QuickHitRecord

The HVX200 (not A) was the primary camera at my first paid staff video position back in 2009. I traveled and shot with it extensively. The combination of that camera, the lights that were available to me at the time (Arri tungsten & Kino Flo), and the hoops that we had to jump through for basic color correction did not create a very compelling image. Or, they didn't with my skill level. I remember trying to get a wide shot of all four members of OAR in a tiny hotel room and having to use the Century wide angle adapter, with it's massive distortion and blurry corners. I think we took down one of the hotel curtains and draped it over the couch they were sitting on because its floral design didn't match the subject. It was such yucky footage. The first time I saw 5D, 7, or even GH1 footage, it was profoundly gorgeous by comparison. There's not really any part of me that misses the HVX, though sometimes I'm tempted to track one down just to see what I can get out of it with 17 years of experience and all of the modern support tech. But even that experiment isn't worth a couple hundred bucks to me. I do think that some of the later 2/3" CCD bodies were capable of something unique in the right hands, if you're willing to deal with the bulk and weight of a historical ENG/EFP camera. I'm not. I've mentioned it before but whenever I get the itch to shoot with a CCD camera, I reach for my trusty FZ-47. It has a bigger CCD than the HVX but is a fraction of the size and weight, and costs next to nothing. No, it doesn't have any professional I/O or features, but it is fully manual and I think it's way more fun to shoot with than any of the behemoths that came before. The image is gloriously junky, and it the way it handles skin tones is wierd but kind of cool.

Ah, my favorite topic (and it comes up every couple of years). Hopefully we can have this discussion without the usual accusations. I've done a lot of personal experimentation in this area because most cameras looked off to me. Where I've landed is that I don't think that global shutter or CCD sensors is a surefire recipe for pleasing motion. I spent a lot of time and money figuring that one out. My list of favorite motion capture cameras is a motley crew and includes the Red One MX (but oddly, not the DSMC1 line), the EOS-M in 1:1 crop, and believe it or not, the hacked GH1.

Got a link to the film (or a trailer)?

Wow, I think that one speaks for itself. I actually just made my first ever purchase from Buyee. The lens was not well photographed or chronicled, but it was listed for a price that I couldn't pass it up. I think one of the things that has stopped me in the past is that I didn't know what the shipping fees would be, and now the tariffs are an x-factor as well (I read 17% a few days ago, but who knows). But for $30, it seemed like an experiment worth trying.

2023 was so poor for me that I almost left the industry. 2024 was enough to get by on. 2025 seems like I'll gross 10-20% more than last year, even though my costs are up significantly across the board. It's still by no means a "well-paid" job. And I don't know how sustainable this is, because I haven't felt like my market would support a price increase for the past three years. I haven't given dared to give myself a raise. This is one of the problems about making a living in video production and editing into the second half of one's career. @fuzzynormal touched on this above; I can't expect to increase my rate based on experience alone when I am competing with people who are literally half my age. Now that I'm in my 40s, the stability and security of a staff position hold more appeal. And yet the job market is so volatile that I might have better job security being self-employed -- for now. My problem is that there is nothing else that I am equally drawn to. Almost every role that draws a decent salary involves sitting in a never-ending stream of unproductive meetings, and I can see a lot of those going away as a result of AI in the next couple of years. I can't reach a place where a career shift makes sense.

Thanks for sharing. I felt like this actually made a strong case for the Remus lenses! I found that look to be way more interesting. I'd still miss that 2x stretch though. You did a really nice job here. It's very closely matched! But I think it's the bokeh and the pincushion distortion that sells the effect for me. I think you've made a solid case to me for going with a more vanilla modern anamorphic lens (maybe a 1.8x) and dirtying it up in post. But at that price point, I think I'll rent on a project by project basis. The old school adapters are still inexpensive enough to own. I've discovered in my EOS-M that ML has a 1.175:1 aspect ratio available. With a 2x stretch, that's 2.35! It's very clean. Unfortunately the quality of the HDMI stream from this camera is pretty terrible and difficult to focus with, so I'll see if I can get the same thing from my 5Diii. Also, I spent way too much money ordering all of the parts for Lucas Pfaff's PFocus B anamorphic focuser with the hope that I could successfully assemble it and have a nice universal focuser for any cheap anamorphic adapter. However, I accidentally ordered it to be printed with 100% infill, so I fear that it's going to be a brick. But we'll see, maybe it will surprise me. If I did it again, I would only go this route if I had a 3D printer at home, or a friend who had one. From a cost standpoint, it doesn't make sense to order it from a site like Shapeways. @kyeHave you ever thought about purchasing a cheap 2x adapter? Given what I know of your aesthetic, I think you'd get pulled in!

