The Ultimate Super 8 Anamorphic Combination

[Guest santo]

Currently I'm experimenting with the ultimate combination I could deduce in this area. A Zeiss Tevidon c-mount 10mm f2 on a Beaulieu with a Century Optics anamorphic adaptor. The Zeiss Tevidon is an East Germany c-mount built as a cost no object super resolution lens that I bought as an ex-NASA lens (it was the only lens in the 80's/early 90's up to par). It's, by all reasonable measures, distortion free, and used on old NASA missions on the space shuttles to measure various things and on Earth to measure the distance between stars (impossible with other lenses due to distortion). It also has the highest resolving power ever measured by some sources of any lens outside of the Zeiss lenses used for microchip production, though likely the latest Master Primes by Zeiss and the latest M-mount war between Leica and Zeiss are in that running. The glass elements include pieces as expensive as gold by weight and heavy as steel for at least one element. Every metal part machined from pure brass to eliminate any distortion from temp changes on Earth or in space. Put on a scale, it outweighs medium format format still photo lenses by a considerable margin, believe it or not.

 

Cost used on ebay: $120 US for somebody knowledgeable.

 

A new version is still made by Docter Optics in Germany, but of course they had no choice but to cut a few corners to make it a viable lens for purchase in high precision and scientific high resolution work. The body is made out of a more economically feasable light-weight material, for example. Still no doubt excellent. But the cost for this little c-mount new is still about $1500. Made as it was originally, probably 3 to 5 times that much.

 

I'll add updates and examples of results as I work through this experiment in the coming months. Long term project. Just having fun with it.

[S8 Booster]

this "ultimate" amamorph setup "designed" by Old Unle Barry can be had for nothing and only uses 1minor built in body correcting lens between the ana adapter and the film. Cam uses C-mount. It can even shoot without the C-mount zoom using the internal single element correction lens as the only lens.

 

Go anamorphic with Quartz clockwork cam

 

Super-8 Anamorphic news!

By "Old Uncle Barry", June 2002.

 

Not again! I hear you groan, but nevermind this may prove useful to anyone out there who wishes to shoot the stuff AND you have the cheap but cheerful Quartz S8 clockwork camera.

 

You may or may not realise it but the zoom lens unscrews from the body leaving you with a 'c' mount thread.Then you have the fixed focus lens. If you then look through the viewfinder you will be surprised to see-a perfectly focussed frame in the time ole fixed focus fashion. The zoom lens is in fact a specially chosen supplementary focussing lens and very good it is too.

 

This got me thinking about the scope lens I have,and a very old 'c' mount lens from a 16mm camera. On this particular lens (a 50mm switar) the mount can be removed by loosening the tiny screws from the fosussing ring leaving you with the bare optic free mount. The outer diameter of this mount just happened to be the exact size of the rear element of the scope lens.

 

Being unable to screw them together the idea of a collar naturally came up, but it needed to be very rigid as the scope lens is 5 inches long.

 

Thinking on the idea of a circular screw clip (known as Jubilee Clips in the UK) that automobile engine hoses are secured with seemed likely.

 

Offering the two together and loosely thightening them up I screwed the assembly onto the quartz body and Bingo! it worked superbly. Aligning the 'verticals' on thius assembly was the next step so that every time the lens was fitted it ended up in exactly the same place,and vertical,every time.

 

 

When shooting one just focusses the scope lens for accuracy and you are away! No brackets, nothing! You see the scope lens acts also as a supplementary lens as does the original zoom AND the camera ends up being only about 25mm longer than the zoom lens. So, if you have one of these cameras and have considered filming in this exciting format than borrow a lens and try it out.

 

 

you can even put this excellent Isco original R8 ana adapter directly onto the C-mount by using a minor step-down ring. no vignetting - no nothing.

 

the rest is up to the filmmaker.

 

 

 

 

s8hoot

Edited January 23, 2006 by S8 Booster

[andres victorero]

I'll add updates and examples of results as I work through this experiment in the coming months. Long term project. Just having fun with it.

 

 

Sounds very good.

[Guest santo]

this "ultimate" amamorph setup "designed" by Old Unle Barry can be had for nothing and only uses 1minor built in body correcting lens between the ana adapter and the film. Cam uses C-mount. It can even shoot without the C-mount zoom using the internal single element correction lens as the only lens.

 

s8hoot

 

Looks like fun. No disrespect to Old Uncle Barry, he's one of the most likeable guys I ever read on that other site, but think about the comparison here, S8 Booster.

 

Old Uncle Barry's anamorph set up = a 1950's home movie anamorphic lens screwed onto a mass production wind-up Soviet "consumer" camera with a built-in 9mm lens (or is it 12mm?). Now, really, how good is a one element mass produced prime lens, Booster? Plus a questionable beam-splitting prism (unlike, say a Leicina Special, or even a Canon 1014 xls, to give some credit, which present no significant measurable image quality loss).

 

Santo's anamorphic set up = the latest pro-grade Century Precision Optics anamorphic screwed onto the front of the lowest distortion (zero?), cost-no-object, highest resolution c-mount lens lens ever made (maybe). No prism, direct to film.

 

And to add to the fun, I'm using one of your favorite cameras, Booster, the overlooked and underrated Beaulieu 3008 MS. ON this we can agree, fully. Heck, I only paid 90 euros for it in terrific shape -- although a proper lube job and lens collimation is on the agenda for max results.

