Bold

Seku, I don't want to derail the thread any further so I'll pm you 

6 hours ago, liamlumiere said:

@Bold Good to know that. You have made a single focus solution also? Are you selling them online, website?

I do!  I will be selling it as soon as I finish building the website (which is taking a little longer than I hoped).  Some key differences between my design and the other guy's version:

• Mine isn't made from ridiculous red 3D-printed plastic.  The housing is made from anodized black 6061 machined aluminum that I had commissioned.
• I disassembled, degreased, and re-greased the helicoid with superior lubricant.
• My mod includes my custom-built dual-bracket 15mm rail support clamp.
• My mod doesn't require re-alignment when switching lenses.
• I don't cut corners or try to hide anything. I make no secret that this mod wouldn't have been possible without the help from the good people on the EOSHD forums.  I make no secret that you can build this mod yourself (you can read my development thread here).
• My mod is a turnkey solution - it doesn't require an overpriced, threadless 3D-printed lens clamp.
• My mod will be selling for less than his. 

Side note: Like Carlo, I've also found John Barlow (Rectilux) very helpful and quick to respond.

On 2/5/2018 at 4:07 PM, whoisjsd said:

I am going on several accounts by others about the quality and the shadiness of the Anamorphic Store's practices.

You'll notice at the bottom of his website, some quotes.  One of those quotes is from himself.  Hilarious... as if it were some kind of impartial testimonial. 

In his eBay descriptions this guy used to label his 'Custom' anamorphic as an "Iscorama," but in reality it is a Bell & Howell anamorphic with the label taped over - conveniently hiding the true identity from consumers.  Did he want his customers to believe they were buying an Iscorama?  It sure seems that way...

His 'Custom' design is nearly identical to mine** and only appeared for sale after I had shared my B&H mod progress on the EOSHD forums.  Did he plagiarize my design?  It sure seems that way...

He appears to have gone to (unsuccessful) lengths to hide is identity - as well as the origin of his products.  Now, I would never say this guy is a disingenuous, price-gouging, plagiarizing swindler.  But you can certainly find better anamorphic products & prices from forthright sellers.  Sellers whose product info is accurate - not exaggerated or misleading.

This guy's business practices aren't necessarily illegal, but 'shady' might be one way to describe them.
 

** NOTE: my design wouldn't have been possible without invaluable contributions from Rich, Nick, and Tito

Check out Tito's excellent anamorphic calculator.  You'd probably get best results with a 1.33x adapter, like the Century Precision Optics DS1609. You'd still probably get vignette at 18mm. 

@Ethan Bandiera, yes - I sent you an email. 

57 minutes ago, nickgorey said:

Unfortunately, the helder ended up being a bust. While I loved the added width, corner sharpness was awful, extending ridiculously too far into the middle of the frame. It would be useable for close ups, but I wanted it for landscape : /.

I also found that the Helder adapter can be used as a range finder, it's optics are strong enough! Could be a viable solution for smaller anamorphics to avoid those corners, just gotta house them in a helicoid. Now if I could only crack open this Sony adapter...I am still so impressed by the quality of the glass in that thing....

Thanks for the update Nick!  Bummer that the Helder didn't work out, but it opens the door for experimentation with other glass element to perhaps get a sharper, wider field of view.  Keep on tinkering!

1 hour ago, nickgorey said:

Your aluminum ring looks great @Bold! Again, I am still waiting on mine...

Thanks!  Would love to see pics of your setup once you get your collar back from the machinist!

I am extremely pleased with my final product, and will be making it available for purchase to those that are interested :-)

Cheers,

|. . | .|

Here is some crappy test footage I've made using my B&H mod.  The first test uses a 14mm helicoid, with the original polyurethane/prototype housing:

The second test uses a 30mm helicoid (which allows focus down to about 8-9 inches) and a custom-fit aluminum housing that replaces the polyurethane:

All footage was shot using my beloved silver Helios-44.  Except for a few underexposed shots where I boosted the brightness, all footage is straight out of the camera & unaltered (I'm far too new at this to attempt color grading, anyways).

Just got my new machined parts back from anodizing.  Here's a quick tease:

The fit & finish on these things is pretty darned good.  I'll post more details once I've had a chance to kick the tires.

