Rcorrell

    I was lucky in that mine was very easy to unscrew, but seems to just depend on the lens.  As far as the stopper goes, after performing the surgery, I also could not see a way of implementing that without doing a whole redesign of the plastic housing as a whole.  This, and the fact that the whole front element can unscrew and pop off, made me not think twice about having the vandiemen mod done.   I've waited almost 4 years to get my hands on this bitch so waiting a couple more months doesn't really phase me..  

   Invoice quoted 60 days...

I got to try these out at a JL fisher event recently and they are amazing.  My personal favorite of the new anamorphic coming out thus far.  The /i Technology is the BEST!!  Live DOF calculator built in to the lens's focus scale... It made remote focus pulling a breeze.  Great Stuff.

I'm sending my Isco out to vandiemen tomorrow.  I'll let you know how long it takes, and how much it costs with everything said and done...   I personally went to 4 shops that were recommended to me all over LA.  1/2 of them just marveled at it, and shook their head and told me no, or no time to do it.  1 of them told me they could do it maybe but would probably take over 6 months, and the last one said to take it to vandiemen...   And that's LA for ya..  LAzy.

  I've been trying as well.

  Yeah, that sounds about right.  I'm not sure how, but i think the rear ananmorphic element / barrel on the attachment has been rotated ever so little, but enough to, like you said, make everything rendered out of focus. So it might seem to be an alignment issue within the attachment's optics.  Now just wondering if it's going to cost me more than the cost of the lens to fix, and then how do you prevent it from happening again?

Well all the lomo square fronts are "old" but mine is in great condition. If something came loose it's possible that that is what's causing the problem, but for what I can see and or hear, nothing seems to be loose from an external viewpoint.

Hey guys,   I been going crazy the last 2 days trying to figure out why, all of the sudden, my Lomo square front attachment will not focus with any of my taking lenses anymore.   It sounds quite silly at first (I know), hence why it's driving me nuts, but I was having nothing but great results with my lomo.  I hadn't used it in a couple weeks and had just been sitting pretty in its case, and decided i was going to try a nikkor with I hadn't tested with it yet.  Upon attaching the nikkor lens, I started having a focus problem where no matter what combination or distance i set either of the lenses at, I could not achieve any sharp focus.   So after about an hour of tinkering and swearing, I decided "screw this, I going back to my helios which as always worked without a hitch".....  Before this experiment my helios was right on the money, set the same focus to match the lomo focus and go.  but low and behold now my helios won't get any kind of focus!!!!     I just don't get it?!?  I changed a lens and barely touched the damn thing, and now nothing works with the lens anymore??  as if it was some kind of evil wizardry... The lens themselves work fine, and even with other attachments, its just the lomo part now that doesn't want to work!!  I don't what the hell is going on, but if any of you do or have had this problem, please let me know how much of an idiot I am.     Thank you!!

