QuickHitRecord

A good start. I have a lot of M43 and M43-adapted glass riding on this release.

[quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]But if both the cameras (GH2 and 5D3) were priced equal - theorically - which one would you prefer QuickHitRecord?[/font][/color][/quote]

Priced equally? I may catch hell for this on these boards, but I'd go with the 5Diii. It is not a camera that I am excited about, but it is pretty stable. No banding (that I have seen), better low-light, built-in headphone jack. The fewer camera quirks and shortcomings, the more attention that I can pay to actually shooting.

But the fact remains, they aren't priced anywhere near the same and I do have high hopes for the GH3.

I did mention this in another thread, but I think that it probably deserves its own topic.

For those of you trying to mount diopters on LA7200 anamorphic lenses, this is what I have been doing (see pictures).

The binding product is called Dual Lock. It is similar to velcro but is adhesive-sided and creates a stronger bond. I never have to worry about my diopters slipping off. It works well with inexpensive Cokin-P diopters as pictured. With a GH2, I can shoot with the Voigtlander Nokton and the LA7200 with only slight vignetting. So 30mm and up should be vignette free.

It's a very simple concept but I haven't seen anyone else using it and it took me a while to figure it out. I hope that others find it useful.

Andrew's review from a while back: [url="http://www.eoshd.com/content/639/rewo-gh2-cage-full-review"]http://www.eoshd.com...age-full-review[/url]

If anyone is interested: [url="http://www.ebay.com/itm/ReWo-V2-0-Professional-Grade-Cage-for-GH2-Rare-and-no-longer-in-production-/200808264756#ht_617wt_1367"]http://www.ebay.com/...6#ht_617wt_1367[/url]

I think that by suggesting that the OP write off all anamorphic lenses except for the Iscoramas, you're making it evident that you have been missing out on a lot great anamorphic action. There are anamorphic lenses with a lot more character out there. Even the ultra-low budget filmmakers (and I fall into this category) can create great images with these.

[quote name='Jimbawb' timestamp='1344627091' post='15279']
The main question is 'would general audiences be happy to watch a film where the majority of the whole pciture is filled with black?' the answer is probably not.[/quote]

Agreed. I would not want to sit through a 3.55:1 feature. It IS better suited for short films.

[quote name='Jimbawb' timestamp='1344627091' post='15279']
So Mondo, if you have an HD camera that shoots 4:3 natively then this lens could be perfect! In fact if thats true, you must tell us all which camera that is!![/quote]

The GH2 can be hacked and made to record in 4:3 natively. The drawback is that the last time I checked, it was only available at 30 frames per second.

I am considering shooting a short film with a the Hypergonar because I like the look so much. I currently have it on a shoulder rig and with a +1 diopter I can focus between 3'9" and 4'3" (image attached). I focus with my legs; just walk in or out until I see pores. Difficult, but that just means that fewer people are going to try it -- and that makes it all the more appealing to me.

Envious of the Alexa. One day I will get there.

[quote name='Jimbawb' timestamp='1344617323' post='15273']
Hey Mondo, just a warning, don't go buying a lens like the one in the link above, it's a projector lens and ain't no good for shooting![/quote]

I respectfully disagree. I don't know about the lens above but my Hypergonar HiFi-2 is a 35mm film projection lens and though it is difficult to use (heavy, dual focusing, requires a diopter), I think that it creates a fantastic image; among the best that I have seen. I prefer it to Iscorama. No one uses these lenses to make their lives easier but I believe that the extra mile really goes a long way.

Here are some samples of the same subject that I shot in succession with some of my lenses that you may find to be helpful in your search:

[media]http://vimeo.com/42505123[/media]

I have some other videos up with footage from later acquisitions, and there are hundreds of them out there by other people as well. I'd recommend looking at as much footage as you can before making a decision. Good luck!

Tony, I'd love to see some tests of your new lens. It sounds really promising. I'm sure that you've seen A. Safari's video on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/43590845

And you're right, there's not much going on in the Vimeo anamorphic group. This seems to be the best place to talk about anamorphic lenses right now.

Free advertising for Ray Valenti! Of course, I'll never be able to afford a house after buying all of these anamorphic lenses.

There are a couple of generic/off-brand models out there. I have no idea of what this one is. But it's good to hear that you seem to have found a winner.

To answer your question about aspect ratio, try this: Print a picture of a circle and tape it a wall. Square up your camera as much as possible and get a quick shot of the circle. Then take it into your editing software and stretch it out until it's a perfect circle again. Look at how much you had to stretch it and you'll know the ideal ratio of your lens.

I preferred the image from the Alexa myself. But if they switched up the DPs for round two, would I be saying the same thing?

The fact that the GH2 is even a [i]part[/i] of this conversation is remarkable. I sold off all of my Canon gear and bought the GH2 because I wanted to have a camera that could produce an image without any distracting visual shortcomings -- I wanted people (professionals, casual YouTube surfers, and everyone in between) to be engaged with the content instead of the pixels. For the most part, I feel like it has been a good decision.

There will always be bigger, better and newer cameras coming out but as far as I am concerned, this one sets the bar for consumer video cameras and will continue to as long as 1080P is still a part of the conversation.

Amen.

[quote author=richg101 link=topic=802.msg6104#msg6104 date=1339757784]all they will do is create test footage and then get bored and sell it.[/quote]

You know, you're right. Almost everything on Vimeo that makes use of an Iscorama is a test. There are very, very few films that have actually been made with this adapter. I have never seen one in person or held one of these lenses in my hands but everything that I have read indicates that the focus ring has too much throw to be able to properly rack focus, so you're pretty much stuck with non-focussing shots -- which are achievable (with a lot more character, in my opinion) with almost any other anamorphic lens out there.

I think that it is lost on many people that anamorphic shooting by it's own nature is an image-destructive process. If they want clean and sharp, they should stick with spherical and just crop (and there are workarounds to get some flares in the shot as well). Personally, I like a bit of a soft image (and there is a big difference between soft and out of focus). Anyone who is old enough to have a bank account probably grew up watching 35mm film, and these lenses are the best way that I know of to knock down the clinical sharpness of digital video and emulate that look. EXCEPT for Iscorama (again, in my opinion).

I just got an email from SmallHD about some of the features of their new DP7 monitors that will be hitting the market this Fall. Of particular interest to the people who frequent this forum:

[i][b]ANAMORPHIC DE-SQUEEZE[/b][/i]
[i]2x, 1.5x, 1.33x — However your image is squeezed, the DP7 can correct the image to appear at the correct aspect ratio, even with DSLR scale. Particularly handy is the ability to send the un-squeezed picture downstream to other monitors for clients/directors who usually prefer non-squishy images [url="http://www.smallhd.com/site/dp7-pro/roadmap.html"](Coming Fall 2012 via free software upgrade)[/url].[/i]

You can already more or less manipulate the DP4 and DP6 to display your 3.55:1 image (as well as the other standard crop ratios), but it's nice that they thought to add it in as a preset. After shelling out all of this dough for anamorphic lenses, not everyone will be able to afford a DP7 (myself included), but I would not be surprised if this is pushed out to the lower-end monitors as well in the next firmware update. Let's hope that the good folks at SmallHD are feeling generous!