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Kowa Prominar 8-Z size


Rafael Rivera

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I don't remember what thread type it was, but certainly nonstandard. many years ago, I tried to get an adapter ring for it and was told it would have to be hand made at high cost.

 

IIRC there used to be a special rotating adapter to keep the lens on axis if the camera lens had a rotating front which is the case with most Super 8 cameras. Doesn't your Schneider zoom lens rotate too?

 

I would try The Widescreen Centre, they used to distribute the Kowa 8Z and may know another solution.

 

The Widescreen Centre UK

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi,

 

I've just received a kowa 8-z (serial 448XX) won on ebay too. It's pretty obvious that the rear filter thread is nonstandard :(

I really want to shoot films with it soon but I can't screw it on my cameras.

 

>>> Did you get some more info from widescreencenter UK about the perfect step up/down ring size we should get to use it with nowadays threads?

 

super8man tells on his website that it's a serie VI thread. That will not be easy to find an adaptor as far as serie 6 is a neolithic size :)

 

I was thinking about mounting the camera & the lens on a rod system with a "Canon Tripod Mount Ring AII" with foam to keep the kowa tight in place... Do you have some other ideas about fixing it?

 

Waiting to reading from you soon

 

regards

 

Damian

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Series V ? filters 1-3/16″ (~30mm) ? retaining thread 1-1/4″ (~32mm)

Series VI ? filters 1-5/8″ (~41mm) ? retaining thread 1-3/4″ (~44mm)

Series VII ? filters 2″ (~51mm) ? retaining thread 2-1/8″ (~54mm)

 

I think it's a 52mm filter thread or a series VII one. We have to try both of them.

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Got one recently. Anyone know for sure the size of the rear thread of this lens? I'd like to attach it to a 4008 ZMII 6-66 Schneider lens. Was told to use a series 7 to 62mm adapter, would this work?

 

I wouldn't attach it direct to the zoom lens. It's a hassle because it will turn as soon as you focus the camera lens, then if you focus the 8z the cameralens will turn and get out of focus.

 

The weight of the 8Z plus the lenght of the Schneider won't do any good to the weak c-mount of the camera.

 

The rear thread is non standard. I searched in several shops etc. for a step ring but there was nothing. A solution would be to glue a standard ring on it

 

I use the 8z with a rod system. So it isn't connected mechanically to the cameralens and both can be focused hassle free.

 

By the way, prime lenses work best for this set up.

Edited by Bernhard Zitz
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Thanks Bernhard, that's great info there. What prime size do you recommend?

 

What ever focal length you need or have, there is a limit before vignetting on the wide side. In S8 you can go as wide as 10mm (the cinegon on the leicina special), in Regular 16mm the limit is 20mm, but you get barrel distortion with both.

 

the super8man has good info about step rings etc...

http://home.pacbell.net/mnyberg/super8mm/super8_39.html

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  • 5 months later...

Hello,

 

I have a Kowa 16-H anamorphic adaptor and I bought a small Nizo 561 with the 49mm lens filter thread to fit with.

I order a step up ring on ebay which converts 49mm to Serie VII.

it definitly does not fit the back thread of the Kowa 8-Z. the serie VII is a bit wider.

 

serie VII is 54mm and the Kowa thread is 50mm / 2"

 

I am looking for a 2" thread or something else to connect the lens to the Kowa.

 

I know that the thread filter of some telescope are near 2" maybe I should take a look at this but it's not really easy to find.

 

 

I found something in the microscope area which is a "off-the-shelf adaptor ring".The tube size is 2" wide (exacly the size of the metal ring of the Kowa) and the other side is 52mm e.g. But it costs way too much for me... (50 to 100$).

ROTschema2.jpg

 

 

So, If someone found the perfect filter thread type to connect the kowa 8-Z on my camera that would really help me.

 

Thanks

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I sent an email to Kowa Japan and that's what they replied to me. The mail is really kind and helpful.

 

Dear Damien-san,

 

Very sorry for our delay in replying.

 

This is Kowa Company, Ltd., Head Office in Japan. My name is Tammotsu Kitai (Mr.) who works for our Electronics & Optics Div., and I'm a Sales Manager of the Int'l Sales Dept..

 

Thank you for the purchase of our products of very old model. I checked with our Factory engineer and found that the thread of this Prominar Anamorphic 16 - H (???) is of M50 x 0.75 ( Diameter x Pitch ). I believe you will be successful now.

