nickgorey Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 3 minutes ago, Bold said: I love the closeup on the eyes! In regards to the WA adapter, tests on my modded B&H produced poor results. I believe this is because the helicoid sets the WA adapter too far from the front element of the B&H. Thanks! Do you have the specific Sony adapter @nahua suggested? I got it used off of Adorama for $13 and am really surprised by the IQ. My front element sits as far back in the helicoid as possible so it should work alright with yours...I'm interested to see how our machined rings come out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickgorey Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 I have a Helder .45x wide angle adapter coming in the mail, can't find much of anything on this glass but I'm hoping to use it in conjunction with this Helios-33 35mm f/2 block http://www.ebay.com/itm/KMZ-Helios-33-f2-0-35mm-Russian-Lens-USSR-for-Cine-Camera-M28-mount-842171/352027171406?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40130%26meid%3D9d114597d682411b892605153430f31c%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D252800510725&autorefresh=true for a ~24mm FOV on s16. The small diameter of the Helios should provide nice sensor coverage, fingers crossed for full coverage! Still waiting on this aluminum ring...guess that's what I get for telling my machinist I'm in no hurry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Posted May 19, 2017 Author Share Posted May 19, 2017 On 4/27/2017 at 9:45 AM, Bold said: I've decided to bite the bullet, and engage a machinist to create an aluminum part to replace my polyurethane. Well that cost more than I had hoped, but the new machined aluminum collars fit great, and have been dropped off for anodizing. Now I just need to order some lock screws. Once I get everything back, I will post pics of my B&H mod Mk II. Should be ready by the beginning of June. Tito Ferradans and nickgorey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickgorey Posted May 29, 2017 Share Posted May 29, 2017 @Bold you're machinist is a lot faster than mine, excited for the pictures. I've made a huge (at least I think so) discovery in terms of getting wider with this lens... My Helder .45x wide angle adapter arrived and my camera came back from repair and I got right to testing it out. As it turns out (and so I feared) the Helder is not .45x like the Sony is .7x, but more relative to the Sony more like .8x––so the Sony is actually wider. Not too upset with my $20 let down, I took the adapter off and noticed it was two pieces, a macro element and a wide element. In a fit of curiosity, I removed the front focal element of the B&H from my helicoid and replaced it with the wide angle part of the Helder. What do you know, it worked! Not only did it work, it seems to allow better infinity and a serious added wideness to the taking lens, as well as bringing close focus down to around 5 inches. On top of the added wideness of the 2x anamorphic, there seems to be an around .7x wideness added by the Helder element. Even better, it appears to eradicate the infinity focus issue, as well as bring my close focus down to ~4 inches! Some test video with a Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 (Take note of how wide it appears) on BMMCC (s16): Bold 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Posted May 30, 2017 Author Share Posted May 30, 2017 @nickgorey, this is potentially a very exciting development - can you post a picture of the setup/steps to assemble? Have you tested how wide you are able to go without vignetting? Is there any loss in sharpness using the Helder over the native B&H front element? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Posted May 31, 2017 Author Share Posted May 31, 2017 Just got my new machined parts back from anodizing. Here's a quick tease: The fit & finish on these things is pretty darned good. I'll post more details once I've had a chance to kick the tires. Tito Ferradans, Dr. Verbel' and livetheshot 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Posted July 3, 2017 Author Share Posted July 3, 2017 Here is some crappy test footage I've made using my B&H mod. The first test uses a 14mm helicoid, with the original polyurethane/prototype housing: The second test uses a 30mm helicoid (which allows focus down to about 8-9 inches) and a custom-fit aluminum housing that replaces the polyurethane: All footage was shot using my beloved silver Helios-44. Except for a few underexposed shots where I boosted the brightness, all footage is straight out of the camera & unaltered (I'm far too new at this to attempt color grading, anyways). Timotheus and Dr. Verbel' 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickgorey Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 On 5/29/2017 at 9:36 PM, Bold said: @nickgorey, this is potentially a very exciting development - can you post a picture of the setup/steps to assemble? Have you tested how wide you are able to go without vignetting? Is there any loss in sharpness using the Helder over the native B&H front element? Unfortunately, the helder ended up being a bust. While I loved the added width, corner sharpness was awful, extending ridiculously too far into the middle of the frame. It would be useable for close ups, but I wanted it for landscape : /. Your aluminum ring looks great @Bold! Again, I am still waiting on mine.... In other news, I was able to get infinity focus with the original optics. I will post images once I'm home. I also found that the Helder adapter can be used as a range finder, it's optics are strong enough! Could be a viable solution for smaller anamorphics to avoid those corners, just gotta house them in a helicoid. Now if I could only crack open this Sony adapter...I am still so impressed by the quality of the glass in that thing.... Bold 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Posted July 5, 2017 Author Share Posted July 5, 2017 57 minutes ago, nickgorey said: Unfortunately, the helder ended up being a bust. While I loved the added width, corner sharpness was awful, extending ridiculously too far into the middle of the frame. It would be useable for close ups, but I wanted it for landscape : /. I also found that the Helder adapter can be used as a range finder, it's optics are strong enough! Could be a viable solution for smaller anamorphics to avoid those corners, just gotta house them in a helicoid. Now if I could only crack open this Sony adapter...I am still so impressed by the quality of the glass in that thing.... Thanks for the update Nick! Bummer that the Helder didn't work out, but it opens the door for experimentation with other glass element to perhaps get a sharper, wider field of view. Keep on tinkering! 