Should I return my Anamorphic Lens?

[lostsheep007]

Hello all,

I just bought an AG-LA7200G and was interested in what IAMLOSER mentioned in the last topic about the ana. I hope someone could give me advice on the lens.

There seems to be a noticeable vignetting on the lefthand side of the picture when I zoom through with the lens. I've uploaded a 250k file to show the problem. Is this within acceptable boundaries or should I be looking for a replacement?

TEST

Also, when I attach the lens it screws in tightly but there's still a little movement in the outer casing of the ana lens. Again, normal?

Hope someone can advise me over this, thanks in advance,

PJ
www.sheepdiaries.com

[Neil Rowe]

not sure what i had said, but it sounds like you may have the lense on crooked.. there should definetley be no vignetting at any time..espescially when zoomed in.. if anything , it should do that at full wide. make sure you have it threaded on straight, and nice and tight..

[lostsheep007]

The lens appears to be as tight as it'll go. I've shown the footage to a couple of people at work who think it's unacceptable. I've been advised to try to turn the lense around and if the vignetting moves too, then it's a lens problem. If not, the lens is innocent, but suspicion will then fall on the camera. Hopefully I'll solve the whole problem tonight.

Also I may gaffer tape the lens in either of it's possible positions to see if that's the cause. This problem is almost certainly down to a fractional problem somewhere in the system. I would rather find a simple work-around than start returning things. I bought my PAL 25P DVX in the UK and my lens from a company in New Zealand and I live in Sydney!

Bugger!!

PJ

[lostsheep007]

Hmmmm.

Same vignetting with the lens on the opposite way round..

...Which means its the camera?

[ScreechingHalt]

Does it appear as though the glass elements of the anamorphic lens (front and rear) are completely seated flat in the housing? *There should be no gaps around the edges of the glass border with the plastic housing.

Do you see any bits of paper or dust bunnies in the Anamorphic when you put it up to your eye?

I assume you have no problem when using just the built in Leica lens.

[lostsheep007]

I'll check the housing tonight but it seemed fine to me. Once I rotated the lens by 180 degrees and got the same anomaly it vindicated the lens in my mind. I looked for dust but that would have changed sides.

I may need to explain this a little more precisely.

You can't see this problem through the viewfinder, only after you've transferred the footage to the PC. I would even guess (I'll test it tonight) that you'd be hard pressed to spot it on a TV as it's the very edge and it gets lost. But it is clear on the monitor, and presumably it would also be clearly visible on a 16:9 TV.

It happens between Z10 and Z47, so at either end of the zoom range it isn't visible.

So the main test tonight is to see if the same problem occurs WITHOUT the 16:9 adapter. Plus, if it happens in any other settings (I've only been using 25P). I've spoken with the Australian product manager today so I'll be phoning him tomorrow with the results - it looks like if anything needs fixing it's the camera.

I keep thinking it might be a setting I've missed... some recalibrator for the back focus? I've heard the fancier cameras have that facility when you change the lens..

[ScreechingHalt]

Since it is happening in the middle of the zoom range, not the ends, I suspect the Leica lens. *There are a bunch of moving elements in the zoom and one of them could be tilted or something until pushed upright at the ends of the range.

Also, I believe the viewfinder is only displaying 95% or so of the image - the full image is available in file and your NLE.

[lostsheep007]

I agree, it has to do with the focus of the leica lens. I found exactly the same error when I tried the camera vanilla(no 16 :9) - I even took the hood off just in case but it was getting in the way of the lens.

So I've got in touch with a bunch called rexel video who're the sole importers in Australia, couriered it to them this afternoon.

Thing is, I was worried I was being over sensitive but really, for the money I've paid and the way the 16:9 adaptor magnifies the problems (I get little islands of fuzzy black in the top and bottom left hand corners when I render to DVD), it has to be sorted. I can't stop noticing it!

Now I just hope their engineers agree with the problem and can fix it in a reasonable amount of time - I printed stills out for them and wrote an explanation.

Funnily enough my other camera, a JVC, died on me this week as well so both my cameras are being fixed under warranty at the same time! Gives more time for the scriptwriting. :)

[ScreechingHalt]

My condolences on both of your ill cameras, but congrats on the forced writing vacation :)

May your little "family" have a speedy recovery.

[lostsheep007]

Just to finish this thread, I actually went to the offices of the support people in Sydney as they were unable to find the problem. They do their testing by plugging the camera into a monitor and using testing equipment to count lines etc and make sure the full spectrum is available in each. With the anamorphic on they did spot a small patch lost in the corner but backed away from responsibility saying any additional lenses could cause that and they didn't cover the ana, only the camera.

Basically I've decided the problem is too small to stop me getting on with using it. Without the ana it's pretty much invisible. With the ana I just have to dodge shots around z20 +- 10 in bright environments - not ideal but workable. Just glad to have the camera back!

[dmbdvx]

I have a dvx 100 and a panasonic 16:9 adapter, none of the issues you mentioned hope all turns out well for you and yours...