Gabriel Copoeru

Bold, I applaud your efforts, the mod is looking good.

Regarding the infinity focus issue, I believe it is a flaw of the B&H itself. It simply cannot focus to true infinity.

I was also wondering if you've saved the design for the 3D printed parts and could share it. Maybe I can find some workshop where I can do it in my country and try your mod as well.

BTW, I see that redstan is selling his original clamp on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/finest-anamorphic-lens-clamp-kowa-isco-sankor-and-more-by-redstan-/331812493831?hash=item4d4190da07:g:0NUAAOSwQYZWzlcS

This clamp is a perfect snug fit for the B&H with the silver ring attached (I have it).

Cheers!

It was actually done by a machinist. You would need some precision tool to do it. You unscrew the unit by removing the two small screws. After that i put them back. If I want close focus, I unscrew them again and try to be really careful. Make sure you remove the diopter when trying to modify the front unit. If you live in the States, though, I'd suggest you research getting a new front focus unit designed entirely, like I've seen someone try to sell here. It might be worth it.

4 hours ago, raf702 said:

I assume the final rendition of the mod wasn't finished? I'm interested if someone has a completed working push/pull mod for this. 

I sanded down the inner thread of the focus unit to achieve a sliding, push/pull focus type method. If you can get used to it, it's far better than turning it forever in its original state.

I just created a 2560x1080 sequence in premiere, then stretched the width of the footage by 1.8x-2x, depending on circumstance (as you know, some 2x anamorphic lenses are not even in all the focus range)

Dan, the Helios is fine. I personally like to pair my Sankor 16F to Mir-1B 37mm f2.8. The Mir has a long focus through and it is easier to match them for sharp focus. I would suggest getting hold of one, as the Helios is, I think, triple the focal distance on 16mm film. I shot this video using a Sankor - Mir combo (no diopters, filters or any sharpening in post added): 

Probably it will vignette bellow 28mm or so. If you have the M42 mount version Krasnogorsk, you should use M42 lenses, as the Meteor zoom will throw the anamorphic alignment off.

open a sequence in premiere with 2560x1080 resolution, pop in that footage, stretch width 2x, boom, your'e done

no degradation, just some detail that will be left out from 2.39 to 3.5

Actually he said $100 dollars less than that ebay hustler he metion, so it would still be quite above its value

On a more related note, I've decided to go the route of modding my BH to a push pull focus by dremeling the inner thread of the focus unit. It's barbaric, but I had no other choice as where I live there aren't any machinists that could build fine parts like a separate focus unit. 

Problem is I don't know what to do to make it slide back and forth easier.

Well, technically, yes. The further the front diopter travels, the closer focusing you get. You might get some vignetting, is all. 

Dude, I'm sorry for being off-topic, but even with the mod, the price you are asking is insane.

Hey Bold, I was thinking about your efforts on modding the B&H and I remembered another way to do it. I stumbled upon this guy selling a so called "single focus anamorphic" which actually is a modded B&H with the branding erased selling for a ridiculous price (it has been discussed on Nick's original thread). Thing is, on the bottom of the listing there is a video illustrating the mechanism of the mod that really attracted my attention. 

At one point I messaged him to ask about it and he responded that what he did was to have the front focus unit dremeled inside to smooth out the inner thread and insert a rubber O ring to have the unit slide instead of turning. Seems kind of tricky but the end result seems to be a less of a hassle than the polyurethane mold method you are trying (kudos to you for giving it a try, though, it would the most elegant solution if it works). What do you think?

Direct link to the video: http://filmhack.ro/portfolio/bh

Do not buy these useless beasts. They are too stubborn and clumsy. My Rectimascop 64/2X is sitting on the shelf looking all stupid at me.

Actually you don't have to do double focus. Just set your taking lens to infinity and focus with the B&H. Works like an iscorama, but with an annoyingly long focus throw.

I just use a DSLR baseplate with rails and lens support. Does the job well enough.

For attaching the anamorphic to the taking lens, I recommend using the original redstan anamorphic clamp, more specifically the one in this picture: http://www.redstan.com/image/cache/data/_1050976-1000x1000.JPG

I use this and it is a perfect snug fit for the B&H's silver ring with no play. If you decide to order this, make sure he understands that this is the one you want, as I've seen he has uploaded pictures of a different model for this item on the website. 

Why are you using one of my pictures that I made when I sold mine? I'm guessing potential buyers should see your own copy, to assess its condition.

 Great insight! How exactly did you rip it apart? Did you use a dremel or something to modify it so that it would fit over the lens? Would really like to try this out on my own B+H. Also, how did you fit the front diopter lens on the helicoid? Does it have an exact m58 thread?

​Dude, no, those are only for standard threaded filters. The only way you can attach that bayo filter is with a custom mod or duct tape. Why didn't you look for the threaded version tamron? I remember seeing it second hand on a few sites. I was actually bummed because it was cheaper than what I paid it for on ebay.

You could consult this list and research whatever is specific to your needs: http://fuzzcraft.com/achromats.html

I recommend the tamron 0.5; I have the filter thread version and especially if you use a small sensor camera, you can get very good results. I also had two tokina 0.4's which I sold because the image quality was indistinguishable between them and the tamron, on my BMPCC. It might be worth looking into higher strength achromatic diopters. Also, if you are really set on the tokina, try looking for it in local stores in your country with its official name: Tokina AT-X MC 72mm close-up lens (for AT-X 80-400mm). There might still be shops who have the tokina from really old stock. I've also seen the tamron on some online stores for very cheap prices.

Came back to watch these again. Very pleasant films. The imperfections you mentioned actually give them their charm.

I believe that these big projection lenses have an non-quantifiable value. They probably were (and new ones are) very expensive, but outside theater projection use they are quite useless or impractical, just as an iscorama would be to a non-anamorphic shooter (who would probably find its current price range unfathomable). So you need to ask yourself how much it is worth to you. For experimenting and such, pay as low as you can, but I would recommend not buying it altogether. I once purchased a humongous rectimascop 64/2x lens, my first anamorphic, for around the equivalent of $20, just because I was curious to see the squeeze and stretch effect for myself, before getting to the better lenses. Dandiest paperweight I ever bought.    

Don't buy it, it's huge and impractical.

I know it's been talked about in another thread, but I stumbled upon this guy selling modified B&H anamorphic projection lenses for an unreasonable price: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Anamorphic-Lens-SINGLE-FOCUS-2X-sharp-and-fast-light-Iscorama-/171557551779?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f1a07ea3

Towards the bottom of the listing there is a video illustrating the mechanism. 

I asked him exactly how he did the modification, because it was curious to see that he used the same front housing, to which he replied: "Hello, I had a machine shop remove the screw threads and add a rubber O ring so that you can quickly move through the focus range. You can soften the resistance by adding a lubricant to the O ring, or even remove it entirely if you like."

Now, I'm not sure how this works exactly, how safe it is, or how practical it is to push-pull the focus ring like that, but it seems easier than building a different housing with a different thread.

Just thought it's some information anyone wanting to buy this nifty lens should know.

You might also try rafcamera