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S16 Anamorphic - On a budget


Carl Nenzen Loven

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Proper dual focus system could be made by mechanical means (the preferred method) but it is also possible to make with servo motors and some clever custom programming. 

For indie use one coud probably make a working solution from basic Arduino parts having enough time and tools. The system could be made to include wireless focus options as well

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On a professional shoot, with a pro crew, yes double focus would be, to quote Indiana Jones' dad, "intolerable."

But for an Indie filmmaker who kind of does the photography, script, directing and nearly everything, and has the time to muck about with focus while hopefully keeping the actor/s entertained sufficiently (maybe chuck them a Mars bar while figuring things out?), surely a bit of double focus should be feasible if the results tally more with what one was artistically hoping to see on the projection screen.

I really like the look of anamorphic, just like most people, so am persevering with this idea. To combine this look with film, would be ..... wow.

My biggest question at the moment is not aberration, or blurring edges (sometimes those things look great to my eye) ... it is focusing the thing well enough using a film camera. 

Can anyone point me towards some videos someone has made with film, that uses one of these budget anamorphic adapters. At this stage I don't really mind if the images are, on the whole, a bit soft. Just as long as they are usable images that appeal and that they are focused as best as they can be for that lens/adapter conjunction. Feel free to offer any advice. Thank you.

(edit: I suppose American readers don't know what a Mars bar is. It's a chocolate bar, originating from the UK I think).

 

Edited by Jon O'Brien
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6 hours ago, Jon O'Brien said:

Can anyone point me towards some videos someone has made with film, that uses one of these budget anamorphic adapters. At this stage I don't really mind if the images are, on the whole, a bit soft. Just as long as they are usable images that appeal and that they are focused as best as they can be for that lens/adapter conjunction. Feel free to offer any advice. Thank you.

I had some test material shot on Bolex and Nikkors with one of the Century 1.33x video camera adapters. Checked it and it was not good enough looking to be used as a reference.   I rarely shoot anything with these adapters anymore and could sell at least one of them as long as I would know that the buyer really  could use it for their actual filming and would be happy with it.

well, what are you actually wanting to do with this type of adapter? if I remember correctly from my previous tests (many years have passed) they would only usable if the takeup lens was both pretty wide angle (actual focal length, NOT field of view) so that it can be focused reasonably well, AND the takeup lens has small enough front element so that it can be easily used without vignetting. Using longer focal lengths is usually possible on very limited scale by using diopters to enable focusing to a limited distance range at a time.

If you are interested in this option, I can try to find a lens combination which works well enough with the adapter. It definitely needs to be shorter than 28mm takeup lens but have to test it out again. If you are wanting to use the combination with a small format camera like a M4/3 or a 16mm camera then a working combination should be possible to find which does not vignette and can be focused reasonably well.

Personally I think that this type of adapters mainly work on stylistic effects shots and other options are much better choices for normal shooting. But the look is pretty interesting if you can get it work. And they have killer flares, one of the nicest looking I have seen on anamorphic in general :)

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If using a front anamorphic adaptor like the Proskar or Kowa lens, it's very important to mount it as close to the prime (or zoom) lens as possible. Also no light entering at the join obviously. Then you get optimum sharpness as well as the best chance of avoiding vignetting.  When I've used these combinations in the past, I've generally focused the anamorphic to the same setting as shown on the prime lens, assuming both lenses are correctly calibrated.  Probably best to get the anamorphic's  focus setting fairly correct first by measurement , then do the prime lens through reflex finder, then fine-tune the anamorphic focus if necessary.   A good lenshood helps the contrast.

You can get some very interesting bokeh effects that you don't get with spherical.

Edited by Doug Palmer
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15 hours ago, aapo lettinen said:

well, what are you actually wanting to do with this type of adapter?

... the look is pretty interesting if you can get it work. And they have killer flares, one of the nicest looking I have seen on anamorphic in general ?

I'd like to make small films for entry to short film festivals. Little stories that probably someone else comes up with the screenplay for. I can use S16 and also 2 perf. Now, I know a lot of people would think this is a bit unusual and wasteful but as well as doing spherical test shots with the 2 perf I'm also thinking of doing some experimenting with 1.33x anamorphic on my test reels. Then digital post of course. With 2 perf I'd frame for 16:9 and stretch out later to 2.39. Yes, a lot of expensive film frame lost but to me I'm really looking for a digital 'look' that I've got in my mind's eye and I don't mind trying various means to try and achieve it.

