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In the end, we never stop talking about these suckers across multiple threads, so I'm gonna try to compile as much information as I can into this one. As in most cases, diopters are cheaper than anamorphics, I ended up with a lot of them, from multiple brands and multiple performances. The key was never go where everyone else is trying to find. Got the classics too, but that was luck. Anyway, let's go to the undeniable favorite: Tokina +0.4 Achromatic diopter. My only complain about it is: why aren't you bigger?! My first lens was the LA7200 and I took quite a while to find the 105mm. The next lenses all had different thread sizes. I could filter the Hypergonar on 77mm or 86mm, the Kowa with 72mm, Sankor 72mm too, Isco 54 at 95mm or 86mm and had a plan of an alternative 86mm front for the Lomo Squarefront, which didn't go through. Anyway, if I started to look for all these sizes of diopters, I'd go broke. My salvation were the Series 9 filters. If someone isn't familiar with these, they come as unthreaded glass, that you put into an adapter that can range between 67mm and 86mm. That pretty much covers all lenses. I got adapters for 72, 77 and 86. The glass itself has around 83mm diameter. Tiffen Series 9 filters are not in production anymore, so you can pick them off cheap ($1-10), even though they're not so common. The adapters are a bit harder to find. After that, I went crazy on other brands as they showed up with decent sizes. Got 77mm Spiratones +0.5 and +0.25 for $6, 86mm +0.6 Fujinon, 72mm +1.25 Fujinon, 95mm +0.25 Pentax (for the 135-600mm Pentax Zoom), 82mm +0.75 Canon (1300H), etc, all very cheap. Some of them are real heavy, and I don't know if they're achromatics or single elements. The advantage of the bigger ones is, less vignetting, even when you go wide, and, the sharpness is increased, since you don't get corner areas. Finally, I found a couple 4.5" ones (around 114mm), that require special adapters, like Series 9. These adapters are impossible to find! I'm making a couple myself, as I trust threads more than tape. :P EDIT Dec 07, 2014 Why Look for Low Powered Diopters There's a common question going around, of WHY fraction diopters are better than full numbers, so I'm addressing that here too. Rich has a good explanation too >here. As you can see below in the math section, the numbers correspond to certain maximum and minimum focus distances. When it comes to anamorphic lenses, what is the most common minimum focus distance? Something between 1.5m and 2m (or 5 to 7 feet, imperial scale). Iscoramas have 2m minimum focus. Kowas, Sankors and most dual focus projector lenses are set to 1.5m minimum focus. For most shots, this distance is greater than the distance you want to put between the camera and your subject, which leads to being unable to focus properly - also, it's a pretty messed up distance for working indoors. What a +0.4 or +0.5 diopter does is turn this "near 2m minimum focus distance" into "near 2m MAXIMUM focus distance" (see math below, seriously), allowing you to frame and shoot freely indoors and much closer to your subjects. If you want extreme close ups, then you need to have stronger diopters, but a +0.5 is a key tool for "standard" shots. Achromats are also better, but they have their own explanation below too. Focus and Anamorphic Compression Another thing that relates directly to diopters is the lens compression. Most of our 1.5x or 2x stretch lenses only have that proportion when focused to infinity. Things change when you twist the focus ring. As you get closer to minimum focus, the less compression you have. 2x lenses tend to go towards 1.7x or 1.8x, Iscoramas get very close to 1.3x. When unsqueezing your footage, this compression disparity can make shots look different from the rest of the footage, as if it was