Bioskop.Inc

Yeah, I do know all this BR, but if you're starting out &/or don't have a wad of cash, then a cheap dual focus is a good place to start. You learn the basics first, find the limitations & then move up to more complicated shots where you need to follow focus - no point running before you can walk! And do remember that in the early days you'd have pull focus with 2 lenses & this is still quite possible to do, especially when follow focusing - you just need a few more sets of hands. Or you just need to be inventive with your choice of shots & editing - i mean how many long tracking shots, a la Jacques Demy, do you find nowadays? And furthermore, what's with the obsession of everything being in focus all of the time or do we even need to see the protagonists on screen every second? There is a multitude of styles & shots, from the history of cinema, to be used or experimented with - if you think Hollywood is the be all & end all, then its a very sad day indeed. Stop watching popcorn Movies & go out and experience a Film! If you're a professional, then you wouldn't even bother buying any of these lenses, you'd hire something that's actually going to get the job done properly & with ease. The OP had started out with a big projection lens, so why not first move to something smaller/better, then make the jump? Also, how many Iscoramas do people really think are out there?  There isn't an endless supply! So people have to be realistic...

Nice Rich - if people were ever wondering why so many of us like Anamorphics, then you've just hit the nail on the head. The out of focus areas look so creamy & the extra stretched bokeh looks fantastic compared to the 1.5x bokeh!

To add to this, i haven't seen any footage where people aren't trying to get the Orbs. Everyone seems to have gone out to highlight the problem, but no one has actually tried to solve it/find a solution whilst filming.  The image quality of the Pocket shits all over DSLRs & we all know how many problems we had to endure/circumvent to get acceptable footage - i've got a laundry list of things/situations that i simply won't/can't shoot because of these problems. I'm just hoping that they will recalibrate all future Pockets before they ship anymore - they can probably minimise the problem, don't think they'll cure it 100%.

I've seen this blooming on other cameras & its only disturbing if you know what to look for or let it bother you. Also, i think their wording of "extreme overexposure" is probably the key here - its only ProRes & not RAW. This is probably a lot better camera than people realise & you'll have to treat it as such. Just saw Upstream Color & there is some extreme overexposed parts which sometimes eat into people's silhouettes. Also wondering how many cameras they'll have to recalibrate or whether they're going to do this before they ship anymore?

Try searching for "Voigtländer Zoomar f2,8 / 36-82mm" as they were originally made for this lens - came with a step-up ring, UV filter & the Focar A&B. I found mine in a Google search listed as Focare about 10 pages in!

Maybe wrong about the Mumps (only thing that i could think of to explain it), but something strange happens when i pan with a 35mm taking lens, the 54 & Focar B (+2) on extreme close-ups.   Check out ebay Germany - prices for most things are really decent. I'll keep my eyes peeled for you - they will be invaluable!

No its called "Anamorphic Mumps", but you do get barrel distortion on wider lenses towards the edges - 35mm taking lenses produce this the most. Also noticed that my Focar diopters also create some distortion that is really only noticeable when you pan (mostly the +2 or both in combination).   My bad, the Focars don't produce distortion, but in extreme close ups they really reveal the "Anamorphic Mumps"!

Yeah, its a 1.5x not a 1.33x - you can stretch it to 1:2.66.   However, i have recently taken a picture with a 1.5x and it looked odd, like everyone had been squashed, but the next picture was fine. So, i do think depending on what angle you shoot your subject at, in relation to your camera (i.e. not straight on), can produce some strange effects. Can't remember what this is called, but its something to do with capturing people towards the edges of the frame & its definitely made worse by wide angle lenses. Also, women in dresses always look fatter with anamorphics & they don't like it!

Ok, so you just have to expose properly or just a little to the right - too much clipping & its a mess. ND filters seem to be a must then & maybe a few others. Well, it is only 10bit ProRes & i always assumed that the 13 stops of DR was for RAW or a bit far fetched...

Ah, now i understand! Yes, totally agree - there needs to be a separate section were regular members (+50 posts) can advertise.

