QuickHitRecord

ML Raw Compression Ratios (5D Mark III; 1080P)
10-second clip
Original MLV: 872MB RawMagic Compressed CDNG: 466MB (47% reduction) Davinci Resolve ProRes4444XQ: 479.2MB (45% reduction) Davinci Resolve ProRes4444: 316.4MB (64% reduction) Davinci Resolve ProResHQ: 222.9MB (74% reduction) Davinci Resolve ProRes422: 92.2MB (91% reduction)

PREFACE: I have been doing some testing with this lens for a while now, but lately I have been swamped with work. Also, there has been some sadness surrounding the girl who appears in the demo video (and several other anamorphic tests of mine), so anamorphic shooting has been on the back burner for a while now. But I'm seeing now that someone else has had the same idea, and is trying to make an unrealistic profit from it. And so I feel that I must post this write up, because this isn't a $1400 lens.
 
The search for the perfect anamorphic lens is over (at least for me).
 

 
Some months ago, I saw a post here from a member named frerichs. He claimed to have purchased a Bell & Howell 2x 16mm Anamorphic Projection lens (not the excellent Kowa model) for cheap and discovered that it was single focus, like the coveted Iscorama. I was skeptical, but since they can often be had for between $75 and $150 on eBay, I bought one to try out for myself.
 
At first glance this lens does not look like a winner. It has neither the steam punk appeal of the Lomo square fronts, nor the timeless curves of the Iscorama. The impossibly long and narrow build of the lens suggests that this would never be viable match for anything but the longest taking lenses.
 

 
And yet it works. The front element is a -7 diopter that focuses the other two elements in the housing as the head is turned, similar to the Iscorama. Unlike the Iscorama, the lens takes about five full rotations to go from infinity to close focus, which is limiting for practical use. But I have been working with a CNC machinist to resolve this, and I now have a prototype that allows me to do a full range rack focus in a one and a half turns:
 

 
(Want to do this yourself? Ask a machinist to design a new front housing with a "multi-start thread" that will house the front diopter and screw directly onto the existing thread on the tube; this could also conceivably be done for Iscoramas to the same effect). 
 
We have also added a standard 58mm threading for easier filter mounting, and I've since installed a custom seamless ultra-wide delrin focus gear to add just a little torque for even easier focusing (not pictured).
 
The Bell & Howell projection lenses that originally shipped with this lens were f/1.2 and f/1.4, so it is designed to be sharp at faster apertures -- and I find that it is. Perhaps not razor sharp, but as sharp as I'd ever want an anamorphic lens to be. And once you've removed the two limiting screws from the "head" of the lens, you can focus as close as two feet without diopters. Too much closer than that and the head will screw right off, but it's just as easy to screw right back on.
 
Flaring is nice:
 

 
The lens is not without its drawbacks. For one, it focuses to about 40 feet, not true infinity. That's not an issue for me, but it might be for some shooters. It's all-metal construction makes it a bit heavy which combined with its length will benefit from a lens support (which eliminates the shake that appears in my rack focus test). It vignettes when paired with wider lenses, so it is a better fit for smaller sensor cameras or Canon DSLRs with Magic Lantern raw crop mode enabled. For instance, I can shoot 1600x1200 with a Pentax Takumar 105mm f2.8 lens on my 5D Mark III and I don't see any vignetting before f/8. I also tested it with a Nikkor 50mm f1.8 AI-S on my GH2, and it was vignette-free so long as I cropped my 2x image down to 1.5x.
 

 
So how does the footage look? Here's something that I shot with it: 
 

 
I am excited to add a sharp, easily rack-focusable, short minimum-focusing anamorphic to my arsenal. It won't be the right lens for every anamorphic user, especially those who want to be able to shoot as wide as possible, but for the price, it could make single-focus anamorphics more accessible to those who have not had a chance to work with them yet. 
 
Happy shooting!

We had a similar discussion about this last year with some examples posted: http://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/6657-camera-cadencemotion/
Other than a camera being free of distracting artifacts/moire, motion cadence is the most important characteristic of a camera for me as well. What is frustrating is that not everyone can see it (kind of like watching footage from certain digital projectors has been known to make a select few people feel nauseous; I am one of these people), and this seems to turn most discussions on the topic into a "believers" versus "non-believers" debate, with a lot of people making claims that "it's because of THIS", "no, it's because of THIS", "no, you're wrong"... etc.
I've heard many possible explanations for pleasing motion, and I am not sold on any of them as THE answer just yet. I'm happy to call it "magic" for now and I'm more interested in discovering new contenders that deliver excellent motion cadence. What affordable cameras do pleasing motion cadence? Perhaps there is something already on the market that we have overlooked.
Anyway, in the sub-$10K category, the D16 looks the best to me. Digital Bolex have picked up on what people are saying about the superb cadence of their camera, and they have been using it as a selling point:

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!

Price drop:
I - $150 (includes shipping in the continental U.S.)
II - $125 (includes shipping in the continental U.S.)
III - $75 (includes shipping in the continental U.S.)
IV - $25 (includes shipping in the continental U.S.)
V - $25 (includes shipping in the continental U.S.)
This is significantly below what you'll pay on eBay (where you will probably not find any test footage either), and the most cost-effective path to single-focus anamorphic.
If you already have an electronic or wireless follow focus system, you could order a seamless focus gear from Sean McCurry (http://www.ebay.com/usr/helicoptersean) for faster focus pulls.
Prices are firm.

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