1 hour ago, nickgorey said: Your aluminum ring looks great @Bold! Again, I am still waiting on mine... Thanks! Would love to see pics of your setup once you get your collar back from the machinist! I am extremely pleased with my final product, and will be making it available for purchase to those that are interested :-) Cheers, |. . | .| anti12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickgorey Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Hey guys, I've been tinkering away for the past couple months and have finally come across something I'm very excited about. I cracked open the Sony VCL and, unlike the Helder, it is made up of 3 optics. I found by mounting the front two elements of the Sony adapter in front of the rear focal element of the B&H, you not only get a much wider, but acceptably sharp from edge to edge, but you also have a non-extending focus unit. Focus is accomplished by pushing or pulling the center optic of the now three focal elements. This quick tease is on s16 with a 35mm lens. Bold 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickgorey Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 3 minutes ago, whoisjsd said: How is infinity? Do you think this discovery could work on other anamorphic applications? Infinity is perfect. The kicker in this set up is the use of the rear focal element from the B&H. Technically, you could take the element from it and house it with the two Sony elements and make a focuser useable with other scopes–– I believe those 58mm red ringed focusers you see on eBay are rehoused B&H focus optics––but that may be a little much to pay for a single optic. I plan on rehousing the whole setup and possibly adding an iris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdel Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 On 8/30/2017 at 8:27 PM, whoisjsd said: ALSO: Everyone might want to be wary of this guy selling his B&H... www.ebay.com/itm/172844415766 He's using one of my photos as a lens sample. Sketchy. Just contacted him telling him to remove it. EDIT: He removed it. still.... That is my posting and i feel bad using your picture, i apologized and removed it, i got lazy and messed up posting one false picture, but again fellas i guarranteed my pictures are honest of my b&h i have posted is same as the pictures. Great lens and the glass is in great shape. https://www.ebay.com/itm/172849251577 i wanted to do this mod but simply dont have the time. I have 4 other anamorphics to play with and i rather have someone else have fun with this mod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Bandiera Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 @Bold, do you the Series 7 rings still available for the B&H Single Focus Lens, the one I ordered didn't have the aluminum ring attached to the back and I would prefer not to clamp the lens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Posted October 4, 2017 Author Share Posted October 4, 2017 @Ethan Bandiera, yes - I sent you an email. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reaction105 Posted November 1, 2017 Share Posted November 1, 2017 @Bold, tito, nickgorey, nahua, richg101, quickhitrecord and everyone else in this thread; great work! Thanks for sharing so much info from all your work on this lens. I recently decided to dive into anamorphic shooting and this thread was invaluable. My setup is typical: GH5 Taking lens (Helios 44 58mm/Minolta 55mm/Fujinon 55mm) B&H with Redstan clamp Here's the setup, showing the lenses mounted on some rails; taking a cue from Bold (well, more than just one), I've used some telescope guide rails attached to a smallrig clamp. But I think I prefer using the standard smallrig V-shaped lens support you can see in the image. This is because I'm actually finding this setup to be dual focus; that is, I can't get anything in focus with the taking lens set to infinity, I have to keep it around 1.5-2m and work the B&H focus from there. I know it's supposed to be single focus, so I'm not sure why this is the case or if there is something wrong with my B&H (it's pretty beat up, as you can see). As such, the B&H moves forward and back as I adjust the focus on the taking lens. Anyway, here are the first couple shots I've taken with this setup. All are with the Helios 44, except the Kodak camera shot, which was taken with the Minolta. I plan to do some more comparative tests with different taking lenses soon. Bold and Tito Ferradans 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reaction105 Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 https://www.ebay.com/itm/BELL-HOWELL-ANAMORPHIC-PROJECTION-LENS/152931454516 Heads up on this eBay listing for the Bell & Howell 2x Anamorphic, if anyone in this thread is still looking for them. I bought it last month when it was listed as having no significant scratches or fungus. The seller didn't want to take the return, but eBay helped me out. it's currently listed as needing a good clean. I took these pics showing it's actual condition, so buy with caution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 The B&H mod in action. Hope you all had an anamorphic July 4th! (or July 1st, for my neighbors to the north) livetheshot, reaction105 and Tito Ferradans 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zerocool22 Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 12 minutes ago, Bold said: The B&H mod in action. Hope you all had an anamorphic July 4th! (or July 1st, for my neighbors to the north) Nice is that the 5D III ML RAW? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 5 hours ago, zerocool22 said: Nice is that the 5D III ML RAW? Nope, just my GH4 zerocool22 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reaction105 Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 Some recent images through the B&H (all GH5, Minolta 55mm) webrunner5, Bold and Tito Ferradans 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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