Basically, I'm looking for either a 2.39 or 2.20 aspect ratio (could frame for either in the viewfinder with chinagraph lines on the gg), a bit of real film grain, not faked, some quirky lens effects that i actually like (blurred extremities of frame in some shots, some minimal flares, etc). Good thing about 1.33 is that it's quite reasonable to look at through a regular, non-desqueezed viewfinder, compared to 2x. Why go to all this trouble? I know that it's not really possible but I'd like to get a digitally-projected image that is as close as possible to the look of film-projected 35mm prints at the movies I used to see as a kid. So, a bit grainy, a bit soft but not too soft, some anamorphic effects. The film I currently have in mind would be mainly shot outdoors, with minimal interior shots, reasonably close up. I will be using Nikkors as the main lens. For S16 I also have a 16mm Switar.

The other requirement is absolute minimum cost even though shooting on film is expensive. This is like solving a puzzle. Absolutely biggest bang for buck, as long as it's shot on film and is a cinema-release feature quality image potentially. That's my dream of doing filmmaking. I'm not a fan of the pristine, edge to edge sharp, clinical, undistorted image we now see in cinemas and on televisions and screens. I like a softer, grainier look. I know people would say just shoot digital ?

Edited by Jon O'Brien
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A 16mm Switar lens will not work with one of the older types of anamorphic such as Kowa 8z, without vignetting.  The front element is not forward far enough.  Something like a 16mm Nikkor or Russian lens may work (possibly). Normally with these 2X anamorphic adaptors the widest focal length is about 20mm, unless you can find or adapt a 16mm lens so that its front element is nearly touching the rear element of the anamorphic. (And the nearness improves the image quality.)   Don't know about 1.33X adaptors. But is it worth the trouble with these ?  

Longer focal lengths of course no problem. And tele anamorphic shots can look really good, especially with out-of-focus areas in the wider frame.

Edited by Doug Palmer
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Although I guess with 1.33X you'd end up fairly wide on S16.  2X maybe too wide.

I agree that digital projection can look very clinical. Though with lockdown it's been so long away from the cinema I'm sure when they open I'll be happy with anything ?  

Edited by Doug Palmer
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I can check again how those Century adapters would work on 16mm camera lenses. Practically testing them with GH4 and c-mount adapter so that the focus issues can be checked too.

Just thinking that they could be usable on Dual8 and Super8 where the lenses and focal lengths are generally small. But at least some 16mm lenses should work with them too. Don't know how practical it is to shoot a entire short film with one but it is always interesting to test this kind of stuff :)

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Sounds really interesting Aapo! Let's know what you find out with the Century adapter -- I'm always keen to learn more about anamorphic possibilities. If I could I'd love to use one of the new budget Sirui 1.33x anamorphic lenses but they're designed for a shorter flange focal distance than Nikon F mount. Thanks Doug for your very helpful input as well! I'm learning all the time.

Yes! It will be good to get back to the cinema again soon. I agree.

 

 

Edited by Jon O'Brien
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On 7/4/2020 at 3:11 PM, Tyler Purcell said:

Oh there are some very cool lenses coming soon! Atlas is going to be making 1.33x anamorphic soon and I believe some Chinese companies are as well. 

Great to know, Tyler. Do you happen to know if any of these new 1.33x anamorphic lenses coming out soon will be suitable for Nikon F mount/DX (APS-C) cameras? There seems to be a real opening there for someone to make a budget anamorphic lens that will work with Nikon F mount.

Edited by Jon O'Brien
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3 hours ago, Jon O'Brien said:

Great to know, Tyler. Do you happen to know if any of these new 1.33x anamorphic lenses coming out soon will be suitable for Nikon F mount/DX (APS-C) cameras? There seems to be a real opening there for someone to make a budget anamorphic lens that will work with Nikon F mount.

No idea, I only care about PL since my cameras are ALL PL mount. So I assume they'll be PL or I wouldn't be paying attention to them. 

Edited by Tyler Purcell
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