Lucian Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Hey Guys, I am getting started with filmmaking in anamorphic. Isco is too much for my first lens so after reading the guide and researching I have narrowed it down to these two as affordable options. Can anyone way in on which they think would suit my needs better and why? here are some factors. *Currently shooting on a t2i, but may upgrade to a full frame or better cropped sensor body. *Want a reasonably amount of versatility in terms of shot ranges. need to be able to shoot an entire narrative short that will hold up reasonable on a theater screen. *Characterized quality, vintage/cinematic feel. I've ordered a LA7200 to at least to take a look at, but my current opinion is as follows LA7200= pros: more versatility to do a range of shots, including wider shots without vignetting. cons: relies heavily on diopters for closer stuff, less of the vintage/70's feel i'm after. doesn't work great on full frame cameras. Kowa= pros: more character, better flares (i don't care a lot about flares), crisper lens. cons: needs dual focus, less versatility as it can't handle wide angles that well. harder to setup shots. I think the LA7200 is probably the right choice, but I would love to hear from you guys. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tito Ferradans Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucian Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 "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." The guide on this site mentions the LA7200 is not the best for full frame because of soft edges. I also talked to this guy who has done some nice stuff with the LA7200, he mentioned it was much easier to get a good image on the crop censored cams. Yes, do you have any advice on diopters? brands, sizes, places to buy, how to mount would be most helpful. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Genheimer Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 I've had a Kowa 16-H for almost a year now, and I love it. If you're after a strong anamorphic look, it's hard to best a 2X lens. It has been a great first lens. I haven't had an LA7200, but I will say . . . the Kowa goes plenty wide. On my GH2, If I crop to 2.39:1 (which you would do for a theater release), I can use it with a 28mm lens (28mm on GH2 is approximately the FOV of a 54mm lens on full frame. And remember, the anamorphic makes it wider horizontally). Both have their difficulties. The Kowa is double-focus, which is challenging . . . the LA7200 can struggle with corner sharpness and it isn't diopter friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tito Ferradans Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 The guide on this site mentions the LA7200 is not the best for full frame because of soft edges. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucian Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 Honestly the more sample footage I see, the more I am leaning towards Kowa 16h. Rack focus isn't that critical for narrative filmamking... the la7200 footage seems to barely hold up on a crop sensor. I've seen a lot of rants about the image qaulity, even with diopters, and it seems the diopters for la7200 will be harder to find than the lens. Anymore opinions out there? Anyone think a whole short film could be shot on Kowa 16h? What is the going rate for Kowas? LA7200 seems to be about 1k, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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