Yikes - I do not know who harry56 is or why he was quoting me.  I looks like the post has been removed so hopefully that avoids any further confusion.

But I just want to clarify for everyone, I was NOT referring to redimp when I made the original comment.

@nickgorey, this is potentially a very exciting development - can you post a picture of the setup/steps to assemble?  Have you tested how wide you are able to go without vignetting?  Is there any loss in sharpness using the Helder over the native B&H front element?

4 hours ago, IshootbeforeItalk said:

over priced seller. I'd stay away.

I have the dirt on this guy.  Definitely look for a different eBay seller.

On 4/27/2017 at 9:45 AM, Bold said:

I've decided to bite the bullet, and engage a machinist to create an aluminum part to replace my polyurethane.

Well that cost more than I had hoped, but the new machined aluminum collars fit great, and have been dropped off for anodizing. Now I just need to order some lock screws.  Once I get everything back, I will post pics of my B&H mod Mk II.  Should be ready by the beginning of June.

I love the closeup on the eyes!

In regards to the WA adapter, tests on my modded B&H produced poor results.  I believe this is because the helicoid sets the WA adapter too far from the front element of the B&H.

I've decided to bite the bullet, and engage a machinist to create an aluminum part to replace my polyurethane.  We reviewed all the pieces my mod to ensure that this new part will fit properly in my custom support bracket. I should have a final product in a few weeks.

Cheers,

|. . | .|

19 minutes ago, nickgorey said:

I sure do love @Bold's scope mount...

I'm contemplating making a short run of these, if enough people are interested.

2 hours ago, redimp said:

Is it possible to get the focusing group apart from the anamorphic and use it with other scopes (like 1.5 babies)? I see that everyone detaches the front element, and the second stays with the anamorphic glass, so can that one be detached too?

 

The short answer is, unfortunately, no. 

I'm pretty sure The Thing was Panavision...lots of screenshots of Dean Cundey's cinematography here.

Is the 38mm the widest you can go with the GH4 in 4:3 mode?  So far, how do you like it in terms of size, weight, mounting, and IQ?

You might look at Rapido Technology for a 16-H clamp.

Very cool, love the elegant simplicity of the design!

10 hours ago, Jim Chang said:

busy with the Rapido Mod projec

How's that coming along?  Can't wait to see it!

The Helios I used in the video is just a plain 44 (not 44-2 or 44m) with a 13-blade clickless aperture.  I don't think there are major optical differences, but I don't know enough about them to say with certainty,  Soviet lenses are notorious for manufacture/design variations depending on year and factory of origin,  Early 44 versions have the gold coating, I believe the 44-2 and 44m all have purple coatings?  There is plenty of info out there on the Helios 44 line of lenses, maybe someone reading this knows of a URL that explains all the differences?  

3 hours ago, martinmcgreal said:

I hear great things about the Helios 44 58mm f2.0?

The Helios 44-2 is inexpensive and can deliver fantastic results.  The original Helios 44 is harder to find and more expensive, and can deliver amazing results.  

My GH4 + Helios 44 + B&H anamorphic delivers — in my inexperienced opinion — a very filmic look.  If you forward to 0:30 on my video you can see what this combo looks like straight out of the camera (keep in mind I am a complete novice and the footage reflects this, too).

I highly recommend either the Helios 44 or 44-2 as a great investment.

Love the Zeiss IQ.  That purple flare is wonderful.

On 9/24/2016 at 2:55 PM, ken said:

3 hours ago, Tacinamo said:

He also says it's really, really heavy. And the minimum focus distance is 15 feet if I am not wrong.

It is one of the heaviest anamorphics out there (the big 35mm 2x projection lenses usually weigh around 3lb), minimum focus can be brought down to 12ft, there's more info on this lens here and here.

6 hours ago, Justin Bacle said:

Curious to see what it's like optically.

Judging by pictures of the Galileo Anamorfico, it is a re-branded Bausch & Lomb Cinemascope Attachment I, so it will have identical optical properties..

38 minutes ago, dhessel said:

The anamorphic is not oriented correctly in those photos. Is that intentional?

Nope, not intentional.  I just snapped a couple quick pics before I put it on rails to align & take test footage.