Bioskop.Inc

I just hope here in the UK that an absolute lock down is announced either today or tomorrow - I do understand that laws have to be passed & as usual politics sometimes gets in the way, but it needs to be done now as people can't be trusted. They've asked us nicely (very British), but pictures of packed shopping spaces, parks & tubes/subways just speaks volumes of our modern times!

I'm both lucky & unlucky - I took a part-time job as I decided that the media was becoming a lost cause to me. Unfortunately I'm a key worker & after my 2 weeks annual leave runs out (booked a month ago by some miracle), I will have to go back to work. My fear is that whilst I've been really careful, others have carried on as if its no big deal (quite possibly spreading the virus around like wild fire) & then I have to go back out into the outside world to try to help people! Still no distancing in supermarkets & I keep walking, as pound signs seem to be more important than safety - especially for their workers!

Hopefully a full lock down will take place & it will be safe for me to go to/from work each day, but will it? I will have to use public transport, but have the companies cleaned the buses (probably not) or will there be any buses running (i hope so as I don't fancy the 1hr 30min walk each way)? But the icing on the cake was my workplace - no hand sanitizer made available & a really shocking lack of any plan put into place to help us or keep us safe. If someone in the building, where I work, gets the virus, it will knock us all out (colds spread at work like you wouldn't believe) & we are a vital service!!!

Hindsight is a great thing, but doesn't help anyone or thing right now! What we really need is for sensible people to keep spreading the word to stay in & only go out if you absolutely have to. But most importantly, if you do go out, keep your distance!

Good luck & stay safe everyone

9 hours ago, Julien416 said:

I think there is a mistake right here. According to my knowledge (an having a 16-S), it's almost exactly the same lens as the 16-D. The listing you linked even says they have the same rear diameter (43mm), as for the front diameter, they are the also the same as HTN front adapters to couple it with rectilux were compatible between 16-S and 16-D (I also have one). The second listing from @heart0less even states they share the same weight at 290 grams. 

To sum it up : Kowa 16S and Kowa 16D are almost the same exact lens.

 

Did say that i wasn't sure of the name of the lens, but I do know that it was a Kowa Prominar - I do think there are a few different types of Prominar, because the one my friend bought had a lot smaller rear element than my Sankor 16D. Anyways, I was always talking about the Sankor/Singer16D (even the 16C or F), never the Kowa. Kowa B&H no question - the others not so much, apart from the In-Flight Kowa, which is stunning, but not as good as a Bolex!

1 hour ago, mercer said:

I may do this. That way if I come across a B&H at least they'll have different color flares if I decide to keep both.

What's a good price for...

Elmoscope l, 16-D, B&H, etc...?

 

Elmoscope I or Sankor/Singer 16D (even consider the 16C or 16F) go for about £250-300 (they've only really risen by about £100 in the last 10yrs, which is strange as all of them can be on a par with the Kowa B&H for image quality, if in good condition) - there was a glut of Elmoscopes in Japan a while back for cheaper & I nearly pulled the trigger just for the blue flares (not all of them have blue, so do some research).

I'm pretty out of touch as far as other things are concerned - I bought my B&H for under £300 about 10yrs ago & they can go for £900 nowadays. Personally, the Bolex is the king of dual focus & the Kowa B&H is worth half, if not more than half.

The problem at the moment is that there are far fewer lenses about, so lots of inflated prices - be patient & you can get a good deal.

2 hours ago, mercer said:

Do you know how the 16S compares to the 16D? They seem similar but the 16S are a little cheaper. I guess the Bell & Howell is the jewel of the Kowa lineup?

Regarding focus... I'd rather have single focus but to start I may have to experiment with double focus until I completely build out a rig. I don't want to spend TOO much to start out in case I just don't like it (I'm sure I'll get addicted to it, though) so I'll probably hold off on a focusing unit until I'm sure. And then I may just buy one of those Rapido Cinelux kits that come with the lens and everything else and I'll swap out the focuser on the Kowa.