shot with a different lens. In a technical level, it really was a different optical path. Using diopters you get rid of using the shorter distances on your focus ring and keep your compression constant throughout the shots. DISCLAIMER: I don't know how this relates to baby anamorphics, and this CERTAINLY does not affect focus through lenses since you don't change the distance between the anamorphic elements. //EDIT. Strength measuring: Fujinon: The first number is their maximum focus distance, the second number is the thread size. For example, a 16086 reaches 160cm at infinity (+0.6) and has 86mm thread. 190101, 190cm at infinity focus, 101mm thread. Canon: The newest series (250D and 500D) measures in millimeters their maximum distance. 250mm equals +4 and 500mm equals +2. The "D" stands for Double element. The older ones use the same measuring, 1300H = 1300mm, +0.75. There's also a 900H, 105mm, which is a like +1.1. When nothing is marked on it, good luck with testing the thing. It's usually not hard, but most of them have information lying around the web. Thread size: As well as regular threads, some are marked with a C after the number (mostly 86C, 95C and 105C), that means the thread on this filter is coarse, 1mm pitch. Our regular (fine) threads have .75mm pitch. There are adapters for these too, like the one below, from 86mm fine to 86C. http://www.ebay.com/itm/350325079425 Minimum and Maximum focus distance: Just realized that I haven't explained the math relating diopter strength and maximum focus range! Since most anamorphics perform better when focused closer to infinity, a diopter gives great help in "faking" it optically. A close up filter "sets" infinity just a couple meters/feet away, so anything BEYOND that certain point will be IMPOSSIBLE to focus. Of course, this will NOT follow the lens' focus marks. Infinity on the lens now equals the diopter maximum focus distance. Now, the numbers: S = diopter strength (+0.5, +0.6, +1, +2, etc) MaxFm = maximum focus distânce, measured here in METERS MaxFm = 1 / (S) Ha! I bet you expected something waaaay more complex, right? Some examples are never bad, so let's get to it. I'll use +0.5, +1.25 and +2 as sample strengths. MaxFm = 1/(0.5) = 1/(1/2) = 1 x 2/1 = 2 meters MaxFm = 1/(1.25) = 1/(5/4) = 1 x 4/5 = 0.8 meters MaxFm = 1/(2) = 1/2 = 0.5 meters If you live in a country where imperial scale prevails over the metric system, you just gotta do a quick fix to the expression. S = diopter strength (+0.5, +0.6, +1, +2, etc) MaxFf = maximum focus distânce, measured here in FEET MaxFf = (3.3 / S) Same examples from above, now in feet MaxFf = 3.3/(0.5) = 1/(1/2) = 3.3 x 2/1 = 6.6 feet MaxFf = 3.3/(1.25) = 1/(5/4) = 3.3 x 4/5 = 2.6 feet MaxFf = 3.3/(2) = 3.3/2 = 1.6 feet Regarding minimum focus distance, I'd say anything closer than half maximum focus distance is gonna look pretty bad already. With high power close ups (+2 and up), I'd say anything closer than 3/4 of your maximum focus distance is gonna be pretty bad already. Of course, this "minimum focus distance" image quality has A LOT of influence from the anamorphic. Also, achromatic diopters will improve almost everything you could imagine. Since I've just mentioned them, here's a list of achromatic diopters, with their strength, manufacturer, price range, etc. http://fuzzcraft.com/achromats.html Price range: Just for checking, here is a list of the most common lenses and their outgoing price. Tokina +0.5 72mm - $150 Kenko +0.5 72mm - $90 Tokina +0.4 72mm Achromatic - $350 Kenko +0.3 105mm - $350 Canon +2 72mm Achromatic - $100 Sigma +1.6 62mm Achromatic - $20 Angenieux +0.25 82mm - $330 Kinoptik +1 82mm Achromatic - $530 Foton-A +1 or +1.25 - $900 (GONE!) Tiffen +0.5 to +2 138mm - $50 and up Tiffen +0.5 to +5 Series 9 - $1-50 Tiffen/Kodak Series 9 Adapters - $20-40 Tiffen +0.5 to +2 4.5" - $10-50 (RARE)

