Chinese New Years 2014 - SLR Magic Anamorphot + Canon 5DmkIII RAW

[nahua]

It's Chinese New Years! Got my SLR Magic Anamorphot just in time to get all the celebrations: Food, festivals, and Lion Dances! I walked around getting footage with my Canon 5D mkIII using Magic Lantern's RAW Hack. The SLR Magic Anamorphot is very sharp and it is easy to use. There is slight vignette on the footage because my Vari-ND fader is 72mm, the front of the SLR Magic Anamorphot is 77mm. I'll have to get a new one at 77mm to solve this. Most shots were at F2.8 on a cloudy day, F4 for the Jupiter 9.

 

Details:
SLR Magic Anamorphot
Canon 5D mkIII w Magic Lantern RAW Hack
Canon EF 50mm 1.8 (majority of shots)
Helios 58mm (near end)
Jupiter 9 85mm (near end)
Lightcraft Vari-ND Fader

[Sean Cunningham]

Man, that made me hungry!

 

Great looking stuff man.  I got my demo in right before having to go out of town and, unfortunately, unable to bring my camera with me.  It's killing me knowing this little guy is still waiting for me back in Texas and here I am still in Virginia another few days.  I'm really anxious to see how much it's going to make me hate my Century Optics, hah-hah.

[nahua]

Yeah there was lots of really great food.  And the smell too!  Mmmmm!!!

 

I don't know how the century optic was, but this design is so much better than the LA7200.  Just the lack of a true wide is the problem.  I plan on getting a Canon 40mm pancake to try it out.  40mm is good, but I wish there was a 28mm or 35mm wide option.

 

Can't wait to see what you shoot BR!

[nahua]

This is the night footage.  Also included is a comparison with the SLR Magic Anamorphot vs Panasonic LA7200.  The "smearing" on the LA7200 can be seen here, and is more prominent on Full Frame rather than Micro 4/3rds.

 

Details:
SLR Magic Anamorphot
Panasonic LA7200
Canon 5D mkIII w Magic Lantern RAW Hack
Nikon 50mm 1.8 (majority of shots)
Helios 58mm
Jupiter 9 85mm
Jupiter 11 135mm

 

[bzpop]

wow, Noktor is noticeably sharper,

thanks for the test!

[Dave Reeve]

There's been a lot of rubbishing of the LA7200 lately but it can still produce lovely stuff like Spencer Estabrooks posted - if used correctly you can get lovely detail in the close ups and great wide shots as well. Spencer said he shot this some time ago on an unhacked GH1 with a 24mm lens:

 

[Sean Cunningham]

@nahua, your night shots answer the shortsighted criticism from earlier tests regarding the flare characteristics of the SLR Magic.  It flares nicely, not too-too quickly, and much nicer than the Letus.  I'm stoked seeing your 50mm shots looking so good.  I have to be too stopped down on the Century Optics to bother with it, generally, unless using at least a +1 CU.  Were you still trying to stay around f/2.8 for these?  

[tony wilson]

There's been a lot of rubbishing of the LA7200 lately but it can still produce lovely stuff like Spencer Estabrooks posted - if used correctly you can get lovely detail in the close ups and great wide shots as well. Spencer said he shot this some time ago on an unhacked GH1 with a 24mm lens:

 

 

 

far to much fucking rubbishing to much hard slr anamumphic selling : )

 

2 optic pansonic is not looking like a 100 dollar optic quite yet no sir.

rocky roads ahead.

 

more non biased panasonic and century tests needed.

 

achromatic cylindrical correction does not need heavier stop if the slr is 3 or 4 optic it should be as least as good as a moller and it is looking more like a rough proskar.

 

call for seb farges is all i can say cos this ship is goin down.

with hugo or seb slr gonna have to give more free optics away to get some nice clips.

 

i also loved the quote from mr eyepatch who said the  close up are better than anything else he has tried.

i would like to see his achromatic list and i cannot see how a copy of the tokina could be better than the tokina.

calling captain seb slr magic calling your free optic awaits or i see  iceberg ahead..

 

anyone selling optex or century i am buying send me pm.

