richg101

if low light is your main shooting scenario I'm certain the bmpcc and speed booster 0.58x has the edge - particularly if you want deeper dof.  a native iso of 800, increasing to 'quasi 2500iso' when used with the speed booster is only matched by the a7s - which IMO doesn't touch the bmpcc for out and out image quality.   The pixels are rather large on the bmpcc - almost as large as those found on the a7s as it happens.  add the incredible 275% gain in transmission from the speed booster and it's a no brainer.
 
zeiss 35mm/1.4 on pocket + speed booster will provide the same fov and double the dof as a 5dmk3 with a 50mm/1.4.  but the 5d will need to be running at 2500iso in order to match the bmpcc running at its native 800iso.   even pushed to 1600, the bmpcc holds up.  to match this a 5dmk2 will need to be running at 5000iso.  if a 5d user wants to match the dof of the bmpcc setup above he'll need to close the aperture down to around f2 meaning iso needs to be ragged to 10,000iso!  
 
when you start adding the sigma 18-35/1.8 into the equation, the bmpcc literally kills anything a 5D user would need to use in order to match the out and out usability of the bmpcc+sigma+speed booster in a real low budget shooting environment.    
 
The bigger the sensor, the longer the lenses, the shallower the dof, the higher you need to push iso, or the more light you need.  since this is not a forum full of guys with budgets to light for the 5dmk3 at f4-f5.6.  The BMPCC + SB0.58x is definitely the best low light camera at the moment  
 

if low light is your main shooting scenario I'm certain the bmpcc and speed booster 0.58x has the edge - particularly if you want deeper dof.  a native iso of 800, increasing to 'quasi 2500iso' when used with the speed booster is only matched by the a7s - which IMO doesn't touch the bmpcc for out and out image quality.   The pixels are rather large on the bmpcc - almost as large as those found on the a7s as it happens.  add the incredible 275% gain in transmission from the speed booster and it's a no brainer.
 
zeiss 35mm/1.4 on pocket + speed booster will provide the same fov and double the dof as a 5dmk3 with a 50mm/1.4.  but the 5d will need to be running at 2500iso in order to match the bmpcc running at its native 800iso.   even pushed to 1600, the bmpcc holds up.  to match this a 5dmk2 will need to be running at 5000iso.  if a 5d user wants to match the dof of the bmpcc setup above he'll need to close the aperture down to around f2 meaning iso needs to be ragged to 10,000iso!  
 
when you start adding the sigma 18-35/1.8 into the equation, the bmpcc literally kills anything a 5D user would need to use in order to match the out and out usability of the bmpcc+sigma+speed booster in a real low budget shooting environment.    
 
The bigger the sensor, the longer the lenses, the shallower the dof, the higher you need to push iso, or the more light you need.  since this is not a forum full of guys with budgets to light for the 5dmk3 at f4-f5.6.  The BMPCC + SB0.58x is definitely the best low light camera at the moment  
 

hahahaha @Tito Ferradans  my thoughts exactly!  Looks like diopters specifically for the iscorama!  In my 7 year love affair with the iscorama I have never once seen these -  a +0.5, +1 and +2 matched set of what look like they may be doublets!

Would you consider selling the diopters separately?

create a timeline of 2.75:1

so 2970x1080
 
drag your footage into the timeline, then stretch the footage on the horizontal by 2x.  the sides will be cropped off.  You might find you can get away with stretching less than 2x - sometimes 1.8x will be ok - particularly for closeups, since anamorphic squeeze ratio is at infinity, when focused closer the squeeze ratio reduces quite drastically.  Use your own judgement - by eye is better than by the numbers.
 
Personally I think 2.66:1 is the golden ratio.  any wider and things get a little too thin.  - Unless you;re Tarrantino / Bob Richardson and able to make it work for the film:) 
 

Re: BMPCC low-light performance, let's break it down this way.

The Pocket's native ISO is 800. Using a Speed Booster, you gain 1 2/3 stops of light, effectively bringing that native ISO up to 2500. 

Since most of the Pocket's DR lies in the shadows, it can easily be pushed 2-3 stops in post with acceptable results. (Ctrl+F "underexposure." https://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2014/06/director-of-photography-blackmagic-cinema-camera/)

Therefore, using the same full frame lenses, you can shoot the Pocket at an effective 10,000-20,000 ISO with acceptable results--the same or better than the A7S in S16 mode, according to Ebrahim--but with the added benefits of 10-bit 4:2:2 and RAW.

I don't claim the Pocket is the best low-light camera out there, but it's much more competitive than sensor size snobs would have you believe.

With fast primes and a Speed Booster, the BMMCC should perform like a champ in most any environment. 

create a timeline of 2.75:1

so 2970x1080
 
drag your footage into the timeline, then stretch the footage on the horizontal by 2x.  the sides will be cropped off.  You might find you can get away with stretching less than 2x - sometimes 1.8x will be ok - particularly for closeups, since anamorphic squeeze ratio is at infinity, when focused closer the squeeze ratio reduces quite drastically.  Use your own judgement - by eye is better than by the numbers.
 
