RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘Anamorphic’

Sandmarc brings its anamorphic, tele, wide-angle and macro lenses to iPhone 11 devices

07 Dec

Smartphone accessory manufacturer Sandmarc has launched its new line of cases for Apple’s iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max smartphone that enables its collection of lenses to work with the latest iOS devices. The new lineup works with Sandmarc’s anamorphic, telephoto, wide-angle and a macro lenses.

The anamorphic lens is a 1.33x anamorphic lens that offers a 2.4:1 aspect ratio once the footage is de-squeezed from the 16:9 video the iPhone captures. The telephoto lens offers 2x magnification on the iPhone 11 and 4x magnification when paired with the telephoto camera module on the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.

The Macro lens will work with any of the camera modules on Apple’s latest iPhones and a protective translucent lens hood will both protect the front element and diffuse light on the subject matter.

The wide lens seems a bit unnecessary considering all of the iPhone 11 models feature both a wide-angle and super-wide-angle lens, but much like Moment’s new wide-angle lens, using Sandmarc’s wide-angle lens atop the standard wide-angle lens on the iPhone 11 devices means you can get ultra-wide-angle shots with Apple’s Night Mode capture mode, as it’s limited to the ‘standard’ wide-angle camera onboard the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max devices.

All of these lenses are compatible with Sandmarc’s collection of filters, including their hybrid filter, circular polarizer filter, ND filters and others. They are constructed of aluminum and feature multi-coated elements to reduce flares and ghosting. The anamorphic lens costs $ 159.99, the macro lens costs $ 89.99 and the telephoto and wide-angle lenses cost $ 99.99.

When you purchase a lens, you will have the option to choose an accompanying case for your iPhone 11, 11 Pro or 11 Pro Max device that the lenses will mount to (in addition to receiving a clip mount for more versatile shooting). If you already have a Sandmarc lens (or a whole kit, you can purchase just the cases as well. You can find all of the new cases, lenses and filters on Sandmarc’s website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Sandmarc brings its anamorphic, tele, wide-angle and macro lenses to iPhone 11 devices

Posted in Uncategorized

 

DPReview TV: Hands-on with anamorphic lenses

09 Nov

Jordan reviews the Vazen 40mm T2, the first anamorphic lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras. In the process, he gives us a great primer on using anamorphic optics for both video and stills.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

  • Intro
  • Spherical vs. anamorphic lenses
  • Size and design
  • Image quality
  • Focus breathing
  • Flare
  • Anamorphic photography
  • Competition
  • Conclusion

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on DPReview TV: Hands-on with anamorphic lenses

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Sandmarc releases anamorphic lens for the iPhone

21 Jun

Apple’s iPhone models and other high-end smartphones are increasingly regarded as serious tools for film-making, generating a market for movie-centric smartphone camera accessories. Last year premium lens makers Moment launched an anamorphic lens for smartphones, now rivals Sandmarc follow suit.

The Sandmarc anamorphic lens for iPhones comes with a multi-element design, multi-coating and anti-reflective glass. It uses an aluminum body and can be attached to most recent iPhone models via a dedicated case or a lens clip.

The company says the lens has been designed to create the same kind of image flare you see in movies and, like other anamorphic lenses, captures more horizontal information by squeezing the image.

The end result is a cinematic look with ultra-wide aspect ratio and black bars at top and bottom. The lens is available for the iPhone 7/7Plus and later on the Sandmarc website. The package will set you back $ 160 and comes with the lens clip and a dedicated case for your iPhone.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Sandmarc releases anamorphic lens for the iPhone

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Vazen launches “world’s first” anamorphic lenses for Micro Four Thirds

04 Jun

Vazen, a Chinese optics manufacturer, is set to launch a trio of anamorphic lenses for Micro Four Thirds cameras. Showing at the Cine Gear Expo and spotted by Newsshooter, the company will be offering 28mm, 40mm and 65mm focal lengths with a 1.8x anamorphic effect.

The lens on show at Cine Gear is a 40mm T2 that will be shipping at the end of this month. When used on Micro Four Thirds cameras, such as the Lumix GH5/s, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera or Z-cam E2, it will produce 2.39:1 aspect ratio images. Vazen claims the lenses will provide ‘buttery smooth oval bokeh, signature blue horizontal flare and the widescreen cinematic look’ as well as a minimum focus distance of 0.82m (2.7ft) for the 40mm example. The focus and aperture rings are fitted with gears and the front filter thread measures 110mm.

