Rudolf

Chris, congrats for breaking through this spiral of desire for gear! There is a lot you have written which is very true and is also a subject of debate in other threads ("is better/more expensive gear necessary for a good movie"). We want more, better and newer gear. This is also what this blog is about. There is at least one new camera or lens or whatever being tested every week... But it is also a lot of fun: to play with some new toys  :)
And they don't have to be always expensive: Although I have Iscoramas I bought a €100,- Moeller 32/2 which are usually very cheap and I really have a lot of fun with that thing...
However I wish I will become a bit more sensible about spending money - like you! In any case very good food for thougth.
 
PS I haven't seen the commercial in question but it can not be more annoying than the latest Star Trek ! 

Hi,
 
I was just sitting here, eating my mince pie and drinking my tea when, I had what alcoholics refer to as "a moment of clarity". It was sparked by an advert on the TV for Lambrini, which is truly the worst thing I have ever seen. (For those who don't know what Lambrini is, it's a cheap wine mainly consumed by women on hen nights) (If you don't know what a hen night it, its a bunch of hysterical women drinking too much and behaving like promiscuous idiots, under the guise that their friend from work, who they don't even like is getting married)
This advert like so many others has jumped on the anamorphic band wagon. Which is not a bad thing in itself, they have just done so in the most horrible way possible. Probably shot on spherical with some tacky flares, but that's not the point and I digress.
 
I love anamorphic as much as the next man, but it seems the world has gone mad.
I know the topic of price has been a hot one on this forum so I will choose my words carefully. After all who the hell am I to tell another man what to sell his lens for.
 
With the introduction of the new anamorphic adapters, love them or hate them, they have brought about interesting eBay auctions with low start prices. Perhaps it was inevitable as people clamber to raise cash to follow in Andrews footsteps as one of the first adopters of the SLR Magic. :rolleyes:  Interestingly I have seen Kowa 8Z's go for around £250, that's a great buy for whoever bought it. Lots of lenses for sale = cheap prices for all.
Here comes my point, these auctions give us an indication of what these lenses are actually worth at this present moment in time. I'll pause there..... Don't get angry, keep reading.
After all you can put your scope lens on eBay for £1200, cross your arms and stubbornly claim that's what its worth, that's your business, I'm not knocking anyone for doing that. You won't sell it. But again, that is your prerogative.
There are people selling lenses on eBay who have no idea of what they are actually selling, let alone if it works or not. But alas it has some bent glass on the front so they slap it on eBay with a description reading "Anamorphic lens" and they convince themselves it's "worth" £1000.
There have been lenses for sale on eBay for as long as I have been looking, that have never sold. Why? Simple, no one wants to pay the price they are asking. Basic economics. So is that what they are really worth? The simple answer is...........(say it in your best Chris Rock voice) "Naaaat Really". There is a big difference between something being rare and valuable and something being a piece of old tat. I suppose people will realize that eventually.
 
There have been arguments on this forum about inflated Iscorama prices. "They're not worth this, They're not worth that". What I would say is; they are worth what people are willing to pay for them. That's it. Personally I don't have $4500 to spend, but if I did, I would have been really tempted by "Macgregor's" 2004 Leica delight. What a lens, what pedigree, what a luxury. Someone said "worth every penny", yes quite possibly. The photos he posted were truly breathtaking. Thoughts start to run through your head, "if I had that lens I could capture images like that!" Hmmmm maybe, but there's a lot more at play here than just a nice piece of bent glass. Location, lighting, talent! I have seen images captured on Iscoramas that were very ordinary, I have seen images captured on a £300 Samyang that were truly beautiful.
Look at what happened in this thread started by robtilbury Guess the camera and morph lens!
This is a strange example. We all thought the video was shot spherical. We agreed it was a great looking piece with really nice shots, I personally really liked it, but there wasn't any anamorphic "character". Turns out it was shot on an Iscorama, the holy grail of anamorphic. I know a lot of this was down to wide lenses and stopping down to f8 but still we called an Iscorama spherical.
 
