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Caleb Genheimer

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  1. Caleb Genheimer
    Is there anyone in Minnesota with an anamorphic? I just landed a music video gig, and I've secured an extra GH2 body, but not an extra anamorphic. I am willing to pay to rent from someone.
  2. Caleb Genheimer
    Sorry, in order to match the MOVI "blow for blow", it needs to be for sale. I've been waiting in vain for someone to make a comparable unit that is for sale outright. Everything out there right now is too small and wouldn't take the payload of a full DSLR+anamorphic setup.
  3. Caleb Genheimer
    Hi, All!   Just thought I'd share some color grading that I've been fiddling with. I shot a bunch of footage at the local carnival a month back, and now I'm working on grading it for one of my personal music video projects.    I've used my own take on a bleach bypass process that simultaneously adds the teeniest touch of blue to the lows, then with a couple more nodes, I've tweaked exposure and of course that nasty red/orange/yellow/green zone of color that seems to always make or break skintones has had some subtle adjustments.   Lemme know what you think!   http://www.flickr.com/photos/68917223@N05/sets/72157634804640007/with/9375308962/  
  4. Caleb Genheimer
    I never will understand people that pre-order such a significant piece of gear, but I guess that's just how I go about things. Even when I got my GH2, it had been out for some time, and Intra hacking was already a thing. It just seems to make more sense to wait and see how a camera performs in the wild.    For me, this whole "when will it ship?" question seems silly. Sure, I like reading about newly announced cameras and their specs, but I wouldn't even bother with a camera unless it has been well tested by a decent customer base.
  5. Caleb Genheimer
    I think (and I'm not 100% on this) . . . that is what is called the anamorphic "mumps". Higher end and newer lenses like those coming from Zeiss claim to have left the mumps behind, but older anamorphics (even the high end ones) had the mumps to varying degrees.
  6. Caleb Genheimer
    Most all anamorphics vary in ratio based on your focus point. The closer you are focused, the less you have to desqueeze. When focused at infinity with my Kowa, it is pretty much a true 2X desqueeze. When focused close, however (say, 5ft), it can be as little as a 1.5X desqueeze. 
  7. Caleb Genheimer
    You can probably use it with a 40-50mm lens on Micro Four Thirds cameras. on APS-C, you might need a 50-60mm lens. I don't have one, I have a Kowa, but my Kowa is supposed to go a bit wider than the Sankors, and I can do 35mm on GH2, 45-50mm on APS-C. ON fullfram photographic (like the 5D), I need at least an 85mm lens, so you probably need something like a 90 or 100mm. Just try a couple lenses and you will know. Get manual prime lenses like Canon FD, Contax Zeiss, Tamron SP, or Nikon AI/AI-s, etc. as anamorphic lenses work best with those types of lenses.   Honestly, just experiment a bit. The Sankors are for the most part on the better end of the spectrum, except for the fact that you must focus both prime and anamorphic (but hey, unless you've got major $$$ for a Lomo or a genuine Iscorama, you pretty much have to dual focus).    Everyone is suggesting getting the guide because it is quite helpful and really . . . it isn't very expensive. Any money you spend on it you will probably save in the long run because it will save you from making a bad purchase or two . . . and help you make the right one too.
  8. Caleb Genheimer
    I'm still confused as to why so many people are so excited about the Pocket Cam. The tiny-ness of the body really throws me off for some reason, as does the sensor size. In certain situations, yes . . . the tiny body comes in handy. But more often than not (for my uses), this thing is impractically small. I have a GH2, which has a sensor slightly bigger (due to multi-aspect) than other M4/3 cams, and even then I'm frustrated with the crop factor about 30% of the time. And this is all coming from someone who has never had a S35mm or full-frame photographic camera (I went straight from my first camera . . Canon GL2 . . . to the GH2). I'd be all over the pocket cam except for in the back of my head I feel the move to a smaller sensor would not be smart. Say what you will about shallow depth of field being overused and whatnot, but it has its place and should be controlled properly. You can't control what isn't there, though. You can always stop down a larger sensor cam for deep depth of field, but the smaller sensor cams can't do the reverse. In my mind, the 4K Production cam is the real incredible camera, and the one I've got my eye on. It is more expensive, but in the grand scheme of things, not radically so. I've still (perhaps foolishly) got hopes that they'll come out with a version of the 4K cam that has a short flange focal distance mount, because EF is just plain limiting.   There are so many incredible and cheap used photographic primes out there that would jive with the 4K cam, but that would act like small telescopes on the Pocket. I suspect that to really get stellar glass for the Pocket, you'll end up paying the difference between the Pocket and the 4K cam. So much of the stuff out there seems to be 16mm, not S16mm. 