So glad to hear you're liking the Pocket & yes the images do look great - GH2 always looked like video to me. Have you tried using non-M4/3 lenses? And is the blooming really that much of an issue or can you avoid it with a little bit of sensible know how?

Look, haven't we already been through this before? This is a shit idea & just clogs up the forum with loads of unnecessary posts advertising stuff - some of it being not that great. There are already loads of Marketplaces online where you can sell your gear quite safely & with proper protection! Just because someone is a member of a forum, doesn't really make them that reliable does it? If you're thinking about cheaper prices or getting perfect lenses, then this place isn't going to be that much better than what's already out there - especially if its all done anonymously online & by post.   On the flip side, if you can meet up in person with someone you've met via a forum, then that is a much better solution.   Furthermore, what we should really be doing is trying to organise Anamorphic Groups that can meet up & chew the fat in person! You know that old fashioned concept of physical human interaction - then a marketplace could develop with reliable witnesses. As it is, there are too many 1-10 Post advertisers that nobody can vouch for or their equipment. Also, just because you meet someone [electronically] via a forum doesn't mean you know them or can vouch for them in any meaningful way.   Just my 2 cents worth 

Yep, that's what i hope too & have got my fingers/toes crossed. Also got the feeling that people are treating the ProRes like RAW when filming when it quite frankly isn't, thus exposing far too much to the right & clipping highlights really badly. This camera might need some real care & attention paid to it when filming. 

It does look as if this isn't a camera for fools/amateurs & you probably need a lot more experience than its size or price tag suggests - never thought it was going to be a run'n'gun camera, considering its a S16 sensor. JB did post a screen grab, on another forum, from an Alexa and you could see it had issues when pointing it directly at the sun! Most cameras don't like you pointing them directly at a light source & why would you anyways? And before anyone says it shooting at night really needs some thought put into it & a controlled environment - for films this is the case. But i'm sure BM are on the case & trying to fix the problem (too much money at stake). So by the time i get mine hopefully it will be done, if not a week of testing & back it goes if I can't figure out a practical cure.

BR you always come up trumps! So basically you need to film properly & not just shoot any old crap however you like - a bit like a proper camera. So it'll just be another learning curve, as with any new camera & once you've cracked it... Doh! Forgot about the ND filters, now it makes complete sense & i suppose you're talking about using something like a Black Pro Mist Filter - i remember someone recommending this filter to me for DSLR filming. RAW will be amazing on this thing, but again the pain of having a huge storage system to cope. Maybe BM will tweak the ProRes conversion & that might solve it.   Yeah, posting ungraded footage is kinda pointless, unless you can't grade! 

The question that is bothering me is why these orbs didn't manifest themselves in John Brawley's test footage, as they should have been all over the place? Very strange indeed!

Firstly, forget those big multi-coloured projection lenses - yes they can be sharp, but that's not really a reason. As far as a Single Focus system goes then Iscoramas are nearly the only ones (36,42 & 54). Everyone is obsessed with racking focus, but Iscoramas aren't really ideal for this anyways as their focus throw is slightly too long (my 54 is manageable, but i found the 36 & 42 a nightmare). Iscoramas are all about making focusing easier & not rack focusing!   I've always been tempted by the Iscomorphot 16, as i have its smaller brother the Iscomorphot S8/x2 (a fixed focus lens & not to be confused with the now over priced x1.5 version). The Iscomorphot S8/x2 is very sharp & produces some of the most pleasant images out of all my lenses. The Iscomorphot 16 is slightly bigger & you can focus (it'll be dual focus) - there are a few vids on Vimeo.   Sankors (sometimes branded as Singers) are good solid lenses, overlooked by some & do produce lovely images (a good beginners lens) - i used a D version as it was slightly bigger, but not huge & meant i could use a slightly wider taking lens than some of the other ones (should only pay around £300).   The best Kowa lens is the one branded for Bell&Howell, its a dual focus but will be the closest you'll get to the image quality of an Iscorama (I'd say £500-600, maybe 700 if its mint). I still use my Kowa for B&H!   The Hypergoner is a huge beast of a thing but is undoubtedly one of the kings of the anamorphic look, so unless you're prepared for a big lens then forget it.   Century Optiks might be worth considering, but someone else will have to chime in on these - but they ain't cheap.   And most importantly, when buying off Ebay avoid "buy it now" (unless its a reasonable price - $1200 isn't, unless its an Iscorama!), make sure the seller takes returns & do ask questions in order to cover yourself. You can get really good bargains if you're patient & set yourself a price limit - if you don't do these things you're gonna get ripped off & stuck with some piece of crap.   good luck