Are there any other options I'm not aware of now that could be a decent option? I saw a couple Meopta 2x listed on eBay but I assume they're not that great. But I do have a Meopta 20mm c-mount that is actually an excellent little lens. 

I hadn't thought of cropping. I'm still trying to work out what kind of resolution and ratio I'll be able to get if I shoot 4:3 and want to end with a 2:39 image... so I've got a lot of research to do. 

 

Do not touch the Kowa Prominar 16s (I think that's what it's called, it has a narrow protruding rear element which is silver/metal) - it's not suitable at all, as its for super16 & vignettes like crazy. I mention this as some sellers try to pull fast ones with people mistaking it with it's bigger namesake.

Seen lots of Elmoscope I lenses for cheap - same as 16D, but slightly different body & normally has the nice blue flares! Get a good copy & it's hard to beat.

And yes start with something not too expensive first - I started with a 16D and was very happy. I then upgraded to the Kowa B&H & then it just got a little silly from there on!

The list to end all lists:

http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Anamorphic_Lenses#2x_Anamorphic_attachments

If you get a good 16D then that's a really good place to start, but the Elmoscope I is the same rebranded & they are normally cheaper - not the smallest, but none are really once rigged up.

I wouldn't worry too much about single focus, as they only really make focusing a little quicker & once you get used to dual focus you can hit the sweet spot very quickly with practice. The whole rack focus thing is a little bit of a red herring, as you don't need to be able to for the majority of things you shoot. If it's narrative you are doing, then a simple Shot-Reverse-Shot is such a common sequence when filming dialogue - so many different options & racking isn't the most common. I have an Iscorama & I very rarely rack focus - if I do, I always shoot another way so I have more options.

About going wide or using wide lenses with anamorphic attachments - the wider the taking lens the more distortion you'll get. Longer taking lenses really improve the quality of the anamorphic attachment. And as far as sharpness goes, most films are shot around F4 - 5.6 - shooting wide open is such a skill to be learnt & so easy to mess a shot up that it takes more planning.

You mentioned the S8, but it's a fixed focus lens so you'll need diopters & will have to move the whole rig forwards/backwards to get focus. The Isco Widescreen 2000 is the same but slightly bigger. Both are really sharp, but need a lot of practice & are ultimately too limiting.

Oh, with a x2 on a FF you could always use a slightly wider lens & crop in post to cut out the vignette - I crop all the time with x2 lenses, even x1.5.

My advice would be to get a 16D / Elmoscope 1 or 16H - they're cheap, good flares & have a large rear element. 

21 hours ago, dotdavid said:

wow good to know!  Does a variable diopter like FVD or rectilux work on it?    Also no infinity till f/11??? how is that not common knowledge??  Seems like that would be a dealbreaker to most people (including me!)

I've mentioned a few times over the years that this lens is limited & not very practical for many filming situations, but I suppose most people don't like searching too far back into the forum's history. It is a nice little lens & the glass is superb, but best for situations where you don't have to film past 5M & you'll need low powered diopters.

You can rack a little, maybe a meter or 2, but not over a long distance - you need a taking lens with a decent amount of focus throw at the 5M mark & the use of a +0.3 or +0.5 helps, as does stopping down the lens a little. I used it for filming concerts, so it was ideal for this as you could focus a little without having to change the diopters all the time & with strong stage lights it flared as well. You can film past 5M, but it won't be tack sharp & Infinity is not an option.

I've no idea how much they go for now, but you'd get better value for money going for a dual focus & then add a variable diopter.

Thanks for this, will have to get myself a few now - who knows where we will be in a years time, might not be able to use cards in these old cameras?!

13 hours ago, Andrew Clunie said:

Hi all.. wondering if anyone has experience with this takumar paired with an Anamorphic lens? I’d be using it with a pre-36... wondering about the general experience.. sharpness.. colour, flaring etc.

