Tito Ferradans

Sold my hypergonar a few weeks ago to a fellow in Germany, who contacted me through this forum. :) HUGE lens.

http://bit.ly/115ra77 138mm +0.5 diopter for $100 Ending soon. :)

I own one of these. Got for about $350, but can't stick it properly, so worked around a solution. I'll post pictures later. The main point is: there are other diopter sizes that can cover the la7200, you just need a different mounting.

  Genius! hahaha! :D Congratulations, man!

  Andy, I had already mentioned this link! hahahaha :P     No problem in not covering the full frame sensor, I'll move to the Pocket BMC soon, and that will be covered for sure.   Anyone suggests a fair price for the set? I'm worried about offering too much or too low for it, since I never bought cine lenses before. :)

I found an interesting set of Hawk lenses - 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm and 135mm - marked as T/2.2 (but actually darker than that). They have a 2x stretch, PL mount, and DEFINITELY need servicing.   The 35mm is a huge beast, the 50mm has the alignment loose, so if you twist it, things skew in the wrong direction, etc.   They're at a rental house and the owner told me they haven't been out for at least two years. They're all marked as "B-Series", which Google told me are "cheaper versions that Hawk made for the Indian cinema market", which we come to understand as "bollywood anamorphics".   source: last post on this page - http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?25095/page4   I'm considering an offer to buy the whole set, as it doesn't have any fungus, haze or scratches, but I'm a bit worried about how much it's worth. Also, if I'm gonna be able to use them combined with a 5D3 (I'm seriously considering removing the mirrorbox).   Anyone got comments about these lenses? Has anyone seen something like it? Are the any better/worse than OCT-19 LOMO roundfronts?

Redstan's clamp for this lens has a 62mm thread, so you'll probably need a 49-62mm step up ring, if you bought the russian lenses you mentioned on the other topics! :D

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400458425725?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 http://www.ebay.com/itm/281090913997?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649   Two more, Optex 1.33x, and quite cheap so far, close to end!

Hell, I hope this goes nothing like Apefos! He charges gold for some tubes and butterfly screws. hahaha! We've had disagreements before, but he has more resources than I do. :P   I don't intend to have a focus helicoid, the bellows idea is rather interesting, but it looks like a mess and doesn't solve all problems. My plan is to do the design and modeling all by myself, and then find someone with a CNC to cut it out. Someone with a product-design experience could give me a hand! haha   I don't believe that it MUST be so expensive. The main goal is to keep it as low-cost as possible, since LA7200 prices are insane. But, as noted, I don't know the costs for this specific kind of machining. More tips here could be useful as well! :D

Hi everyone! I've recently started to work on this project that might interest other users in this forum. I'll need some help in the process. One of my main interests in this development is to keep the whole process "open-source" so anyone can reproduce the rehousing based on what we share in this topic, staying as far as possible from a monopoly with ultra-high prices! :D We must agree that the Panasonic LA7200 is an interesting lens, right? But, as all others, it has its quirks and downsides, mostly related to its body design. Plastic is just cheap and fragile. It's very easy to lose parts of it (tiny screws, mostly), not mentioning the deep thread that requires more step rings and the square-front which makes diopter use way more complex than should be. Also, its weakness for close focus or shallow apertures is very well known. What if all this could be solved in a big move? What I'm planning is a full rehousing of this lens, improving every aspect mentioned in the previous lines. - Round, full-metal body - Internal alignment mechanism based on three screws instead of one (like a clamp) - 67mm, exposed rear thread - 114mm front thread, with various step-downs that won't increase the distance from the front element (non-standard design) - Very easy to remove glass for cleaning - "Focus adjustable", based on a push-pull concept, for closer focus, or longer rack focusing. Sounds good? What else do you guys think could/must be improved? I already have multiple sketches around these ideas but haven't started precise modelling yet, nor have contact with any CNC owners that might be interested in the project. If anyone wants to partner, please, speak up! My direct email is ferradans at gmail.com ps - the focus part is mostly based on this video, but with a body around it! hahaha https://vimeo.com/23042151

The description on this one is unbeatable. "It could also be used as a zombie skull smasher thingy or a boat anchor. It's up to you. The possibilities are endless."   hahahahaha

Hahahaha, that would be very hard to guess!

Luke, the front thread has nothing to do with the 42mm of M42. That's the rear size, mount name. :D   The front sizes are different. If you stick to russian glass (Mir, Helios, Jupiter and Tair), the three first lenses have a 49mm thread, and the Tair has a 55mm thread.

I think that's very good looking, dude! You didn't use the diopter even in the opening shot? I noticed it has focus all the way to the background, did you close the lens until it came to focus?