 

I intend to keep well under a $1000 US total for this project. Probably under $500. Even the very best realistic super 8 set-up possible is cheap with some research and patience and the ability to think "outside the box". That's a big part of the fun of something like this. But you do have to spend a few bucks. No escape from that.

[Rachel Oliver]

Hi;

 

Hey Santo, did you get anywhere with this idea? I like the idea of using a century 16/9 adapter on a small cine prime, I wonder if it could work with the cinegon 10mm for the Leicina?

 

Olly

[Guest santo]

Hi;

 

Hey Santo, did you get anywhere with this idea? I like the idea of using a century 16/9 adapter on a small cine prime, I wonder if it could work with the cinegon 10mm for the Leicina?

 

Olly

 

Well, after my usual big ridiculous over-the-top opening, blowing things way out of proportion -- hahahaha -- very slowly it is coming together. The camera is being rebuilt right now and the lens adjusted. Maybe this commie lens will turn out to suck. <_< But it sure looks like it won't when I examined it. I'd love to have a camera that's quiet enough for a little synch dialogue work with just a barney thrown on it or something, and be able to use a really sharp prime. We'll see how things turn out.

 

As for the Cinegon, I will certainly be using the same Century with it, Olly. I use another Century, a wide angle, already in combination with the Cinegon -- the .55x. However the lens thread was an intitial stumbling block. There are no 39mm Leica thread adapter rings I could find to the 37mm camcorder thread size. So what I did was use a hood and epoxied one of the three adapter rings the wide angle adapter came with into it. The biggest one, I think. Below is a photo of the first attempt, later I redid it into the standard rubber lens hood of the Cinegon. There is no vignetting or any problems, and the adapter fits nicely into the rubber hood. I would imagine the 16 x 9 would be the same. It's easy to get hold of a 46mm to 37mm ring adapter for the Tevidon application, so I'll be using the Century wide and 16 x 9 adapter on both lenses. Here's an old webcam pic.

 

 

Below are two quick frame grabs from a short I used the x.55 wide angle adapter on the Cinegon with. The top is not too bad for distortion I suppose considering it's 5.5mm -- kind of pleasant and not over the top. The Optivaron has less distortion at 6mm, but the Cinegon/Century has a noticeably wider view, I was surprised to find. But it has a nice added claustrophobic fisheye effect when you go in really close to an actor like in the bottom shot. I've heard nothing but good things about the little 16 x 9 adapter, so we'll see.

 

 

[Steve Wallace]

As for the Cinegon, I will certainly be using the same Century with it, Olly. I use another Century, a wide angle, already in combination with the Cinegon -- the .55x. However the lens thread was an intitial stumbling block. There are no 39mm Leica thread adapter rings I could find to the 37mm camcorder thread size. So what I did was use a hood and epoxied one of the three adapter rings the wide angle adapter came with into it. The biggest one, I think. Below is a photo of the first attempt, later I redid it into the standard rubber lens hood of the Cinegon. There is no vignetting or any problems, and the adapter fits nicely into the rubber hood. I would imagine the 16 x 9 would be the same. It's easy to get hold of a 46mm to 37mm ring adapter for the Tevidon application, so I'll be using the Century wide and 16 x 9 adapter on both lenses. Here's an old webcam pic.

 

Below are two quick frame grabs from a short I used the x.55 wide angle adapter on the Cinegon with. The top is not too bad for distortion I suppose considering it's 5.5mm -- kind of pleasant and not over the top. The Optivaron has less distortion at 6mm, but the Cinegon/Century has a noticeably wider view, I was surprised to find. But it has a nice added claustrophobic fisheye effect when you go in really close to an actor like in the bottom shot. I've heard nothing but good things about the little 16 x 9 adapter, so we'll see.

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If you mount the Anamorphic in a lens hood or a step up, how are you going to keep the vertical/horiontal axis even when you focus? Rails and a little plate? The above stills look great by the way. Including your previous short, you are always able execute a very distinct moody santo photography.

[Guest santo]

Thank you very much. The leveling of the 16 x 9 adapter appears to be no problem -- Century has a pretty neat set-up for this little lens. Once adjusted it isn't going anywhere. The Cinegon on the Special is focused using a ring near the rear of the lens and the front never moves, as is the Tevidon. Here's a link to the little 16 x 9 Century adapter lens:

 

http://www.centuryoptics.com/products/dv/16x9/16x9_37mm.htm

[Rachel Oliver]

Thank you very much. The leveling of the 16 x 9 adapter appears to be no problem -- Century has a pretty neat set-up for this little lens. Once adjusted it isn't going anywhere. The Cinegon on the Special is focused using a ring near the rear of the lens and the front never moves, as is the Tevidon. Here's a link to the little 16 x 9 Century adapter lens:

 

http://www.centuryoptics.com/products/dv/16x9/16x9_37mm.htm

 

Hi;

 

Fascinating stuff Santo, Love the look of those stills! I'm seriously considering trying this out myself when I get hold of the Cinegon I found, I'm wondering if one could get away with coupling the wide angle adapter to the 16/9 for very wide field of view shots... Maybe too much glass with too many variables? Anyhow keep us posted on this and good luck.

 

Olly