Can some explain to me why +0.4 and +0.5 diopters are more desirable than +1 diopters? Are +1 diopters terrible? I would assume using +1 would grant the user the the option of being able to shoot at the distance a +0.5 allows and closer since its +1. Maybe someone can enlighten me on the pros and cons of each diopter strength.

Please have a look at the music promo I made using a kowa 8-Z anamorphic adaptor, mounted on a voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.2, using a Lumix GH3. I also had a Tokina .4 achromat and a Cokin Diopter +2 for the Close ups. It was all shot at night which presented problems as the Lumix isn't very good in low light. I was shooting at 50fps which reduced the amount of light I had even further. I also found that if the lens was fully open it was difficult to get a focus. Not because it was too shallow, but because it wouldn't focus on anything! As you can see I over-cranked the ISO on occasion, but I couldn't set lights up on the banks of the Thames at 3am, as we didn't have permission to be there. I wish I'd got someone to stand close by reflecting a bright torch off a white shirt though. I can only hope that I get away with the graininess in the spirit of low/no budget film making, and it looks like 16mm! Staying close to the subject, using the diopters, gave me a picture I liked the most. The bokeh looks lovely and soft and cinematic. Shots where I had to focus to infinity were difficult - the bokeh is ugly in those shots (in my opinion), taking the shape of a kind of horizontal tear. But I couldn't film the whole video in close ups! It was difficult to shot this as a one-man-band. Having to screw two different diopters on or off every time I wanted to change my proximity to the actors made it quite fiddly. I was also moving lights (I had x3 LED panels). I had some other taking lenses, but it wasn't practical to change during the shoot. Lastly, I know its normal to crop the super-wide picture you get from shooting 2x anamorphic on a 16:9 sensor, but I decided to embrace it. It's fun, and a bit silly, but its a music promo, so why not. Hope you enjoy. The track by Durlston George, his debut single, is lovely.

Hello, I'm selling my Tokina AT-X achromatic diopter in perfect condition for Euro 350,–, including shipping in EU via PayPal only. Please P.M. me if interested. Kind regards, Andreas

Hey guys, First time poster here....So I am diving into all of these diopter possibilities for a thesis film I have to shoot. I recently purchased the BMPC 4K camera, the tokina 11-16mms and the panasonic LA7200 (Mostly based on advice and research from this site given my modest budget) But I can't seem to find any recent info for diopters. I know of the rare LOMO as per the guide but can't find it. I know of the Cinetatctics hood, but the diopter solution is evading me. Even watching eyepatch's guide doesn't seem to give recent info. I'm still pretty green when it comes to diopters so any help would be much appreciated- thanks guys!

Hey guys, I've listed my trusty Tokina achromat +0.4 (yup, the high quality doublet) plus 2 more high quality achromatic diopters (for close-ups) as a 3 piece set on Ebay Germany. They.. just... work...! www.ebay.com/itm/3-achromatic-diopter-SET-Tokina-AT-X-0-4-CLOSE-UP-Olympus-MCON40-MINOLTA-No-0-/111411315171?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Objektive&hash=item19f0a1c1e3 Questions are welcome and will be answerend during the following week.. Happy shooting! Ivor

My first test of using the GH4 with Cinema 4K setting at 24hz. Also my first test with my "new" Iscorama 36. I had a hard time adapting it to a rails system, but it's OK for now. I finally understand what it's like to rack focus, as well as how sharp it is. I have to do more tests though to see what I really prefer. I like the SLR Magic a LOT for run n gun, and it is just so easy, and I really don't need diopters. However it really isn't as sharp as the Iscorama. The other option is my Sankor 2x but that's way more bulky and heavy although just as sharp wide open as the Iscorama. I used diopters in this video, that's how I got close focus. +0.5, +1 and +2. I'll do a test using the SLR Magic Achromat +0.33 and +1.33 later. The fllter thread is different though, the Iscorama being 72mm and the SLR Magic 77mm.

Hi there - here's a link to download this test: http://vimeo.com/jaemorrison/iscorama54test01 I was interested in seeing what Apertures were sharp with different Achromats & Diopters. Rather than waste even more time cutting a boring video, I've just uploaded a boring image sequence for you to download and step through frame-by-frame. The Achromats and Diopters tested were: Redstan +.25 Achromat Tokina +.4 Achromat Voightlander Focar A Voightlander Focar B And some stacked combinations of the above. Apologies if the test isn't ideal (h264 certainly isn't) - thought it was worth sharing as I've learnt a lot from people posting stuff here. Cheers, Jae.

Simple, all-in-one lens kit for S35 and M43 sensors, I've shot many fun projects with this sharp and agreeable little setup. It's for sale now for anyone interested. Moving to SLR Magic Anamorphot soon. Let me know if you have any questions, thanks for looking! Click here for eBay auction, demo video in description.