This is the one Takumar that I haven't used with an Iscorama, all the others are some of my favourite lenses to use with an anamorphic attachment. I do use the Tair 11a 135mm f2.8 & it works amazingly well, in fact these longer focal lengths give you better image quality than wider lenses do.

The one thing to watch out for when using vintage lenses is to test out where infinity really is - by this I mean that a lot of adaptors play safe & the reading of infinity on the lens isn't always spot on, so you might have to dial it back a fraction. I have quite a few M42 lenses that behave this way, which might be why some people think they can't get a sharp/clear image when using an anamorphic adaptor. So always check the real Infinity mark of your taking lens (add some tape to secure it or make a mark on the taking lens, so if it moves you can adjust quickly) & then add your adaptor - you should have no troubles.

NB. I find the Takumar's are some of the sharpest vintage taking lenses to use with an Iscorama & they are normally more reliable (in terms of quality control) than a lot of other brands, especially the Russain lenses.

A friend of a friend is/was the manager of a band asked for my help & I did a few live videos for them, charged them peanuts (£200 for each) as I knew that they didn't have much cash. They asked me to do a doc type thing to promote them, so I quoted £400 & they agreed. However.....they paid me late for one video (6 months) & then asked if they could have the finished doc (which wasn't finished at that time) and they would pay me later. Now it took them nearly 6 months to pay me £200, so in my mind I would have to wait a year for £400 & there was always the chance that I'd never see it. I said no, they would have to come up with at least half the cash first.

I didn't hear back from them for a few months, but thought it was Christmas so no biggy. I check out there Facebook page & what do I see......a rough copy of the doc that they had ripped from Vimeo using some pretty bad app/program, as it looked like low res shit. To top it all off, the post on FB said "this is a doc we made about ourselves" - no mention of me, no thanks just them claiming to have made the film they had stolen.....! YouTube took it down within the hour!

There are loads of people out there who want something for nothing or nearly nothing...lesson learnt!

The Angenieux 35-70mm is parfocal & is vintage loveliness - also, is about the price range you mentioned, but can be had cheaper.

NB: the 28-70 isn't, nor is the cheaper Tokina ATX Pro version of the 28-70mm (some people say that it is, but that is BS - so beware).

On 3/22/2019 at 8:03 PM, Slothfilm101 said:

I recently purchased a Sankor 16D to go along side my GH5 + Viltrox speedbooster with a helios 44-2 58mm lens.

However when I came to use the camera, the lens was vignetting when focused from roughly 10m+. Can anyone recommend either a new taking lens or to get hold of a "short scope" anamorphic as on Tito Ferradans's anamorphic calculator, a short scope lens with a speedbooster + 58mm lens shouldn't vignette.

My goal here is to obtain the widest possible field of view for an upcoming short film I'm working on.

A few things first:

What does the speedbooster now make your sensor - is it S35/APS or FF?

- If it's S35/APS, then the 58mm isn't going to cut it. You'll have to use an 85mm. (if it's FF, then that becomes 135mm).

If you take off the Speedbooster & use the native M43, then you'll be able to use the Helios - in fact you could use a 50mm lens or you might get away with something smaller so try a 35 or a 40mm.

That's your problem - you're using the wrong size taking lens.

The larger Kowa will enable you to use a 45mm (maybe a 40mm) on APC size (with your speedbooster) & a 35mm on M43.

Also, another thing to remember is that by using the Sankor 16D you will be getting a wider field of view than 85mm or 50mm, so don't get hung up on that! The Sankor 16D is a nice lens, so just work with it, rather than against it. Also what people tend to forget, or never knew, is that these anamorphic adaptors actually work best with longer focal length taking lenses - the wider the taking lens the more distortion etc. you will get!

Let me add to @mercer comments - cheap doesn't mean bad, but more likely with vintage lenses, just not wanted or not appreciated.

1 hour ago, enny said:

because money is the problem i guess cameras are mowing to full frame in the near future just looking for good set to buy

What set of primes would you guys recommend under 500 a lens

Such a subjective & loaded question, especially here!

I've owned such a lot & ended up with a full set of Russain [Zeiss copies] lenses - couldn't be happier. But ironically, I use my Tokina ATX-Pro 28-70mm zoom lens the most for pics & any filming I might do.

But if I still filmed a lot, I think I would complete my Nikon Ai-S set, as when I look at things I've shot with the 24mm f2.8 or 50mm f1.8 I'm always satisfied - in fact, i'm glad I used them. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive - just good solid lenses that get the job done & more often than not they surprise people.

Yes they should be - they're vintage lenses, so if other lenses of a similar age work, then there's no reason these shouldn't.

@kaylee, I turn 47 next month & am freaking out! All my friends are married, some have kids & all of them have sensible, stable jobs that earn them a good comfortable living - I don't!

The last few years, the work slowly started to dry up & I had to get a sensible part-time job. The realisation that I should perhaps move away from what I liked doing, to actually something that would leave me in a more comfortable position has been beckoning me for some time - should this become a hobby has become the question for a while now?

Last year, I agreed to help a friend of a friend out with the music he had begun to make - made a video & tweaked some of the music. He offered me to join & work with him, which I accepted as I had nothing better to do. Another friend joined us & we were 3 guys in our 40s just doing something in our spare time, all having fun, albeit living in different parts of the country. We don't meet up very often & there were never any intentions to play live - it's electronic music & I don't think we have the time or money to figure that part of it out just yet.

A few months ago we were offered a Record Contract! This has come, pretty much, totally out of the blue & we were all - a Record Deal, Really?! Fuck!!!

Shit happens & you never really know what's around the corner or how many corners you might have to turn - try everything, experiment, contact people on the off chance that they might have work or advice to give you!

Everyone going down the art type route (not the desk job route) gets down from time to time - if you don't, then you're lucky!

But to be honest, my desk job causes me more stress, anxiety etc. then I've ever felt in my life. And the funny thing is, I see my stable, well off friends & they are about 15/20yrs further down the crazy road than I am - you scrape way the top layer of their lives & its far worse than yours. One friend said he wished he never got married & had kids - he was having a really bad day/month/year.....

you'll need a special clamp - Redstan makes the best

1 hour ago, FelixLöchel said:

Anyone knows something?

Tutorials, Pictures, Tips.

Thankful

Felix 

I think that it was discussed in this section of the forum a while back (a few years, maybe 5yrs), can't remember how much detail it went into - so go digging!

18 hours ago, mercer said:

@heart0less and @Bioskop.Inc that is a great resource. I have a set of Rollei QBM Carl Zeiss lenses and that site informed me that the 50mm 1.8 can hit the mirror... so I am reticent about not having the lens at infinity when I turn on or off the camera and I haven’t had any issues.

Btw, those lenses are incredible for forgotten lenses. I’ve even purchased a Leitax adapter to test out. If it works well, I’ll definitely modify the rest.

Yep, The Rollei QBM Zeiss lenses are top quality & it seems vintage lenses go through phases - people forget or don't know. The good thing is that prices go up & down too!

Here's 2 very good resources for anyone thinking of buying Nikon/Nikkor lenses:

Lens Evaluations - spot on & identify the differences perfectly:

http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html#rating

Serial Numbers & dates made (makes identifying what you are buying a lot easier):

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html#35

1 minute ago, heart0less said:

I've just linked this, haha!

 

Thanks, much appreciated.

LOL! That's the problem with bookmarking stuff, you totally forget what the website is called - great resource though & worth posting twice!

19 minutes ago, mercer said:

Actually, the Takumar may work because I think Wild Ranger used that lens with a SB with his GH5 in that fantasy film he worked on... see the GHA thread.

I have a Yashica ML 50mm and I really love the lens. If you can find one in Poland for a good price, give it a try. 

I'll second the Yashica ML lenses - here's a good resource:

https://cargocollective.com/yashica/About-Yashica-ML-Prime-Lenses

Here's a list of M42 that hit or don't hit a 5D - Takumar 50mm f1.4 or the 55mm f1.8 (beware both have razor thin DoF wide open, but are sharp)

https://www.panoramaplanet.de/comp/

1 hour ago, mercer said:

Here’s a quick B&W conversion of my poster mock-up. Obviously, I still don’t like the font. And again to keep the discussion relevant to Lenses, this was shot with the Canon 28mm 1.8...

You've just made a great point with this B&W version of your Poster, without the distraction of the colour your eyes are drawn to the guy & they stay with him. In the colour version your eyes wonder around the frame & his silhouette gets lost in the sky.

Nice shot, nice lens - keeping it on topic!

58 minutes ago, kye said:

The big review I posted yesterday had the Revuenon 55/1.4 in it and it was sharp across the frame, but the bokeh was very hard and kind of distracting for me, so I'm curious to see how you find the 1.2.  Of course, I have read that Chinon, Revuenon, Rikenon, Mamiya-Sekor may all be the same lens or had some kind of rebranding going on, so they might have completely different heritages 

If it has Tomioka on there, as well as Chinon etc. its the same lens - Tomioka made them & they were sold/rebranded (55mm f1.4 & F1.2). If there's no Tomioka on it, it might not be the real deal.

@mercer Make it in B&W - so under rated these days (just think/watch Ida & Cold War). I shot something a while ago, in colour & have decided to go B&W for the edit - also saves a lot of time with CC!

1 minute ago, Tito Ferradans said:

Yeah, the flares are hardcore, but you can tone them down in post in a few seconds.

As for price, the Compact goes for $500, while it's hard to find a good anamorphic under $350.

In the end, it's personal taste/budget. I don't have any SLR Magic lenses at the moment, nor any 2x scopes, I only held onto an Iscorama pre36, because I don't want to deal with double focus/single focus attachments. ?

I just keep seeing Elmoscope I & 16Ds going quite cheap - also a lot in actual auction mode, not Buy It Now.

I also hate it when people recommend the Isco Multi-coloured nonsense lenses - horrible.

I just kept 4 & only really use 2 of them (Iscorama 54 & Widescreen 2000), not even sure where the other 2 are - storage somewhere?!

Didn't read the speedbooster bit - just don't use the speedbooster, simple. Or even better, just put an 85mm lens on there - anamorphics work better with longer focal lengths.

If you like the Helios, get a Jupiter 9 & a Tair 11a & you'll have a nice set (58mm, 85mm & 135mm)

Personally, i'd keep away from the SLR Magic stuff, as the coatings are gross & they make the flares look nasty - also a lot more expensive.

Yeah, it's a nice lens & as Tito said is basically identical to the Sankor 16D (some say its a rebranded Sankor), not the Kowa! It is exactly the same width at the back as the Version 2 & has blue flares (I think some don't, but the one I had did). The Elmoscope 2 is basically the same as a Kowa for B&H etc.

They're cheap & good - not as small as you might think, but not massive.

http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Anamorphic_Lenses#2x_Anamorphic_attachments

13 hours ago, DanielVranic said:

Hello everyone!

Been looking around quite a bit to see what is the best/most affordable (trying to balance that) adapter to go anamorphic on this lens.

My 44-4 is Speedboosted so my XT3 has the full frame view. In alot of my research I keep finding people who are faking it with filters and mods to the lens, but nothing "true" anamorphic.  

What would be the best add-on package for this?

Personally, the best bang for your buck would be the Singer/Sankor 16D or the Elmoscope I (they're basically the same lens) - they normally have the blue flares, are x2 stretch & are cheap. Yes, they might be slightly bigger than some other options out there, but they're not that big - not in comparison to say an Iscorama 54. The fact that they are cheap means that you can also afford to buy a variable diopter like a Rectilux, once you get fed up of the dual focus.

Also, try to get yourself a Helios 44-2 as they have a preset aperture, which means you don't have click stops & so allows you to make small aperture adjustments.