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Many people find that a 2x (3.55:1) aspect ratio is just too narrow for their liking. The good news is that if you are using a 2x lens and you have a DP4 monitor, you can compose and shoot in 1.5x. This allows us to enjoy all the benefits of 2x glass (greater availability, lower prices, more dramatically stretched bokeh) with none of the headache. Here's how to do it:[list=1] [*]Choose a Preset number so that you don't have to make these adjustments every time (just scroll back to the Preset). [*]Under the [i]Advanced Menu[/i], go to [i]Scale[/i] and select [i]2.35:1[/i]. [*]Go to [i]Custom Scale[/i] and input the following values: [/list] [indent=1]HSTART: 706[/indent] [indent=1]HSIZE: 94[/indent] [indent=1]VSTART: 500[/indent] [indent=1]VSIZE: 600[/indent] Now you are set to monitor in 1.5x. I have created an Apple Compressor setting that I just drag-and-drop onto incoming footage that squeezes AND crops the footage to 1.5x before I even begin my edit. It helps keep my render time down and I don't even have to deal with the trimmed footage area if I don't want to. These values [i]may[/i] also work on the DP6, but I haven't tried it.

I just got an email from SmallHD about some of the features of their new DP7 monitors that will be hitting the market this Fall. Of particular interest to the people who frequent this forum: [i][b]ANAMORPHIC DE-SQUEEZE[/b][/i] [i]2x, 1.5x, 1.33x — However your image is squeezed, the DP7 can correct the image to appear at the correct aspect ratio, even with DSLR scale. Particularly handy is the ability to send the un-squeezed picture downstream to other monitors for clients/directors who usually prefer non-squishy images [url="http://www.smallhd.com/site/dp7-pro/roadmap.html"](Coming Fall 2012 via free software upgrade)[/url].[/i] You can already more or less manipulate the DP4 and DP6 to display your 3.55:1 image (as well as the other standard crop ratios), but it's nice that they thought to add it in as a preset. After shelling out all of this dough for anamorphic lenses, not everyone will be able to afford a DP7 (myself included), but I would not be surprised if this is pushed out to the lower-end monitors as well in the next firmware update. Let's hope that the good folks at SmallHD are feeling generous!