Considering the 3x crop sensor, you'd probably be able to go with both lenses, but the 24 would be a safer bet.

Here are my samples, LA7200 combined with Redrock rig. In these pictures, I was using a Helios 44, 50mm, but also tested on the Canon EF 24-70mm.   An issue is that the distance to the mattebox varies according to focus (on the Helios) or zoom (on the 24-70).   Does look good, I admit, but doesn't work at all. On the Helios, there is no problem, no vignetting. On the 24-70, without the mattebox, we can go as wide as 28mm, but with the thing in front, it's only usable when the lens is set longer than 50mm, which kills the anamorphic's main purpose: using really wide angles. :(    

My target always has been "the cheapest one, with free shipping". That's M42 to Canon EF. Mine are about six months old, and I use them a lot, almost every day. No electronics, just a piece of metal, like andy lee described. Never had any problem with them. Lens facing upwards, never loose. :P

  Well, it has soft edges since it's the maximum wide it can go! hahaha. I think if you reach it's limits on a GH2 (around 14mm, I think), the edges will be blurry too.   About diopters, I custom machined a front adapter with a 105mm filter thread (and have hunted for step-downs ever since), but use it with a 105mm +0.3 Kenko diopter. The results are good. I have a few other big close ups around, but haven't figured a way of attaching them safely to the lens.   I own a Kowa B&H as well - it's the only 2x double-focus I kept - because image quality is outstanding. I cant go wider than 85mm on the 5D3 if I want to use the whole image (stretched to 3.56:1). If you crop the sides to get cinemascope, I think you can use a 50mm or something like it. But double-focus is a pain. You can't do ANY shots while rack-focusing. It takes too long to get it right. That's the reason I sold the other double-focus.

I think this ring is for matteboxes, and not filters, and I refuse to spend $80 on a ring! For this kind of money I can go and find someone that makes whatever I need! hahahaha   My flarefactory is arriving soon (I hope), and while their family doesn't grow, I'll try to complete full projects with just this one lens, or use it for special flary shots. hahahaha. But, the main reason I bought it is because I've played with a regular Helios 44 before, and loved it. I think you should do the same (please don't kill me, Rich!). Get a regular one first, see if you like, and then go for the modded one.

I'm looking for such step-down ring for a while, and it never crossed my path! This makes things a lot easier, since 86mm is quite friendly.   About the glass, I use a lot of russian M42 lenses, and the look great with any anamorphic, including the LA7200. And they're cheap! :D

I'm not quite sure where you got the info that the LA7200 isn't great on full frame. I use mine with a 5D3 and it works wonders. The biggest problem about it is the need for diopters.   Unless you already have a solution for mounting smaller (77 or 72mm thread) ones, or some huge diopters at hand, they'll give you a hell of a headache.

I think the subject here would be he "circle of confusion", right? That's the exact name, if you wanna read it further. it's not just about anamorphic, but image perception by the human eye/brain. How big can the smaller piece of information be, and still look "sharp"?

I think what your friend said is: if you choose ANAMORPHIC (ANA) mode on the RED, it really won't use the full sensor area. It uses just a square (4:3) in the middle of the sensor. For preview, it de-stretches directly in camera, for 2x lenses. This creates an image with 2.4:1 aspect ratio, popularly known as Cinemascope. But, since you weren't using a 2x lens, but a 1.33x, you're comparing a full sensor (16:9) image against a 4:3 crop from the center with 1.33x stretch, and that indeed, has no field of view enhancement. (4:3 de-stretched to 1.33 results in a 16:9 image)   If you shoot it without activating ANA mode, it will use the full sensor, and you can de-stretch in post, to whichever ratio you want (as 1.33, for the LA7200), so, your 16:9 x 1.33 goes Cinemascope, while most 2x stretch lenses would vignette. :P   (it got a bit confusing, please ask if you missed something!) EDIT About the sensor size, the RED One has a 35mm sensor, while the 5d3 has a full frame sensor, so, that's almost 40% wider field of view on the 5D, which is what we see in the video!

Thanks Rich! Yep, 5d3!   On the 5D3, it vignettes around 35mm, but it's quite sharp. Performs great with Helios 44 without diopters if subject is at least 6ft away. Closer than that, a Tokina/Minolta is required.   ps - not yet, but I'm used to wait a while longer for deliveries around here. I already have a project to use it on! hahahaha

I own a LA7200 as well, and have a Redrock Micro Mattebox here. If you can wait a little, I'll try to put them together this week and post some thoughts about it.   (my panasonic came with the Cinetatics mattebox, never used it, though :P)