So back to my "moment of clarity". For me my frustrating journey of looking for a bargain lens has come to an end. What I have found is, there are no bargains, if it seems like a bargain it's a scam. If it's worth anything, someone will have bashed its name into eBay using their ham fists and come back with a ridiculous price from another listing, which they will demand until they turn blue in the face.
 
I could save like mad, spend £3000-6000 on a lens, cross my fingers and hope that it works. My girlfriend would leave me and I would have to eat baked beans for a year, but I could do it. Then I would have something truly amazing to shoot photos of my cat with. (no offense to those who shoot pictures of their cat, I do it all the time)
Or.... and here is where it gets interesting, I could use that money to travel the world, see things, beautiful things. I could buy grip and lighting, I could finance (all be it very cheaply) a short film, I could photograph it all on a £300 boring lens, it doesn't matter. I could hone my skills, learn my trade. I have become bogged down in lenses and kit over the past few years. No more. If you have an Iscorama, or a Lomo roundfront, that's great. Shoot with it, do great things with it, share them.
 
I think the early adopters of the DSLR anamorphic resurgence did so to add something different to their work. Just like we are all trying to do. They hunted for bargains and forged a new path. Is that still the case, is anamorphic still as "different" as it once was? Has that Lambrini advert killed it? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. Are the new anamorphic lenses that are coming out turd, who knows.
All I know is, I will no longer be obsessed with finding the perfect lens, for me it doesn't exist.
I'm going to buy a spherical Samyang, put tape across the top and bottom of the screen and wonder the Earth like Ryu at the end of Street Fighter II (If you're 18 and don't know what Street Fighter II is, it was an arcade game in the early 90's) (If you're 15 and don't know what an arcade game is, you haven't lived)
 
Congratulations if you made it to the end and thanks for reading. :)

Out this coming weekend.

It's weird that many people add artificial grain to their footage to make it look good. 
 
But them, I'm a film shooter. I'm biased.

I haven't actually shot much footage with it. I had it as a stills lens only.
Some examples (click on the images for a larger view):
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 

I much preferred that natural flare version above to the vivid blue. It is pretty distracting in many situation to have royal blue lines across your image, but a natural, context sensitive flare can do wonders.
 
Still, it'll work for hip-hop and blade runner style vids! But I think it may turn away a fair few people... a natural coloured flare can settle in any genre, even realistic narrative.

Last week I finished a short film that we shot on the GH3 with the Speed Booster. I thought it's maybe interesting for you guys to hear and see how it holds up in the field.
 
At first I received a faulty Speed Booster, but the 2nd one worked great. It feels solid and well designed, although there is a little 'play' on the camera mount side. Nothing to worry about though. It makes my lenses wider and better. There is some purple fringing though at low light shots when pointing at a light source, but this is only at very large apertures. The lenses are perfectly usable at high apertures in 'normal' situations with the Speed Booster. It didn't hold me back while I was shooting with it, so that's great. I see no increase or decrease in sharpness without pixel peeping. Simply to say, it's ignorable and you can shoot safely :)   To answer a previous question. The Speed Booster works great with the Samyang 16mm f2.0. It acts as an 11mm FOV and there is no vignetting! (well I do have some vignetting, but that's because I use a variable ND filter with a smaller filter thread that the one of my lens)   I'm a real fan of the Samyang primes. I have the 16mm f2.0 / 35mm f1.4 / 85mm f1.4.
They feel and look solid and professional. Image quality is great. Usuable wide open, but really good stopped down 1 - 2 stops. Thanks to the Speed Booster I love my GH3 even more now. With a crop factor of around 1.4x, it's comparible to a S35 sensor. So I now have the 6 most used focal lenghts (with normal adapter / speed booster), an effective s35 sensor when I need it and all the good stuff and quality that I'm used to from the GH3.   Maybe you guys are interested in the short film. It's a short comedy film (5 min) and is, with a few exceptions, shot with the Speed Booster.   Here is the link:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wdTVhlhzm8&hd=1
 
Would love to hear your opinions about it :) Hope I could help and thanks for watching.

This started out as a favour for a friend & while on the day it was a complete nightmare, the results weren't as bad as i thought. This was almost entirely shot handheld (1 tripod wide shot), due to there not being enough room to swing a cat or should that be mouse!!? Anyways, stage was like a tiny bouncy castle & space was really tight - so no rig either!
 