Personally I think 2.66:1 is the golden ratio.  any wider and things get a little too thin.  - Unless you;re Tarrantino / Bob Richardson and able to make it work for the film:) 
 

at say 300dpi, you could print a 1920x1080 frame at 6.4"x3.6"

In a world where we have so much horrible light in our environment (low quality led lights, nasty discharge bulbs, energy saving, neon etc), monochrome is a escape from it all.  I think with the way available light night time scenes look nowadays, I'd probably discard the colour vision from my eyes during night time all together.  it looks better in b+w imo

I've seen a steady interest in the 'soap bubble effect' growing on the vintage lens forums and on Flickr.  The regular suggestions I see to get this effect is a triplet design, and meyer seems to be mentioned before any other.  Leading to crazy prices being paid for rather poor lenses.  it should be considered that the effect is usually a result of the shooting techinque rather than the lens itself.  most of the subjects seem to be macro shots of bugs or toadstools with a dynamic background just after it has rained.  for example, the picture above wouldn't exhibit the bubble effect if the bug wasn;t infront of water.   I think even if someone were to buy the gold standard meyer bubble lens, they'd still only see this effect when shooting with lots of extension tubes at very high magnification.    
 
just about any medium tele lens from the 1960's will give this effect.  you want old lenses with coatings with little to no apparent colour to them.  my personal favourite for this effect is a late 1950's zeiss jena biotar 58mm - coatings are almost non existent so light source bokeh has a glow.

I've seen a steady interest in the 'soap bubble effect' growing on the vintage lens forums and on Flickr.  The regular suggestions I see to get this effect is a triplet design, and meyer seems to be mentioned before any other.  Leading to crazy prices being paid for rather poor lenses.  it should be considered that the effect is usually a result of the shooting techinque rather than the lens itself.  most of the subjects seem to be macro shots of bugs or toadstools with a dynamic background just after it has rained.  for example, the picture above wouldn't exhibit the bubble effect if the bug wasn;t infront of water.   I think even if someone were to buy the gold standard meyer bubble lens, they'd still only see this effect when shooting with lots of extension tubes at very high magnification.    
 
just about any medium tele lens from the 1960's will give this effect.  you want old lenses with coatings with little to no apparent colour to them.  my personal favourite for this effect is a late 1950's zeiss jena biotar 58mm - coatings are almost non existent so light source bokeh has a glow.

I've seen a steady interest in the 'soap bubble effect' growing on the vintage lens forums and on Flickr.  The regular suggestions I see to get this effect is a triplet design, and meyer seems to be mentioned before any other.  Leading to crazy prices being paid for rather poor lenses.  it should be considered that the effect is usually a result of the shooting techinque rather than the lens itself.  most of the subjects seem to be macro shots of bugs or toadstools with a dynamic background just after it has rained.  for example, the picture above wouldn't exhibit the bubble effect if the bug wasn;t infront of water.   I think even if someone were to buy the gold standard meyer bubble lens, they'd still only see this effect when shooting with lots of extension tubes at very high magnification.    
 
just about any medium tele lens from the 1960's will give this effect.  you want old lenses with coatings with little to no apparent colour to them.  my personal favourite for this effect is a late 1950's zeiss jena biotar 58mm - coatings are almost non existent so light source bokeh has a glow.

Dibs on your Centavision!  hahahahahahahaha.  I know you said you would be buried with it in your coffin, so I suggest you arrange for a two man coffin, I'll be buried alive with your corpse, so I can spend a few hours with the lens (before the air runs out)  

you can theoretically acquire 8k from 35mm negative photographic format (with modern film, low iso, perfect optics).    so theoretical acquisition resolution of 65mm negative film would be around 12k.  In practice, no lens exists that will have optical resolution capabilities to full take advantage of this.  neither is there any way of transfering this onto projection film or into digital format without losing some of this resolution 
the projection (positive) film allows even greater resolution capabilities.
 
i agree, I'd love a speed booster with colour correction allowing the full res from high end mf lenses to be acquired with the a7rii.  
 
 
 

For sale: LOMO anamorphic BAS23-2 75 mm f2.3 round front lens, Pl mount, ARRI rings 0.8 for focus and aperture, lens clean and clear, LIKE NEW!
Lens adjustmentment by service spbsale.com and ready to shoot. Very smooch focus and aperture, clean and clear, no fungus, no durst incide, no scratchers. Included two lens caps: front and rear. 
S/N: 810026
Price: 7000 USD+ shipping to you country
email: schubert@ngs.ru





 

unfortunately you're not going to find anything within budget that fulfils your requirements.   The iscoramas are not very heavy at all.  pretty much everything else of a single focus nature will be heavier.  unfortunately an iscorama is around 3x your budget.  maybe a slr magic 1.33x?  it's not 100% single focus but preowned should come in on budget.  
 
there are plenty of dual focus options that will fulfil the aesthetic and optical quality requirements.  maybe look there (kowa, sankor, etc) then plan a purchase of one of the multiple focus units that are currently on offer.  slr magic rangefinder, FM lens and Rectilux.  get a good dual focus setup and then its just a case of saving for a focus unit.

unfortunately you're not going to find anything within budget that fulfils your requirements.   The iscoramas are not very heavy at all.  pretty much everything else of a single focus nature will be heavier.  unfortunately an iscorama is around 3x your budget.  maybe a slr magic 1.33x?  it's not 100% single focus but preowned should come in on budget.  
 
there are plenty of dual focus options that will fulfil the aesthetic and optical quality requirements.  maybe look there (kowa, sankor, etc) then plan a purchase of one of the multiple focus units that are currently on offer.  slr magic rangefinder, FM lens and Rectilux.  get a good dual focus setup and then its just a case of saving for a focus unit.

