Caleb Genheimer

GH2 is the best non-RAW camera out there for the price if you're after a narrative film look. The hacked footage it gives is incredible, and I'm never selling mine, ever.

On behalf of the whole forum...
 

Overall, glad this is out there. Coming from the perspective of a younger filmmaker, this thing is a huge tool in the belt for us. A lot of us like to work faster, without too much bulky equipment. I can see it being extremely handy in that way. Regardless of the new fancy shots it can pull off, it makes the very basic stuff go quicker too. You don't need to mess around with sticks in a small room. By nature of the beast, there are separate operators for movement, framing and focus. What is more, all of those are electronically operated, not just the movement stabilization, but pan/tilt and focus pulls too. All of this speeds up the process of bagging your shots, while also improving the success rate of takes, because you've got three different people aided by electronic stabilization, attending to different aspects of capture.
 
All that being said, $15,000 is a big price tag. I'm not saying it is an inappropriate price. But to call anything at this price point a major game-changer is to speak too soon, I think. Sure, it is in a "rentable" price range for many people, and purchasable for some. 
 
I hope the price on this tech goes down, I really do. But there's definitely something to be said for a "complete package" (ready to use). with something this complex, I'd rather pay a bit more for a stabilizer, controllers (pan/tilt/focus) and remote monitoring system all from the same company. It just doesn't seem like something you'd want to be frankensteining together. Plus, all of those pieces are necessary in order to use it anyway, so why wouldn't they offer a complete package to keep the total cost down?
 
Just my 2c ;)
 
Also, it's about time someone did some coding for a second focus motor for these electronic focus setups. Dual-focus anamorphic users are in eager anticipation!

Get a mattebox that can take them, cutting them down would be a shame, diopters especially. Some folks really struggle to get diopters big enough to get the job done without vignetting. 

No, you will not get a wider angle of view by using the Speed Booster. With the Speed Booster, your NEX acts like it has a full frame sensor. You must use full frame lenses with the speed booster in order to not vignette.
 
As it is essentially full frame, you have to treat it as such when selecting a lens to use. 
 
 
For example: with a KOWA on the NEX camera without Speed Booster, the widest lens useable without any vignetting is probably around 45mm.
 
On the same NEX with Speed Booster, you must treat it like a full frame camera. The widest lens useable without any vignetting is around 75mm.
 
 
Because of the effective "sensor size" difference, these two lenses have pretty much the same field of view (even though they are different focal lengths). So the 58mm Helios, while great an NEX without the Speed Booster, would certainly vignette with the Kowa, just as it would on your 5DII. As itimjim says, treat it like a full frame EOS-mount camera when the Speed Booster is on . . . use 75/85mm and beyond lenses.
 
The difference is one of light intake and depth of field. As essentially a full frame converter unit, the Speed Booster brings full frame-equivalent shallow depth of field to the NEX cameras. Because it shrinks a full frame image circle to the size of an APSC sensor, the light is also brighter, giving you an extra stop (can't remember exactly how much extra, but it is a fair bit).

Have your friend shine a flashlight at the anamorphic. Use the flares to make sure that your lens is properly aligned.

I'll just mention that I now use this all the time. Once you set it up, it is just there, but it is incredibly nice to be able to watch my clips desqueezed straight from the camera, no rendering, no converting. Once I've dumped a card to my drive, I just open all the clips at once. That way, it loads them as a kind of "playlist" and it holds the modified aspect ratio from clip to clip so you only have to set it once. This simple little trick is a major time saver when you add it all up! Thanks again for the tip!

Darn. I've always hoped to be the first person to really "go at it" with an anamorphic/TS combo. You beat me to it. Good luck!

Just thought I'd throw out the heads-up in case anyone is interested. It isn't mine (obviously), but the Todd AOs are decent AFAIK and complete single focus units.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Todd-A-O-Anamorphic-lens-55mm-T1-3-canon-Arri-PL-Panavision-/330864182042?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item4d090ac31a

My newest song. Already up in the Screening Room, but I figured I'd share it here too as it was shot anamorphic. Listen with headphones.
 
The camera somehow got in an interlaced mode for some of these clips, that or I had some hack settings wrong. I almost threw all these clips out, but I'm glad I didn't. I think it actually adds to the look and feel of the video in a strange way. 
 
http://vimeo.com/58524262

My newest song. I'll do a proper music video later on. Listen with headphones.
 
The camera somehow got in an interlaced mode for some of these clips, that or I had some hack settings wrong. I almost threw all these clips out, but I'm glad I didn't. I think it actually adds to the look and feel of the video in a strange way. 
 
http://vimeo.com/58524262

I really hope they get their act together and offer some genuinely powerful video machines some time in the future. I'm simply not drawn to their stuff right now, and I sincerely think it is that either their 1080p looks like crap, or you must pay ludicrous prices for the decent stuff. I'm even more afraid as other manufacturers start to all use Sony sensors. Where's the diversity?
 
The one area where Canon still blows others out of the water is the color reproduction out of their sensors. It is gorgeous. If they would stop half-assing the video side of their products, they'd probably take back a large piece of the pie. 
 
Also the apocalypse-weather sealed unubtanium bodies are mighty attractive.

all eye is talkin about is the range of takin lens dat can be used on 7d size down is bigeror niceroror dan on dem bastard 5ds

dont gets me wong eye likes der 5d it takes very nice picktures super strong for snaps.
in der raw foto mode.

der vid e o looks like a hooker in a store window in amsterdamed migty perty from some disdance.
pasty and full ofs satanick decay ups close.