It's a pretty subdued look, but I like it. I can't make out as many fine details as usual and I love when she's just a little out of focus. Also, I'm kind of over the horizontal flares. Nice shots. Especially the cows. Anamorphic projector attachments are definitely a way to burn up a lot of money on a whole lot of nothing. I could have made a down payment on a house with the amount I spent on them (though I did recoup some when selling). This time, if I end up buying anything, it will have to be pretty inexpensive. I can't look away from poor financial decisions as easily as I did in my younger days. I had a random memory of this test that I posted here 11 years ago. I never did anything with this combination. I should probably give it another shot. It's unique and I still have all of the components. And maybe there are better wide angle converters that will yield different results.

I'm looking around to find an example to explain this better. Most of what I'm seeing is too sharp. This is nice. I find that sometimes I actually like when anamorphic lenses having taking lenses that are focused just a little off. Here's my B&H single focus vs a Sirui 1.6x that I rented. I'd happily just stick with the B&H if I could go wider with it. I also like what I'm seeing from the Kowa 16D in terms of character, but it's not going to play well with a ~50mm lens either. That is a really nice lens. Very smooth bokeh, and a little CA in the bokeh wide open (which I quite like). I think those Voigtlanders are known for holding circular bokeh for longer when stopping down, a very nice characteristic for pairing with an anamorphic lens. I think you're onto something. Check out this video. Tropical was the wrong word. But it's super humid! I liked in Kobe for three years. I've owned the Helios three different times, and sold it. I just don't get along with that lens. If I can find a decent mod on a fast 35-50mm lens (with no streak), I'd consider it. From what I've seen, the mods still don't have the weirdness of true anamorphic. What Blazar is doing is really neat. I think they are doing it with their new Beetle lenses as well.

@Ninpo33Thanks for such a detailed response. It's good to know that there are still some out there making beautiful images with this old glass. I love the idea of Buyee for vintage lenses, but it never seems like it was more cost effective than just waiting it out on eBay. And that was before the tariffs. Plus, it seems like a lot of older glass imported from tropical climates has more fungus. How do you make it work for you? I can't find anything written about this. Is it as simple as unscrewing the back panel and popping out the anamorphic element? Seems like a steal compared to some of these other variable diopters. Are there any known limitations? Is that a YashicaScope? Would love to see some footage!

I'm looking around at the current anamorphic landscape and finding that while much easier to work with and capable of wider angles, the new offerings from Sirui, Blazar and Laowa lack the same jaw-dropping quality that footage from the older adapters had. I find them so clean (yes, even the Blazars) that I think that it defeats the point of shooting on anamorphic. So that brings me back to the vintage adapters, which seem to have come down in price since the modern lenses have hit the market. Plus there are now several variable diopters available for single focus. Going on character alone, what are your favorites? At one point or another, I've owned 10-20 different adapters, and I still have a modded Bell & Howell Single-Focus. But after an 11-year hiatus from anamorphic, I am looking for fresh perspectives.

Thanks for sharing. Are you sure these were made by Tokina and not Kino Precision? I bought that same 35mm f2.8 a few years ago. Within an hour of using it, the helicoid started to have some play in it. A few minutes later, the lens literally came apart in my hands (from completely normal use with my hands, no follow focus). I wasn't able to reassemble it. I think I've probably owned over 100 lenses at this point, and this was the first and only time this has ever happened to me. I hope yours are holding up better than mine did.

All of the above. I think that the lessening of detail forces my brain to "fill in the blanks", making it more of an interactive set for me. And I have an emotional response to an espresso machine, which I usually wouldn't. Curious, does the front element rotate when focusing on this? I've held the same position for years but lately I've been learning to like it. Hard-edged bokeh is one of the big differentiators between modern and vintage glass.

To me, these are my favorite images yet -- by a long shot. I may need to reconsider my position on vintage zooms!

I agree, but if you're trying to make a living doing this, those were a lot of billable hours that are not going to be available anymore. I had a potential client reach out about a project and I sent her a quote. I never heard back and later saw on their socials an AI version of said project. I'd like to hear more about your experience because I can't quite grasp what the revision process would be like. I assume that you adjust your prompts based on client feedback, but does the client ever tell you exactly what prompts to use? And rather than trying to communicate their ideas, do they ever just generate their own AI imagery? At that point, I think I might have a difficult time justifying why I would still need to be involved.

Last month, I officially lost my first (as far as I know) video job to AI. I'm sure it won't be the last.