Caleb Genheimer

Hi, all! I'm trying to figure out how to get the most out of my anamorphic, and I've noticed that the squeeze ratio across the frame with my Kowa 16-H is not consistent. A straightforward 2X stretch works perfectly for desqueezing the center of the image correctly, but towards the left/right edges of the frame, the image gradually becomes more compressed even than 2X, causing it to look compressed at the edges even after the footage is desqueezing. Has anyone ever done a dynamic/graduated desqueezing with varied adjustment of the desqueezing across the frame? Any ideas how to do this?

I'm sorry, but Panasonic lost me a while back. The GH2 was an incredible camera with the hacks, for the price, as an entry for me into interchangeable lens cameras. But Panny and the MFT crowd IMO have ultimately shot themselves in the foot. The physics of light dictate that their smaller sensors simply cannot yield the same results as their larger bretheren. I know that "technically" the GH4 is a great cam, but the times I have used it, it hasn't yielded great results easily. I had to bend over backwards to wrangle the colors into something remotely appealing. The shallow DOF is not there when you want it, and the crop makes everything feel constrained. Sure the cameras and lenses are marginally smaller and lighter weight, but they're not drastically smaller so as to make a huge difference. 8K on a MFT sensor is downright ludicrous, IMHO. On a full frame sensor, or even S35, the photosite size would be sensible. Not on MFT. I love over-sampling as much as the next guy (because I'm always stretching footage in strange ways for anamorphic), but 8K is useful for only specific applications. I'd much rather see some companies push into larger sensors for uber-high-definition imaging. The films I have seen shot on large format (IMAX 70mm) have a way of rendering that isn't attainable any other way (much like full frame vs MFT). It'd be rad to shoot some medium/larger format digital video some day.

Quick note: the SmallHD can do almost any ratio from a 2x, 16:9 input signal: up to 2.76:1 (Ultra Panovision 70). The blank areas of the screen get a bit glitchy at extreme squeezes, but it's darn nice seeing what the heck you're actually shooting.

Trust us when we say Redstan. It may be tempting to cheap out, but seriously. Proper alignment is of utmost importance with anamorphics, and when it comes to alignment, Redstan is just the best. Accept no substitute.

I'm getting pretty near 22/s35 already. I'm looking at this, actually to put on front of the Rangefinder: http://www.adorama.com/CILWA006X82.html?hotlink=t&svfor=5m&gclid=Cj0KEQiAkIWzBRDK1ayo-Yjt38wBEiQAi7NnP_kA8nV502UdpJIeqRmENb_H_u4tFuqvZ7P6JlouYC8aAh8z8P8HAQ

Hi, all! I've recently been honing my anamorphic setup. I run a Kowa 16-H through a Konica Hexanon 40mm taking lens, and I focus it with a SLR Magic Rangefinder which has been a joy to use after years of using a double-focus setup. Of course, at 40mm, I'm not running full frame, rather APSC/S35 on my Samsung NX1. Long story short, it gives a clean image cropped to 2.4:1, and in my new favorite "Ultra-Panovision 70" mode of 2.76:1, it hard vignettes only slightly in the corners, depending on the shot. Near as I can tell, I get between 22mm and 25mm equivalent horizontal FOV (compared to my Samsung OIS 16-50 zoom). That's pretty wide for a projection anamorphic setup, but I'm interested in pushing it further. The Redstan clamp I'm using on the Kowa is 72mm, and the Rangefinder rear thread is 77mm. I'm curious if anyone knows of a wide angle adapter that I could put I between the two to push my setup just a bit wider. Shopping around for these things has proved difficult, as the specs are often incomplete or even contradictory. There are countless cheap pieces out there, but I'm looking for a decent quality unit, especially in sharpness (a little distortion is fine and actually adds to the anamorphic character.) If you've used a wide angle adapter with good results, I'd love to hear how you made it work.

Doubt it. Zacuto's Gratical can, I believe.

Change an axis from 100% to 200% scale. The spectate x/y adjustments are hidden they drop down from the normal scale adjuster.

IMO it is best to first make your timeline and decide your delivery resolution/ratio. Then drop in your footage and stretch the horizontal by scaling it 2X.

IMAX has a new laser projection system that should outclass all other projection technologies once it arrives. Use of laser means that blacks are true blacks (aka there is zero light hitting the screen). While there IS still a place for film projection, I don't doubt for one second that laser will be able to precisely replicate the feel of analog projection should the need arise. I just hope that some day it is available to consumers because the DR would make for an excellent color-accurate image for CC work.

Get a Rectilux and you're set. The Sankor is decent quality. Rectilux plus a projection anamorphic is the cheapest single-focus setup. Anything cheaper is a gimmick or is junk quality.

