QuickHitRecord

Here is some footage that I shot with a 16mm Bell & Howell anamorphic just like the ones on offer here:
 

Thanks, Rich. My unit functions so well -- it effectively ended my anamorphic search that had spanned over a dozen or so different lenses, and the B&H is now the only anamorphic lens that I own. I'm definitely hanging on to it!

Wish you did finish that project.  I like the small size and the huge amount of old school flares.  Unfortunately I don't have the time to modify mine either.  Selling it too, looks like your IV version.  Your first one is a super clean copy.  I suggest anyone getting into anamorphic buy one of these.  Really a great deal, was my first anamorphic lens too.

Up for sale are five unmodified Bell & Howell Anamorphic Projection lenses. I bought them a few years ago hoping to modify them and make them available to the anamorphic community (you can read more about that here: http://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/6411-bell-howell-16mm-anamorphic-lens/ ). Unfortunately, the costs and turnaround times were prohibitive, so I had to drop the project. But they are still great lenses (single focus!) and can create nice images in the right hands.
While these lenses are readily available on eBay, it is difficult to find a decent copy. These five are the better of the nine or so lenses that I have owned. None of them is pristine, so if you are looking for a collector’s item, you’d best look elsewhere. But they are all functional. I’ve priced them according to condition and image based on what I have seen them going for on eBay. These lenses are all fungus-free.
Note: I don’t have a macro lens with me right now, so I haven’t been able to shoot close ups of the glass. I will describe them in as much detail as I can.
I - The best-looking of the batch. This one looks to be in the same condition as the one that I modified for myself. There are VERY faint cleaning marks on the front element (visible only if you hold it at a certain angle). The rear element has a very faint streak towards the edge (about 1” long). Not sure if it is a scratch, but I haven’t been able to remove it by cleaning it. Focus action is smooth. Comes with original box, and silver ring. - $200
II - Bronze finish instead of black. Slight cleaning marks on the front and rear elements. Very faint smearing on one of the internal elements (may be able to clean it). Some internal dust. Focus action is smooth. Footage looks as good as Lens I! Comes with original box, and silver ring. - $175
III - Black finish has been removed from main body, making it gunmetal gray. This lens has been lots of cleaning marks on the front and rear elements. Some internal dust. Focus is a bit uneven. No box, but comes with the silver ring. - $125
IV - The previous owner superglued a 49mm step ring onto the rear. I haven’t been able to remove it. There are lots of cleaning marks on both front and rear elements, and some splotchy markings in the coating on the rear element. The rear element has a rainbow-colored sheen on it that I have not been able to remove. I also see some internal haze. Focuses smoothly. No box or silver ring. - $75
V - Front element has moderate cleaning marks. Rear element has cleaning marks, and the coating is worn out in a streak right through the middle of the lens. The internal elements appear to be a little hazy. Focuses smoothly. No box or silver ring. - $75
Here is footage of all five lenses (with a quick rack focus test and tilt to demonstrate glass clarity; clearly some are better than others), all at f/2.8 with an Olympus Zuiko 100mm f/2.8 on my 5D3 (raw):
 
 
PW:B&H
Price includes shipping anywhere in the continental US. I’ll take payment through PayPal (as a gift).

I have been thinking about this lately as well. It seems that the more gear that we acquire, the fewer personal projects we take on. Lately, for me, the idea of only owning three primes is suddenly very appealing. And for all of the thousands of dollars that we pour into shoulder rigs, monitors, follow focuses, etc, shooting with a stripped-down camera is extremely freeing. The pressure of creation is off, and the limitations become exciting.
Taking this a step further, I have been thinking a lot about taking on what I'm calling the "1450 Challenge": for my next personal shoot, all camera dept. gear (including lenses) must fit into one Pelican 1450 case. 
Also, I agree on your point about computers. As an experiment, I recently sat down at the dining room table with a notebook (a paper one!) and a ball-point pen. I scribbled an outline for a feature film that I have been wanting to write and got more done in four hours than I had in the last four months while sitting at my computer. And then as soon as I went back to type the whole thing out in Celtx, the process slowed right back down.
Less is more.

I am not discrediting you, John. I am trying to remind you that it was not all take and no give from me. 
 
If you want to get into semantics, I did not discover the 16mm B&H. In fact, I would not be surprised if some of the people who designed the lens are still alive today. Certainly some of the old-school projectionists and collectors of such things are aware of its properties as well. I merely followed up on a one-off comment from a casual poster (in my book, an unreliable source), confirmed his findings, and then developed it into something that works for me. To my knowledge, mine is the first of its kind and I was excited to share it with the community. If you remember, >I gave credit to the original poster. 
 
Why "Top Secret"? Because it was not a widely-known fact to the anamorphic community, and I thought that with the right planning I could manufacture a rack-focusable 2x anamorphic and offer it for less than the price of a Kowa, but I needed a head start to make it happen. I shared it with forum members that I respected, and you were one of them. Turns out that I couldn't get my manufacturer on board in a way that was agreeable to me, so that dream died on the vine.
 
Look, I really don't care if any information that I shared with you influenced your design. Private messages are private for a reason. And I don't appreciate having my wrist slapped for being curious about a competing product. That's all that I have to say.

