Shooting with anamorphic adapters without taking lens

[QuickHitRecord]

Take a look at this eBay listing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Anamorphic-Direct-Adapters-for-M-4-3-or-Sony-Nex-Mounts-3-Sold-/110887283359?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d165aa9f#ht_500wt_1413

Anamorphic projection lenses were designed to throw an image on a wall fifty, one hundred, sometimes a couple hundred feet away. As I understand it, this product supposedly works by increasing the flange distance to decrease the minimum focus distance (much like an extension tube) to make it usable with your camera. But without a taking lens, you only adjust focus with the anamorphic adapter. If it works, it could turn your Kowa lens into an Iscorama killer (though it seems pricey for what is essentially a hollow tube). This got me thinking that perhaps an unwanted lens with the glass removed may be a more cost-effective way to achieve the same result. This way you would still have access to the full range of aperture stops.

Of course this is all speculation and I am wondering if anyone else has tried this before.

[richg101]

based on his sample video i'm not impressed.  no sharper than any other good anamorphic adaptor/lens combo sample i have seen.  I'm pretty sure I have seen crisper footage done with the cinelux + 50mm helios.  seems an awful lot for a tube with a slot in it to accept a piece of credit card with a hole drilled in it.  if it were that good he would have a proper sample up there.

[QuickHitRecord]

I agree. However, it may have been a result of improper focusing and/or aperture settings and/or editing. Or it could just be that a diopter is needed. The concept is still interesting to me. I'd really like to try it out but a quick look around the internet has not turned up an adapter or extension tube with filter threading on the front. Know of anything?

[ipcmlr]

Very interesting.... I should test this out and give it a shot..

[DaveC]

Maybe it's possible to use an adapter like this to add an iris:

[url=http://www.fotodiox.com/product_info.php?products_id=821]http://www.fotodiox.com/product_info.php?products_id=821[/url]

[QuickHitRecord]

I was thinking the same thing, but without paying $300 for the metal tube on eBay, the obstacle for a homemade solution remains being able to find an extension tube that terminates in a filter thread (instead of a camera mount). I've been looking without success, but perhaps I have been missing something.

[DaveC]

hmm maybe something like this?

[url=http://www.rocksphoto.com/category.php?id=159]http://www.rocksphoto.com/category.php?id=159[/url]

[QuickHitRecord]

[quote author=DaveC link=topic=790.msg5763#msg5763 date=1338487966]
hmm maybe something like this?

[url=http://www.rocksphoto.com/category.php?id=159]http://www.rocksphoto.com/category.php?id=159[/url]
[/quote]

So...

GH2  =>  MFT extension tube  =>  MFT to EF mount adapter  =>  PIXCO Macro Reverse Ring  =>  49mm to 55mm step ring  =>  Redstan clamp  =>  Bell & Howell / Kowa

My friend, I think that you may have just cracked the code. Minus the step ring and the PIXCO ring, I have all of these things. I feel an experiment coming on!

[ipcmlr]

@quickhitrecord tell me how that experiment goes! I was very close to buying a defective canon ef 50mm off Craigslist which I planned to saw off and glue a stepup ring to the sawed off lens. This Pixco is a much better solution:D

[DaveC]

Really curious to see the results! Good luck :)

[DaveC]

[quote author=QuickHitRecord link=topic=790.msg5770#msg5770 date=1338495977]
GH2  =>  MFT extension tube  =>  MFT to EF mount adapter  =>  PIXCO Macro Reverse Ring  =>  49mm to 55mm step ring  =>  Redstan clamp  =>  Bell & Howell / Kowa
[/quote]
You could also just use a m4/3 reverse ring:
[url=http://www.rocksphoto.com/category.php?id=164]http://www.rocksphoto.com/category.php?id=164[/url]
Also keep in mind that the reverse ring has an outer filter thread. You'll need to reverse that to an inner filter thread. The macro tube should have already an inner filter ring, if you don't use the final ring.

So maybe a solution would be:

GH2  =>  m4/3 MFT extension tube  =>  m4/3 to Canon Fotodiox Pro Lens Mount Adapter with Built-in Aperture iris  =>  Canon extension tube  =>  55mm step up / down ring  =>  Redstan clamp  =>  Bell & Howell / Kowa

If this set-up works, it should be quite easy to make a good working all-in-one solution out of solid aluminum with 15mm rod mount.

[QuickHitRecord]

Thanks for the link! I was looking on eBay for something like this but could only find one that went to Four Thirds (not Micro), so this may open up some possibilities. I have a feeling that I am going to be swapping in and out extension tubes, mount adapters and step rings quite a bit to see if I can get a usable or good image out of it.

I am going to be travelling for work this week, but I am hoping that the Canon reverse adapter ring that I ordered will be here waiting for me when I get back. I'll post tests as soon as I have them.

[QuickHitRecord]

[b]Quick update:[/b] I have acquired the necessary hardware but all attempts to focus on anything (near or far) have been unsuccessful. However, I think that it may be worthwhile to try limiting the amount of light because as far as I know there is no such thing as an F0.0 lens. My next step is to borrow my friend's EF to MFT adapter, which has a built-in aperture. I will post about the results.

[jbCinC_12]

I'm interested in the results as well and have been following this.

Do keep us posted.

[QuickHitRecord]

[b]Update:[/b] A friend loaned me an EF to MFT adapter with a built in aperture that I incorporated into the setup. When I closed the aperture all the way down, the resulting image looked more focused than I have seen so far (though still nowhere near usable). I tried adding and subtracting extension tubes of varying lengths into every combination that I could think of but was never able to bring the image into better focus.

The "anamorphic direct adapter" is back on eBay at the moment, but the seller has gone from claiming three sales the last time he posted it to just one this time. Does this mean that two of his sales resulted in returned items? Perhaps. Either way, something doesn't seem quite right.

I am out of ideas, so unless anyone else has any, we can mark this experiment as a failure. But at least now we know.

[Anton Zimin]

Look at this!

As far as all our “adapters” are projection lenses it might be not such a bad idea to try it without a taken lens.