ISCO-Gottingen Animex S/8 2x?

[James Abernathy]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ISCO-Gottingen-Animex-S-8-2x-Anamorphic-Lens-/321094089165?pt=AU_Lenses&hash=item4ac2b2f9cd

 

Anyone have any idea what this lens is... 

[andy lee]

The lens has no focus adjustment capabilities so the 'taking' lens is used for focusing. The ISCO Animex will not focus to infinity. It begins to lose resolution abruptly at 4.5 metres and requires a diopter when used at less than 2.5 metres. Depth-of-field could best be described as 'shallow'.

avoid!

[QuickHitRecord]

avoid!

 

I wouldn't say that. I believe that the Isco Animex is a rebranded Iscomorphot 8/2x (confirmed by Alan/Tony Wilson), which is a lens that I happen to like quite a bit:

 

http://vimeo.com/60401188

 

It is focus-through, like Andy says. But unlike the LA7200 or Century lenses, you have to focus your spherical to one set point, and then control your distance from your subject with diopters. This is a lens that tells you where to set your camera. A bit tricky, but if it's like mine, it can give you a very pleasing image if you are patient with it.

[septemberdawn]

_{Shallow focus does have its own character:}

 

_{http://youtu.be/h8C9E5yviZQ}

 

 

 

[tony wilson]

very nice price..
worth more someone needs to grab.
will become even more useful in 3 months if the optics are clean.
all you need is some broken isco parts like what eye got and you could bee a happy mini 2x iscorama bunny.

[Bioskop.Inc]

I concur with both Alan(Tony) & QHR - this is a fixed focus @ 4m, but with diopters & taking lenses of various focal lengths it really shines.

This is sharper than any iscorama, if its in good condition, & those pics look like it is - sharp enough to crop to 2.66.

Also, its far easier to use than a dual focus i.e. it won't drive you insane wondering if its really in focus - move back or forwards & when it is you'll know.

Sharp wide open as well - well mine is.

Shallow depth-of-field might depend on the copy or the diopters used (almost certainly the later) - used on its own you can get deep focus.

 

I shot these (amongst others) with it:

https://vimeo.com/45189945

https://vimeo.com/41213761

[QuickHitRecord]

Also, its far easier to use than a dual focus i.e. it won't drive you insane wondering if its really in focus - move back or forwards & when it is you'll know.

 

Agreed. Once you have the focus where it needs to be, there is only one parameter that you can possibly screw up. It's nice!

[Hans Punk]

Agreed. Once you have the focus where it needs to be, there is only one parameter that you can possibly screw up. It's nice!

 

I agree too....I recently picked one up (Iscomorphot 8/2x) for just over £40 in decent condition. put it on a Helios 44 with diopters and you have a very sassy x2 fixed focus for portraits or medium distance use. The shallow depth of field is a wonder to behold!

 

I bought it, then realised it was the same as the type in the Isco shootout video...made me very happy, that video is so nice.

[Bioskop.Inc]

very nice price..
worth more someone needs to grab.
will become even more useful in 3 months if the optics are clean.
all you need is some broken isco parts like what eye got and you could bee a happy mini 2x iscorama bunny.

 

Hey Alan, do you want to elaborate more?

You already mentioned to me that you'd been working on something for the Iscomorphot, so does this mean you've hit gold?

[Cosimo murgolo]

Just bought one of this, I am looking forward to try it

[Cosimo murgolo]

Just bought one of this, I am looking forward to try it

 

 

It's a lovely lens! I managed to use the same clam that I use for the sankor.

 

[redimp]

The lens has no focus adjustment capabilities so the 'taking' lens is used for focusing. The ISCO Animex will not focus to infinity. It begins to lose resolution abruptly at 4.5 metres and requires a diopter when used at less than 2.5 metres. Depth-of-field could best be described as 'shallow'.

avoid!

Sorry for diggint this thread out, but where is the info about fixed @4m come from?

Mine looks slightly different and it says 3m-infinity. I am asking because maybe that is the reason I can't get sharp objects on infinity with mine. Also I am using SLR magic Rangefinder and the image I get is pretty soft. Rangefinder requires both lenses to be focused to infinity, so maybe that is the reason all my footage is not sharp enough?

[ken]

Sorry for diggint this thread out, but where is the info about fixed @4m come from?

Mine looks slightly different and it says 3m-infinity. I am asking because maybe that is the reason I can't get sharp objects on infinity with mine. Also I am using SLR magic Rangefinder and the image I get is pretty soft. Rangefinder requires both lenses to be focused to infinity, so maybe that is the reason all my footage is not sharp enough?

because its focus in near distance, you need let it to focus at infinity.  You can try adding a negative diopter in rear or front to do that.  Imo, it should work.

[Bioskop.Inc]

Sorry for diggint this thread out, but where is the info about fixed @4m come from?

