Building My Own Anamorphic Lens???

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Before I get more comments about the squeeze, I'm aware that it's off. I checked and I was off by about 150 pixels vertically. Like I mention in the video, I'm totally new when it comes to shooting anamorphics and dealing with it in post, plus it doesn't help that I typically make these videos super late at night😂. Everybody in the comments so far has been super helpful though. I did have plans to release the video in a few days that was shot on the lens, so if you want to see what it looks like desqueezed properly, it will be available to watch soon. Thanks for the support and for watching! Happy Filming🙏

[@BalaKrishna-bq5iz]

Squeeze factor aside, footage looks great. I want to try building one too but the sharpness on most adapters I've seen so far, isn't really usable for professional work in my opinion. Felt like a compromise. But your footage looked great. What single focus solution and housing did you use? Anyway, subscribed. Looking forward to see more stuff from you with this lens.

[@BalaKrishna-bq5iz]

By the way, did you shoot opengate 6k 3:2 anamorphic or crop 3.5k 4:3 anamorphic?

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

@@BalaKrishna-bq5iz Thank you! I guess it kind of depends what you're going for. Even this setup was a little too soft for my taste, but I don't mind it since it's a characteristic of the helios. I'm using the rapido FVD-16V with the housing as well from rapido. Thank you for the support! I'm going to try out different taking lenses in future videos to see how it pairs with the Kowa B&H. Hopefully get something a bit sharper.

[@BalaKrishna-bq5iz]

@@DustinArmstrongPro I saw some ppl have success with Contax Zeiss 50 as taking lens. Looked sharp while also maintaining some of that character your expect.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

@@BalaKrishna-bq5iz crop factor 4:3. I need to try 6k 3:2 though. I wanted to get the zeiss Contax but it was a little out of my budget for a good one. But I definitely want that one

[@skylineproductions2955]

Hi Dustin, it is simply awesome!!

[@James-xm4ki]

My mind is completely blown! That was amazing!! Thanks for sharing this! Can't wait for the follow-up video. So psyched to learn even more.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

I'm happy you enjoyed! No thank you for watching🙏 This video has been a LONG time coming and I'm as psyched as you to continue down this path😁

[@MrElod73]

You haven't desqueezed this footage properly - it still looks slightly vertically stretched to me. Other than that, it does look decent. Nicely made video overall too.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

I honestly was kind of expecting someone to tell me something was off with the desqueeze. I thought I did the math right, but the more I watch it, the more I see it too. I'll have to fix it in a follow up. Thanks for watching🙏

[@MrElod73]

@@DustinArmstrongPro With so many lens elements and factors at play, I'd just shoot a clock or something circular in the dead center of frame and then desqueeze it by eye haha

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

That's a smart idea actually! Thanks for the advice. I'm going to post that pen video separately sometime this week and will be sure to fix it there👍

[@chrisyeong]

An easier way is to desqueeze in DaVinci Resolve. Select Cinemascope in Clip Attributes and it'll be all good.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

I don't have the studio version of Resolve or I'd do this method. Resolve won't import my 10 bit footage in the free version😔

[@Holtenstein]

Welcome to the club. This has been about a 3-year adventure for me. I'm on my 10th or so anamorphic lens now and am starting to get results that I'm pleased with. I actually just got a new adapter today. In fact, it's the Sankor version of the same Kowa you're building here. I've had to upgrade everything to be able to shoot this way. From Rigging to stabilizers, everything is bigger. Sometimes it's a pain but the results are worth it.

[@Holtenstein]

Wait until you find out you need the FVD16B too for taking lenses 85mm-135mm in order to not lose sharpness. And that too will require even bigger rigging.... Still worth it.

[@DimitriOhler]

The shots look great Dustin!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Thank you my friend! I was happy with how they turned out 😃

[@KnivesMonroe]

He did it. The SOB pulled it off. Bravo, sir.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Haha love this comment. Somehow I did. Thank you🙏

[@SpencerWhiteman]

Looks so good dude. Like I saw someone else say, the squeeze is off, but I still love the characteristics of the flaring and veiling. Insanely gorgeous nonetheless!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Thank you! Yep I've got some tips on the best way to fix it, which has been awesome, and I'm going to post that video separately on its own in the next few days. So there will be a fixed version😂 Thanks again for watching🙏

[@tarunwadhwa5026]

I loved it Dustin!! I thought the de-squeeze and chromatic aberrations need to be fixed a little but it looks so organic, beautiful, just so... CINEMA. Eagerly waiting for the followup video!!!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Thank you! Yeah I see it too. The desqueeze is slightly off. I'm going to post that video separately on the channel and will be sure to fix it there! Chromatic aberrations, I'm not sure I can fix I think it may be a characteristic of the helios. But like I said I'm new to this Anamorphic thing😂 thank you so much though! Excited to continue down the path!