    Well many comparisons can be drawn, but you have to consider certain factors in when comparing a consumer product from the late 1960's to modern day professional cine lenses.   For what the Iscorama is:   By itself, its a gem of an anamorphic lens, no question.  It's tack sharp, good edges, great optics and saturation, beautiful flares (if you have a single coated version), an of course, out of all the old lenses, the best patented focus system..   For what the Iscorama is not :   It was made in 1968 as a high end projection attachment, so in part it's really not a stand-alone lens, it is an attachment.  We keep comparing it to actual lenses.  The housing of the lens in complete plastic, is to say the least, it's very dangerous and doesn't protect the optics at all, and if the lens was to encounter any kind of harsh weather conditions etc. it would completely fail.  And as far as the focus goes, although one of the best for what it is, it's still a projection lens so close focus becomes somewhat of a process that you just would not encounter on any proper cine lens.  And ultimately, because it is still an attachment, you will run into only being able to use a set amount of focal length primes, which depending on the cinematographer or certain shot, is a no go..   In General Comparison :   The Isco has GREAT optics. I've managed to pull images from that lens that look better than some of the most expensive lenses I've ever used.  But like I said above, price tag means nothing.  Great example of that is the helios 58mms.  They are one of the sharpest lens I've ever used, and dirt cheap.  The big expensive lenses are kind of like buying a rare sports car.  Beautiful to look at as far as engineering and build, but more or less afraid to use it. Afraid to "take it out of the garage" and put millage on it if you will..  Personally, when I'm using Arri's or Cooke's, anything thats over 50k in glass, I get a $1,000,000 issuance policy when shooting with them.  Too risky if not, if so much as a nat lands on the lens, I start to worry, so thats my personal way around dealing with stress of rentals and or price tags.  BE SMART!     Conclusion:   I think for what most of us are here to do : Get the best image possible with tools we've researched and perfected, but for a personally attainable price.   It is a fantastic option, and no doubt ONE of the best, if not THE best, for the price.  I currently don't have 40K to throw down on a set of OCT-19 square or spherical anamorphic sets, but if I did I would go that route.  They are built like tanks, and the optics have so much character.  BUT they are big, heavy, and expensive cine lenses.  They are not fit for lightweight run-and-gun situations.  I still to this day see many top notch lens companies copying the Lomo system for anamorphics, so that usually means they we doing something right if 50 years later the top dogs or still trying to produce their design and look.   At the end of the day there are so many factors that go into getting "a good image".  A lens ultimately is just a tool to help achieve the look you are going for, nothing more.  Storytelling, lighting, good characters, and proper operation of the camera are the KEY components of filmmaking.  I don't care how much your lens costs, or how rare it is...  If you just make another cool-looking vimeo lens test, your not a filmmaker, nobody really cares.  No story=no substance     You could shoot a short film with your iphone about a bird you found on the street that is dying, and if it's emotional enough and people care about that bird at the end of your video, then it's good.  No lens can do that.  Thats filmmaking.

Just want to throw out my personal opinion on hawks : For some reason in the anamorphic community, hawks have gained this god like top dog on the podium position, and professionally I have no clue why. To me it seems to be nothing more than an unattainable price tag, yielding almost no one ever actually using them. People tend to think the best is the most expensive. This is so wrong. I worked on a feature that used hawks latest and greatest anamorphic prime set, and let me tell you.... They (in my opinion) suck. Not only are they a trillion dollars, they are soft wide open, certain lenses edges are soft, and they have over engineered them to the point where they completely lack any sign of character. No flares, no interesting optics, nothing. On top of all that, if you really do your homework, look at X-rays they've taken of a brand new hawk lens next to a 1970s lomo lens, and you won't find but one difference in the optics or mechanics. The whole reason I'm part of this community is because I've seen so much done with so little.. Finding weird lens combinations, or trying lenses that were not supposed to be used in some manner, that's what's its all about. Price tag means nothing. Experience is everything. I recently had the privilege to test out arri's new anamorphics set along side with cookes new anamorphic set (still in development). After talking with the guys who made them, and then actually getting my hands on them and trying them out for myself, there was one huge difference between them. Arri had spent so much time engineering the lens to be "perfect" that it lacked (in my opinion) the most important part of the lens, character. When I talked to the Cooke rep he said they were specifically designing the lens with old anamorphic characteristics in mind, no multi coating etc. that's what you want, reguardless of its price tag. Don't believe the hype before you get your eye in that viewfinder.

...and with the 5d3 or a Red, CROP! Don't have to change lenses at all. sensible filmmaking is always the best filmmaking, no matter what your equipment is.

@ John Barlow : Modification is supposed to fix the throw with a new geared focus ring as part of the housing.

@ Zmu : Yeah Duclos was a joke. I just don't understand their attitude when they are supposed to be the go to lens house in LA. But thats is almost every camera store / rental house in LA. They all suck, except panavision ;) I would be interested to know what your turn around ends up being on your rehoused lens. Alan Doyle from redstan informed me that when he had his conversions done by vandiemen they took 6-8 months!! and still are in possession of some of his original optics now. So please let us know how long it takes to get your Isco back in your hands. Does anybody have any experience with Slow Motion LA?? I'm aware that they do lens rehousing and modifications but Ive never heard of anyone doing business with them, so just curious.

