Anamorphic solutions on the FX6 ?

D

did

Active member
From what I've seen today, there is no good solution to shoot anamorphic with the FX6.
- Some people buy S35 lenses, like i.e. the Sirui lenses. Starting from 16:9 format it gives you a 'standard' 2.35:1 format but
1/ you loose the 4K
2/ x1.33 is not big and the anamorphic effect not strong
- Sirui has made an anamorphic FF x1.6 lens, which is better, but starting from 16:9 it gives you a crazzzy 2.84: 1 ratio, which is unusable so you have to crop the L/R sides to get a 2.35 : 1 ratio and you loose the 4K again.

So, my question is
The FX6 (as the FX3) is using a 3:2 format sensor coming from still photography, on which the top and bottom parts are dropped to trash can to get a 16:9 ratio. But these dropped pixels are not blind, they are usable (The FX3 is able to output Full Frame stills with 3:2 format....)
If a full sensor readout would be possible, 3:2 x 1.6 = ..... 2.4 !!! That would be perfect for 4k anamorphic
Do you think this could be a possible upgrade (even with some speed limitations) ?
 
Chinese companies like Viltrox & Great Joy make 1.33 full frame anamorphic lenses, but I'm skeptical about quality control & performance.

I think Sony is more likely to include 4:3 than 3:2, & if they implement it at all, it will be in the next iteration or two down the line.
 
The sensor is only 18.8mm high (it's not a 3:2 sensor, it's 17:9), which is damned near identical to 4-perf 35mm. So any normal 2x S35mm Anamorphic will offer you full optical coverage (so there's no crop optically!).

You'll just be giving up the sides of your sensor - you'll be left with 2880px wide for a 4:3 extraction or 2592px for a 6:5 extraction (that's a 5.6mpx total image resolution). This is an identical amount of resolution (and sensor area) to shooting in 4:3 anamorphic mode on the standard 4:3 Arri Alexas (Classic 4:3/XT/Mini etc.)

So if you're happy with the resolution of anything scope shot on S35mm Alexas over the last decade (and you should be, they look great), then you won't be missing anything shooting scope on the FX6.

...except for a rigid lens mount for supporting heavy anamorphic glass - that you'll REALLY miss.

If you're less fussed about having the "full" anamorphic look of a 2x squeeze, then you'll be able to squeeze more resolution out of 1.3x or 1.5x lenses - but the anamorphic properties will be noticably less pronounced.

On the plus side, the internal ND on the FX6 makes shooting with weird old anamorphics (that are a nightmare for matteboxes/filters due to wildly different front ends) MUCH easier!
 
Grug said:
The sensor is only 18.8mm high (it's not a 3:2 sensor, it's 17:9), which is damned near identical to 4-perf 35mm. So any normal 2x S35mm Anamorphic will offer you full optical coverage (so there's no crop optically!).
Click to expand...

Hello,
The sensor is not 18.8 high, it is 3:2 FF 24x36 and able to output 24x36 in still photo on the FX3

I'm just wondering if the full sensor read out, which is possible in photo, would be possible in video and what are the limitations to achieve this
 
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did said:
Hello,
The sensor is not 18.8 high, it is 3:2 FF 24x36 and able to output 24x36 in still photo on the FX3

I'm just wondering if the full sensor read out, which is possible in photo, would be possible in video and what are the limitations to achieve this
Click to expand...

Okay, sure. If you want to shoot anamorphic stills, then you're going to need larger format glass to cover the extra sensor height.

If you want to shoot anamorphic video, see my advice in the previous post.
 
Are you wanting to shoot everything anamorphic, or just a specific project?

Would simulating the anamorphic aesthetic with spherical lenses (anamorefake) be sufficient for your project?

This thread is a good overview of anamorphic.
 
Yeah :)
I already tested the anamorfake solution, I've to say it gives interesting results.
I bought for few euros an old 50/1.4 FD on ebay, I dismounted the lens and I installed in the Iris plane an oval Iris cut out of black cardboard. With an H/V ratio for the oval of about 1/2.
It works fine with the original lens Iris fully opened, combined with the neutral filter of the FX6. You get all the aesthetic features of a true anamorphic lens, except the horizontal flares but this can be obtained (and adjusted) in post. And you don't loose the 4K :)

Actually, at my level it's only for fun. I agree with Grug's solution, which is currently the most serious one. However I'm still curious to know what is the technical limitation that prohibits to read the full sensor frame in 3:2 in video mode, since it's possible in photo mode.
 
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