It's pretty great. Visually awesome. I personally would massage the audio a bit more, especially the sound effects. Even if it is a cheesy b-movie vibe with blatant sound library effects, they should still be mixed correctly. Trust people to take notice anyway. i would also cut almost half of the lines that each character says at the beginning. "Is that your woman out there in the car?" "Yes sir." "She said y'all just moved to the area." "Are you sure this is the same house?" "Ted said it needed a little work." "Is that his trailer?" "We're gonna have to toughen you up me n you gonna be neighbors." "What?" See how that flows and still makes sense without the other lines? That's one thing I had to work hard to teach myself when editing my own work: if a line is unnecessary, you cut it. Even if you wrote it, doesn't matter. The dialogue has to have a conversational flow, and that means timing things right too.

I use a Konica Hexanon f1.8. It is not a great lens on its own, but it is a pancake with very simple optics, which yields great results with the Kowa if stopped down to f4. I'm looking at getting the Voigtlander 40mm f2 pancake as an upgrade, but I just spent a lot on the rangefinder so it'll have to wait a bit. Here is my first video with the rangefinder on my Kowa/Konica setup: https://vimeo.com/142703300

I use a 40mm on NX1 for 2.40 ratio. It's the widest I've found that still covers nicely.

The real challenge with small gimbals is eliminating movement. This may sound counter to the purpose of a gimbal, but remember, these are only 3-axis. They don't stabilize lateral or vertical shift, so any movements to that effect (bouncing from walking being the most common) will still translate into your footage. Bigger gimbals like the Ronin give more steady footage due to their inertia from being heavier. Of course, increased weight has its own drawbacks. I currently run the Ronin M, but I've also run the original Ronin. The weight difference has a serious effect on shift stabilization even between those two gimbals. With practice, an operator can learn to minimize bounce with special walking techniques, but overall the "bounce" of step remains the key difference between steadycams and gimbals. I am hopeful that soon more gimbals will integrate some form of 4th axis stabilization to eliminate bounce, but on these small, literally handheld gimbals, it's really the biggest limitation by far, OSMO or other brands.

I would suggest a lens support, yeah. I'm probably going to get my Redstan front clamp welded to a lens support for maximum stability.

AC7 was the best I could find. Not as inexpensive as the chinese options, but you get what you pay for. If you want niche pro features like desqueezing 2X and cropping it to 2.40, you have to pay for it. If you don't have a monitor now, the AC7 is a good long-term investment and very useful in most situations, even if you aren't shooting scope.

Shot some footage of people and faces hanging in an apartment tonight. It was handheld, but I'll post some examples hopefully tomorrow.

depends if you're using the full sensor too. On S35, as long as my target aspect is 2.40:1, I can use a 40mm prime.

I'll jump on the Kowa bandwagon too. It's capable of going the widest out of any 2x projection Ana. It's not obscenely large. It is plenty sharp, but doesn't look "Zeiss clinical" like modern Schneider/ISCO lenses. It flares nicely, but it reacts well to changing the "taking" lens. Want to change the look of your Kowa? Just change the taking lens! I've used a Mir-1b and it just about nails the "LOMO" look. In short, it's by far the best all-rounder/bang-for-your-buck lens (all flavors: 16-H, 8Z, Bell&Howell)

Looks like you're over exposed by two or so stops

Probably. But keep in mind this is induced and worse-case (pointed directly/near directly at the freaking sun with no lens hood, neutral density or mattebox.) I think even a generic rubber hood would've blocked these out in most shots, and a proper mattebox should cut all flares save a direct light to the face. i don't really mind the look of them, but it's very obnoxious and a little disconcerting that the "blue blobs" don't move much even with camera movement. They're very static and as a result, they almost come across as a fake overlay. SLR Magic has something here that lives up to their name. I suspect that the Rangefinder has some fairly fancy, well-tuned optics to get results this good, and that usually includes lens coatings.

Thanks! I think it's partly down to the fact that shallow DOF/shooting at max aperture is still a fairly popular thing. I'm gas guilty as any. I forced myself to stick to f4, and I have to say, the results are very evident. 40mm on S35 just feels very filmic.

totally warrants a reply. Too zoom-y, exactly. excellent terminology. I'm saving up for a Voigtlander . . . either the 40mm f2 pancake, or the regular 40mm f1.4. The Konica was given to me in a bag of old photo crap. Just happened to be a good pairing for the anamorphic, but it's high time to upgrade to something sharper. I feel like I'm SO close to having a very easy-to-use anamorphic setup. A few tweaks to the lens support system, and I'm there. Edit: I've got a little video compilation of these clips almost ready, too. The magic comes alive with some motion.