Bracket »Rod Support System (this system includes the support bracket) »Rod Extensions »Custom case »Additional lens mounts for different types of lenses. We offer: »

Canon FD Mount »M42 Screw Mount »Nikon Locking Mount »Canon EF/EOS Locking Mount »Minolta MD Locking Mount »Zeiss Contax (C/Y) Mount »Leica-R Mount »Pentax-K Mount »Olympus OM Mount »PL Mount »OCT19 Mount »

Camera specific optimization kits (e.g. Sony EX1 kit, Panasonic HVX-200 »kit, etc.)Specialized Connection Rings (specifically made for certain cameras) »For the current list of accessories, please visit our website: »www.letus35.com

Main Features:C.

A half (1/2) Stop of Light Loss »


IOC Prism System to correct the image so it is right side up »Lens style backfocus adjustment on the fly »Virtually Quiet: The Vibrating Ground Glass emits nearly no operational »noise.Highest Optical Grade Achromatic lens custom-made for the Letus35 »Elite 35mm DOF Adapter.Custom Condenser specially tailored for the Letus35 Elite 35mm DOF »Adapter optimizing Image Quality.New and improved Ground Glass Design: Beautiful Film-Like Bokeh, ac- »curate color reproduction, absolutely no vignetting and the best Edge-to-Edge Sharpness in the industry.A sleek On/Off indicator with LED. »Easy alignment »Fully Enclosed batteries secured by tough magnets for ease of replace- »ment in the field.Extreme Durability, Professional Look: Casing milled from Solid Alumi- »num and finished in black.

Installation and SetupII.

Unpacking: A.

Remove the aluminum rear cap. 1. Remove the plastic front cap.2.

Connecting The Letus35 Elite To The B. Camera:

Using the Allen Wrench Tool included with 1. your package, loosen the three (3) screws located on the Back of the Letus35 Elite 35mm DOF Adapter and carefully remove the Camera Connection Ring.Hand tighten the connection ring onto the 2. camera filter thread (Caution: Do NOT over tighten the ring to the camera threads as doing so may cause damage to your cam-eras threads).

Aligning The Adapter:C.

Turn on your camera and zoom all the way 1. out.


Fit the adapter into the ring and look at the LCD screen.2. Align the adapter until you have all edges of the Ground Glass (GG) 3. parallel with the edges of the LCD screen (you may want to zoom in until the edges of the GG are close to the edges of the LCD screen for better alignment).Tighten the 3 allen head screws around 4. the thread ring once you are happy with the alignment of the image on the LCD.Zoom in until the edges of the Ground 5. Glass (GG) disappear and there are no signs of vignetting (dark corners or sides). This will be your outmost zoom level. From your outmost zoom level you may zoom in further to achieve a different Field of View (FOV).

Focusing The Camera Lens To The Ground Glass:D.

Point the adapter (Without a Lens at-1. tached) toward a well illuminated surface (white wall, sheet of paper) and by using your Camera’s IRIS ADJUSMENT or DIAL until the Ground Glass (GG) Grain Pattern appears. Then, use your Camera’s FOCUS ADJUSTMENT or DIAL to focus on the grain until the pattern is distinct. You may also use the AUTO FOCUS function of your camera to focus on the Ground Glass (GG) Grain Pattern. Once the Grain is in focus, switch your camera back to MANUAL FO-CUS. Your Ground Glass (GG) is now in Fo-cus.Once you get your camera focused on the 2. GG properly, lock this focus setting down (depending on your camera, you may need to use tape to lock the focus ring in place). You may want to write this number down for future reference.Note: For each Field Of View (FOV) chosen you may need to set 3. your Camera’s Focus once more. It may be desirable to keep a log of ZOOM and FOCUS settings for each camera being used.


Attaching The Lens Mount And Lens :E.

Using the Allen Wrench Tool included with 1. your package, loosen the three (3) screws located at the very front of your Letus35 Elite 35mm DOF Adapter.Insert the lens mount into the front tube 2. of the unit. Make sure to seat the mount flush against the tube.Tighten the three (3) set screws to firmly 3. lock the Lens Mount in place.Now, attach the appropriate Lens to your 4. Lens Mount.

Powering Up The Letus35 Elite:F.

