au8ust

I've finally received my lens today! The package arrived in not so good condition. A lot of scratches and tears but the contents inside was packed carefully.
 
The lens and rod support work good. I feel the rod support could work better if it does not rotate easily because the screws aren't so secured.
  The Iscorama itself has some stiff focus movements around 1.6m - 3m not sure why he didn't fix that. Also he somehow made some scratches on the Iscorama label on the front part of the lens but that's okay.   Even though it is a nice modification, if I would have a chance to choose again I wouldn't send my Iscorama to get modded!  

I've finally received my lens today! The package arrived in not so good condition. A lot of scratches and tears but the contents inside was packed carefully.
 
The lens and rod support work good. I feel the rod support could work better if it does not rotate easily because the screws aren't so secured.
  The Iscorama itself has some stiff focus movements around 1.6m - 3m not sure why he didn't fix that. Also he somehow made some scratches on the Iscorama label on the front part of the lens but that's okay.   Even though it is a nice modification, if I would have a chance to choose again I wouldn't send my Iscorama to get modded!  

I've finally received my lens today! The package arrived in not so good condition. A lot of scratches and tears but the contents inside was packed carefully.
 
The lens and rod support work good. I feel the rod support could work better if it does not rotate easily because the screws aren't so secured.
  The Iscorama itself has some stiff focus movements around 1.6m - 3m not sure why he didn't fix that. Also he somehow made some scratches on the Iscorama label on the front part of the lens but that's okay.   Even though it is a nice modification, if I would have a chance to choose again I wouldn't send my Iscorama to get modded!  

I've finally received my lens today! The package arrived in not so good condition. A lot of scratches and tears but the contents inside was packed carefully.
 
The lens and rod support work good. I feel the rod support could work better if it does not rotate easily because the screws aren't so secured.
  The Iscorama itself has some stiff focus movements around 1.6m - 3m not sure why he didn't fix that. Also he somehow made some scratches on the Iscorama label on the front part of the lens but that's okay.   Even though it is a nice modification, if I would have a chance to choose again I wouldn't send my Iscorama to get modded!  

I've finally received my lens today! The package arrived in not so good condition. A lot of scratches and tears but the contents inside was packed carefully.
 
The lens and rod support work good. I feel the rod support could work better if it does not rotate easily because the screws aren't so secured.
  The Iscorama itself has some stiff focus movements around 1.6m - 3m not sure why he didn't fix that. Also he somehow made some scratches on the Iscorama label on the front part of the lens but that's okay.   Even though it is a nice modification, if I would have a chance to choose again I wouldn't send my Iscorama to get modded!  

I hoped to bid the same listing but totally forgot about that until it had 14 seconds left!

Didn't know Canon produced some scopes too http://www.ebay.com/itm/Anamorphic-lens-baby-Canon-2x-Focus-0-32m-WOW-kowa-8z-16h-iscorama-cinemascope-/111370063839?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_146&hash=item19ee2c4fdf

Yeah, just get one made. I think Tito has done it before.
 
I actually have one cap here with me but I'd rather keep it for future use.

Yeah, just get one made. I think Tito has done it before.
 
I actually have one cap here with me but I'd rather keep it for future use.

A lot has been questioned about this subject since it first showed up in >a> couple pictures uploaded to Redstan's flickr, or (four days later) in Andrew's first post about them, in late July, 2011. Almost three years have passed and still we don't have enough objective reviews and facts about this mod. I'm gonna try to achieve this goal here. I'm starting with a bit of history (which involves some guessing), but feel free to skip it. :)

At first, it seemed that Alan (Redstan) was the one responsible for the whole thing, but now I believe he was the one who presented the the job to Van Diemen, and made a whole bunch of them at a huge cost and time. I don't think he sold any of these from the first batch, since we never heard of anyone reselling them, or using anything like that, but I might be wrong (Tony, feel free to chime in and correct me if this is wrong information). Then, time passed and a year and a half later comes Andrew Wonder, who was also featured on another EOSHD post involving a tuned iscorama, he called his "Wonderscope" and explained how he linked the pictures to Christopher Smith's machining job at Van Diemen.
 
I come to believe it was only after this "indirect" advertising and lots of emails and questions from anamorphic shooters over the world that Van Diemen realised this "thing" could be a regular service they were the only ones able to provide. Partly thanks to Tony's many inputs on the original design and partly thanks to the sudden interest in the subject. If I'm not mistaken, early 2013 was the moment when other shooters from this forum started sending their lenses over, and we had all the fuss regarding HUGE delays in delivery and processing orders. People had their lenses trapped there for over six months, etc. Just search the forum for "Van Diemen" and some of these will be listed, followed by multiple users asking various questions about the mod. Mainly "is it worthy?", which is a VERY subjective question.
 