[nahua]

@nahua, your night shots answer the shortsighted criticism from earlier tests regarding the flare characteristics of the SLR Magic.  It flares nicely, not too-too quickly, and much nicer than the Letus.  I'm stoked seeing your 50mm shots looking so good.  I have to be too stopped down on the Century Optics to bother with it, generally, unless using at least a +1 CU.  Were you still trying to stay around f/2.8 for these?  

I was able to shoot at F2.8 ISO 400 for the night shots.  It's really hard to pull focus at F2.0 although it's doable.  The focus for the Nikon and Canon 50mm F1.8 lenses are much easier than the Russian lenses.  The Helios is also F2.8, best sharpness is beyond F4.  The Jupiter 9 is more like F5.6 really, but I shot it at F4 to keep the ISO at 800.  I really wanted a nice DOF to these shots, even though it's hard to pull focus.  None of the shots used any diopters, maybe in another video.  It does take some getting used to using the near/normal dial.

 

I like the flares too.  I really prefer the blue flares, and with a shallow DOF it makes the footage look more "classic" or "vintage" and not so clinically sharp.  Again that depends on the lens too.  My video with the Panasonic kit lens looks like crap.  I think that'll be the last time I use it.

[nahua]

far to much fucking rubbishing to much hard slr anamumphic selling : )

 

2 optic pansonic is not looking like a 100 dollar optic quite yet no sir.

rocky roads ahead.

 

more non biased panasonic and century tests needed.

 

achromatic cylindrical correction does not need heavier stop if the slr is 3 or 4 optic it should be as least as good as a moller and it is looking more like a rough proskar.

I don't doubt the 2x look from a bolex or iscorama is superior.  I would love to have that look too.  It's hard to find those at any decent price.  And what is the widest taking lens? 

 

I really like the SLR Magic Anamorphot.  It's easy to use, diopters and filters screw right in.  I've never used a Century Optics, but the LA7200 is just not practical.  With no real way to secure any diopters or filters, it's just too difficult to get decent results.  The less I have to fuss about the setup, the more I can concentrate on getting good shots.  In any case, I think a combination of lenses will yield the best results.  I think if I want a closeup shot, I'll use a 2x with a telephoto.  Wide to medium shots, the SLR Magic hands down works the best.

[tony wilson]

nahua sorry i was not having a go at you at all.

 

this was directed at others who have been making out that this optic is the second coming it is not.

i believe eye patch said that this new optic is better than anything on ebay now.

what utter crap.

i still stand by the theory that this is a better quality century with some small amount of astigmatic movement.

 

good for them great for you i can be accused of sour grapes but the comments sections of many of the tests are interesting.

not by what is said but by the lack of comments.

burnet roads says the panasonic is now only worth 100 dollars or less.

my question is .

if that is so.

is the slr magic worth 500 dollars more than the 100 dollar panasonic i do not see it myself.

 

it is more flexible and seems to be sharper mainly based on getting the 2 optics closer together.

 if it does have thick cemented doublets inside why stop down at all?

 

my tuppence worth tis all no diss inteneded for you.

 

panasonic have been involved in optics a long time even took on folks from yashica contax zeiss had a long relatship with leica.

that anamorphic was the best of a motley crew including optex century.

no doubt century optex will collapse but the panasonic will never be worth a 100 bucks.

[Sean Cunningham]

I was able to shoot at F2.8 ISO 400 for the night shots.  It's really hard to pull focus at F2.0 although it's doable.  The focus for the Nikon and Canon 50mm F1.8 lenses are much easier than the Russian lenses.  The Helios is also F2.8, best sharpness is beyond F4.  The Jupiter 9 is more like F5.6 really, but I shot it at F4 to keep the ISO at 800.  I really wanted a nice DOF to these shots, even though it's hard to pull focus.  None of the shots used any diopters, maybe in another video.  It does take some getting used to using the near/normal dial.

 

I like the flares too.  I really prefer the blue flares, and with a shallow DOF it makes the footage look more "classic" or "vintage" and not so clinically sharp.  Again that depends on the lens too.  My video with the Panasonic kit lens looks like crap.  I think that'll be the last time I use it.