I wouldn't take any artistic advice from anyone on this thread, or from any forum in general if i were you.  I think you;re on the right track as you are.  Clearly you've done your work creating a style, a look.  The whole thing captures that b-movie vibe.  It feels like you made an effort to make it look as if it's not meant to be funny, but is - the reason old b-movies are entertaining.  watching films of this style you put yourself into a different mindset and absorb the film how it's meant to be absorbed.  The critique I see above is kind of like a random guy with no film making experience going up to Tarrantino and Rodriquez and telling them that the cut is shabby and the image quality looks bad on Death Proof / Planet Terror.  Missing the whole point.  
my take on the politics of the thread... It was nice to see a piece shot completely on an iscorama.  It illustrates to those worrying about lack of wide angle anamorphic solutions that with a relatively low investment of lenses ( for the price you paid for your iscorama and the taking lenses you'd only be able to rent a single panavision c series lens for half a week) and a bit of hard work and creativity you can shoot something that looks like it was shot in the late 1970's and cost 500k.  and the bonus for you is that it has driven traffic to your film.   I'm looking forward to seeing the entire film

I wouldn't take any artistic advice from anyone on this thread, or from any forum in general if i were you.  I think you;re on the right track as you are.  Clearly you've done your work creating a style, a look.  The whole thing captures that b-movie vibe.  It feels like you made an effort to make it look as if it's not meant to be funny, but is - the reason old b-movies are entertaining.  watching films of this style you put yourself into a different mindset and absorb the film how it's meant to be absorbed.  The critique I see above is kind of like a random guy with no film making experience going up to Tarrantino and Rodriquez and telling them that the cut is shabby and the image quality looks bad on Death Proof / Planet Terror.  Missing the whole point.  
my take on the politics of the thread... It was nice to see a piece shot completely on an iscorama.  It illustrates to those worrying about lack of wide angle anamorphic solutions that with a relatively low investment of lenses ( for the price you paid for your iscorama and the taking lenses you'd only be able to rent a single panavision c series lens for half a week) and a bit of hard work and creativity you can shoot something that looks like it was shot in the late 1970's and cost 500k.  and the bonus for you is that it has driven traffic to your film.   I'm looking forward to seeing the entire film

I'd pay to see this at the theatre.  looks superb.  well done man
 
It sounds like some here don;t quite 'get' the movie.  It's not meant to be serious.  I see a lot of great humor here - the characters are great - memorable looks to the main guy.   The selection of an isocrama and the old russian lenses definitely adds to the authenticity of the piece.  the fact that you worked around the limitations of anamorphic is probably why it looks so good.   the cut and the offset audio sync is a great touch.
Granted I wouldn't have watched if it had not stated that it was shot on a 'rama, but that's the whole point.  People shoot anaorphic to separate themselves from the guys shooting on L series and grading to try and make it look like what you;ve achieved.  Thanks for sharing this!

Man, if the film is anything like the trailer...classic!
 
Oh, I see you...that's my real problem!
We need a sticky on this forum, so we can 4chan-ise.....

Here's the trailer for a movie I shot last year using an Iscorama/helios/jupiter9/minolta 35mm and FS700 with Blade recorder. It's a no budget, lowbrow, dark comedy. It's no Oscar winner, but it's my first feature film and it's almost ready for distribution(hopefully). 

wow.  that little setup will be killer with the 0.54x sb!  pretty much an ikonoskop with the advantage of a speed booster!  I'm hoping the global shutter mode doesnt affect iso sensitivity too much.  but even if it's one stop, you'll be running an effective 1250base iso:)  I'd better get the damn trump24/2 attachment sorted asap! 

I have one pre-ordered from a place that Aaron Green recommended. I'm most excited by the global shutter option. There is something about the way it renders motion that makes a subtle difference. And of course, I look forward to shooting raw and prores without the need for an outboard recorder/monitor. I've been running around with a GH4 and Odyssey 7Q+ and it can be a bit unwieldy when I'm on my own.
I have assembled everything I need to shoot with it collecting in a box. some purchased, most I already had -- cage, cards, cables, 502 monitor, speedbooster, ND, follow focus, tokina 11-16, sigma 18-35 + 50mm, and Rich at Dog Schidt Optiks is crafting a Trump 58 set with the 38 and 88 attachments for me which i can't wait to pair with the bmmcc. Hopefully it ships this month.

I also picked up this fantastic monopod by Sirui. bought it for the Micro but have been using it with my GH4 in the meantime and I love it.
 

Superb video.  starts to become a bit of a goldmine for concise information about s-log/cine/rec709 - and backing up already known information.