I did a shoot last week only took a couple stills, but they are still fun.  Used the lomo square front 2x 50mm attachment with the Helios 44-2 58mm f.2 with the 5dmk3.  Stills become quite awesome while using the 5dmk3 while shooting raw...  Orginal image is 5.7k, and then when stretched becomes 11.2K!!!!  you can put that on a side of a bus natively!!  Thought it was super cool, so im sharing...

Yeah honestly, just having it rehoused in a metal body alone is worth the price to keep those optics safe, and if you are using this lens in any professional cinema environment (wireless follow focus, a FIZ (focus, iris, zoom) ) this mod is a MUST. no question. The original lens is fantastic on it's own, but keep in mind this lens was not designed for professional cinema use in 1968 nor was it supposed to work the way we are modifying it to perform. I am definitely going to have this mod done to my Isco, and for the price, turning gold into platinum never sounded so good. Paulio: I am however going to see if this can be done locally first (Los angeles). Gonna give Duclos Lenses a call (even though I think they are stuck up and over priced) and start from there. I'll share my findings with you!! As far as the follow focus goes : The front element of these lenses moves forward and back while focusing (which you've probably seen while using it) so therefore certain follow focus systems will not work with it because of the lack of movement from the gears that drive it.

Reference the anamorphic shooter guide here on eoshd.  But the short of it, any anamorphic, besides an Iscorama, have to simultaneously be matched in focus length to the taking lens to achieve a "sharp" picture.   Example:  set anamorphic lens to 4 meters, and set the taking lens to 4 meters.  any time you change focus, repeat this matching process.

Hey guys,   This might have come up before, but I seem to be having a strange phenomenon while using any thrid party taking lens with my Iscorama pre 36.  The stock nikkon 2.8 fixed lens that came with the Isco doesn't display these "icicle" like artifacts from flaring. This happens with my Nikkon 50mm  f1.4, and my Helios 58mm 44-2m, and also some weird transparent vignetting happens with the iris blades on both.  I was wondering if anyone knows why this is happening, and or have a possible solution for it.     The picture below is with my Nikkon 50mm f1.4, very simular to the results of the helios.         

mod worked without a hitch! Thanks everyone for the perfect instructions! Hope these pictures help anyone thinking about doing the mod themselves. Achieving "3.2"ft focus now as well without diopter. Past that the optic feels tight, and furthermore wants to unthread... strange in someway mine tightens right before wanting to unthread. weird perk in a way, good indication of when to stop focusing.

The ring was screwed in but at least mine wasn't very tight.. I put both of my thumbs on either side, applying a gentle amount of pressure, and screwed it of slowly throughout the thread counterclockwise..

hope this helps, got the ring off no problem, just with my fingers and gentle pressure.. on to the next step...

    I seem pretty confident in the removal process, seems pretty straight forward.  My Biggest questions lie in the reconstruction of the lens after modification...  Not about how to set focus but really how to properly replace the metal stopper with a new custom one i will have had to produce, and then once installed, rehousing the front plastic ring in a way that it doesn't interfere with my "new" mod..  

I also just got a 36 and would really like to have the close focus mod done, but am also reluctant to send my 36 halfway across the world and hope to get it back in one piece. Might just get impatient and do it myself. /: but I would be interested to know about Rich's process and availability about these modifications.

scratch that...  Found it, Thank you for the direction.

@ Bioskop  :  Having trouble finding that thread.  Anyway you could point me to the link?  Thank you, and sorry to re-ask answered questions..

update:  Today I received my full payment BACK from Ralf.  A close call, but lesson learned.  Thank you to everyone who participated in this scenario to resolve it quickly. I couldn't have done it without the help of all the other eoshd members involved.  If anyone else needs help in resolving this issue please PM me and I will give you as much information as I can.  Thanks again guys!