 

Kind and best regards

 

Tamotsu Kitai

Int'l Sales Dept.

Electronics & Optics Div.

Kowa Company, Ltd.

Tokyo - Japan

 

So here it is ! The thread is M50 x 0.75 ( Diameter x Pitch )

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I sent an email to Kowa Japan and that's what they replied to me. The mail is really kind and helpful.

 

 

 

So here it is ! The thread is M50 x 0.75 ( Diameter x Pitch )

 

Damien, that really is fantastic of you to have gone to such length to find this information. Muchas gracias!

 

Maybe we can put our heads together and come up with some method of attaching this lens. I'd like to use with a Beaulieu 4008 and an R16. I was leaning towards using the Kowa with something like a 25mm prime since the front glass element will certainly be small enough, and to avoid vignetting and to keep it more lightweight.

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That could be really easy to make a perfectly suited adaptor. The easiest way to screw this Kowa lens is to use a Standard step up ring (5$).

i.e 49mm >>> 52mm step up ring with a custom made ring screwed inside the 52mm cavity.

This custom ring must be 3-4mm thick and must be 52mm pich 0.75 in the outter circumference and must be 50mm 0.75 pitch inner circumference.

This is really easy to do with a lathe or a mill.

If someone knows a machine shop or a person who could do this let us know. Maybe we could order a batch of 10 rings if people are interested to decrease the price.

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Hi Damien,

 

This is interesting - I would be interested in stepping in on a joint order if you can find someone who is willing to make those adapter rings. I have recently bought a 46.5mm to Series VII adapter ring on eBay, which I will try to fit to the Angénieux 1.9/8-64mm zoom on the Beaulieu 4008 - it seems to be usable from around 15 - 17mm focal length and up.

However, I must agree with Bernard that prime lenses probably are a much better start as they are simpler lens constructions and less prone to distorsion problems found in zooms, particularly at the wide end (barrel distorsion) and at the extreme telephoto end (pin-cushion distorsion). So, a Schneider-Leicina Macro-Cinegon 1:8/10mm would probably be ideal, also because it is so small in the front filter thread (39mm).

 

I recently bought both the Kowa 16-H 2X (or 8-Z in Europe) with the unusual M50 back thread and also the Bell & Howell all-black Kowa 2X version (same 70mm lens), which apparently has a back thread of about the same thread as a Series VII adapter ring (about 54mm?). Michael Nyberg has some very interesting close-ups of his step- and rotating split-ring combos on his site - here is a Series VII to 52/52 to 62mm combo (©photo by the same):

 

Series7to52mm52to62mmstep-up.jpg

 

After a bit of web browsing on anamorphic lenses, I found some very interesting adapter rings at 'FFR-Film' in Idstein, Germany, for the Kowa 2X lens (and others, like the East German-made Rectimascope lens, which is larger), for example very sophisticated projector mounts, for both the Beaulieu 708 EL Stereo and the Elmo ST- or GS-1200 sound projectors. They look heavy-duty and sturdy enough. There is also an interesting CS barrel adapter for the Kowa 16-H/8-Z, for 52mm, 55mm, and 58mm lenses. They are expensive (at EUR 45,00) but they look really solid to me - web link: http://www.ffr-film.de/index.php?page=anam...amp;language=de

 

BHKowa2XonaBeaulieu708EL.jpgBHKowaanamorphiclensholderforBeauli.jpgELMO-52mmST-1200anamorphiclensholde.jpgCSAdaperrring52mmKOWAbarrelto52mmNi.jpg

 

Cheers from Stockholm,

Bengt F ;)

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Hi all,

 

I searched eBay.com for step-down rings and, guess what, I found this: http://cgi.ebay.com/black-52mm-to-50mm-52-...idZp1638Q2em124

 

A 52mm camera lens to 50mm filter thread black step-down metal (aluminium) ring, for $1.00 + shipping! I just bought one and there are over 80 of them left. Enough for everybody with a Kowa H-16/8-Z Prominar 70mm anamorphic lens . . .

 

I cross my fingers and hope that this might be the right one - if this is the correct 0.75mm pitch thread on the inside, I can fit the Kowa H-16 Prominar (with the chrome barrel) to any of my manual Nikon F Nikkor AiS SLR still camera lenses, for which I have a C-mount adapter to the Beaulieu 4008 ZM II (or Beaulieu R-16). I am thinking that an 18mm, a 20mm, or a 24mm Nikkor wideangle lens might be just right, if there is no 'tunneling' in Super8mm. Stepping down from 52 to 49 and smaller, or up to 55 or 58 is a piece-of-cake and adds very little to the distance between the A-lens and camera lens. The Kowa will have to be supported by a lens bracket and rods, though, or else the C-mount in the Beaulieu will bend out of focus.