For the majority of shots I used the Helios 44-2+Iscorama 54+Voigtlander Focar A&B (+1/+2 diopters).
There are a few shots were i used the Helios 40-2 & the shit wide shot was with the Mir-1b.
 
This will be one of the last things I'll shoot on the 60D with H264, as i now have the Pocket in my hands...
 
 

I don't understand this post.

DSLRs are for photographers. They are made for stills and not video. It's just so happens that we have adopted it as a filmmaking tool.

If you are a serious filmmaker, Canon want you to buy the Cinema EOS Line. Nikon aren't interested. Fuji, erm... No need to bother. Panasonic...they have plans and want you to buy into their M43 system. They get punters in with the GH line, to then offer video based models later. ;)

So what if Nikon haven't bothered with a video feature in this camera, who cares?

Technically, hobbyists don't need professional features. Professionals need professional features and therefore buy professional cameras.

Blackmagic cameras are for pros and lack many pro features. Canon etc, I expect, don't care. It's very niche.

I'm not sure why ML RAW comes into this in any way at all. The effect this has on the market is literally nothing. It's a hack. It's not a feature of the camera. ML RAW is a discovery, it's not a market leading feature.

The annoying fact for most is that if you want a camera with better features, you need to get shooting and earn some money. If it's just a hobby, then why would the camera manufacturers screw their business models by giving top features to people who just want to point and shoot? It doesn't make any sense.

There is a feeling that manufacturers (Canon especially) are not putting in the juice they could even into their pro cameras. This is true, and it happens because they are a business who want to make a profit.

I don't think the camera companies are out of touch. This forum is out of touch. The camera companies believe they are catering for you, and as we are all buying their cameras, they are. ;)

I cannot for the life of me understand why the words 'cinema' and 'iphone screen' are being used in the same sentences in this topic.
 
Anyone who deems watching a movie on an iphone screen as acceptable isn't going to notice the difference anyway.
 
When I go to the cinema I like to see the curtains widen just before the switch from the shitty 16:9 projector used for trailers, to the proper projector with some curved glass o nthe front.  

viva rebellion.
viva la revolution will not be televised or hd sensorised.
 
kodak film stocks old and new cooke lens including new cooke anamorphics.
 
a brave act in these shallow times of knock it out  release digical diabolical.
kodak and fuji  film is dead long live the analogue anderson.

Sorry for loosing your 666 post status but good for the forum you post again.
Interestring that you were searching the perfect 8mm anamorphic. Perfection is hard to find. For sure many of us are addicted to anamorphics. Searching, collecting, selling. It is not so easy to be happy with what you have. You own or have owned many anamorphics I think (Iscorama, Lomos...) Great that you found the full package now!  :)
I like the tiny Bolex Möller so much: Lightweight and very easy to use instead of double focussing. After one day of practice you can do some rack focussing as well.  :wub:

Tony i am not doing less than accusing you of making me buy two möllers!

Haha, Francisco before learning any new vocabulary i have to learn speaking :)

Yes!
:)
Indeed , you can do some rack focus...
So we can expand our "....limited cinematic vocabulary and grammar...."  ;) 
 
Great you are back QHR.
Best.

Yeah, this forum has become like that, but i was expecting a listing straight away after he got confirmation!

Sorry for loosing your 666 post status but good for the forum you post again.
Interestring that you were searching the perfect 8mm anamorphic. Perfection is hard to find. For sure many of us are addicted to anamorphics. Searching, collecting, selling. It is not so easy to be happy with what you have. You own or have owned many anamorphics I think (Iscorama, Lomos...) Great that you found the full package now!  :)
I like the tiny Bolex Möller so much: Lightweight and very easy to use instead of double focussing. After one day of practice you can do some rack focussing as well.  :wub:

Sorry for loosing your 666 post status but good for the forum you post again.
Interestring that you were searching the perfect 8mm anamorphic. Perfection is hard to find. For sure many of us are addicted to anamorphics. Searching, collecting, selling. It is not so easy to be happy with what you have. You own or have owned many anamorphics I think (Iscorama, Lomos...) Great that you found the full package now!  :)
I like the tiny Bolex Möller so much: Lightweight and very easy to use instead of double focussing. After one day of practice you can do some rack focussing as well.  :wub:

So volunteers are basically early bird buyers who cannnot return items, cannot select which ones they want (forcing to buy the 35mm is quite absurd) and have to make a short video for free giving SLR commercial rights on it.
In return? 20% discount on the whole package, plus probably shipping and taxes which bring the price at starting point, if not higher.
Forgive me if I cannot be so enthusiastic about it as others..