Just received my Voigtlander Focar A & B Diopters and initial tests seem v.positive on my 54. They are single element diopters +1 & +2 respectively. With my APS-C camera i can use a 35mm taking lens with no vignetting!   Only paid £45 incl. P&P. Best to go looking around as i've seen these puppies go for well over £200, but mostly i've seen them being sold for £20 each - so don't get taken advantage of!

Its become a real shame that this has happened, but if you are fool enough to pay that amount for something that isn't an Iscorama then good luck to you!

Has anyone tried exposing this camera correctly & if so does it still produce this blooming effect? This would be good to know, because if people are just shooting & thinking that they can fix anything in post then all these tests are pointless. I suppose we'll just have to wait to see what BM say/do about it - kinda lucky that they haven't shipped too many units already, if they have to do a recall.

  So ok my last post about this just because this was sooooo wrong & the seller thought he could argue his way out of it!   The most recent auction - £431.10 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Iscomorphot-8-1-5x-isco-gottingen-anamorphic-lens-/221205698507?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item3380e317cb     And another for a huge.....£232! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300826127886     $2000?!!!!! Complete & Utter BS!!!!! A real Deal of the Century!   I really hope you slime your way back to Ebay & Stay There!   On a more pleasant note - nice to see the Moller's have come down in price!

I'm all for sharing & always have been.   What really gets my goat is the idiots that over pay, then pass that on to the next idiot who comes along & then use the trumped up excuse of "Its the Market Price!" No its not! If you really want to know what the Market Price is for something, then start the bidding at £0 or don't you guys have the balls! The Moller would easily hit £1000, the Iscomorphot 8/x1.5 no chance...     I've been getting increasingly fed up with Ebay & some of the bullshit prices that arise! So I do think it is forums like this that should point the finger & warn people not to go crazy - there is a recession on, isn't there? We know lots of people look here & I hope they would ask questions before slapping down stupid money - that's how it all starts.  

You sold yours didn't you? So why are you bitching? We were just amused at some of the prices that we are seeing, that's all. Some of us have been buying for years & this type of topic regularly pops up - "Ah the good old days, when you could pick up an Iscorama for a couple of hundred quid". The Moller has always commanded a high price & is worth every penny. But as people have been quick to say, the market is what it is, supply & demand and all that - but you can still marvel & laugh though, can't you?

Really nice footage!   I'm with you on the movie mode & never going back to H264. It really does seem strange that none of the big firms have stepped up to produce something better & cheaper. If they are worried about their more expensive products, they shouldn't be, as pros will always buy stuff aimed at them & beginners/enthusiasts will go for the cheaper stuff to start off with. But this doesn't mean they can't give us something decent - hopefully the BM Pocket will shake stuff up just a tiny bit.  

I'm half guilty of C, however i wasn't member of this forum at the time & I had stuff up on Vimeo & didn't hide what it was etc... Anyway, the next time one appeared on ebay it did go for much more than i paid for my drunken Xmas punt - £300 more!       No one's trying to downgrade stuff, just giving an honest opinion which is based on practical experience having owned a lot of anamorphics. Quite frankly there's too many people trying to pass off some lenses as excellent & being a [mostly] honest bunch of people i think it is wise to warn people who are thinking of spending a lot money on something. I don't know anyone who has bought & kept the Iscomorphot x1.5, i certainly didn't. There's nothing wrong with it per se, didn't like it & its not in the same price range as a Bolex or an Iscorama.   Furthermore, you've identified yourself as the seller of this lens & you want people to hold their opinions to themselves!? Sorry, but that's what forums are for & if you paid too much money for it & lose money then that's life, its happened to all of us. I'm no longer buying or selling lenses, but am willing to offer my experience of things i've bought.