Below is sample footage captured with the 40mm T2 lens:

The 40mm version weighs 1.8kg (3.97lbs), is 110mm x 175mm (4.33in x 6.89in), and will cost $ 3,250. Users will have to wait until much later in the year for the 28mm and 65mm models. For more information see the Vazen website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Vazen launches “world’s first” anamorphic lenses for Micro Four Thirds

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Video: Hasselblad H6D-100C medium-format camera paired with DIY anamorphic lens system

14 May

Through his YouTube channel GxAce, cinematographer Casey Cavanaugh has published a new video showcasing his homemade ‘GX-Pan’ anamorphic lens adapter used with the $ 32k Hasselblad H6D-100C medium-format digital camera.

According to Cavanaugh, Hasselblad saw the video in which he unveiled his DIY anamorphic lens adapter setup and offered to let him test it with the medium-format model. ‘I was absolutely blown away by how much my little anamorphic lens resolved on that 100MP sensor,’ Cavanaugh says in his video. ‘I was honestly worried that it wasn’t going to hold up to that scrutiny of 100MP.’

Cavanaugh explains that in addition to being an anamorphic lens created for a Super 16 projection, the unit also has a persistent fungus problem that has proven difficult to eliminate. In light of that, says Cavanaugh, the ‘insanely sharp’ images produced by the setup were ‘honestly very surprising.’ The demonstration also includes short video clips shot with the system.

Cavanaugh’s previous content includes tips on purchasing a film camera and a short award-winning film on the risks of photo obsession. A selection of his anamorphic still images are available on his website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Video: Hasselblad H6D-100C medium-format camera paired with DIY anamorphic lens system

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Video: DIY Hasselblad XPan camera combines Hasselblad 500cm and anamorphic lens

10 Nov

Cinematographer Casey Cavanaugh of GxAce has published a video detailing the creation of his own Hasselblad XPan, a DIY camera he calls the GX-Pan. “I always wanted an XPan, the anamorphic dream,” Cavanaugh narrates in his video. “But it has always been out of my reach, so I built my own.”

The DIY GX-Pan features a custom machined adapter design to mount an anamorphic lens onto a Hasselblad 500cm camera. “What makes this better than an XPan, in my opinion, is that it gives a true anamorphic widescreen image,” Cavanaugh explains. Viewers are given both technical details and brief looks at the creation process.

View this post on Instagram

X-Pans are too damn expensive. So I built my own. Link to the video is up in the bio. #hasselbladxpan #xpan #anamorphiclens • • • • • • #anamorphic #anamorphiles #hasselblad #hasselblad500cm #fujiframez #fujixt3 #500cm #mediumformat #mediumformatfilm #cinematic #cinematography #cinebible #photocinematica #filmisnotdead @japancamerahunter @emulsivefilm @petapixel @phoblographer @35mmcblog @camerafilmphoto #panoramic #fujitx2 @hawkanamorphic @hasselblad @hasselbladfeatures @hasselbladculture

A post shared by Casey Cavanaugh (@gxace) on

Cavanaugh’s work can be found on his personal website, Flickr, and Instagram.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Video: DIY Hasselblad XPan camera combines Hasselblad 500cm and anamorphic lens

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Moment launches anamorphic lens and other gear for smartphone filmmakers

30 Mar

Many photographers consider Moment lenses to be the best quality smartphone accessory lenses out there. Now the company returns to crowdfunding platform Kickstarter with a new product line, this time for video shooters and filmmakers rather than stills photographers.

The headline product is an anamorphic add-on lens which allows you to achieve the same super-wide look and lens flare we are used to from Hollywood movies. The lens alters the field of view of the built-in camera on your iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel device and locks onto a specific lens case.

The lens currently works with a range of video-specific apps, including Filmic Pro, but Moment still has to update its own app in order to achieve an undistorted live preview of the footage captured with the lens.

The lens is not the only new accessory for filmmakers, however. There is also a battery case for the iPhone X which can charge via the Lighting port or Qi wireless charging and comes with a dedicated camera button. Of course it’s designed to attach Moment lenses as well.

Finally, Moment also debuted a counterweight for gimbals like the DJO Osmo Mobile 2, and a lens filter mount that can be used to attach ND and other filters to any of Moment’s lenses.