I've sent my pre-36 Iscorama lens from Brazil in early December, 2013, after extensive emails with Christopher, at Van Diemen. My main concern was the time it would take to complete the job. He assured me I would have the lens back in 90 days. Recently, other forum members have reported they're >speeding the process to only a week, which is amazing (of course, this doesn't take into account the time spent during shipping).
 
The mod is listed on Van Diemen's website, and costs £850.00 + shipping (and another £95.00 if you want special engraving). That rounds to about US$1500, which, we all should agree, is a big amount of cash. It's important to remember that not all Iscoramas are eligible for the conversion as well. Tony has pointed out that the inner workings of the anamorphot are kept intact, so if you have defective glass or bad internal mechanisms, these will be passed onto the mod. Christopher confirmed this by informing that all lenses are verified once arriving at VD's, and every single defect is reported back to the owner, as you're asked if you want to proceed with the conversion (mine has some faint markings on the rear glass). 
 
Now, what does the mod do, EXACTLY?
 
The original Iscorama 36 weighs about 400g, has a fully plastic housing (which is pretty fragile) and focuses down to 2m without diopters (or >closer, through a hardcore mod). Rear thread is 49mm and you need some spacers to avoid hitting its rear glass onto the taking lens' front glass. Goes as wide as 50mm on a full-frame sensor and has a simple button feature for alignment. Focus throw is long (around 8mm), and if you modded yours for close focus, you need special attention so you don't drop the front element to the ground.
 
The VD conversion weighs 680g (220g lighter than an Iscorama 54, and still much smaller than the 54 beast), because the housing is solid metal. Also, it has standard 0.8 pitch focus gears. At some point during assembly, Christopher sends you an email, confirming if focus engravings should be in feet or meters, and it focuses down to 1.1m (or 3' 7") without diopters (it's twists a little over 360 degrees, and that impresses me every time I do it), even though the closest focus engraving is 1.2m (the 1.1m mark would overlap with the infinity mark). Focus throw is 1cm long, beating the close focus mod and making your life really hard if you want a follow focus that is able to spin from infinity focus down to 1.1m.
 
Rear threads are 58mm, and it does increase vignetting a little. It shows very slight vignetting on a Helios 44 (58mm) if stopped down, on a full-frame sensor. Aligning is still very simple, much like 1.33x lenses, where you have a rotating part with a small screw that locks the lens into position. Mine had the alignment buttons in really bad shape, so this new housing made aligning really simple, and I don't have to worry about breaking the lens apart in the process. They're also kind enough to include front and rear lens caps for safer transport.
 
I also read - after my conversion was done - that Van Diemen redesigned the rear (clamp-like) part of the housing to avoid this extra vignetting. I couldn't find the link pointing to where I read that. If someone knows what I'm talking about, please comment below and I'll update the post! Also, if you want to improve it even more, you can follow >jaquet's tips and stuck it into a lens support so you don't even need to align it ever again.
 
There's a recurring comparison between VD and a 54, and they are, indeed, different lenses. First of all, VD isn't necessarily multicoated, like all 54's, it's still a "medium" lens (not as small as the original 36 nor as big as the 54), but it doesn't draw so much attention, so you still have the stealth factor. Front thread is 72mm, which is a blessing for finding and using diopters, quite the opposite of the 95mm filter threads on the Isco 54. Please consider that I've owned (and used) an Isco 54 for over a year, so these aspects aren't guesses at all.
 
The full metal body is very nice too, since many Iscoramas have had rough times since they left Isco's factory, 30-40 years ago. Mine had its filter thread broken to smaller chunks of plastic and was held together by an empty UV ring. This, added to the almost-stuck alignment mechanism, and close-focus mod made sure that I could not EVER rent the lens as it was. Damn, it's a $4000 lens, it would be nice to make some money out of it, right? VD's conversion lets you rest assured that your Iscorama will work like any regular professional lens should work: without any special information required (specially regarding quirks).
 
Also, some other useful information not entirely related to the conversion: You should check in your country's customs office if there's a special form or procedure for items that are being sent out for servicing abroad and will return later. This will avoid paying extra taxes over the conversion costs. I know Brazil offers this option, and it's particularly useful, since I would pay a 60% tax over the declared value + shipping cost if it wasn't through this method. Plus Christopher is a really nice guy, who replies all messages and addresses every question you might have about the service. A good seller makes a hell of a difference for me.

Hey Tito! Can't wait for the review!

Hi Sergey,
 
Those are super amazing stuffs! I'm very very very interested in buying your items but honestly since you're very very slow at replying emails (and sometimes just disappeared) and have a lot of bad reputations at REDUSER.net. I can't really think about buying directly from you.
 
