Bioskop.Inc

This is the dark horse, isn't it? I like the fact they're taking their time to get it right, hopefully first time. More excited by this than BMC. Every time i read an update, they seem to have tweaked something new for the better.

I still think there's more to come from Sony, maybe even a camera with rolling shutter to kill the BMC - fingers & toes crossed! If they're going after RED, then they have to do the same with the BMC. This give quite a lot of info - no global shutter on the F5 http://blog.creativevideo.co.uk/2012/10/sonys-newf-cameras-revealed-f5-f55/

Have you seen the Anamorphic thread on Cinema5D - you get to witness the prices going up & up & up from about 200-500 right up to todays prices.

Iscorama details Threads (front,rear) & Outside Diameter 36 = Front 72mm, Rear 49mm & 76mm 42 = Front 82mm, Rear 62mm & 87mm 54 = Front 95mm, Rear 77mm & 100mm Buy it if it looks in good condition - a real steal for 400euros! Might be worth buying if its not & getting it repaired - you'd still be saving loads of money.

Yes, that would be the perfect set up to have, but need to win the lottery first! I'm having to re-think my taking lenses at the moment, might be Takumars all the way for me now. Hold off on buying any diopters for a while. Been asked if i'd test out some diopters for someone. Knowing the person, they sound as if they are going to be excellent quality (some will be vintage achromats) & really interesting strengths. How close do you want to get?! Eyeball close ups! Or is it other anatomy parts you're interested in! lol Try mix & matching, stacking diopters. If you have the +0.4, put that on first & then add others on top - it will slightly correct any CA caused by the others, if they are singlets. Don't get too obsessed with Achromats. I have a singlet +0.9-ish & it is pretty damn close, CA/quality wise, to the +0.4 Achromat. The Sigma (no markings of strength, but its a +1.6) in a gold box for £10-15 works great on its own or in combo with the +0.4 - the shallow DOF it gives you hides any CA to uneducated/trained eye.

HD TV channels in Britain aren't even true 1080, so 2or4k for TV is a distant dream or is it really necessary/possible. When HD was a possibility for the BBC, only the big programmes filmed in HD & this is still true today - too expensive & time consuming for high turn over TV programmes. Why TV companies didn't band together to stream through cable is beyond belief - only Virgin saw the future in cable.

That's very funny Rich, as i was looking at Schacht the other day - there's a macro 100mm f3.3 & a normal 90mm f2.8, that come highly recommended. Unfortunately they have a price tag to go with them. I've got the Meyer Orestor 100mm f2.8 (15 blade version & tiny) that is v.sharp & produces really great images - cheaper too. Not much beats the Tair 11a (but its a 135mm), but i've seen really good things done with the Isco 180mm - stunning quality. It's amazing that people never really talk about the benefits of using longer lenses with anamorphics - they're a must have. I've realised that Diopters are great time savers if you don't want to change taking lens. I'm working on a short at the moment that is made up, nearly exclusively, of close-ups - a Sergio Leone type homage (there's a short test clip on my vimeo page).

Well the rumour was that Sony was in trouble & were going to be bold, because they had to be. The war is on! Will be v.interesting to see how everyone else reacts.

Thanks man, Thought you'd step up with a reply. As i said more curious than anything, as i've seen them a lot recently. Not really tempted anymore, as i've been getting rid of stuff & still have one more to let go. Prices seem to be going right down the tubes, so might try a Sankor C/D or just call it quits. cheers

[quote name='hmcindie' timestamp='1351534465' post='20544'] That sounds like Applefanboy talk. In the time it took for FCPX to get the latest patch out, I've already edited about 24 commercials on Premiere. That's a huge mistake Apple made and switching back to get the same features is a no-go. [/quote] Nah, no fan boy here. I was forced to use FCP5-7 at work & then had to switch to AVID when i did some work for the NHU. Never encountered Premiere being used in a production company - well a big one anyway. Never been asked if i could use it either. AVID is king, but unfortunately its price is also a royal pain in the ass!

Iscomorphot MC 16mm 2x http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ISCOMORPHOT-MC-16mm-2X-anamorphic-anamorphot-cinemascope-lens-like-iscorama-/140876353142?pt=FR_IQ_PhotoVideo_Photo_Objectifs_Zooms&hash=item20cce28e76 It looks minty & the seller has reduced the price twice already! (no i'm not the seller & not looking to buy) It'll probably be a dual focus system, but if its anything like the Iscomorphot 8/2x then it will/could be fantastic. Anyone know anything about it - got one, used it etc... I've always wondered, but never seen anyone talking about it.