All the new items can be ‘pre-ordered’ on Kickstarter, where the campaign has quickly reached astronomical levels of funding—with 21 days to go, Moment has raised over $ 800,000 against a goal of just $ 50,000. All this funding despite each item being pretty low-cost: the filter holder is yours for a $ 29 pledge, the battery case will set you back $ 79, and the lens is priced at $ 119. Shipping is scheduled for June.

To learn more about these products or pick one up for yourself, head over to the Kickstarter page.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Moment launches anamorphic lens and other gear for smartphone filmmakers

Posted in Uncategorized

 

ShareGrid publishes the ‘Ultimate Anamorphic Lens Test’

06 Sep

ShareGrid, a peer-to-peer gear rental service, has published the results of its Ultimate Anamorphic Lens Test, which evaluated 42 ‘vintage’ anamorphic lenses representing lens families from 13 companies. Using ShareGrid’s ‘quad player’ interface, it’s possible to compare video test results from up to four lenses simultaneously, and the results can be very interesting.

Brent Barbano, a cinematographer and ShareGrid co-founder, emphasizes that these aren’t just casual tests, but result from a full-blown three-day production shoot that took months of planning and involved producers, directors, DPs, and production managers, including many technical experts and cinematographers from the filmmaking industry.

The test is a follow-up to the company’s 2016 Ultimate Vintage Lens Test, which evaluated 40 classic circular lenses. By using an identical setup for both tests, right down to the same model in front of the camera, it’s even possible to compare results from anamorphic lenses with circular lenses. Want to compare a 50mm ARRI / Zeiss Master Anamorphic with a 50mm ARRI / Zeiss Master Prime Spherical? No problem!

Think anamorphic lenses are just for motion picture work? Not so fast. As the test’s Director Mark LaFleur points out, “Any photographer who wants to make a big splash within the photography world should start shooting anamorphic, because your work will immediately stand out from the pack.”

The producers used an identical setup, including the same model, for both anamorphic and circular lens tests, making it possible to compare results between both types of lenses.

Courtesy of ShareGrid

According to Barbano, one of most important factors contributing to the success of the project was enthusiastic support from the filmmaking community, including dozens of volunteers. “The overwhelming amount of people who wanted to be involved in some way was the coolest part about the whole thing,” he says. “We had people donating their time. We had people donating their lenses. We ended up absorbing crew members out of nowhere, which was really, really cool.”

If you want to learn more about anamorphic lenses, ShareGrid has also published a great explainer page, and Director Mark LaFleur has written a detailed overview of the testing process.

We had a chance to spend a few minutes with Barbano and LaFleur to learn more about how the tests were performed and what they discovered along the way.

What inspired you to test all these lenses?

Mark LaFleur: I’m a cinematographer. And I’m kind of obsessed with lenses. I wanted to get tests out there because I was using my equipment for my own jobs, but was also renting my equipment to other people. I knew that with a really good test video, I wouldn’t have to convince someone about the look of a lens or try to describe it to them. We live in a time when a lot of people are able upload decent video, but sometimes when you find a test, you don’t know if the data is accurate.

But when you compare lenses on a level playing field, you really see differences between them. ShareGrid’s idea for a quad player to play lenses simultaneously, combined with the way I wanted to conduct and present the tests, really created one of the better lens tests that exists.

Director of Photography Kyle Stryker and 1st Assistant Camera Seda Kisacik set up a shot with their model, Kori.

Photo by Joseph Adams

Why test vintage anamorphic lenses?

Brent Barbano: We were obsessed with vintage lenses from our last test. Mark owned a set of Lomo anamorphics at the time, so we included them in the spherical vintage test. When those went up and everyone was looking at the screen, everyone was just like, “Wow!” It just renders everything completely different.

Anamorphics are incredibly popular. It’s what everyone is yearning for. So we’re giving our audience exactly the types of tests they need. We wanted to put something out there to set the bar, the standard for real, accurate, good information. There are no winners in this test. Every brand fits its purpose. Whether it’s price, availability, or size. They’re all beautiful in their own unique way.

“There are no winners in this test. Every brand fits its purpose. Whether it’s price, availability, or size. They’re all beautiful in their own unique way.”

How did you select the lenses you tested?