Is there any way you could prove yourself?
 
With all regards!

Just want to share this moment :D
 
I used to ask this about a year ago whether it's possible to use a Lomo Roundfront Anamorphic lens in PL mount with a Canon camera with a PL adapter. Most people said that can't be done due to the mirror, the mount size, etc... So I've decided to order a PL mount adapter to give a try and... it works! Even with the squarefront one but just the 80mm.
 
There is no need to remove the mirror for most roundfront lens like 75mm, 100mm and 150mm and even the Squarefront 80mm because they have short rear part. But for the 50mm it has a bit longer rear mount so you need to tape the mirror.
 
Sample stills from the Roundfront 75mm can be found here.
 
Too bad, I don't work full time for filmmaking now. Otherwise, this would be even more exciting for me :(

Pretty good. I have 3 PL adapters from 3 different sellers. The one ciecio7 is the best you can buy and funkykoval2001 is the the second best IMO.

Just want to share this moment :D
 
I used to ask this about a year ago whether it's possible to use a Lomo Roundfront Anamorphic lens in PL mount with a Canon camera with a PL adapter. Most people said that can't be done due to the mirror, the mount size, etc... So I've decided to order a PL mount adapter to give a try and... it works! Even with the squarefront one but just the 80mm.
 
There is no need to remove the mirror for most roundfront lens like 75mm, 100mm and 150mm and even the Squarefront 80mm because they have short rear part. But for the 50mm it has a bit longer rear mount so you need to tape the mirror.
 
Sample stills from the Roundfront 75mm can be found here.
 
Too bad, I don't work full time for filmmaking now. Otherwise, this would be even more exciting for me :(

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moondoglabs/133x-anamorphic-adapter-lens-for-iphone-5-5s
 
Create compelling widescreen films and photos with your iPhone
Anamorphic lenses were introduced for filmmaking in the 1950's to create an immersive, panoramic experience intended to compete with the widespread adoption of television.  In addition to a wide aspect ratio, the anamorphic aesthetic is characterized by horizontal flares, distortion that creates a unique sense of depth or dimensionality, and oval "bokeh" or blur for out-of-focus areas. For these artistic reasons, anamorphic filmmaking has been enjoying a decades-long renaissance.  However, due to the complexity and expense of the optics involved, anamorphic lenses are not readily available to most independent filmmakers.  We believe there are stories best told with an anamorphic aesthetic, so we have developed an affordable 1.33x Anamorphic Adapter specifically for the iPhone 5/5S.
How does the Moondog Labs 1.33x Anamorphic Adapter work?  The built-in iPhone camera captures a 16:9 aspect ratio in video mode, like this:
Nominal iPhone video capture format, 16:9 aspect ratio Shooting with the 1.33x Anamorphic Adapter optically “squeezes†a 33% wider scene onto the sensor, creating a raw image that looks like this (note the wider view, but thinner looking objects):
Raw anamorphic video capture before "de-squeeze" When you restore or "de-squeeze" your video to the proper scaling in software, your final video looks like this:
Anamorphic video after de-squeeze, 2.4:1 aspect ratio The Anamorphic Adapter works the same way for still photographic mode, transforming the native 4:3 aspect ratio to panoramic 16:9.
Native 4:3 photo format:
Nominal iPhone photo capture format, 4:3 aspect ratio Shot with our 1.33x Anamorphic Adapter and de-squeezed to full 16:9:
Anamorphic photo after de-squeeze, 16:9 aspect ratio There are many free or paid software packages available to de-squeeze video or still images created with an anamorphic lens – for example Final Cut Pro or Handbrake for video, and Adobe Photoshop or GIMP for still images.  For the best workflow, we are working with FiLMiC Pro to incorporate a 1.33x anamorphic de-squeeze in their first quarter 2014 release for full in-app compatibility with the Anamorphic Adapter.  To help you through the de-squeezing process, we will post simple instructions on our website and link to them here on our Kickstarter project page.
The Moondog Labs Anamorphic Adapter beautifully exhibits the wide aspect ratio and the classic horizontal purple flares and distortion that are characteristic of vintage anamorphic lenses.  Unfortunately, the short focal length lenses used in mobile phone cameras lack the shallow depth of field needed to create significant bokeh in most situations, including the oval bokeh traditionally associated with anamorphic lenses.
Technical Specifications 1.33x afocal anamorphic adapter Expands camera horizontal field of view (FOV) by 33%; vertical FOV is unchanged Increases video aspect ratio from 16:9 to 2.4:1 (with software de-squeeze) Increases still image aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 (with software de-squeeze) Compatible with iPhone 5/5S Precision all-glass optical design Single layer anti-reflection coatings Precision CNC-machined aluminum housing Secure clamping attachment mechanism, compatible with screen protectors Mass: 49.4 grams (1.74 oz) Overall dimensions: 32 x 26 x 38.5 mm (21.32 max. extension from iPhone) Patent pending design Designed & assembled in the United States Compatible with Glifâ„¢ tripod mount Our third-generation protoypes shown on the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 Reward Options We have early-bird pricing reward levels, and all Kickstarter backers will receive a significant price break compared to the expected retail price of the Anamorphic Adapter, so check out the reward levels in the right sidebar.
Holiday Gifting - If you are a thoughtful gift-giver planning to share an Anamorphic Adapter with some lucky filmmaker or photographer for the holidays, we will have a professional photo gift card describing the Anamorphic Adapter available for download so that you can print it and wrap it in time for holiday giving.
Product Status & Kickstarting Production Based on our experience with camera lens design for photography and filmmaking, we started exploring this concept in 2011.  We have assembled and tested several prototype versions of the Anamorphic Adapter to refine the final product design presented here. We are confident that we have a great design that is robust for production. We have vetted domestic and international suppliers for quality and capability of each component, and have qualified sample quantities from them.  The Anamorphic Adapter will be assembled in Rochester, NY by our experienced optical manufacturing and assembly partner with components from both domestic and international suppliers.  We would love to be 100% U.S. sourced, but the economics of making an affordable Anamorphic Adapter require international sourcing for some components.
Project funding will go toward component tooling and assembly process fixtures that will allow us to scale from small quantities to production, and will also go directly toward buying components in volume to build units for our backers. 
Background Anamorphic Format (Wikipedia)
Films Shot Anamorphically (Wikipedia)
The Changing Shape of Cinema: The History of Aspect Ratio (FilmmakerIQ)
Everything You Need to Know to Start Shooting Anamorphic (NoFilmSchool)
The EOSHD Anamorphic Shooter’s Guide (EOSHD)
Video soundtrack by Aled Roberts Music
    Looks lovely hah!

