Juan Le Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Hello all, I'm really new to anamorphic shooting, have no experience even, and I recently saved up over the summer for a GH4. I'm currently forcing myself to experiment shooting manual (I came from a background of point-n-shoots). My lens setup currently is a Metabones Speed Booster (Nikon - MFT) with a minty vintage Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 Ai lens. I have a little of money left; either for more vintage lenses, or a rig with a cheap anamorphic lens. I recently saw on ebay a batch of Rathenower lenses from Europe for relatively cheap. Does anyone have any personal experience using this and other pricier anamorphic lenses? How is the image in comparison? Ease of use and mounting? Good bang for the buck, and value in these lenses? Descriptive input appreciated. Thanks for your time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy lee Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 its a good lens made by Carl Zeiss subsidary there are seveal threads on this lens already on this forum all about it seach them an have a good read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Le Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Hey sorry 'bout that, I'm new so didn't quite see the search bar up top (I was looking around the forum window for it instead, DOH!) So, reading up on some of the threads it look like these are projector lenses, so I'm guessing a rig is 100% necessary with forward lens support. I see that you're also experienced with these lenses Andy? Do you know how much they weighed in as? What about the suggested market price for these? (I believe the ones in the ebay link need to be cleaned professionally, that's why it's so cheap) Lastly, do ya have any suggestion or recommendation for these type of lenses that are within the "budget" range, 3x cheaper than say, a decent Kowa Prominar on ebay ($500-700)? I'm a bit conflicted with the price point some of these lenses, the cheaper ones seem to be way bulkier/heavier. At least the Rathenower are the smaller anamorphic projector type lenses I've seen so far, anything else are just ridiculously large. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RupertPupkin Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 A rig is not 100% necessary with an anamorphic lens of that size, all you would need is a clamp such as the Red Stan anamorphic clamp. You really only need a rig when shooting with the larger anamorphic projector lenses. If you're looking for a budget anamorphic lens I would recommend a Sankor. I had one and loved it very much. They are also small in size and can just be attached with a clamp. Mine was sharp even with a wide open taking lens ( I also used Nikkor primes with it ) and it produces great blue flares if that's what you're looking for. nahua 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yannis.zach Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 The Rectimascope from the ad you mentioned on Ebay, in action: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Le Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 A rig is not 100% necessary with an anamorphic lens of that size, all you would need is a clamp such as the Red Stan anamorphic clamp. You really only need a rig when shooting with the larger anamorphic projector lenses. If you're looking for a budget anamorphic lens I would recommend a Sankor. I had one and loved it very much. They are also small in size and can just be attached with a clamp. Mine was sharp even with a wide open taking lens ( I also used Nikkor primes with it ) and it produces great blue flares if that's what you're looking for. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll take a look at Sankors, they seem to be more widely available and in mint than other anamorphic adapters. Do you have any negative experience with using these lenses without a support system aside from the clamp mount adapter? I'm just a bit worried since I already have my prime connected to a speed booster adapter, and don't know how steady and solid it will be with another lens stacked on top. EDIT: one last question, to avoid vignetting what minimum size focal length would I need for something like a Sankor? Since I'm using a 50mm on a speed booster will that affect it as well? Can someone with experience shed some light on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nahua Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Sankor can be had for as little as $150 on ebay. If you're just starting out you don't need a mint one really. And any of the 2x adapters are all similar. Yes they are heavy and will strain the lens mount a little, but it really won't make a difference. The speedbooster makes for a great mount and the Nikon lenses are old style metal housing which is really strong. If anything you'll have a hard time focusing with the weight on the lens. But you have to dual focus anyway (one for the Nikon, other for the Sankor). Most projector lenses are a minimum of 40mm m4/3 (85mm full frame). You still might get a vignette on the corners. 50mm w/ speedbooster on the GH4 4K will come out to around 85mm FF equivalent so you'll be right there. If anything shoot with the new version 2.0 firmware for the GH4. Then you can use the new Photo 4K modes, and if you shoot 1:1 (2880x2880 square) then you can stretch and crop the image using the center of the lens. This will reduce the vignette quite a bit and maybe you can shoot wider. You can look up Luke Neumann on youtube and see his quick tutorial on how to use the version 2.0 4K photo modes. Juan Le and Bold 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 IMO, Sankor 16f is only suitable for M43 camera(rear mount size 43mm, no thread, front 52mm thread is not standard, 0.5mm?) , taking lens above @ FL 135mm(35mm equ). Eiki 16F has a little advantage, which the 52mm thread is standard(0.75mm?), fits common filters. 16F price is over $300. I would like to use $100-150 ISCO integrated lens, which is wider, perfect @100mm, or even @85mm, 35mm equ FL. 16F's only advantage is the non-rotation filter thread. ISCO lens can be modified too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikkor Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 I would buy an isco ultra star or wait for a decent priced kowa to pop up on ebay (200$,but you have to be patient and get lucky -kowa 16h,8z-). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izhar Ashdot Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I've been testing it for a week and it looks very promising! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
premini Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 This is going for cheap http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rathenower-Rectimascop-48-2x-anamorphic-lens-Iscorama-Bolex-Moller-Sankor-Kowa-/141448266875?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristoferman Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 hmm kinda hard to pass that up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellVideoRazor Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Old thread, but here are my findings regarding the Rathenower 48:http://diehroptic.ch/koken/index.php?/essays/2015/07/rathenower-rectimascope-for-rectilux/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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