Just thought I'd share this also on the anamorphic forum specifically. Gotta love the Kowa image!
 
http://vimeo.com/56519741

It is winter in Minnesota, and that means snow. There is nothing quite like the experience of a walk in the snow clad Minnesota forests. The soft snow and sharp cold winter air create a new extreme of quiet that can only really be experienced first-hand. The accompanying music can only hope to capture some of the mood. Shut out the hustle and bustle this holiday season for a relaxing 11 minute walk by the frozen Sunrise River behind my home.
 
http://vimeo.com/56519741

Just thought I'd share this also on the anamorphic forum specifically. Gotta love the Kowa image!
 
http://vimeo.com/56519741

Yes, he is a lively little fella. Truth be told I was just carrying the whole folded tripod with the camera attached. The added bulk makes for a nice poor-man's stabilizer. It doesn't stabilize much, but it cuts down on jello-inducing fast movement. 
 
No Hypergonar for me, I've got a Kowa with RedStan clamps and a LightCraft Workshop variable ND filter. The taking lens was the good 'ol Konica Hexanon 40mm f1.8. If my memory serves me there are a few other Kowa owners on the EOSHD forum that use this taking lens with their Kowa optics. My copy at least is pretty bad wide open, but at f2.8 it sharpens up. Most of these shots were at f2.8 or f4 . . . that or balanced in the middle :-)

Just thought I'd share this also on the anamorphic forum specifically. Gotta love the Kowa image!
 
http://vimeo.com/56519741

Just thought I'd share this also on the anamorphic forum specifically. Gotta love the Kowa image!
 
http://vimeo.com/56519741

Well, I've found the Tokina to retain image sharpness. I don't know about the image improvement that some credit it with, but one thing is for sure, it doesn't make anything drastically worse, and that's saying something because many of the cheaper diopters available certainly do make things worse. Also, it is a low power diopter, which is less common and far more useful.
 
As for the front clamp business, I'd rather not go fiddling taking my lens apart to find these alleged threads. It is in very good condition, and the RedStan clamp is working just fine. I always do my research before buying anything, and I did no small amount before putting together this anamorphic setup. The RedStan rear clamp is absolute top quality as far as I am concerned. It is solid anodized aluminum machined to a precise fit with excellent threads and sturdy plastic lock screws that do not scratch my anamorphic. The front clamp is much the same, although it is a tad more bulky than need be, perhaps. 
 
I have been using this setup for half a year, and have recently completed a 30 minute short film shot entirely with the Kowa, Tokina diopter and Redstan clamps, not to mention many shorter videos. 
 
At the time of purchase, I emailed RedStan directly (I believe I found his email on the RedStan site), and I ended up trading RedStan for the package deal (Tokina and RedStan clamps). RedStan was courteous, prompt to reply and eager to work out a mutually beneficial deal. It is difficult to calculate precisely what I paid for this setup because it was a trade of goods, but there was no way with the exchange rate that I would have been able to afford the USD $300+ price of all these parts. Obviously I'm thankful and happy that RedStan was willing to cut me a deal, because I love anamorphic shooting and will never go back. 

Here is one more. The first was ungraded ProRes, this has a quick grade thrown on. Not sure if I like the grade, though.
 
[url="https://vimeo.com/55254355"]https://vimeo.com/55254355[/url]

Hi, All! This is just some of my "practice footage" from late night (early morning) walks around NYC with my trusty GH2, 37mm Mir, Kowa, Redstan clamps and Tokina 0.4 diopter. Hope you like it. [url="http://vimeo.com/55186577"]http://vimeo.com/55186577[/url]

Hi, All! This is just some of my "practice footage" from late night (early morning) walks around NYC with my trusty GH2, 37mm Mir, Kowa, Redstan clamps and Tokina 0.4 diopter. Hope you like it. [url="http://vimeo.com/55186577"]http://vimeo.com/55186577[/url]

Hi Caleb, I downloaded the 77,28 MB mov file from vimeo, and it's as dark as there in the player. I guess this has to do with a very complicated bunch of correlations of color spaces, working environment, monitor gammas asf., described in the first chapters of [url="http://splicevine.com/july-color-correction/"]this[/url].

As with every challenge, having become aware of the nature of a problem is of more avail than just buying, say, an Eizo monitor, or two, three.

> the utility app in OS X, [i]DigitalColor Meter[/i], should be in your dock permanently.
> as the article above suggests, if you can't trust your eyes, navigate with the instruments. In Resolve, you should watch the luma waveform to realize, that big portions of your shadows in the shadows drown completely (if most of the values pike at '10' and below).

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]'72mm Lightcraft Workshop Fader ND'[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]One danger using ND faders is crushing your midtones. Midtones are what the whole grading ado is about. It can very well be that your ND has made the image too flat by dying out the precious midtones. Can be detected by watching the histogram during shooting.[/font][/color]

The second thing I noticed is, that in your upload file the block artifacts are bigger than any grain could be.

> ProRes-master
> 7 mbps (or higher) upload file for vimeo. Good H.264 encoders are AdobeME or x264 Quicktime-plugin.

[quote name='EOSHD' timestamp='1346711974' post='17259']
Maybe all these money obsessed filmmakers need to go to school as well. Or at least art class.
[/quote]

What? Filmmakers taking art classes? That's me; in NYC for the semester and loving it. L.A. last semester, no work this summer, NYC this semester, broke, single and in debt . . . life's a roller coaster. Before you go being a negative nancy, ask yourself what good it'll do in the grand scheme of things (usually the answer is no good at all). Just keep on trucking, learn from the hard stuff, work hard when you get the opportunity.

That's what I like about products like the BMCC. There's clear innovation, and were there's innovation these days, there's usually a pretty special team of people behind it. They're persistent, passionate and professional; they wouldn't be able to innovate otherwise. I'm very excited for the BMCC not for the nitty gritty details that it is measured by. I'm exited about what it means on the grander scale. It is innovation and progress. Hats off to Blackmagic.