 

Now, we´ll just have to see when the little ring arrives from Hong Kong . . .

 

Cheers,

Bengt F ;)

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Hello Bengt F,

 

Thanks a lot for your tips. I bought a 52mm >>> 50mm step down ring too. Hope it will arrive from china :)

Hi Damien,

That´s great - we will try it out and post our experiences. I pray it will fit. There are options for larger filter threads, too: For those wanting to experiment with the Bell & Howell Kowa 2X lens and the Beaulieu- or Leicina Special-Schneider Optivaron 1.8/6-66mm, Beaulieu-Schneider 1.4/6-70mm or Angénieux T1.4/6-80mm zoom lenses, there is this 62mm step-down to Series VII adapter ring: http://cgi.ebay.com/Filter-adapter-Ring-62...Q2em118Q2el1247

 

For lenses of this large front filter thread, it will probably result in some 'tunneling' or edge cut-off at the wider focal length settings, but I know that 'super8man' Michael Nyberg has tried it on his Bell & Howell MS45, which has the same size - scroll down this page for the grey B&H camera. He uses the zoom between 15-20mm focal length for a 'tunnel-free' image: http://home.pacbell.net/mnyberg/super8mm/super8_39.html

 

Scope is the way to go!

Cheers,

Bengt F ;)

Edited by Bengt Freden
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Bengt,

 

Did you received your 52mm-50mm step down ring ?

 

The guys from the ebay store send me an email today to advice me the item is missing at their store...

That's a shame, I paid it, and the even sent me an email while ago to tell me "your item has been shipped".

 

That's what they say in the email:

Dear sir, I am sorry to tell you that we don't have this item(250357835906) in stock now,and it will take a long time to get the items from our supplier.Sorry for the inconvenience we bring to you.We can refund the money to you.Sorry again. Best Regards June

 

That's unbelievable...

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Hi Damien,

 

The exact same thing happened to me - I got an e-mail just the other day informing me that "it will take a long time to get the item from our supplier" and today I got a PayPal refund of $4.99. In Asia, it is a deadly sin to loose face in front of a customer . . . I think this might be some kind of evasive or easy-to-grab explanation for an error or a misprint in the listing.

I searched the seller "DSLR Baby´s" web store in China and it seems that they have stopped selling this item, because I cannot find it now: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/dslrbaby_Step-...Q_sidZ802295041

 

Anyway, I just sent an e-mail this "June" in China and asked them if they could order it from their supplier. If this ring does exist (I am beginning to wonder if it does . . .), then I am prepared to wait a while for it. I told them so. It would be nice to have a really thin 52mm to 50mm step down ring for the Kowa lens, that doesn´t add so much to the distance between the lenses.

 

I am sorry that I led you astray but I had no way of knowing that this would be the disappointing result. However, I will let you know if this ring can be found, from this supplier or from another.

 

'Til then,

Take care,

Bengt ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Did you get your money back from the store ? I don't...

 

I found someone else on ebay who sells a lot of 50 52mm-50mm step down rings.

 

I asked him to buy only one piece. He told me that it will be 20$ each s/h inc for North America.

If you want, I can send you the mail via PM.

 

Hope it helps.

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Did you get your money back from the store ? I don't...

 

I found someone else on ebay who sells a lot of 50 52mm-50mm step down rings.

 

I asked him to buy only one piece. He told me that it will be 20$ each s/h inc for North America.

If you want, I can send you the mail via PM.

 

Hope it helps.

 

Hi Damien,

 

What you actually need is a 50 to 52 step-UP ring - that is 50mm filter to 52mm lens, not the other way around. Be careful when you order or ask for it, so you don´t get the wrong article/item

.

I would be very interested to see the e-mail, though - please send me a PM! Thanks!

 

Best,

Bengt ;)

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What you actually need is a 50 to 52 step-UP ring - that is 50mm filter to 52mm lens, not the other way around. Be careful when you order or ask for it, so you don´t get the wrong article/item

 

According to the FAQ from B&H store:

 

 

For example, a 52-49mm Step-Down Ring would allow a 49mm filter to be used on a lens with a front filter thread size of 52mm. Care must be taken using Step-Down rings in order to avoid vignetting.

