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Anyone use the KINOPTIK 5.7mm on s16?


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Has anyone used this lens on a super 16mm camera? What are your thoughts about it? It looks like a fun cheap lens, I just wanted to make sure the sharpness would hold up at HD resolutions, and it fully covers s16mm- I dont mind if the coating are not up to par with zeiss. Thanks.

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Yes Hunter, they are amazing lenses When They're Collimated/Calibrated Properly. 99% of them that come to me with their cameras are not set-up correctly, and, of course the resulting images are far from pleasing.

They are retro-focus lenses, which means that their back focus is shorter than their focal length, They use an inverted telephoto design in order to keep the rear element from hitting the mirror/shutter on the camera.

Because of this design, things get a little wound - real - tight, optically, that is. Things have to be just right or they don't do what they're told. There's no way to get perfect focus at 2 to 3 feet AND perfect focus at infinity. You either need two of them, one set for close work, and one for far, or, the other solution is to have a way to set it for infinity, but shim it out for close work. I would recommend that you set it up this way. You keep the shim in your case and when you need to use it, slip it on the rear mount and Gently affix the lens in the mount, tightening gently. Then they Vill behave.

Hope this helps. Cheers, Bernie.

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There's no way to get perfect focus at 2 to 3 feet AND perfect focus at infinity. You either need two of them, one set for close work, and one for far, or, the other solution is to have a way to set it for infinity, but shim it out for close work.

Hi Bernie,

 

Just out of curiosity, would it be possible to install a back focus ring on the lens instead of using a shim to get the same effect? I imagine it would be a pretty expensive mod but wouldn't it be cheaper than buying a separate lens?

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That's the problem Satsuki, an inexpensive machinist. It's like trying to find an energetic sloth. Machinists roll on the floor laughing when you ask for fewer than 300 units. Holding up one piece you want machined is like Oliver Twist asking for more porridge. I found a guy on Long Island once who agreed to make me 25 Eclair CA-1 mounts. I waited a month or two and when I called, his number was disconnected.

So I stick with a circle of brass.

Cheers, Bernie

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  • 4 weeks later...
Anyone? Its this fixed focus strange looking lens:

Kinotptic_5,7mm_T2,0_PL_frt.jpg

I have one [albeit without the square bit in your photo - filter holder?] that works well with our S16mm ARRI SR2.

Anything beyond 30 inches or so is perfectly sharp, and it covers S16mm no problem.

A nice lens, which is used a fair bit for comical/geeky close ups. :)

HTH

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  • 2 years later...

I like this lens a lot. It's the widest 16mm non fisheye lens and it covers S16. FFD must be adjusted right.

It almost touches the beamsplitter of my Bolex.

There is a 9,8 mm lens with the same design for the 35mm academy format and also can be used on S16 cameras.

 

 

I have one of these lens, but a Arri std mount though.

Although mine came without the "cover" for the filter.

 

I wonder if that is a problem to shoot with light coming in the lens by that gap?

I actually never shot with this lens yet, so need to know if its ok, or if you have to cover with gaffer tape that part?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

F

Edited by flavio filho
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There is an easy solution to the machinist only prepared to do 300 units:

 

Offer them the price they want for 300 for one...

 

 

Insane to think it, but even this method sometimes fails.

 

Seems like in most areas there are a few people who wear both hats - machinist/grip, ex-toolmaker now in special effects, hire shop guy with mould maker father ... You just gotta find those people

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I have one of these lens, but a Arri std mount though.

Although mine came without the "cover" for the filter.

 

I wonder if that is a problem to shoot with light coming in the lens by that gap?

I actually never shot with this lens yet, so need to know if its ok, or if you have to cover with gaffer tape that part?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

F

 

Hi Flavio,

 

yeah I'd tape up the gap, any light coming in there will degrade the image.

 

Bernie's advice about getting it checked for collimation is spot-on, a few hundredths of a mm out and everything could be soft if you're at wide apertures. Back focus is extremely critical at this sort of focal length. Best to get it checked with the camera you'll use it on, in case the camera flange depth is slightly out.

 

When I service wide fixed focus lenses like this I always ask if the client wants it set for close focus - like car interiors - or whether they want it to reach infinity. Like Bernie, I sometimes offer a shim to allow them to adjust it for both. On some lenses, like the Angenieux 5.9mm, the mount is easily removed to allow the internal shim to be swapped over.

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Hi Flavio,

 

yeah I'd tape up the gap, any light coming in there will degrade the image.

 

Bernie's advice about getting it checked for collimation is spot-on, a few hundredths of a mm out and everything could be soft if you're at wide apertures. Back focus is extremely critical at this sort of focal length. Best to get it checked with the camera you'll use it on, in case the camera flange depth is slightly out.

 

When I service wide fixed focus lenses like this I always ask if the client wants it set for close focus - like car interiors - or whether they want it to reach infinity. Like Bernie, I sometimes offer a shim to allow them to adjust it for both. On some lenses, like the Angenieux 5.9mm, the mount is easily removed to allow the internal shim to be swapped over.

 

 

Hi

 

That's great advice, thanks.

I can't invest at the momen in NOTHING else.

I've bough 2 Arri 16s, one working other dont'. Converted a Bolex to Ultra...

Today I bought two original Arri Lens Hood... 170 USD.

 

Now I go the lenses and will shot a 100 ft ob B/W to test and see how it is...

 

Am going mental, love the cameras, but it's getting pricey to fix the Arri16s and lens... :P

I'll going to convert the Magazine Motors to 12V myself, to make cheaper my spendings.

 

But the Kinoptik will have to take care of it... Such a gem of a lens.

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I used to have one of these in my old Aaton kit. I called it the Music Video lens or the Dream Sequence lens. It distorts like crazy in a beautiful way, but certainly didn't cleanly intercut with any other lenses in contrast or color. I would only ever use it as a funky effect lens and as such had the focus depth set so that everything was in focus pretty much right up to the front element, with distant objects allowed to go soft. Loved that old thing. Had the hard to find shade for it as well.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tegea 5.7? I have one I use with my SR3. It does cover S16, sort of but the corners are a bit dark. It's not very sharp, but the look is so radical you can cut the stuff in anyway. Besides the 2x2-inch filters from an Arri S mattebox, you can put 49mm (Pentax still camera) filters in the slot including closeup lenses to bring the fixed focus point closer. I would tape them in with black paper tape if your cover is missing.

Skip Roessel

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