Mine looks slightly different and it says 3m-infinity. I am asking because maybe that is the reason I can't get sharp objects on infinity with mine. Also I am using SLR magic Rangefinder and the image I get is pretty soft. Rangefinder requires both lenses to be focused to infinity, so maybe that is the reason all my footage is not sharp enough?

The fixed @ 4m comes from the lens itself (on the top it just has 4m written in white letters) & extensice testing has shown this to be absolutely true - its at its sharpest when the taking lens is set to 4m. All this info is based around the Iscomorphot branded s8/x2 & maybe the Animex version was an earlier incarnation, where they thought you could project between 3m to Infinity and then changed their minds with the Iscomorphot lenses (finding 4m to be the optimum).

You've got to remember that these are s8 projector lenses & I would hazard a guess that you wouldn't need to project the image at a distance further than 4m. As far as filming is concerned, 4m is a pretty good distance away from your subject & I would say that you could try pushing it to 5m (you'll need to test this yourself). To focus through the lens, I can only suggest what I do with the Isco Widescreen 2000 - stop down the taking lens & put a weak diopter on the front, in order to sharpen the image a little (you'll only get about a 2m racking distance, if you're lucky & it'll be more discrete). If you do want to try to shoot at Infinity, you'll have to close down the aperture on the taking lens (quite a bit actually) & that would mean low light shooting is completely out of the question - unless you've got really strong lights to counteract the f stop.

Your purchase of the s8/x2 has encouraged me to go back to some footage that i shot a while ago & I am now in the process of editing it up into a short film. The video below was the first test sequence that i put up - Canon 60D, Helios 44-2 (shot wide open @ f2), Iscomorphot & some diopters (the de-squeeze is all wrong, should have cropped):

https://vimeo.com/41213761

[redimp]

So here's my test of how the ISCO is influencing the image. It's degrading everything that is at infinity very drastically. On video it loos as if there is no focus at all. It works OK at closer distances.

My ISCO is branded as ANIMEX and side says it is 3m (10ft) to infinity. I guess it is not true and it is focused at 4m indeed.

Putting a negative diopter in front or back does not help. The only option is to put the lenses a little further apart. Will try to disassemble the lens and mod it.

Sigh.

 

[Bioskop.Inc]

Will try to disassemble the lens and mod it.

Don't do that, you'll end up destroying it & it produces such a nice image.

If you want or really need infinity, then use one of those Lomo's you were talking about, shoot that stuff normally or just work within its limitations - again it would be a real shame to destroy that lens.

[Hans Punk]

iscomorphot S8/2x has such a beautiful look (easily in my top 5 of all lenses I've ever owned) , it really shines when used for portraits/ close-ups & medium shots. Using diopters with this lens makes for an extremely formidable 'close-up' lens - well worth left not destroying to hope to gain infinity IMHO.

Because it is so light and small - it works great if 'pre-set' on dedicated taking lens with a 0.4./0.5 or +1 diopter ready to go, for when you need to switch to close-ups/ portraits. The setup is then virtually as convenient as swapping a regular lens. Used alongside another anamorphic lens (for shots from infinity to 5 feet) it can be quite a package.

Personally I've mostly used my s8/2x as a portrait/ detail lens in this way, nothing really comes close in it's lovely character for medium/close range when using diopters (including the 16mm iscomorphot version - which is also very lovely)  - As Bioskop's video illustrates, the quality of the optics are definitely there - and set for that distance for a reason.

 

[redimp]

I have already taken it apart and adjusted the distance between lens. It is too late to test it though, so will do a proper testing tomorrow. 

You are right about a close focus though, I really like the way it looks. Here it is with Rangefinder screwed on it, hand held

But not having infinity turns out to be a great downside for me. We did a test shoot today and the slight blur on the background, especially trees over the skyline just look plain awkward. I hope this adjustment works and I'd be able to preserve close focus character and gain infinity too.

Thanks for your advice guys.

[redimp]

Don't do that, you'll end up destroying it & it produces such a nice image.

Personally I've mostly used my s8/2x as a portrait/ detail lens in this way, nothing really comes close in it's lovely character for medium/close range when using diopters (including the 16mm iscomorphot version - which is also very lovely)  - As Bioskop's video illustrates, the quality of the optics are definitely there - and set for that distance for a reason.

 

What do you think about this? There is nothing irreversible done to the lens at all, but now infinity is kinda there. My follow focus is a little stiff so it's slightly shaky at times.

It is hard to understand if I did hit infinity or not though, or maybe I'm already paranoid.

[Hans Punk]

Hard to tell with that video clip. Set to Isco and taking lens to infinity (or what you guess is infinity mark) - use zoom in live view monitor to zoom in as much as you can at an object at distant object. Rotate front or rear optic (whichever one you altered) twist/push/pull until you get it as sharp as you can. That is then confirmed by checking the alignment with its horizontal flare, you ideally want all horizontal lines in the streak flare to be nice and parallel with each other. If you get these thing happening, you'll know that the alignment is correct and sharpness will be acquired at infinity.