Brent: There were some categories we wanted to hit. We wanted to get benchmark lenses, the best of the best, like the ARRI / Zeiss Master Anamorphics and the Cooke Anamorphics. But we also wanted to get really cheap, very affordable options, like the Iscorama Pre-36 Adapter. That’s a very popular option in the indie budget film community. We wanted to cover really old lenses, which we got with the old Panavision Auto-Panatars, which should be in a museum. We also have the Atlas Orion 65mm prototype lens, which was announced this year at NAB. It’s not even out in production yet. So we have the newest anamorphic you can get vs. one of the oldest.

Mark: Also, any set that’s included in this test is something you can either buy or rent. Even something that’s rare like the Todd AOs or the Cineovisions. You can get them from a rental house even if you’re in a smaller city in the middle of the country. They can ship them to you.

What was involved in testing each lens?

Mark: We had a few tests including a real-world test, which is with a model in a room that gives us a lot of depth so we can see what out-of-focus elements look like, with bright highlights and straight lines. In that one setup, you really get a good sense of the character of a lens. We also did a couple lens flare tests and a distortion test. We also put every lens on a lens projector. In the cinematography community, every lens tech has a projection room. And that’s how they can basically diagnose a lens, by just shining pure light through it from the rear element out the front and onto a wall.

Each lens was subjected to several tests, including ‘real-world’ and technical evaluations.

Courtesy of ShareGrid

How can someone use these tests during production planning?

Mark: You can go out and take any lens in this test, bring it home, and shoot beautiful images. You can even go to a rental house and they’ll take every lens off the shelf for you and you can sit there in that rental house and test them all out. But you’re in a rental house, under fluorescent lighting with white walls and focus charts. It’s not the environment you’re going to be shooting in. We wanted to create a test that made the characteristics of a lens pop. Its bokeh, its sharpness, its breathing, its color, its vignetting, its distortion. The only way to do that is to have a side-by-side, A-B comparison. Or, with the quad player that ShareGrid’s doing, an A-B-C-D comparison.

What about people who may be using a DSLR or mirrorless camera instead of an ARRI or RED? Will the results of these tests be useful to them?

Brent: Absolutely. I think the problem is that anamorphic is intimidating. I think optics and visual cinematography can seem intimidating. And we believe that this resource will hopefully demystify everything and open the doors. And yeah, if you can’t afford some of these lenses, you can afford an Iscorama if you’re doing an indie production. But like Mark said, Cineovisions, Lomos, these lenses are up on ShareGrid. They’re pretty affordable, and they get rented all the time by music videos, commercials, indie productions, and young filmmakers.

“…at this point, the indie filmmaker with a DSLR is shooting more anamorphic right now than anybody else.”

Mark: I would say at this point, the indie filmmaker with a DSLR is shooting more anamorphic right now than anybody else. There are a lot of people getting these anamorphic adapters and doing DIY anamorphic lens building and using a Panasonic GH4 which has a four by three sensor. Anamorphic is getting to a point where it’s completely acceptable for, I would argue, almost any budget. Even the smallest budgets. If you’re a DSLR owner, you can rent anamorphic lenses for a very small amount of money and go out and shoot.

Lens tests were run as a full production shoot, including experts representing every step of the production process.

Courtesy of ShareGrid

Can you provide some guidance for people who aren’t experienced with anamorphic lenses? What should they look for in the test results?

Mark: If you’re a photographer, I mean, an image is an image, and I think any photographer could jump in and make pretty well-informed judgment calls on things that they like or don’t like. Any photographer who wants to make a big splash within the photography world should start shooting anamorphic, because your work will immediately stand out from the pack.

We conducted our test procedure exactly the same as our spherical test, so we have the same location, the same model, the lights… the same everything. Someone who doesn’t know anything about anamorphic lenses can use the quad player to pick lenses from the spherical test, so it’s possible to view a real side-by-side comparison of what a 50mm spherical vs. 50mm anamorphic looks like.

What did you learn from testing all these anamorphic lenses?

Brent: Lenses are beautiful. No matter if old or new, they’re all amazing in their own unique way. Lenses are not perfect, they’re never going to be perfect. And that’s okay. Because when you look at how they manipulate the world that we see with our eyes every day, they make it look just so beautiful. That was the really cool takeaway for me.

