lthanlon

I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. I have enough trouble aligning the element already.

Thanks for the information -- and the clarification of the model..

Is there a way to tell from lens markings whether an Iscorama 36 anamorphic is multicoated? Mine is in pretty good shape, but appears to be an older unit.   [attachment=641:frontangle.jpg]

I've been using the 50mm attachment that came with my Iscorama 36, but would like to try mounting the anamorphic on other lenses. How do you solve the problem of lenses that have a externally rotating focus element? I know you put the lens on manual and keep it set to infinity, but won't a rotating element be less able to handle the anamorphic's weight and be more prone to bending?    

Thanks for the flashlight idea. I'll definitely give it a try!

I've owned an Iscorama 36 for many years -- long, long before its DSLR popularity -- and have enjoyed using this anamorphic on a Nikon F2A, Nikon Pronea S and, with adapter, on my Canon EOS 20D. Now that I've just acquired a Canon EOS 6D, I'd like to shoot some video with the Iscorama.   I hope longtime forum members won't think I'm asking a stupid question, but how do you precisely align the anamorphic element so that the compression factor is absolutely level? Based on my experience shooting stills, I occasionally need to correct the image slightly in Photoshop.    I've been observing a lot of anamorphic movies lately and am wondering whether using a anamorphic handheld vs. on a tripod makes any difference. I'm guessing it doesn't, since the compression/decompression is constant regardless of camera tilt, right?   I've also noticed in a number of anamorphic films that background out-of-focus point light sources occasionally are skewed significantly off vertical, even though the in-focus foreground elements are correctly rendered.    I'm wondering if maybe I should put the lens on the camera, put the camera on a tripod, level the tripod and then view a circle on the wall and use that as a basis for alignment rather than the indicator triangle on the lens barrel? In another topic here, there was a suggestion to shine a flashlight into the anamorphic and check whether horizontal flare aligns with a camera's grid lines. That's a good idea, but isn't the 36's element likely to shift during the course of a day's shooting?   Here's an example of an image that I was sure had been taken with the anamorphic element aligned properly, but clearly looks slightly off.   [attachment=588:garage.jpg]

I recently watched "Don't Come Knocking," which used Hawk anamorphics. I didn't notice too many interesting flares, but there were some nice oval bokeh, especially in the night driving scenes.