Anamorphic Cinemascope in Native 1920x810 MJPEG Mode

Thanks for the replies, I went for the century optics. If it does not work on the minolta md, I'll use it with a super takumar 55mm that has the glass a lot closer to the filter thread. The 7200 would probably work with more lenses, but I want to keep the setup as compact/stealth as I can.
 
I'd like to do some time lapse with a remote, is there a way to shoot photos not videos with this patch on a gf1?
 
On the Vimeo Anamorphic forum, some users have reversed the rear element of the Century Optics Anamorphic adapter 52-58mm versions and got a sharper image with closer focusing without diopters. I don't know if it can be done on the 37mm version since it looks like the rear element is glued, wheras the rear element can be unscrewed on the larger adapters.
 
If you take off the rubber ring on the 37mm version there are two screws. Maybe there is a way to open it up by removing those two screws. Once it is open maybe the rear lens can be flipped. I don't know I have't tried it...yet.
 
The 4:3 Chestnut

The 4:3 Chestnut

Hi,

I made a music video using an Canon a540 and Bell & Howell 2x lens



I use the lens with an XGA projector to watch movies.

I fancy making a financial:evil:zombie:zombie_smiley:action:kali:comedy:grin:sci-fi:-Mark-12(DBG) film and came across the GF/GH1 hack and was up till 3 last night reading about it. I like the GH1 although the price of the GF1 is more tempting.

Johnnym, I feel your pain dude. What would you recommend, the GF or GH1?

Also what have you found to be the best workaround to use a 2x anamorphic for either camera? Or is not using an anamorphic and just cropping better?

Many thanks in advance of my repeat questions already answered one way or another :-Dum(DBG):
 
I figured it out,

Either full width and have native 540 or thereabouts height or full height 1440 width and double length in post and crop.

Or just put my hand in my misses wallet for the extra cash and go GH1 hack full HD and double length in post like I did for VGA which was double to 1280x480.

Although quirky the anamorphic route is much more satisfying.

I'll be back.

Thanks everybody, most interesting.
 
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I did have one thought on the 4:3 debacle which is probably useless mind. Is it possible to film in full HD, add verticle black bars to the picture to lock in the 1440x1080 which would then stop the crashing as less information is being written and then double in post to be left with the correct picture with bars either side?

I'm going now really.
 
24K said:
...what have you found to be the best workaround to use a 2x anamorphic for either camera?
Click to expand...
For using a 2X anamorphic lens with a GH1 or GF1 camera, I'd recommend the 1.5X 1920x720 MJPEG anamorphic video mode in my Blackout-Powell Native 24p Patch. While this patch will not automatically produce videos in the correct 2X aspect ratio, it records in 4:2:2 color depth at the highest practical horizontal resolution the camera can reliably handle.

Converting the patch's 1.5X 1920x720 videos into 2X aspect ratio can be done with minimal resolution loss in post-production. There are two options:

Horizontal stretch: expand the video width by 1.33x to produce a 2560x720 frame.
Vertical shrink: compress the video height by 1.33x to produce a 1920x540 frame.

Both techniques will produce videos with a correctly proportioned 3.56:1 aspect ratio. You may want to then crop this down to a more standard cinemascope aspect ratio, anywhere from 2.35:1 to 2.39:1.
 
Hey thanks Mr P.

Is there any advantage or disadvantage if the frame size when recording is 1920x540?

The more I read the more I discover you have helped an entire filming community achieve great footage from a consumer camera. As I have no hat like Blackout, I doff my headdress to you sir.
 
24K said:
Is there any advantage or disadvantage if the frame size when recording is 1920x540?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the props and for your insightful question. There is indeed no disadvantage to setting the MJPEG frame size to 1920x540. It would provide several significant advantages when shooting with a 2X anamorphic lens:

1. Videos will be shot in the correct aspect ratio, perfectly matching the squeeze factor of 2X anamorphic lenses.
2. Codec bitrate will be used optimally, encoding precisely the level of detail needed for the intended resolution.
3. If the 3.56:1 framing suits your purposes, no post-processing of the footage will be required.

While the 1.5X anamorphic ratio of the MJPEG patch's 1920x720 frame is ideally suited for use with ISCO anamorphic adapters, these lenses have become quite rare and expensive. My broader goal was to make the patch flexible enough that owners of 2X anamorphic adapters could readily adapt it to meet their needs as well.
 
The 3.56:1 frame is ideal for cropping as although the Kowa is crisp, the edges have more than the 2x squeeze so with a 2.66:1 crop all that funny business would be gone.

(edit) On a GH1 the chubby Kowa is mint even on a FD 28mm if cropped to 2.66:1.

Thanks again Mr P.
 
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Hey Lpowell, thanks for this, it works a treat.

Just one question- should I be able to see the anamorphic image correctly on the viewfinder while filming?

Presently I am seeing all the information, but the image is still stretched vertically to fill the 16:9 area. Its only when I view it afterwards that I see the correct 2.35:1 ratio.
 
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mikrokev said:
...should I be able to see the anamorphic image correctly on the viewfinder while filming?
Click to expand...
You'll see the full-frame anamorphic image squeezed into the 16:9 viewfinder while filming. This enables you to frame your shot precisely with no need to anticipate how it will be cropped in post-processing. If you're using a 1.33x anamorphic adapter and would like to see the correct widescreen aspect ratio while filming, there are viewing hoods that clip on the fold-out LCD screen that will stretch the image for you.
 
Hi everyone,

let me first off apologize for not having the patience to read through the whole discussion thread, but I would like to see if anyone out there is having the same issue as myself. I am using a GH1 with the anamorphic hack provided by Powell and a Kowa 16f (2x) Anamorphic lens. My issue:

I have a Minolta MD 58mm f.14 lens that the anamorphic is attached to and I can't get a sharp focus without sacrificing a great amount of light. The anamorphic lens says that it has a min. focusing distance of 5ft, and I have been testing on far greater distances than that, mainly posters on a distant wall. When I use the GH1's focus assist feature I am unable to read the bold style text until I put the Minolta lens all the way down to f16.

I have read bits about anamorphic lens' themselves having an aperture, but Im not well versed in that matter. I will be using this set up for an indoor/studio style shoot in a few days and I hope that the light I have are capable of outputting enough power for the lens to capture a powerful picture. Any ideas about why I have to stop the lens down so much to get a good focus? Without the anamorphic lens I get a sharp image at f2.8. Anyone have some knowledge out there that could help? Thanks!
 
Anyone know the filter threads on the front of the Centruy 16:9 - going to add some diopters to the mixz and want to get the right thread size...
 
Hi, I've gone through the whole thread, installed the patch properly and everything seems to be working fine, but I do notice one thing.

When I am in AVCHD - FHD mode I have 2 hours of approximate recording time showing, then when I switch to Motion JPEG - HD mode it shows that I only have 3 minutes and 49 seconds of approximate recording time. Why such a huge difference?

I am using Sandisk Extreme III 16 GB cards (30 MB/s).

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
In MJPEG mode, the GH1 is unable to span a video across multiple files. As a result, recording time is limited by the GH1's 2GB MJPEG maximum file size. In AVCHD video modes, the GH1 can potentially span a single video across multiple 4GB files, up until all SD card space is consumed.
 
lpowell, thank you for the quick reply and for the work you've done with this patch. I did a few tests and noticed that the timer resets every time I stop recording. Haven't run into any crashes, but I'm assuming it would be wise for me to get the Sandisk Extreme Pro cards...

Another quick question; is the ideal shutter speed for 24fps 50 and 30fps 60?
 
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