Open the battery cover located on the side 1. of your Letus35 Elite 35mm DOF Adapter.Insert 2 New AA Batteries.2. Replace the Battery Cover.3. Turn on the Letus35 Elite 35mm DOF 4. Adapter by pressing the red LED button on the back. When in operating mode, the LED will glow Red.

Happy Shooting:G.

You may want to readjust white balance for »your camera according to taste. Do so by following normal operations for your cam-era to manually white balance.Happy Shooting! »

Changing The Lens Mounts: III.

The Letus35 Elite 35mm DOF adapter will allow you to use different lens types for your project. Each lens type will require a unique lens mount. Here are the steps to swap in/out the lens mounts:

Using the Allen Wrench tool included with 1.


your package, loosen the three (3) screws located at the very front of your Letus35 Elite 35mm DOF Adapter.Remove the current lens mount.2. Insert the optional lens mount into the 3. front tube of the unit. Make sure to seat the mount flush against the tube.Tighten the three (3) set screws to firmly 4. lock the Lens Mount in place.

Measuring Focus: IV.

The Film Plane for the Letus35 Elite 35mm DOF Adapter is marked by a line and a tape hook. Attach your tape measure to this hook for taking focus measurements.

Adjusting Back Focus: V.

Once you have achieved the focus of the ground glass, attach the lens 1. mount to the front of your Letus35 Elite, tighten the three screws, and attach your SLR/cinema lens.Dial the lens to ∞ (infinity)2. Point the camera with the Letus35 Elite attached to some objects very 3. far away. If those objects are not in focus loosen the 2 little thumb-screws on the back focus ring and dial the ring until you get the infinity focus.Dial the focus of your lens to some short 4. distance (that has the marked number on the focus ring, e.g. 3ft or 1.5m, etc). Hook a tape measure to the Letus35 Elite at the film plane hook and set something to that distance that you set the lens to. If you also achieve focus on this object, 5. your SLR back focus is good. If not, repeat steps 3 and 4 until you do get both focus. If you cannot achieve it, your lens’ barrel marking maybe off and may need to be serviced.


Cleaning The System: VI.

We try our best to ship each unit free of dust in the Optical Path. However, the Magic of Dust Particles is always surprising. In which case you may need to clean the optical path, refer to the steps listed below: NOTE: If the dust moves when the unit is operating it will more than likely be located on the Ground Glass (GG) and you will only need to perform steps 1 – 3.

Open the front tube of the Letus35 Elite 1. 35mm DOF Adapter by removing the four (4) screws and VERY carefully remove the tube. You will see the Ground Glass (GG).Clean the ground glass if you find the dust 2. there. Only go on to next step if the speck is stationary when the ground glass is ro-tating, if it is clean, put the tube back on. If not, continue to step 3.Clean the top surface of the condenser 3. (the glass right below the ground glass). If the speck goes away, you are done clean-ing, put the tube back on. If not, continue to step 4.Through the 2 holes on the ground glass 4. holder, unscrew the 2 Allen screws hold-ing the enclosure cap to the body of the adapter. Use a flat object to pry off the en-closure cap from the body of the adapter. Clean the other side of the condenser.5. Clean the top surface of the prism.6. Put the enclosure cap back on and use the 2 Allen screws to secure it in 7. place again. Do not over tighten them.Put the front tube back on.8.

NOTE: Dust will not matter beyond this point, unless it is a stain. To remove a stain, please send it back to the factory for repair. The warranty WILL BE VOIDED if you perform step 9 and beyond.

Pull the black rubber wedge at the roof of 9. the prism out with a pair of narrow pliers.

CAUTION


Take the battery compartment off and 10. gently pull it out. Remember, the wires are still attached to the battery compartment.Lift the prism up by using the index finger 11. and the thumb.Clean the prism with lens cleaning solu-12. tion and put it back.Put the rubber wedge back.13. Put the enclosure cap back and use the 2 14. allen screws to secure it in place. Do not over tighten them.Put the front tube back on.15.


Trouble Shooting And Technical Support:VII.

In the case you encounter circumstances that are not described in this user guide, please contact us at 1-877-77-LETUS (1-877-775-3887). We are open Monday through Friday from 9AM to 5PM Pacific time. If you bought our products through one of our authorized dealers and the adapter came not in the optimal shape, PLEASE CALL US first before returning to the dealer.

Warranty:VIII.