LOL! That's all the GH2 people screwed! I think people are genuinely upset too! We're all human & counter criticism just hits that funny bone in all of us. It seemed that revolutionary equipment for low budget filmmakers was in the pipeline & it still is, kinda, but not as quickly as some would like or had hoped. Its just not sound business practice for a company to make a sub-£3000 camera with the same specs/quality as their more expensive range. Canon made a loss in their profits, but they still made a profit. So they're not concerned just yet. The BlackMagic, when it ships, if it ships, might be a game changer, but its not a 2-in-1 camera & in practice it'll set you back a lot more than the price of the camera. I'm really hoping it does smash the market wide open! A good comparison example is FCPX - bad when first released, but pretty good now considering the cost. It will never be an AVID destroyer (hands down the best NLE out there), but it will eventually crap all over Premiere for the price. We wouldn't be on these forums if we weren't passionate or didn't care. We want the best equipment for our money & feel hard done by or exasperated that we can't afford what we really want. RED might be listening?!

Ok, i'll just do the four i have & you can decide whether to use the stuff or not. Might be quite interesting to compare the same lens with different cameras &/or different taking lenses. I've noticed that the 54 is a prickly bastard when it comes to taking lens, at times it doesn't make sense at all & have had to rethink my approach.

There's a recipe where you boil a ham in Coke - quite tasty, but very sweet. I'll try & do some thing with the 4 anamorphics i've got lying around. What don't you have or should that be what have you got already - might save a bit of time. Wasn't quite sure if you wanted a minutes worth of edited footage of each anamorphic or not? Having trouble finding a coke can without Olympic branding on it - its become a mission!

Its not whining, just expressing disappointment! Most people are working on a tight budget & want the best bang for their buck, which is understandable. Having gone through the transition from Film, to SD digital & then HD, and having worked for small production companies to a massive giant like the BBC - there are a few things that became v.clear. These companies don't go out & buy the next new thing - they take the side of caution. In fact in most cases they hire out the equipment or the cameraman with the equipment. When TV went from SD to HD, none of the cameramen who were hired for the BBC went out & bought a new HD camera. The reason was that they needed to test stuff out first before investing (of course, their investment was for £30k & upwards). Again they were looking for the best bank for their buck - they moaned & moaned & moaned. Some of them took a year to decide which camera to buy & took the hit in camera rentals first. With DSLRs, a fluke revolution seemed in the offing for low budget filmmakers. It was a fluke & all these companies make high end cameras, so of course they want you to buy them. People have been banging on about the Black Magic & it looks great, but you know v.3 or v.4 will be the killer & not v.1! So why keep jumping ship for the next best thing? Its a false economy, unless you have cash burning a hole in your pocket & if you do, rent & test out your options (a few £100 vs. a few £1000). When i went from Film to SD, i couldn't believe the moire & aliasing - it really bugged me. You learn how to avoid it & if you really can't, no audience really cares or notices. The best advice (when i was starting out) i ever got from professionals was invest in good glass, as that will serve you for life! I shoot with a 60D & love it! Best of both worlds for the price - photos & video. Its also got the best hack in Magic Lantern, which will only get better & better. Soon i want to use a better camera, but i'm not buying one thats for sure, i'll rent one. I love the whining or should that be practical criticism! Its natural, healthy & lots of fun! It also shows there's a lot of passion out there from the low budget community & a need for more affordable/better cameras.

After some discussion Tony (Redstan) & myself think that the Angenieux must be more +0.2/0.25 & not +0.3. But it is still very useful!

