Anamorphic question

V

vortex677

Well-known member
I just bought a anamorphic lense. I know i saw this metioned on the forum before. I looked throgh search and couldint find it so i apoligise for any repetition.

I bought the lense used but no manual. I am trying to screw it in and it wouldint hold. I can tighten the screw and it holds for awile but can be removed easily. I cant run with it and shoot because i have a feeling it will fall off. Is there a way to screw this tight so its stable?

Please let me know. Thank you for taking the time to read my inquery.
 
Yep, it's a stupid, stupid design. However, if you have it screwed on correctly it shouldn't fall off, or move from alignment (though that can still be done with very little effort).

Try holding your camera vertical, make sure the lens is sitting on the threads completely evenly, tighten the screw a bit so that it engages as you're screwing the lens on, making sure that the lens is not at all askew as it threads down.

The lens won't come to a tight, secure stop where you want it to, ie., in alignment. You'll have to back it up from that secure place about a quarter of a turn to where it's in alignment (more on alignment in a bit), then tighten the screw to secure it (it will still wiggle up and down ever so slightly at this point, and that's just the way it is)

Alignment - because of the design of the lens and the camera body, there is no place on either to make marks that you can line up. What you have to do to alliin the lens is leave the lens cap on the anamorphic - it has a ridge inside that you can (barely) see and use to make sure it is in alignment with the visual frame of your camera. If you have trouble seeing it (and you will), outline it with pen, and make sure that you're not zoomed in past where you would be able to see it. Bring the ridge of the lens cap just into frame in your viewfinder, focus and line it up. You'lll have to do this every time.

If you don't have Barry Green's DVX book, you should get yourself a copy - it has a lot of useful information regarding the anamorphic lens, including instructions for focusing with it, which is a whole other story. And if you haven't been able to get the lens on yet, then you haven't yet experienced the logic defying exercise of trying to get it off.

For as stupid, inferior and annoying as the design of this lens is, it does produce really beautiful images if you use it correctly, so I think it's worth the effort, but I do curse Panasonic every time I have to use it.
 
wow thats crazy. We pay so much money for this dam thing and pani screws us. thats bs. If pani continues these desighns im afraid another market will control. The next cam im buying is def not a pani i'll tell u that. for the price the cam cost and the lense it's rediculous not to hav a good erogomic structure. Well thanks for all your help. I realy apreciate it. I have put it on now and gona probably shoot my self if i take it off cause then the process begins all over again. It's funny i couldint put it in no matter what i did my mom just for the heck of it said "let me see". I gave it to her cause i just gave up. She put it on and it worked. She told me its like screwing in a stupid jar. Way to go betty crocker lol.
 
Attaching and removing the Anamorphic Lens Adapter can be quite a puzzle if you don't know how it is supposed to work. I didn't get instructions. And its not obvious how its supposed to work.

The screw on the side of the lens adapter controls whether the lens can rotate separately from its threaded mount. And you have to use it to align the lens. Unlike round lenses, an anamorphic has a correct horizontal and vertical alignment.

To start, you need to tighten the screw. That fixes the mount and the lens together. Then you can turn the lens and mount as one piece, and screw it onto the front of the camera using the cameras filter threads.

After the lens is screwed into place, you may notice that its not properly aligned to the frame. This is when you need to loosen the screw. The anamorphic has a translucent white lens cap with ridges inside it to help you align the lens while looking through the LCD. I've marked the inside of my lens cap with black lines so the alignment marks are easier to see. When you loosen the screw, the threaded mount keeps the lens attached to the camera, but now you can rotate the lens to get the right alignment. Once it is correctly positioned, tighten the screw.

When you want to remove the lens, the screw is already tight. So all you have to do is turn the lens to take it off.

You might find after setting it once that if you leave the screw tight, the lens may attach in the right position and you won't need to adjust it. I adjust mine every time I use it out of habit.

Focusing this lens properly requires some study. You should get Barry's DVX book, which explains how to focus the lens.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top