Mark: I couldn’t put that any better. People will tell you, “This is the best lens,” or, “Use this one,” or, “This one’s good,” or, “This one’s bad.” And what I really liked about the test was that there really was no winner. Every single lens, regardless of how expensive it is or how much clout its name brand gives it, if you took a blind test, if you took these 13 lens sets, and you asked 13 people to pick their favorite, you’d get 13 different answers. Including the cheapest lens.

A crew shot along with some of the lenses included in the test. According to cinematographer Brent Barbano, community support was one of the most important aspects of the production.

Courtesy of ShareGrid

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on ShareGrid publishes the ‘Ultimate Anamorphic Lens Test’

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Underground Illusions: Anamorphic Parking Lot Turns Flat Paint into Sculpture

06 Jul

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

You’re driving through an underground parking garage when suddenly, the colorful geometric shapes splashed all over every surface pop out into three dimensions. Try not to crash your car! When optical illusions line up right, they can be really disorienting, and it’s always cool to see them carried out on a large scale. Argentinian artist Elian Chali got to take over an entire parking lot in the Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc region of France, transforming it into a trompe l’oeil canvas.

“This artwork, which uses basic geometry and primary colors, makes use of the architectural factors where it inhabits,” says Chile. “Each element adopts a new function and the space becomes a huge sculpture. The relationship with the environment is not easy to achieve, therefore not only the walls will be intervene, but the painting will invade everything that you find in your way in order to offer to the users of the parking, the possibility of breathing inside a work of art.”

 

It’s a pretty cool effect, with some triangles stretching dozens of feet and crossing ceilings, support pillars and walls to end on the floor. Presented by 2KM3 Contemporary Art Platform and curated by Hugues Chevallier and Zoer, the piece comes together as an optical illusion when you hit just the right spot while driving through.

Chali is known for applying his signature vivid style to buildings around the world in the form of massive murals, often taking up entire multi-story facades. Each one takes its respective environment into account in its composition, paying homage to the history of the building and its setting, the materials it’s made of, and the ways in which it has aged or weathered. Keep up with his work on Instagram.

Share on Facebook





[ By SA Rogers in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]


WebUrbanist

 
Comments Off on Underground Illusions: Anamorphic Parking Lot Turns Flat Paint into Sculpture

Posted in Creativity

 

Cairo’s Trash Capital Gets Colorful with Massive Anamorphic Mural

31 Mar

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

cairo street art

One of Cairo’s seven settlements of the Zabbaleen, garbage collectors who make their living picking through and efficiently recycling the city’s trash, has gotten a little brighter with the addition of a massive multi-building mural that only comes into focus from a particular perspective. ‘Calligraffiti’ artist eL Seed organized a community-wide effort to paint sections of the mural onto the walls of 50 structures, blending arabic calligraphy with contemporary graffiti style. The work spells out a quote by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, who said “Anyone who wants to see the sunlight clearly needs to wipe his eye first.”

cairo street art 4

cairo street art 7

It’s not clear how many of the city’s inhabitants can actually access the spot on Mokattam Mountain where the various pieces of the mural actually come together into a cohesive whole, but it has certainly added some vibrancy to their neighborhood of Manshiyat Nasr. In photos of the mural, you can clearly see the trash bags piled high on the roof of virtually every building in the frame, and the streets look much the same.

cairo street art 3

cairo street art 5

‘Zabbaleen’ literally translates from Egyptian Arabic as ‘garbage people,’ and their community is known throughout the world as ‘Garbage City.’ Over 90 percent of their 20,000-30,000 population is Coptic Christian. They’ve supported themselves by processing Cairo’s trash for decades, using donkey carts and pickup trucks to transport it. Organic waste is fed to pigs and their recycling rate is an impressive 80 percent (compare that to the Western world’s average of 20 to 25 percent.) Their way of life is currently under threat due to Cairo authorities’ decision to transfer trash contracts to three multinational disposal companies.

cairo street art 2

“The Zaraeeb community welcomed my team and I as if we were family,” says eL Seed. “It was one of the most amazing human experiences I have ever had. They are generous, honest and strong people. They have been given the name of Zabbaleen (the garbage people,) but this is not how they call themselves. They don’t live in the garbage but from the garbage, and not their garbage, but the garbage of the whole city. They are the ones who clean the city of Cairo.”

Share on Facebook





[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]


WebUrbanist

 
Comments Off on Cairo’s Trash Capital Gets Colorful with Massive Anamorphic Mural

Posted in Creativity