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GH4 Anamorphic 4:3 mode as "16mm mode"


freeman
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Hey everyone, I have been experimenting with the GH4's 4k anamorphic mode as a sort of 16mm mode. The GH4 can record 4k footage in a 4:3 aspect ratio (designed for an anamorphic de-squeeze in post)... 16mm film is also a 4:3 aspect ratio. I have an old Angenieux 12-120mm cine-zoom in c mount. I love the lens, it has an interesting look to it and has an amazing zoom range for doc work. The only problem to shooting with it was the heavy vignette requiring a significant crop to remove. However, when I switch the GH4 to the 4:3 anamorphic mode, the vignette is much smaller as it opens up the vertical part of the sensor and captures more of the lenses image circle. 

Here is the view at 12mm. As you can see, heavy vignette but not nearly as bad as it is in 16:9 mode.

angenieux_12mm.thumb.jpg.fa6d9a3b14fe0b8

 

Here is the same view with the lens set to 120mm. Somewhere around 70mm the vignette mostly disappears, and at 120 its more or a light falloff and not the tunnel vision effect you see at 12mm.

angenieux_120mm.thumb.jpg.b0938da8b528c9

Taking the first 12mm view and applying just a 16x9 center crop to elimnate the vignette gives you this image. It works quite well! I am not sure how to determine the final resolution but FCPX tells me that this 4k footage is scaled by 143% (all of this is being done in a 1080p timeline). I could also crop even less if I keep the final aspect ratio at 4:3.

12mm_cropped.thumb.jpg.c3f5bc52cc08f3db8 

 

This weekend I will be filming a rallycross race in upstate NY and I plan on only using this lens. I will share the results here after filming. Very excited to see how this works. Has anyone else tried this with old 16mm glass? Also, these shots are ungraded but one nice thing about this old lens is that it shoots very flat. Not much contrast, however it leaves a lot of room for grading.

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I had this lens in Arri-SR mount which is by some considered to be superior. The c-mount version was very popular on filmschools as far as I know. For filmmaking I found it much too soft and sold it. However for a digital sensor especially the (somehow videoish GH4) this could lead to more pleasant results. I am looking forward for your video !

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Thanks Rudolf I wasn't aware there were differences in the optics on different lens mounts. I am reasonably sure this one must have come from an old Bolex kit. It's gonna be fun to put through it's paces.. following in the footsteps of direct cinema shooters. Interesting thing is it's heavier than the gh4 itself so I am building a new shoulder rig just to shoot it handheld. I actually used this lens for the intro (start till about 00:38) in this short doc I filmed https://vimeo.com/146657676 about public transportation in Rochester.

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Hey guys here is the Rallycross race I filmed last weekend with the Angenieux 12-120 

https://vimeo.com/152638879 

This lens was interesting to shoot with. Loved having the zoom range to get the cars, and it went decently wide. All real time footage was filmed in 4k in 4:3 aspect ratio and cropped into a 16x9 HD timeline. (the anamorphic crop on the final footage is just a mask)  The slow-mo on the gh4 is only in 1080p so I wasn't able to crop in to hide the vignette however at the longer end of the zoom the vignette I got gave a pretty cool look. I feel like Top Gear goes for a similar look in their post.  I applied a kodak LUT and minor exposure balance. The in-car footage was filmed with a No.1 close up diopter as the 12-120s minimum focus is ~4 feet. The diopter increases the tunnel vision effect further. Some shots I cropped in more than others but I ended up liking the cramped view for the in-car shots. Enjoy!

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Nice work freeman! I have this lens (and GH4) also, but haven't shot much with it yet,  I'd love too see a pic of your shoulder rig if you've got one.

What are your thoughts/experience using the side-mounted zoom handle (versus manually turning the barrel)?

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Thanks guys, Bold the shoulder rig is from cowboy studio, it's like 30$ on amazon I'll get a picture of it.  I find  the threaded zoom stick so necessary. The zoom has a zoom crank, which is nice if you want a slow zoom but for quicker zooms and in general I used the stick. I am even planning on threading a longer zoom stick to get more leverage as the one I have is short. The key to being able to have a free hand to zoom is to have the camera stable on your shoulder. A heavier 16mm camera had some weight to it but the little gh4 needs to be nice and steadily mounted. The cowboy studio rig really helps for this. Looks a bit goofy but I can use both hands to operate the lens or one on the lens the other holding the camera to my shoulder.

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the shoulder rig is from cowboy studio, it's like 30$ on amazon I'll get a picture of it.

Cool, Like you said, the lens is heavier than the camera. That focus crank is an obstacle when it comes to supporting the lens (it pretty much excludes using a lens collar), I'd be interested in seeing your solution.

 

The zoom has a zoom crank, which is nice if you want a slow zoom but for quicker zooms and in general I used the stick. I am even planning on threading a longer zoom stick to get more leverage as the one I have is short. 

Thanks for reminding me about the stick! I had totally forgotten it's been rolling around in the case my lens came in.

 

Cheers,

|. . | .|

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