[@tarunwadhwa5026]

@@DustinArmstrongPro Could be the helios44 definitely, I own one too, and the guy I bought it from, each had some or other such quirk. Highly appreciate your videos by the way, coming from a GH5 fanboy, you had my double convinced about S1H, just holding back due to the uncertain covid times though. But definitely on the cards, and an Indie feature on the way, and your tips come in real handy. Keep it up brother!! 😊😊

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Could also be all the glass elements I have to put in front of the lens to get it to work😂 but I don't mind it too much. Oh thank you! I totally get it. Been a weird year with COVID for everybody. Hopefully soon you'll be able to upgrade or maybe even go for the S5? Nice though! Congrats! Thank you for the support!

[@tarunwadhwa5026]

@@DustinArmstrongPro I have been purposely avoiding reading much on S5, just gets me confused 😁. I actually have all canon EF glass and I had high hopes from R5 but S1H seems much more sorted to me as I am looking for manual focus high quality work with great grading options. Do you think S5 matches up with S1H? If I am targeting a Netflix or Amazon Prime like quality although on a very small budget.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

You might be better off with the S1H. I don't believe the S5 is Netflix approved because of the codes (I could be totally wrong though). The S5 is basically a mini S1H, with some drawbacks like the codecs. The S5 is still great though. I don't have any plans to buy it, but if the S1H didn't exist or if it came before the S1H, I may have gone that route. If that's what you're targeting you may still want to go the S1H route. Have you looked into a lightly used S1H? I've seen some for like $2800 bucks which is insane.

[@MyronDavismd]

Dustin, great video. I bought the same rig (almost) My anamorphic is the RED ISCO. I’m having a hard time converting my Helios with the RMJ. My images are super blurry and I can’t get the focus to work. Any thoughts?

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Hmmmm are you focusing both lenses to infinity? I don’t know much about what could be happening, but that’s my first thought, if so and they’re still blurry, either of the lenses may need the infinity focus tweaked. I could be wrong though

[@PatrickAdairDesigns]

Definitely just gave this a triple thumbs up! What a crazy build!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

You are legend😎

[@stevechang2135]

Thanks, Dustin for the video. What is the total weight of the FINAL setup?

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Heavy lol

[@MagpieRepublic]

Hey Dustin. I’m impressed. Of course it’s a work in progress, but really really congrats for this crazy process that you’ve shared. I look forward to watching some footage after the testing phase will be accomplished. Also curious to see if you can catch the JJ Abrams’/David Fincher’s longitude line with lens being hit by lights. Good job!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Hey thank you! Yes definitely a work in progress with the build and the experience. Really was just a long but totally worth it in the end process. I definitely want to test this lens at night with lights because yeah I don't even know what that looks like. It'll be interesting to see👀

[@MagpieRepublic]

Dustin Armstrong I also look forward to watching the making of video, I want to see if I can be as crazy to follow your path!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

It's a little crazy but not too bad 😁 I'll at least give you a a good place to start

[@YuvalAloni]

Nice video bro! Cheers from the Anamorphic Shooters group 😉

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Aye thank you! Glad you liked it!

[@AaronCabreroJr]

Do you also sell the adapter required to connect the taking lense to the Kowa anamorphic? If not what do you recommend? Will definitely be ordering your Rapido lens anamorphic lens package soon 😇

[@BlagoyMomchilov]

Your build looks fantastic :)! Congrats! Have the same Helios. Looking forward to seeing "how i made it" :)!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Thank you! It's a fun lens for sure! I think I want to change out the helios for the 50mm Canon FD 1.4, but still happy with soft organic look the helios gave me😁

[@BloomfieldProductions]

I’ve shot anamorphic several times even on the Canon 80D if you need tips hit me up!! I currently have a bmpcc4k setup with a Schneider cinelux es

[@chrismcclainfilms]

LOOKS SWEET!!!! cant wait to build one!!!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

YES. You need to!

[@ChimeraVisuals]

I was going to get the jacket for my set up as well but i kind of want to switch from ISCO 2X to The Kowa and get a better single focus solution before i use it on jobs.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Nice! I'm a fan of the Kowa so far. I'm stoked to try out some more

[@ChimeraVisuals]

@@DustinArmstrongPro 🔥 Cant wait to see more

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Going to be epic!

[@NeilFarrimond]

Great video and looking forward to seeing how you put this together. I maybe making one too!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Hopefully it makes it easier! Made some technical mistakes, but it's fixable and kind of expected cause I literally have 0 experience with this or anamorphics. Just general knowledge. Hopefully that video will make it easier for someone to follow in my path!