At least it squeezes the image and flares nicely :)
 
Oval bokeh might be there, if you shoot close enough.
 
I recall there is a kickstarter on anamorphic adapter before...

Agreed.
 
Ebay listing topic should be closed...it now makes it very unfair for people who want to buy - as ANYONE (including the seller) can now swoop through the list and start a bidding war that is now getting to ridiculous levels in some recent cases. The inflated interest and prices also make it more likely that fraudsters would try bogus private listings outside of the Ebay bubble. Private sale listings would be fine as long as people conduct sales and purchases with common sense and with the guidelines recommended by Andrew. A minimum feedback/posting level would be a good start to help ensure that fewer people would get stung or scammed.

lesson learned....  
 
not one person dealing with this issue seems to have contributed positively at all to this forum.  Just come here to take take take.  either selling or buying, they bring NOTHING to the forum.  Personally I think there should be a stop to all this posting of ebay listings, personal sales, etc.  at least topics of this nature should be only postable and visible by regulars.  
 
Also, someone please close the ebay listings topic.  this has to be the most ridiculous idea ever.  Share your findings with the world, kill any chance of you or anyone else savvy to anamorphics getting a bargain because everyone and their grandma can come in and see a run down of anamorphics worth bidding on.  If it were a secret topic to regulars I'd understand, but literally, I'd say that topic alone is contributing 50% towards the current silly inflation of anything with a squeeze ratio! 

There is a chinese monitor called NEWAY CL76HO-X with custom scaling option out there. It's about $300-400 as I recall. 

That is how it works unfortunately lol

Got this boy for a quite sometime but couldn't have a chance to test it out.
 

 
The spherical glass inside is Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm T/1.4.
 
Here are some screen grabs captured with Panasonic GH2 camera. All shot wide open @T/1.4
 

 

 

 

 

 
More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/au8ust/sets/72157632477645242/
 
Can't wait to try it on a real shoot!

Got this boy for a quite sometime but couldn't have a chance to test it out.
 

 
The spherical glass inside is Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm T/1.4.
 
Here are some screen grabs captured with Panasonic GH2 camera. All shot wide open @T/1.4
 

 

 

 

 

 
More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/au8ust/sets/72157632477645242/
 
Can't wait to try it on a real shoot!

no...
to make a lens as good as a kowa 8z today would cost over 2000 dollars
some of these lens are a bargain
the question should be why is ebay so full of tired old overpriced soft anamorphic lens
the iscorama new in the early 1990s in london cost £1500.isco could not make or sell that lens today for less than 4000-5000 euros.
people pay top whack on ebay sometimes cos they do not want to wait and hunt for a bargain
a soon as you get your anamorphic lens it needs to be tested quick and sent back if you are not able to get a sharp picture.
so much anamorphotic junk around so little time before the the next big war.