 

 

F/2.8 is still totally respectable, especially solo.  That's a man size stop even when you're working with a professional 1st AC, the hardest working man on a camera crew for an anamorphic motion picture, no question.  That should correspond to something in the T2.9-3.0 range depending on the stills lens.  For comparison's sake Boogie Nights was shot mostly between T2.8 and T4 and the more open and "dangerous" Killing Them Softly stayed between T2.3 and T2.5 to max around T2.8 even for their daylight stuff but going much below that just isn't very common because it's too hard and there's too much room for error.

 

I'm thankful they went with a look approximating the venerable Panavision C-Series, regarding the flare.  That was the look from the '70s and '80s that got me to notice there was somehow something different about certain films, especially Dean Cundey's stuff on early John Carpenter motion pictures.  It's the look that continues to inspire contemporary DPs who have made sure the dance card for those lenses are always filled at the rental houses (even though, or sometimes because, or in spite of the fact that they're not clinical or overly sharp).

 

I'm disappointed to hear what you're saying regarding the Lumix kit lens though.  It's definitely on the flavorless side compared to my Nikkors and F.Zuiko but I rather like shooting it at 18mm with my Century Optics (~30mm Panavision FOV equivalent).  I'm only able to be about F/4 but that's still pleasing enough and the footage surprisingly sharp and full of detail and I don't, currently, have any primes that go wider than 24mm.  That's too bad.

 

Your conclusions on the LA7200 seem totally consistent with those of Eyepatch Films and I don't think there's another more respectable or prolific LA7200 shooter or advocate around.  It has always been the adapter with the most caveats and the strictest shooting methodology for acceptable results, often involving wholly un-cinematic stops unless you have some fairly rare supplementary glass or have radically modified the adapter (introducing a new set of caveats).  It and the Century Optics adapter have lived lives of usefulness that far surpassed their creator's expectations or intentions and for very practical and easy to understand reasons.  Pre-existing ownership is going to be about the only rationalization left.

[nahua]

nahua sorry i was not having a go at you at all.

 

this was directed at others who have been making out that this optic is the second coming it is not.

i believe eye patch said that this new optic is better than anything on ebay now.

what utter crap.

i still stand by the theory that this is a better quality century with some small amount of astigmatic movement.

 

@Tony Wilson

That's fine I understand.  I'm trying to show both lenses since I have them, and I've been using the Panasonic for over a year.  Both work very well, but the new design by SLR Magic is welcome because it addresses a lot of the problems with the LA7200:

 

- Screw threads on the front element for Diopters and Filters

- Screw threads on the back for multiple adapters (48mm, 52mm, 58mm)

- 3 elements, with the rear two adjustable for Near or Normal distances

- Easy to disassemble for maintenance

- Sharp picture from edge to edge

- Solid all metal build

 

I think for these reasons alone it's worth the money.  The only negative I can see is the limiting 40mm (FF) wide end.  Other than that, I can see only positives for the SLR Magic Anamorphot.

[Sean Cunningham]

The threaded cylinder maker loves his hyperbole.

[nahua]

F/2.8 is still totally respectable, especially solo.  That's a man size stop even when you're working with a professional 1st AC, the hardest working man on a camera crew for an anamorphic motion picture, no question.  That should correspond to something in the T2.9-3.0 range depending on the stills lens.  For comparison's sake Boogie Nights was shot mostly between T2.8 and T4 and the more open and "dangerous" Killing Them Softly stayed between T2.3 and T2.5 to max around T2.8 even for their daylight stuff but going much below that just isn't very common because it's too hard and there's too much room for error.

 

I'm thankful they went with a look approximating the venerable Panavision C-Series, regarding the flare.  That was the look from the '70s and '80s that got me to notice there was somehow something different about certain films, especially Dean Cundey's stuff on early John Carpenter motion pictures.  It's the look that continues to inspire contemporary DPs who have made sure the dance card for those lenses are always filled at the rental houses (even though, or sometimes because, or in spite of the fact that they're not clinical or overly sharp).

 

I'm disappointed to hear what you're saying regarding the Lumix kit lens though.  It's definitely on the flavorless side compared to my Nikkors and F.Zuiko but I rather like shooting it at 18mm with my Century Optics (~30mm Panavision FOV equivalent).  I'm only able to be about F/4 but that's still pleasing enough and the footage surprisingly sharp and full of detail and I don't, currently, have any primes that go wider than 24mm.  That's too bad.