  9. Caleb Genheimer
    Wondering about the focus. Both prime and anamorphic must be focused, right? If you can get that Flex-eDrive thing up and running to make it single-focus, you'll have my attention. 
  10. Caleb Genheimer
    I save both squeezed and untouched 1080p versions of my stuff. Stretching it out can give higher resolution without looking much softer, because the vertical lines of resolution are still sharp as a tack. Add a little grain, and you've got a really nice 2.5K image.
  11. Caleb Genheimer
    the stretched nature of the out of focus elements are my absolute favorite thing about anamorphic footage, and are my main motivation for enduring the hassles of a dual-focus system. It is a very painterly aesthetic. 
  12. Caleb Genheimer
    Just crop the sides off in post. If you're struggling to imagine where the frame edges will be when looking at your LCD, rig up some guides. Low-power ND gel material works good for some transparent black bars, just tape it on. Even if a patch makes a 4:3 mode possible, it probably would still only be 1080 pixels high, and cropped in on the sides. At least if you shoot 1920x1080, you have some leeway left and right if your framing is slightly off. It also comes in handy when you have to do a lesser squeeze (like 1.5X), which can often happen if you're focused close.
  13. Caleb Genheimer
    I will certainly check out that lens. Believe it or not, I'm becoming increasingly less worried with getting wide on my GH2. I love the full 3.55:1 ratio of 2X anamorphic, which gets plenty wide even with the 40mm, and I like its ability to feel wide and spacious while at the same time maintaining a tight-in intimacy on people's faces. I think my next lens needs to be a good and fast 50mm.
  14. Caleb Genheimer
    Here are some stills from footage I shot this evening. I'll probably use it in the music visual for a song that I am writing.   Shot on GH2 with Driftwood's Moon T5 patch, through a Kowa 16-H, Tokina ATX 0.4 diopter and a Konica Hexanon 40mm, mostly wide open at f1.8.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/68917223@N05/sets/72157634273204895  
  15. Caleb Genheimer
    Yes, you're right. My Kowa "reverse vignettes" (as I like to call it, because it is a vignette, but light white, not dark). If you don't like those, use a longer taking lens. But even Panavision anamorphics have those ghost vignettes. I actually kinda like them. Very distinct, and it creates a unique frame which is great for practicing unorthodox composition.    As far as the purple flares are concerned, I haven't found any good answer anywhere, but I've experienced them as well, and not just with Anamorphic, but with most any lens at wide apertures. They're pretty particular in that the light source has to be in a fairly precise position in order for them to happen.    As for flares from out of frame, you've just got to experiment. A bright, focused light is the most important part of the equation, but wide aperture and a slightly longer lens would both be good ideas as well, I think.
  16. Caleb Genheimer
    This is a monster lens! how wide of a focal length lens can this be used with?
  17. Caleb Genheimer
    Yeah, I'm with you on the old lenses. I love my Konica but I can absolutely tell that it is a the type of lens that would certainly vary a lot from copy to copy. I almost never use it wide open, as at f1.8 it is very soft and hazy. But stopped down one click to f2.8 it is quite useable. Really, I don't have any other lenses that I like using it with at the moment. I have a slew of Tamron SP Adaptall II lenses that I picked up because I was gifted the hard-to-get 17mm, as well as an nFD 28mm, and a 37mm MIR-1B. It just doesn't jive well with the others.    I'd like to get a set of matched primes or a fast zoom that it plays nice with. I've been eyeing the Tokina ATX 28-80 f2.8, but have not found anyone who has tried it with a Kowa.
