Why didn't Vista Vision ever catch on?

Ben Brahem Ziryab · April 14, 2023

There's only one true sound-sync VistaVision camera. It's called the Wilcam W11. It's QUIET.
It's been rebuilt and modernized by Marty S Mueller AKA "MSM". Has an HD tap and all the bells and whistles.
Here it is at Panavision Woodland Hills.

Geffen Avraham · January 4

On 4/14/2023 at 7:22 AM, Ben Brahem Ziryab said:

There's only one true sound-sync VistaVision camera. It's called the Wilcam W11. It's QUIET.
It's been rebuilt and modernized by Marty S Mueller AKA "MSM". Has an HD tap and all the bells and whistles.
Here it is at Panavision Woodland Hills.

Do you know if there are any VistaVision cameras that will take PL or modified EF lenses? If Bruce's camera takes Canon FD, it should be able to take EF too.

I ask because a Canon EF 50mm F1.0 lens, or one of the Vantage One or Arri T.ONE lenses on VistaVision are equivalent to an f0.7 on 4 perf... And Bruce's camera is a reflex, which Kubrick's Mitchell BNC was famously not...

I'm not saying I want to shoot ultrafast on Kodak stock with a reflex camera and a Stereo or ToF depth camera for focus... but I'm also not saying I'm not.

Edited January 4 by Geffen Avraham

Patrick Cooper · January 22

Very interesting to learn that Canon FD lenses were used on Bruce's VistaVision camera. I have been using Canon FD lenses for my still film photography for years. For the last several years, I have also been using them for HD and 4k video and I'm also considering mounting them to a 16mm high speed camera in the future. Even to this day, people have high regards for these lenses.

Kemalettin Sert · January 22

On 1/4/2024 at 2:50 AM, Geffen Avraham said:

Do you know if there are any VistaVision cameras that will take PL or modified EF lenses? If Bruce's camera takes Canon FD, it should be able to take EF too.

I ask because a Canon EF 50mm F1.0 lens, or one of the Vantage One or Arri T.ONE lenses on VistaVision are equivalent to an f0.7 on 4 perf... And Bruce's camera is a reflex, which Kubrick's Mitchell BNC was famously not...

I'm not saying I want to shoot ultrafast on Kodak stock with a reflex camera and a Stereo or ToF depth camera for focus... but I'm also not saying I'm not.

Thats not how lenses work though? If you put 80mm Mamiya F1.9 lens on FF camera its still a F1.9 lens.You need to use an speedboster to make lenses with larger diameter image coverage faster on a FF camera.

Daniel Muchnik · January 23

For anybody in the LA area interested in shooting the format, Geo FIlm by the van nuys airport has a couple of the beaumot vista cameras. I've done 3 music videos as a 1st over the past couple years with them. They're quite lovely when treated well, but neither the optics not the video tap show the entire open gate image area. They're PV mount and Geo sends them with a rehoused set of Leica Rs https://www.geofilmgroup.com/

Geffen Avraham · January 26

On 1/22/2024 at 8:02 AM, Kemalettin Sert said:

Thats not how lenses work though? If you put 80mm Mamiya F1.9 lens on FF camera its still a F1.9 lens.You need to use an speedboster to make lenses with larger diameter image coverage faster on a FF camera.

Yes, but the depth of field and bokeh seen on a full-frame sensor with an f1.0 lens, is about the same bokeh and background blur you will need an f0.7 to get on Super35.

Speedboosting medium format lenses onto VistaVision would be wonderful, but I can't think of a way to do it without a PL mount. The Beaumont camera will take Mamiya or Hasselblad lenses, but a speedbooster takes up extra space - you would need something like the PL-mount Whitepoint TS70.