 

Your conclusions on the LA7200 seem totally consistent with those of Eyepatch Films and I don't think there's another more respectable or prolific LA7200 shooter or advocate around.  It has always been the adapter with the most caveats and the strictest shooting methodology for acceptable results, often involving wholly un-cinematic stops unless you have some fairly rare supplementary glass or have radically modified the adapter (introducing a new set of caveats).  It and the Century Optics adapter have lived lives of usefulness that far surpassed their creator's expectations or intentions and for very practical and easy to understand reasons.  Pre-existing ownership is going to be about the only rationalization left.

 

I think it takes some time to get used to the "Near/Normal" dial in conjunction with focusing the prime lens.  I'm used to this though with anamorphic projection lenses and the dual focusing required.  However, most anamorphic projection lenses have distance markers which makes it easier to focus.  The SLR Magic Anamorphot works differently depending on the taking prime lens, and so the "Near/Normal" dial works differently as well.  With a little practice, I can actually focus both lenses with one hand and get acceptable results.  I do think it's easier to focus at F2.8 because the DOF is so shallow.  Hard to do on moving subjects, but it can be done.

 

I really like the look of the flares too.  Very classic, and it just looks more natural than the LA7200.  I always felt the LA7200 was maybe too boxy (because of the square elements I guess) and the lines too distinct.  Plus there tends to be a lot of double flaring, usually from both elements which can be distracting.  And you're right, the lens doesn't flare excessively, just enough emphasis, but still retaining a very cinematic look.  I very much like it!

 

BTW I just sold my LA7200.  Sad to see it go but it's lived its usefulness.

[nahua]

My setup filming on rails with the SLR Magic Anamorphot + Canon 5DmkIII + SmallHD monitor

 

[tony wilson]

The threaded cylinder maker loves his hyperbole.

 

rocky roads slr magic lens pump fanboy gonna have to make an epic test clip take up some of this slack.

 

slagging off panasonic anamorphic cowboy clips.

talking shit about panavision c lens and how slr magic got the look that is classic fella  : )

 cheapskate low fi guy buy a decent scope lens and give us all a rest : )

panavision c :D

 

 

give us a kick ass deconstruction of the old.

3 optic slr v century or optex and panasonic show us the slr light that is looking a little dimmer on the new lens front.

 

do it the way only you can .

oh lancelot pull forth your shining 3 elements of crystal power and smite down all comers.

help me

so i can buy these old defunct optics for the 100  dollars you stated.

help me out here cowboy ;)

 

 

on your tests please no helicopters,elephants or motorbike stunts.

good look.

[Sean Cunningham]

My setup filming on rails with the SLR Magic Anamorphot + Canon 5DmkIII + SmallHD monitor

 

 

If that were Los Angeles it would likely attract unwanted attention from police, The rails are fairly subtle but the monitor would get a lot of attention.  With my loupe and pistol grip my GH2 gets folks asking what kind of camera I'm shooting on.  It changes the silhouette of the DSLR just enough that it's no longer inconspicuous.

[Lucian]

If that were Los Angeles it would likely attract unwanted attention from police, The rails are fairly subtle but the monitor would get a lot of attention.  With my loupe and pistol grip my GH2 gets folks asking what kind of camera I'm shooting on.  It changes the silhouette of the DSLR just enough that it's no longer inconspicuous.

 

Really? I guess I've been lucky. I've shot around L.A with rails + shoulder rig, glidecam and vest, even driven down PCH right past police with a camera magic armed to the car without incident as yet!

[Sean Cunningham]

Yeah, I'd say lucky.  There's lots of headlines and political posturing regarding the flight of film production from not only California but Los Angeles in particular.  The attitude of authorities and the film commission and how difficult they make the process aren't insignificant factors in this ironic phenomenon.  It's a film unfriendly city in a film unfriendly state.

 

It wouldn't stop me, of course.  I do well with cops and would show them how normal and "non professional" the camera was quickly removing a few embellishments to reveal the DSLR underneath it all.  Play dumb.  Play the student.  It likely wouldn't work with a RED or Arri or even a Cinema EOS though ;)