  18. Caleb Genheimer
    @EOSHD Are we allowed to still post Ebay auctions? Although I'm not immediately in the market for anamorphics, I frequent Ebay multiple times a day, and if I see a good deal on a good anamorphic, I like to post it to the forum. There always seem to be people asking about getting into anamorphic shooting, and honestly, if my sharing an auction can help them snag a good deal on a worthwhile anamorphic, the more the merrier.
  19. Caleb Genheimer
    http://vimeo.com/68443110   This is my new graphic, in animated form. I created and animated it in PowerPoint (I've been animating in PowerPoint since elementary school). I then played the animation on my Dell 30" monitor and recorded the monitor with my GH2, Kowa anamorphic, Konica AR 40mm and Tokina diopter all on a tripod. Then I moved the monitor out of the scene and recorded various flares with a flashlight. Brought it all together in Final Cut Pro, set the flares as additive layers, and added some grain overlay effect. I think the outcome is something clean-cut but with a dash of organic mojo that is difficult to achieve with an all-digital animation. There's no faking those real flares!        
  20. Caleb Genheimer
    Trailer for a roadtrip I'm going on with two friends this July. We will be making many fun videos along the way, so follow us on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram.   http://vimeo.com/67659922    
  21. Caleb Genheimer
    You should get the benefit of a more shallow DOF with equivalent f/stop and field of view.
  22. Caleb Genheimer
    One question: Where in the world are the built-in NDs?
  23. Caleb Genheimer
      Do not listen to this man! I will take them for free, no need to include $10.  :D
  24. Caleb Genheimer
    Hi, All! here is the art film that I was projecting this past month. It is the second of two films in the series. This one was exhibited at Art-A-Whirl in Gallery 135 at the Thorp Building, projected on a wall at 1080p through my Kowa anamorphic lens as a loop with 45 seconds of blank in between screenings. It is not really made with web viewing in mind, it supposed to be viewed in an art gallery, but some folks here on the forum expressed interest in seeing my work, so I uploaded it to share with the community.   http://vimeo.com/67004028   I shot it all on GH2 with @Driftwood Moon Trial 5. I used a Kowa 16-H with Redstan clamps and a Lightcraft Workshop Fader ND Mark II, mounted on a Konica Hexanon 40mm f1.8, usually stopped down to f2.8 or even f4.   I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it is of some use. Feedback and questions are of course welcome!
  25. Caleb Genheimer
      I'll agree totally, the original EF BMCC is here and gone. That's exactly what I mean by turmoil. All of this is changing so fast, and yes that is a good thing in many ways . . . but a tricky thing to navigate as someone hoping to upgrade. I haven't bought any Blackmagic products yet, and I very well may not. But I maintain that sensor size IS an important factor, and furthermore that fullframe is not always the best option (of course, a fullframe sensor with various crop modes like the ML5DIII essentially covers all bases). I'm still hoping (probably in vain) for something with better controls than both the Blackmagic and the DSLR cameras, but that's just me. After having gone mirrorless mount, I'd rather not give that up. The adaptability is incredibly useful.    For those with Canon cameras, this is an incredibly good thing as they can start shooting some really nice RAW footage if they want. But for someone with zero Canon gear wanting to get into RAW video? I guess I don't think I'd advise them to go out and get a MKIII for that. I know that there will "always be a better cam tomorrow", but in this case especially, I don't think we'll have to wait long. Blackmagic cracked the door, ML just opened up the floodgates. Any new cameras henceforth will have to seriously consider including RAW as an option. Otherwise, why would anyone upgrade to . . . say . . . a 7DII/5D4/whatever? They already kill in stills mode. All of this is good, but I'm going to wait until there are a few more out of box RAW-capable cameras out there before I pick my poison (so to speak), because once I get one, I'm going to be using it for a long time. I can't afford to switch bodies on a whim every time something new hits the fan.
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