Lomo Square Front on ebay

[Tim McC]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200894486604?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

I'd like to play with a Lomo, but this is getting outside of my price range....

[Tim McC]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200894490707?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

This is a little more reasonable... so far...

[EpicFanBoy]

The 35mm squarefront will go for a little more by the time the auction ends. The 50mm and 80mm will go over $2K.

 

Both 50mm/80mm squarefronts are from the 1960s (they have an older barrel design and a different set of serial numbers). The 35mm is from the 1970's.

 

Basically, the 35mm Roundfront has too much barrel distortion for most DP's, so they prefer to use the 35mm Squarefront (the one you've linked to an Ebay :). That's why it's the more expensive of the normal squarefronts (OCT-19) set (35mm/50mm/85mm). A lot of rental houses and DP's build a set that consists of a 35mm Squarefront and then 50mm/75mm/100mm/150mm Roundfronts.

 

The OCT-19's also go higher than the OCT-18's. OCT-19's are one piece lenses whereas the OCT-18's are two piece lenses.

 

If you're looking to get into Lomo anamorphics, you're better to hunt down OCT-18's, as they're cheaper (for now).

[QuickHitRecord]

Basically, the 35mm Roundfront has too much barrel distortion for most DP's, so they prefer to use the 35mm Squarefront (the one you've linked to an Ebay :). That's why it's the more expensive of the normal squarefronts (OCT-19) set (35mm/50mm/85mm). A lot of rental houses and DP's build a set that consists of a 35mm Squarefront and then 50mm/75mm/100mm/150mm Roundfronts.

 

Interesting. I didn't know that about the 35mm roundfronts.

 

I can vouch for the quality of the OCT-18s. In my conversations with Olex Kalynchenko of Olex Camera Services he revealed to me that optically, the OCT-19s and 18s are the same. The only difference is the one-piece body and a superior lens mount.

[Andrew Reid]

My OCT 18 35mm anamorphic is actually sharper than my OCT 19.

 

It depends on the luck of the draw and what condition the lens is in.

Olex is worth contacting if you want yours optically checking.

[Tim McC]

Well I certainly love the look of those Lomos you guys have done tests with.  It definitely has that vintage science fiction look, like out of Stalker or Solaris.  Pretty difficult to mount and to handle though, right?

[QuickHitRecord]

Pretty difficult to mount and to handle though, right?

 

They are big and heavy, and they breathe when focusing. I had to make custom mounts for mine to get them onto 15mm rods. In the case of my 75mm, I had to buy a counterweight to keep my setup from being too front-heavy.

 

All that said, they do make a pretty cool image.

 

I have made some additional notes in this thread: http://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/809-first-lomo-square-front-test