 

So, If the lens has a 52mm thread filter size, and you want to screw a 50mm filter on it, you need a 52mm-50mm STEP DOWN ring ;)

to screw the kowa 8z on a camera, you need a XXmm-50mm ring.

 

 

I'll give you the email of the 52-50mm ring seller in PM.

 

Cheers

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Hi Damien,

 

Thank you for the link to the lot of fifty 52mm to 50mm filter step-down rings. I e-mailed the Cute Store and I just got an answer; they are selling single rings with the same dimensions now for $9.99 plus shipping! So, I bought one rightaway for my Kowa Prominar 2X anamorphic lens, which I will use on manual Nikon AiS SLR prime lenses.

 

They are apparently delivered from China, and they are usually quite fast on deliveries - normally less than a week, is my experience.

 

So, thanks to this great team work, I guess we can look forward to a relatively easy installment of our Kowa scope lenses. I just hope that the 0.75mm thread pitch will work OK, but that was the figure you got from Kowa in Japan, right?

 

Thanks again, Damien,

Bengt ;)

 

 

PS.

Here is the link to the actual listing on eBay.com: http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...em=260369100409

 

The eBay item ID nr is: #260127644960.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Calling Damien (and others that are interested!

 

Here´s a little Panavision/CinemaScope digital experiment:

 

I got my 50 to 52mm step-down adapter ring from China yesterday! It fits absolutely perfectly on the original KOWA Prominar 2X anamorhic lens - I would say even better than the old TIFFEN Series VII to 52mm adapter ring that I got off eBay for the Bell & Howell-KOWA version of the 2X Prominar!

 

I put it on my Nikon D200 digital SLR this evening, to be able to quickly evaluate what it looks like. The photo below (of our messy kitchen baking bench) was shot with the camera´s built-in top flash and a manual Nikkor-AiS 2/85mm telephoto lens. I 'pinched' the JPEG image a little (about -6) in Photoshop´s 'Spherize' filter to control the slight tendecy of barrel distorsion. I also tried the Nikkor 1.8/50mm, which was also OK. I will try the 24mm wideangle tomorrow, but I expect I might get a degree of 'tunneling effect' or at least rounded corners, even at the 15x23mm DX format. It is very important to set the focus correctly for a sharp image, by the way - in this case it was 10 feet - on BOTH distance read-out scales!

 

To see this simple (1600 ASA) test photo in the correct aspect ratio (it will be somewhere around 3:1!), use the 'Pixel Aspect Ratio' tool under 'Image', and set to 'Anamorphic 2:1 (2)' - or, under 'Custom Pixel Aspect Ratio', set it to 1,8, which I thought looked slightly more 'real':

 

Nikkor85mm-stretchedSMALL.jpg

 

I will also try the Nikkor-AiS 24mm, or even 20mm, lens set-up on the Beaulieu cameras, and also the 8-64mm Beaulieu/Angénieux zoom lens combination, which seems to be usable from around 13mm short telephoto and up. This is one lens that doesn´t have such a wide setting as the Optivaron 1.8/6-66 or the Angénieux T1.4/6-80, which I think is good for this particular set-up. But I will also try these lenses, with an extra step-down ring (or rings!) from 62 to 52mm. It will be very interesting to see which lens combination that will yield the best resolution and the straightest lines along the edges of the format. It will probably be the normal Nikkor-AiS Plasmat lenses, which are not as complicated lens constructions as the Super-8 zooms. I will report back later with some more test shots.

 

Cheers from Stockholm,

Bengt

Edited by Bengt Freden
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Hello,

 

I got my 52->50 adaptor too !

It fits perfectly to the kowa 8-z. That's perfect this way.

I can share the seller's email if someone is interested. (PM me)

 

Bengt, I think that your picture is squeezed. The kettle that should be more rounder is, to my opinion, a little bit too "oval".

 

Hope it will be ok on your S8camera.

 

I'm thinking about the way I'll fix the A-Lens on a rod support, to keep it in the right position.

I'tried with the "pola filter glassless" technic, it's perfect! It's really hard to get something sharp according to the "double focusing" issue.

If you have a nice method, I would be very pleased you share it, because if I follow the distance sclales on the two lens (zoom + Kowa), the image in the viewfinder is really soft.

 

cheers

Edited by Damien Dubois
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