John,
 
It's true. You did make a great discovery (based upon my lesser but prior discovery, it would seem), and I appreciated your sharing it with me. You have created a marketable product which is more than I can say. Now, it seems that we were not the only people charting these waters. But while I applaud the Anamorphic Shop offerings and look forward to trying them out, you seem eager to "take him down a notch", which is exactly what I have experienced in my dealings with you -- and why you haven't been getting any emails from me lately.
 
If you read back on this thread, you have now had several people express concern about your conduct. You can either write us all off as outliers, or you can take a look in the mirror and ask yourself some questions. I know what I would do.
 
Nick

John,

I don't appreciate content from our private offline conversations being referenced here, and I feel the need to state that I am in no way affiliated with John's Rectilux. We were merely comparing exploratory notes.

Respectfully, I suggest that the moderation of this forum be handled by a neutral party who has no commercial aspirations.

Nick

Nice work!

I have been following the Nebula 4000 thread over at DVXUser. It gets good results when it works, but a lot of people have been having trouble with theirs (and then trouble getting a refund, in some cases getting to the point where the retailer was getting verbally abusive). I would definitely take a look at that thread before buying one: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?330675-Micro-Gimbal-for-GH4-BMPCC-A7s-699-USD

I enjoyed that, and I don't care what it was shot on. I connected with Ed's personal insight. Good stuff.

I had the opportunity to rent an FS7 for a shoot and in the down time, I tested it against my C100 and 5D Mark III (with ML raw loaded):
 
There is additional info in the video description for those who are curious.

How about using that GX7 in your picture? Seems like a great camera for what you are talking about, and you already have one.

I like this one because it doesn't require anything placed underneath the camera like a lot of flip-up loupes do, which allows me to use a quick-release plate of my choosing (in my case, I like the low-profile and anti-twist features of the Really Right Stuff arca swiss plates).

I use this one: http://www.kinotehnik.com/products/lcdvf/overview
I have been pretty happy with it, and the price was right.

Here's what Sekonic's DTS software is telling me about my 5D3 (shooting a Sekonic Exposure Target II with my L-478D meter):
H264:BMDFilm (4K):BMDFilm (4K) + CineLog LUT:All three stacked:
There's more in this thread that I started on DVXuser: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?331363-5D3-Dynamic-Range-Raw-and-H264

This is worth a look:
 

That was my thinking as well. 24-135mm on full frame translates to an S35 focal range equivalent of 16-90mm, which is pretty close to that Fujinon Cabrio that everyone wishes they had.
 
There's also a cheaper (and more abundant) Sigma 28-135mm f/3.8-5.6 that is supposed to have a non-rotating filter thread, a non-shifting focus ring, and a manual aperture if you get the Pentax or Nikon mounts, but I don't have that one.

It should be getting in tomorrow. I'll let you know. I have high hopes!
 
Here's what the good folks over at Dyxum had to say about it: http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/Sigma-24-135mm-F2.8-4.5-Aspherical-IF_lens130.html

I've stumbled across something that might be interesting to Full Frame and S35 shooters in particular: the Sigma 24-135 f/2.8-4.5. It's a relatively modern lens (from around 2000) so it will have the benefit of modern coatings. Optically, it seems to be well-regarded, though the lens construction is not supposed to be anything to write home about.
 
What's interesting about it to me is that the front filter does not rotate while zooming or focusing, AND it has a manual aperture (if you get the Nikon or Pentax mount versions) -- this is really unusual. The Pentax version allegedly focuses in the Canon direction too. Declicked and treated as a constant f/4.5, this could be a decent poor man's cine zoom.

@Zach
 
Be brand agnostic. Shoot with every camera you can get your hands on (without buying it) and it will become pretty self-evident what works best for you. Weigh the expense and downtime related with switching cameras against the improvements that you will get. Sometimes it will make sense to upgrade, and other times it is smarter to stick with what you've got for a little longer. No one can answer these questions but you!

@Zach
 
Be brand agnostic. Shoot with every camera you can get your hands on (without buying it) and it will become pretty self-evident what works best for you. Weigh the expense and downtime related with switching cameras against the improvements that you will get. Sometimes it will make sense to upgrade, and other times it is smarter to stick with what you've got for a little longer. No one can answer these questions but you!

It does look pretty good. Better than I would have expected for sure. But at this point in the game, I don't really understand the frustration with the ML workflow and file sizes. Why not just use a program like MLRawViewer to quickly and non-destructively color balance your shots, apply a LUT if desired, and export to ProRes 22 or ProRes LT? Sure, it takes some time to process your files. But at least that way, the massive MLV raw files never even have to touch your hard drive, and you've got a cleaner starting point.
 
Also, media is getting more affordable. I was surprised to see that KomputerBay 256GB 1066x CF cards have come down another $100 and can now be purchased new for $300. 
 
Unfortunately, there is no hack for the lack of an opposable LCD screen on the 5D. In my opinion, that is the most frustrating thing about the 5D3.

Have any other options become available since the last posts? I'm still using my AC7 which is great, but it's huge on my 5D3 and goes through my batteries pretty fast.
 
I can also confirm that there is no anamorphic monitoring on the Ninja Blade. I've emailed them to see if they could include this in the next firmware update.
 
EDIT: Atomos just responded: