eris

Hi everyone
 
 I´m a young video director from Madrid-spain, (www.MauriDGaliano.com)
 
I want to share with this great community my passion for  vintage Anamorphic Lenses.
 
I´ve been reading this forum a lot of times, but is the first time that i write something.
 
Allow me the honor to share my last Anamorphic video, a Drum cover for the Artist "Deivhook",the best Drummer in Spain.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13zPG1ebHlo
 
 
I shoot this video with my basic set: Panasonic GH2 Flowmotion v2.2 + fd50mm 1.8 + Bolex Anamorphot 16/32 1.5x.
 
The Bolex is the little girl of all my lenses...the "jewel of the crown",
 
The  rare 1.5x ratio suits perfect for almost everything, and its super-easy to make the double focus with it, in this video theres no flares, but this lens have the best flares  i´ve seen. Flare sooo easy, blue-deeply flares like Panavision C series. Mindblowing.
 
Now i have a clamp, from VidAtlantic,but im interested in upgrade to Redstan, i´ve seen that redstan have a custom Clamp for the little brother of my lens, the 8/19 1.5x, And im asking myself if he has one custom clamp for my lens.
 
Someone can give me the contact of Redstan?
 
I hope that you enjoy the video!
 
If someone have a question about the lens, ask me!
 
PD: I already knows that i suck writing in english, sorry!

This would be completely acceptable as production ready footage. (IMHO)

One of the coolest Sankor 16 demos I've seen.  This is how you get a lot of anamorphic on the cheap.  The model helps too.
 

One of the coolest Sankor 16 demos I've seen.  This is how you get a lot of anamorphic on the cheap.  The model helps too.
 

Here's a very nice Sankor 16 test.
 

I can tell you for personal experience to go with Bernie, he has experience a great and honest guy...
http://www.super16inc.com/

I'm glad Panasonic is taking their time with the GH5 and I'd rather pay a little bit more ($2000-$2500) to get a revolutionary camera than a simple GH4 evolution.   Also it avoids Sony jump-stepping them.  The "high assurance" rumors would make a great camera.  Icing on the video cake would be 4:4:4 / raw out, VFR out, better VFR quality, seriously improved DR.  If they don't have a pro-model anywhere near this price range there are a lot of features they could include for a great all-around camera without cannibalizing their Pro market.  Please nail this one to the wall Panny!

When will we arrive at a long-term workhorse camera for $2000 that doesn't let us down in low light and easily drops a high quality 4k 4:2:2 feed internally?  Something that doesn't fall apart in various post situations?  What I mean is "in the old days" you could depend on a reasonably priced Bolex with anamorphic adapter and good film stock to deliver independent film grade quality for a number of years.  Maybe we already have it in the GH4 or are about to get it in the GH5?  Right now I think you could shoot judiciously on the GH4 or Sony and get very close with an external recorder.  Other than that maybe we have to simply make the leap up to $5k+ cameras and shut up.  I'm not trying to say that current $2k cameras and Bolex Super 16 cameras can be made technically equivalent because there's too many variables, just that the more you pay for a camera the longer a useful life you wish it had.

Exotic and beautiful work.   Were you using a fast shutter instead of ND on this?

Exotic and beautiful work.   Were you using a fast shutter instead of ND on this?

The red circle is caused by the old magnesium fluoride coatings on the spherical components. And considering The Thing used Panavision Super Speed lenses, the spherical components might've been from the 60s or 70s when such coatings were prevalent.  The old Todd-AO 35 anamorphics as well as the Dyaliscopes had similar artifacts. If you want to reproduce it, you should pay special attention to the taking lenses you use. Maybe something like a Super Takumar, or even older glass would make it happen.

GH4 in UHD 4K, Bolex 16/32 1.5x anamorphic yielding 2.67:1 cinemascope recording aspect ratio.  I have several taking lenses.  The first is a series of Minolta Rokkors from 35mm up to 100mm with an MD Speed Booster.  The others are a Carl Zeiss Jena 35mm Flektogon f2.4 and a Carl Zeiss Jena 80mm Biometar adapted from large format.

These R&D announcements usually don't map particularly well to reality.  Often they are more PR than R&D.  What Panasonic needs and needs badly in the GH5 is something to compete with the stuff coming from Sony and Blackmagic.   They need high quality 96 FPS 4k with global shutter around 30-60 FPS and less photo sites to improve low light. I don't have an opinion one way or another on micro 4/3.  If they made it a Super35 sensor that would be great.  Micro 4/3 would be just fine as I have Speedboosters.
 
 

These R&D announcements usually don't map particularly well to reality.  Often they are more PR than R&D.  What Panasonic needs and needs badly in the GH5 is something to compete with the stuff coming from Sony and Blackmagic.   They need high quality 96 FPS 4k with global shutter around 30-60 FPS and less photo sites to improve low light. I don't have an opinion one way or another on micro 4/3.  If they made it a Super35 sensor that would be great.  Micro 4/3 would be just fine as I have Speedboosters.
 
 

I love my Moeller 16/32/1.5 that much, I might be buried with it. You can keep your Iscos thanks. 

A well-calibrated Bolex Moeller 16/32 1.5x is probably the sharpest and easiest to use dual focus anamorphic.  It's lightweight and has excellent close focus.  When you use it with a sensor capturing in HD aspect ratio (1.78:1) it becomes a 2.65:1 -- essentially an original cinemascope recording format which with a 10% crop becomes standard 2.39:1 anamorphic projection.
I ran some extensive tests on the 16/32 including maximum barrel distortion (important because excessive distortion leads to anamorphic "mumps") and determining minimum taking lens focal length.  The setup was a GH4 in UHD mode with an MD to micro 4/3 speed booster so effectively it was close to a S35 sensor size.  The minimum focal length without vignetting was an MC Rokkor 35mm f1.8.  It looked great.  The wider you go the more you tend to reveal distortion at the edges of the Bolex, but I compared the barrel distortion to the same distortion on super high-end Hawk and Panavision 35mm and it was nearly equivalent.  
I used the MC Rokkors because (1) the 58mm f1.2 is legendary and I've use it to great effect, (2) the MCs have a good single coating so it doesn't kill anamorphic flare and (3) there's a speed booster for it.  You can also easily adapt M42 mount lenses to MD using an inexpensive Fotodiox adapter. That opens the MD booster up to some great anamorphic M42 taking lenses like the Jupiter 85, the Helios 44-2 and the Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f2.4. (I used to avoid M42 taking lenses because they're screw mount and you don't want them unscrewing when you adjust focus etc.)
Of course the speed booster drops all lenses down a stop so the 58mm becomes a f0.8.  Other good choices are the Canon FD taking lenses, but (a) there is no speed booster for FD and you can't use the EF speed booster without an additional optical adapter.   BTW: I did test the Rokkor MC.W 28mm as a taking lens and while it works it starts to vignette on the horizontal, but that might disappear during a crop to 2.39:1.  In any case 28mm anamorphic starts looking unnatural to my eye, but might be useful for special shots.
A few negatives on the Bolex: (a) They're relatively rare and damn good so they're kind of expensive: cheaper than the high-end Iscos, more expensive than the Bell and Howell's and Kowas I think. I expect that because of the new Rangefinder, the Bolex will stay high in price as the Iscos drop.  Expect to pay in the $1500 - $2000 range.  (b) Adapting them usually requires an adapter from RedStan if you want to do it professionally.  There are some hacks floating around that will still make it work if you can't find a RedStan.
One final recommendation: Whichever adapter you go with make sure to send it to Bernie O'Shaunessy for cleaning and calibration.  Most of these lenses are 40 - 50 years old.  You don't want to drop a grand or so on an adapter only to deal with something out of calibration.  His labor rates are pretty reasonable. Good luck.  Here's a sample frame from a Bolex 16/32 by Mauri Galliano, a great Spanish DP who has used Bolexes to excellent effect.  (The model is his sister).
 
 

A well-calibrated Bolex Moeller 16/32 1.5x is probably the sharpest and easiest to use dual focus anamorphic.  It's lightweight and has excellent close focus.  When you use it with a sensor capturing in HD aspect ratio (1.78:1) it becomes a 2.65:1 -- essentially an original cinemascope recording format which with a 10% crop becomes standard 2.39:1 anamorphic projection.
I ran some extensive tests on the 16/32 including maximum barrel distortion (important because excessive distortion leads to anamorphic "mumps") and determining minimum taking lens focal length.  The setup was a GH4 in UHD mode with an MD to micro 4/3 speed booster so effectively it was close to a S35 sensor size.  The minimum focal length without vignetting was an MC Rokkor 35mm f1.8.  It looked great.  The wider you go the more you tend to reveal distortion at the edges of the Bolex, but I compared the barrel distortion to the same distortion on super high-end Hawk and Panavision 35mm and it was nearly equivalent.  
I used the MC Rokkors because (1) the 58mm f1.2 is legendary and I've use it to great effect, (2) the MCs have a good single coating so it doesn't kill anamorphic flare and (3) there's a speed booster for it.  You can also easily adapt M42 mount lenses to MD using an inexpensive Fotodiox adapter. That opens the MD booster up to some great anamorphic M42 taking lenses like the Jupiter 85, the Helios 44-2 and the Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f2.4. (I used to avoid M42 taking lenses because they're screw mount and you don't want them unscrewing when you adjust focus etc.)
Of course the speed booster drops all lenses down a stop so the 58mm becomes a f0.8.  Other good choices are the Canon FD taking lenses, but (a) there is no speed booster for FD and you can't use the EF speed booster without an additional optical adapter.   BTW: I did test the Rokkor MC.W 28mm as a taking lens and while it works it starts to vignette on the horizontal, but that might disappear during a crop to 2.39:1.  In any case 28mm anamorphic starts looking unnatural to my eye, but might be useful for special shots.
A few negatives on the Bolex: (a) They're relatively rare and damn good so they're kind of expensive: cheaper than the high-end Iscos, more expensive than the Bell and Howell's and Kowas I think. I expect that because of the new Rangefinder, the Bolex will stay high in price as the Iscos drop.  Expect to pay in the $1500 - $2000 range.  (b) Adapting them usually requires an adapter from RedStan if you want to do it professionally.  There are some hacks floating around that will still make it work if you can't find a RedStan.
One final recommendation: Whichever adapter you go with make sure to send it to Bernie O'Shaunessy for cleaning and calibration.  Most of these lenses are 40 - 50 years old.  You don't want to drop a grand or so on an adapter only to deal with something out of calibration.  His labor rates are pretty reasonable. Good luck.  Here's a sample frame from a Bolex 16/32 by Mauri Galliano, a great Spanish DP who has used Bolexes to excellent effect.  (The model is his sister).
 
 

Here are just some notes I made regarding anamorphic recording resolutions on the GH4, crop requirements, general lens requirements and pros/cons.  Feel free to correct me, but I think this might be useful for entry-level anamorphic people.
 
GH4 Widescreen Modes / Resolutions for 2.39 Cinemascope / External Recording
—
GH4 1.5x Anamorphic, 10 bit out UHD at 3840 x 2160, recordable by any external 4k device. 10% horizontal crop gives 3456 x 2160 so each source frame contains 7464960 pixels.  1.5x de-squeeze yields 5184 x 2160 at 2.4 ratio. Pros: Recorded source material has the highest resolution, good anamorphic feel, available lenses are high quality and can be light weight and easy to focus, single focus anamorphics available.  De-squeeze yields full cinemascope (2.66), slight crop to 2.4 standard.  Cons: entry level 1.5x anamorphics are pricey, more work than DCI 4K + crop.  Uses: A lot of entry level anamorphic work can be shot using 1.5x (Bolex, Isco, etc) as long as you can tolerate slightly higher rig complexity.  Bolex can be handheld. For more of a stylized look, check out the 2x anamorphics.
—
GH4 DCI 4K, 10 bit out is 4096 x 2160, Ratio is 1.89, Cropped to 4k 2.39 scope is 4096 x 1716 so each frame contains 7028736 pixels.  Pros: Easy setup, single focus, very good choice of lenses, lightweight rig, best horizontal resolution, acceptable total resolution.  Cons: No anamorphic effects in flare or bokeh or other anamorphic effects.  Recommended for: Crane/Jib shots, Wide angle, remote / drone  (DCI 4K external recording requires at least PIX-E5 or Atomos Shogun or 7Q). Note: Internal Recording @ 8 bit can be used here but be careful for sun, sky, flare banding especially with flat recording modes (Cine-D, VLog)
—
GH4 2x Anamorphic, 10 bit out is 2880 x 2160 with black bars on sides.   Each frame contains 6220800 pixels.  Expand with 2x anamorphic to 5760 x 2160, reduce to 4096 x 1716.
Pros: True 2x Anamorphic look and feel,  wider range of anamorphic lenses, increased anamorphic “effect”, some lenses have fantastic blue flare. Cons: Considerable loss of resolution in post, less expensive 2x anamorphics are dual focus and difficult to use in production. Some good midrange 2x and excellent 2x single focus lenses for rent or purchase (if you have unlimited cash available).  Recommended for: Anamorphic night and sun shots where flare is more obvious and beautiful.  Car lights, flash lights in the dark etc. (Any good 4k external recorder will work here).

It's one thing to put together a good anamorphic rig, but you'll eventually have to understand widescreen composition.  David Boardwell's video is a fantastic introduction to widescreen technologies and composition.
 
 

This is all very cool, but if it has a rotating front element it means that it almost demands a matte box, but the second you place it within the matte box you can't reach the focus ring gears, right?

Awesome work Sony.  I can hardly wait to see the A7SII.
Strangely this is awesome news for GH4 owners as:
1) Panasonic is always pushing the limits in this market also.
2) They've been dragging their feet on releasing VLOG.  This announcement is probably just the kind of thing that will spur their product development and engineering people to finally push VLOG into a public firmware release.  If they've been wondering whether they should wait until the GH5, it's time to stop waiting.
As far as I can tell this puts Sony and Panasonic into the lead with Samsung behind them and Canon and Nikon getting their asses kicked.  The A7R/A7SII and the GH5 (and Ursa Mini) will officially be the end of Canon in the race.  Sad to see once great Nikon becoming completely irrelevant.
Things I'd like to see in the GH5 would be:
1. Micro 4/3 mount
2. Dual format S35 and Micro 4/3 sensor
3. Global shutter at 24p
4. Improved low light and some sort of raw video
It will be interesting to see what's next.  The price gap between prosumer mirrorless and pro motion picture cameras is getting very narrow.  Currently I used a GH4 for personal projects and I'm pretty happy.  If I need a serious boost in performance for pro projects I'll just cough up another $2000 or rent an Ursa Mini and a Zeiss or Rokinon Cine lens set.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
eris
 
 

Yeah, the video isn't bad at all, and you can listen to it while doing something else, what can't be done with the reading.

Much much better than the video is reading the chapter itself.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zo3omrmneh4y285/Poetics of Cinema - Chapter 10 - Cinemascope.pdf

It's one thing to put together a good anamorphic rig, but you'll eventually have to understand widescreen composition.  David Boardwell's video is a fantastic introduction to widescreen technologies and composition.