Letus Corporation warrants that its products, when installed and used in accordance with the user guide, will perform in accordance with specifications current as of the date of shipment, and will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one (1) year on new products and ninety (90) days on repaired products and/or components. Excluded from this Warranty is any physical damage caused by abuse, accident, or improper operation, and any lack of performance attributable to such abuse, accident, or improper operation, as determined by Letus Corporation. Letus Corporation shall not be liable for any incidental or consequential damages, including loss of production time or money, regardless whether the product functioned properly or improperly for any reason, including those for which Letus Corporation bears liability.

The one (1) year warranty period for new product shall be the one (1) year period beginning with the date of the products receipt by the customer. The one (1) year warranty is non-transferable and only applies to the original purchaser.

For repaired or replaced products, the repaired or replaced component is warranted to be free of material and workmanship defects, and to perform its function in accord with Letus Corporation specifications for a period of thirty (30) days from its date of shipment, or its original remaining Warranty period, whichever is the latter. All claims under this Warranty shall be immediately sub-mitted to Letus Corporation in writing and are subject to confirmation.

Should Letus Corporation deem it appropriate to return the accessory or a component to a Letus Corporation-designated location, it will issue the buyer a Return Material Authorization Number (RMA number), which must accompany all returns. The returned accessory or component shall remain the property of the buyer who shall ship it freight prepaid to the designated Letus Corpo-ration location with the RMA number clearly displayed on the packaging exterior and all paper-work.

Letus Corporation, upon receipt and subsequent confirmation of a warranty defect, at its sole op-tion, shall repair or replace the accessory or its component and return it freight prepaid to the Buyer within twenty (20) days from date of its receipt. At Letus Corporation’s discretion, Buyer may be responsible for shipping costs. Any upgraded return shipping method request made by the Buyer shall be borne by the Buyer.

This Warranty is made in lieu of all other warranties whatsoever, express, implied and statutory. The acceptance of any order with Letus Corporation is expressly made subject to the Buyer’s agree-ment to this Warranty.

Return equipment items - including but not limited to the Letus35 Elite, Letus35 Extreme, Letus35 Mini, Letus35 Ultimate, accessories, rods, rod support systems, lens mounts, and attire. All major equipment sales carry a 14 day return policy (less a 20% restocking fee) with the exception of defective merchandise. Defective merchandise is eligible for return within 14 days. If the item is


found to be defective, the customer will receive a direct exchange, suitable replacement (if item has become discontinued or unavailable), a repair, or in-house credit at the discretion of Letus Corporation.

Please note that the following items are not refundable for any reason: Shipping and handling charges, rush processing charges, taxes, duty, processing charges, or other fees imposed on an order.

A minimum restocking fee of 20% will be imposed on all non-defective merchandise. There is no restocking fee on the return of defective merchandise. Letus Corporation reserves the right to charge additional restocking fees for merchandise returned in less than acceptable condition.

A Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from Letus Corporation prior to returning any merchandise. Any product returned to Letus Corporation without an RMA number will be returned to the customer at the customer’s expense and no credit will be issued. RMA numbers are valid for a period of 30 days only. Merchandise received beyond the 30 day pe-riod will not be credited and will only be returned to the customer at the customer’s expense.

All returns must be shipped freight prepaid with the RMA number displayed on the outside of the shipping box along with the number of boxes being shipped back (i.e. 1 of 3, 2 of 3, etc.). Letus Cor-poration WILL NOT ISSUE CALL TAGS FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER. For your own protection, we suggest shipping all returns fully insured and via traceable carrier. We will not be held responsible for items damaged or lost in transit to us.

All returns will be credited based on the price paid on the invoice, or current selling price, which-ever is lower, less any restocking fees.

All returns must include a copy of the Letus Corporation invoice, and a letter explaining the reason for return.

All non-defective returns must be in new, re-sellable condition with all original unmarked packag-ing, accessories, manuals and unmarked warranty cards. Items showing signs of use will not be accepted for credit.

Letus Corporation reserves the right to have defective merchandise exchanged for replacement or repair.

Please allow up to 14 business days for Letus Corporation to process and credit a return. Actual time for credit to appear on bank card will vary from bank to bank.


NotesIX.

Focusing Aid

letus35 elite

Documents

camera lens

adapter lens mount

focus ring

lens user

camera connection ring

letus35 elitebelow

ground glass gg parallel

dof adapter lens caps