Firstly the Kowa B&H is an excellent anamorphic - the next best thing to an Iscorama (you hear that claim a lot & its true). Also, it is great for landscape photos (& timelapses) - the 2x stretch gives you great panoramic ability. The only thing that will let you down with the Kowa (if you have a good one) is the taking lens & the camera. Use a prime lens, not a zoom with an anamorphic - this is especially true of the Kowa. There are lots of vintage lenses out there, which are cheap & sharp. M42 mount ones are great, but since you have a M4/3 camera the world is your oyster as far as vintage lenses are concerned. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that because a lens is new & expensive, that it will be better than an old lens. Save your money & experiment! There are loads & loads of forums that deal with anamorphics and/or vintage lenses: For vintage lenses this is the best resource (the reviews are good, but check out the forum sections) [url="http://www.mflenses.com/"]http://www.mflenses.com/[/url] For anamorphics check out the forum sections at: DVXUser Cinema5D Anamorphic Vimeo Group A 35mm lens will serve you well with the GH2 & the Kowa. You could go up the scale to 50mm. Just remember that an anamorphic will produce wide angle images - so a 35mm FF image will convert to a 17.5mm on the GH2. Also don't be afraid to move your tripod (or yourself) back a little in order to get a wider angle! Redstan clamps are the best, you won't regret spending the money. They aren't lens hoods with holes in them, but proper machined clamps - they are light weight & of great build quality.

The Helios 40 is gorgeous & well worth the money if you can find one in good condition - don't buy the silver one! It behaves exactly like the Jupiter 9 - soft & dreamy wide open (which i love), but one stop down & it starts to kick into gear. Also, the swirly bokeh is more pronounced than the Helios 44-2 - so really really nice. I might just wait a while & buy a Mir 24M - it just looks the business as far as sharpness, colour rendition & contrast! Good comparison between Jupiter 9 & Mir 24M http://vimeo.com/11640891 The only Industar i've got is the 50-2 (a pancake type 50mm f3.5). Its really really sharp, close focusing & it seems to be brighter than any other f3.5. [b][u]WARNING:[/u][/b] The pre-set aperture ring is also where you attach filters, so no good for anamorphics - unless you don't mind the constant hassle of re-aligning. I've heard & seen good things about certain other Industars, so might be worth a go if they're cheap. I'm just off to a secondhand store to see what they've got - fingers crossed he has some gems hidden away!

Yeah, some lenses are just more readily available in certain areas of the world. The Tak 35mm f3.5 goes for under £100, so might give it a go. If you like the look of the Mir-1b, and can spend a bit more, take a look at the Mir 24M - it looks amazing! The Jupiter 9 is also stunning. I've only ever spent over £100 on a Russian lens twice - Tair 11a & Helios 40-2. Money well spent - especially in the case of the Helios, which is a tank of a lens, in more ways than one.

Have you tried MPEGStreamclip to rewrap your files? (AVCHD are .MTS files right?) There's a Mac/PC version & its free. Its also, hands down, the best converter/rewrapper out there.

Cheers brucker, Not really interested in flare anymore & it was just a surprise as my 54 is MC'd to the eyeballs! Taks really are the business, will check those out. (edit) Just did - way too expensive over here (£200)! Might be sticking with those Cheap Russian Zeiss Copies - £40. Unless i can bring myself to sell some lenses.

Might be worth starting a new thread with people posting their favourite taking lenses or their setups - could be a good resource for everyone?

Thanks guys, I have a 54 & it doesn't vignette with my 30mm Meyer Lydith, but does when i add diopters - so why i'm thinking 35/37mm would be better. @AndyLee - In a moment of madness i got rid of all my Zeiss lenses a couple of years ago. Well it was more to do with discovering Meyer, Tomioka & the cheap Russian stuff (especially these). @Robtilbury - I have the Chinon 55mm, so have been really tempted by a 35mm. @Brucker - Love Super Taks & they are the only ones that flare really easily with the 54, but f3.5 (perhaps i need to get over the f stop) @Dahlfors - really helpful, no one likes talking about Nikkor lenses & the whole AI/AI-S thing is confusing. Thanks everyone - lots of food for thought.

Cheers, I have been wondering about Nikkor AI-S lenses (they were my first thought), but no one really shouts & screams about them - best held secret or just too obvious? Yeah, i've had some great deals too, almost too good to be true at times, but have also experienced more of the downside of Shody-Bay with some real bad luck from dishonest dealers! Just seems at the moment that the lenses i've been looking at aren't in auction, just the Buy It Now tag - so no chance for a bargin. Hard financial times for everyone!

Cheers Guys, Once i get a few more replies, i'll have to take a trip to a local-ish secondhand camera store & see what little gems he has hidden away - last time i went in, i walked away with a nice Jupiter 9 for £40/50. Getting a bit fed up with Rip-me-off-Bay! Sent loads of things back recently - "Oh, i didn't realise that was fungus!", "The dent in the filter thread didn't seem that bad!", "I couldn't see 3 marks on the rear element" or "There wasn't that much oil on the blades when i last looked"