Lowered price:$600 Diopter D=1m for Lomo Foton-A anamorphic attachment lens, AG-LA7200, iscorama, etc.. Bought for $950 Very Rare, This is perhaps one of the last Foton-A diopter you can find on internet. This diopter is mounted onto front part of Foton-A anamorphic attachment. The diopter allows to shoot closer (from 1 meter) and allow very sharp shooting for closer shoot with anamorphic lens or attachment. Lens part are in good conditions. There are some cleaning marks and some dust of surfaces, but no scratches, no glass chips, no fungus. There are some small marks on the metal part you can see it on the photos. May be used with other lenses (AG-LA7200, iscorama, lomo, century optics, etc..). you can see reviews of the use of this diopter coupled with AG-LA7200 on 5D mark II at http://www.eoshd.com/content/555 and > You can buy it now on eBay: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Diopter-1m-for-lomo-Foton-A-anamorphic-attachment-lens-/221356997974?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item3389e7bd56 Thanks, Jeff

Hello there. I've picked up an Iscorama 54 (with a struggle, bloody heavy lump). Have been looking for the following without much success: 1: Angenieux single element +0.35 82mm 2: +0.25 82mm achromatic doublet 3: Tokina +0.4 72mm achromat Any links, offers or advice is much appreciated. If you've got any, please let me know via PM what you'd be keen to sell them for. Thanks a lot, Jae.

Hello all, I'm selling my two Tokina Diopters! Both are in excellent condition.

I'm parting with my beloved LA7200 and all that goes with it: adapter rings, diopters set (+0.5, +1, +2), Cinetactics mattebox, the whole shebang.   Everything is in perfect working order, as new.   I bought it after reading Andrew's ultimate guide on anamorphic and must say I've been really pleased with it AFTER I managed to get my hands on the +0.5 diopter that is. It now focuses from infinity to about 20cm with a 14mm pancake.   Have been using it with my GH2 & following lens combo: 14mm Panasonic pancake, 24mm & 35mm Nikkor.   All pics are available on http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=171124778730   Get in touch if any question...   & while you're at it, check out the trailer I shot last month for a feature thriller film noir THRILLER FILM NOIR I'm prepping: https://vimeo.com/72806937   Cheerio, J.  

I know its like beating a dead horse. Long shot, but looking to see if i can find a proper +0.4 diopter for the Panasonic LA7200. Not finding much of anything so figured id post see if anyone either has one to sell or knows some good spots to look. Thanks!

Shot some small tests with the Iscorama on my d800 last week. Shot on D800 with the nikon 50mm 1.4D and Tokina +0.4 diopter and Hoya +1 diopter. I did the edit in premiere, grading in speed grade and second grade in nuke using some custom grading filters I made using filters from on set.   My site www.robbannister.com   Downloads page http://www.robbannister.com/downloads/   videos CC1 http://vimeo.com/64450588   CC2 http://vimeo.com/64464863   Hopefully I'll have some stuff really worth showing soon.   Rob

I did mention this in another thread, but I think that it probably deserves its own topic. For those of you trying to mount diopters on LA7200 anamorphic lenses, this is what I have been doing (see pictures). The binding product is called Dual Lock. It is similar to velcro but is adhesive-sided and creates a stronger bond. I never have to worry about my diopters slipping off. It works well with inexpensive Cokin-P diopters as pictured. With a GH2, I can shoot with the Voigtlander Nokton and the LA7200 with only slight vignetting. So 30mm and up should be vignette free. It's a very simple concept but I haven't seen anyone else using it and it took me a while to figure it out. I hope that others find it useful.

Or so it would seem. I just ordered a set of these for my Iscos: [url="http://www.xumeadapters.com/"]http://www.xumeadapters.com/[/url]   It should make swapping and combining diopters a snap.   I will let you know my thoughts when I receive them.

Hello everybody, Redstan is out of stock right now and I don't know that they'll be restocking. I'd prefer one of the red clamps if possible. Also, I'm looking for a red front clamp and and a diopter to get a closer minimum focus. The closer and more clear the better. Thanks for helping if you can! Trey treyvollmer3@gmail.com