I was out testing my two Dog Schidt Optiks lenses in Stockholm, and found two guys playing on a street and decided to shoot them:
 
https://vimeo.com/75661923
 
I have two FF58's: one low contrast +  more flares and amber tone, and one with a bit more contrast but with less flaring and neutral tone. This is shot with the one that flares less.
 
Footage is a bit shaky, all I had for stabilizing the camera was a minitripod, Velbon Ultra Maxi Mini:
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ4mZLVSi-Cl4d8xdloHiWpLyIjGvb5EBnbDU5Eg0LuG1WLfmX-JA
 
Having the weight of the tripod and a bit more to hold on to helps a bit, but not much.

nice lens cool angles 
iscorama is easy but ya canna beata baby moller : )

Use it to project your anamorphic videos

cool..

contact vamp camp ask him if it will work with his clamps also ask him if he can make a helmet mount cos you want to go skydiving with your tushinsky..
get a friend to film from the ground as you make you way down to earth : )


just had an idea for the sky diving movie name..
DEEEEP IMPACT

Today I had a nice chat with a kind lady at ISK-Optik former ISCO-Göttingen.
I was asking for the original adapter ring (39/0.75-49 for my Leitz cinegon). 
She told me she was sorry: they dumped everything of the "old" stuff.
"Yes, sir we dumped the old stock, as we needed the space for new developments"
Well, I was... speechless. I told her in brief about the "Iscorama-hype" and prices.
I even told her about SLR-Magic and the price tag of $1500,-
I could "hear her smiling".
It is unbelievable the ISK-Management has obviously no idea what is happening. 
 
Or could it be that the production of a new Iscorama with similar quality is just 
too expensive?
 
An aquintance who has a friend (a scientist who has even received an Oscar together
with some others) at ISK-Optik told me they are more into developments for the
industry.
 
In my opinion it is more of a missed chance
Reminds my very vague of the magnetic monorail - now in China  :P
 
[attachment=663:IscoramaB.jpg]
 

Actually they are just doing market research. SLR don't want to do anybody a favour - they are only interested in selling their stuff like Zacuto and all the others too!
And for the price of one SLR-Adapter I bought two tiny Möllers and my NonMC Isco 54 which I bought just two or three months ago wasn't more expensive either. And it goes on and on: There are a couple  of Bolex Möllers around right now for less. I saw a 36 for € 250 (Paypal - no SCAM!). (I know of the disadvantages of the Möllers)
 
Not long ago many people here on the forum were discussing character or the lack of it especially on the Isco 36.
Now the new kids on the block are hyped and everything is about flare and bokeh... but where has the demand for character gone?
As usual Andrew did a great job but to my eyes it could have also been cropped. There is nothing special about the image.
But I am not an expert or pro - just a way to waste time and money but I know a couple of pros and they even don't know Iscoramas.

Hello everyone,
 
This is one way to learn to deal with Anamorphic footage in post. Here is a detailed tutorial on working with anamorphic footage in post, from dealing with lens distortion and squeeze factor, moving data between applications and rendering with the proper pixel aspect ratios. I will be updating this tutorial with more info as I move through the process and adding more applications as well. Currently I cover Nuke, After Effects, Video Copilot and Maya. The next one will most likely be Houdini but if you have any suggestions, something is missing or if there is a better way to do something please let me know. I really wanted a place to consolidate all of this info and make it available to anyone who needs it, so let me know if you found this useful.
 
Thanks
Rob B
  http://www.robbannister.com/working-with-anamorphic-footage-in-post/