[@MSiggaard]

Damn, Dustin. Great video man. You just did what I've been thinking of doing for the last 2 years, but didnt dare because I always get confused with all the different parts. Some of your shots was sharper than others - did you stop down in aperture? Looking forward to your next video! 3x thumbs up.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Hey thank you! Glad you enjoyed! Well I'll definitely try to get that video out ASAP so you'll at least have a good place to start! Yes I was changing apertures. The helios is pretty soft at f/2, but sometimes needed more light. There's also some limitations with this setup when it comes to aperture which I'll cover. I'll do my best to cover everything I can! Appreciate the support🙏

[@trevorpinnocky]

The cheapest anamorphic are by Sirui.The 50 and 35 are about $700 each. There are also the Vazen mft mount 1.8x which are about $3k each. You can also buy the slr magic Pl mount 35, 50, and 85mm which are $2500 each. For the caliber adapter you bought I wouldn't use the 44-2 as a taking lens. I'd be looking at the Nikkor-o 50 f2 or Contax zeiss, all have better optics and mechanics.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

True technically those are anamorphic. I guess the reason I didn't mention surui is they only have e mount APS-C and MFT mount which aren't really options for me. Vazen is also MFT, which you mentioned and the SLR Magic I actually can rent, but I've looked at footage and the 1.33x squeeze just doesn't really give enough anamorphic characteristics to me to be worth the $2500. Yeah I wanted the Zeiss Contax but it was a little out of my budget after pricing out everything else I bought and I wanted the helios on its own so that's why I chose it as the taking lens for this video. Hopefully eventually will be able to get the Zeiss though

[@epochalarchivist]

Beautiful mate 👏 I have a Rapido FVD paired with a Sankor 16C - but the B&H is a different animal

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Thank you! I definitely want to explore some different Anamorphics in the front, but yeah that B&H I think was a really good choice for this video🤤

[@flywheelmedia506]

Where did you get that housing?

[@cypresssoundz1223]

WOW PRETTY DOPE.. I JUST PURCHASED A Sirui 50mm f/1.8 Anamorphic 1.33x Lens (MFT Mount) FOR MY BMPCC 4K GONNA TEST IT ON FRIDAY..

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Nice! Hope you like it! Thanks for watching🙏

[@nicodehnhardt466]

NEWWW VIDEOOO YAAYYY AAITSS!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

#%%@%^

[@n8miles455]

Good work man! im gonna get back into this when I have some extra money. I sold my sankor 16c and helios 44-2 in a rapido housing w VD when covid hit 😭

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Thank you! Ah man I'm sorry. The COVID man been such a weird year. Hopefully next year is better! I can't believe I'm just barely discovering this. It's so cool😂😂

[@TMD_Produktion]

This video is awesome !!!!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

No you😁

[@TMD_Produktion]

@@DustinArmstrongPro hahah Noooo youuuu 😂

[@jamaldpeat7950]

who just subscribe like me waiting for the build video ? great work man I liked the short film and video great sound d and music . one question where were you all this time .

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Thank you! I've been here🙏

[@lukasnikel]

Hello Dustin, when you use the Full metal jacket, can you use the aperture ring on the helios? Thx

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Yes. You screw onto the aperture ring

[@DimaYYY]

That was a good demonstration. And the last clip looks just great. Still wondering how much did you spend on the lens in total? 🙏😀😀

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Thank you! Watch the follow up video on the channel and you'll get all the details👍

[@janschilthuizen]

Love what you did here man! I have a question though: I am about to purchase my first anamorphic lens as well. I was wondering where you got your single focus solution. Is it the SLR magic anamorphot? Thanks in advance!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Appreciate it🙏 Got it from Rapido Technologies. SLR magic isn't a bad option either though. Watch my follow up video though

[@hzubovi1]

Cool video. Can I use wide angle superscope adapters with this setup?

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Not sure

[@tommipham4553]

Man you got me interested of shooting anamorphic! Btw what's the total weight including the helios with the setup?

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

You gotta try it out! Hmmmm I’m not sure I can try and get the weight. It’s heavy but not terrible

[@lovefirst6157]

U went from video tour guide, to the next Einstein

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Hahaha I mean, maybe not Einstein, but you could say I got a promotion maybe? 😂

[@MikeStarkov]

So is the follow-up build-up video on air already?

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Yes kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGqXZ6CHaL-ppZo

[@830Video]

What was the single focus solution?

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Rapido fvd-16a

[@furymotionpictureco.7952]

Well that was a hell of a tease! 😘I want ALL the details! I just shot a short on a set of vintage Kowas and I love it. I also just bought a set of rehoused Vintage Russian lenses (including a helios) so this is pushing all my buttons! I know a few local guys that are doing this type of set up as well but I’d love to pick your brain as well. Maybe we can get together soon and you can show me the magic. :)

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

No way! I'm jealous! I'm guessing those Kowas were from Redman right? I saw they had those but yeah they wouldn't let me do anything with them unless I had a certain insurance policy. Wait. Are you talking about the iron glass lenses? Because I was looking into those! I'm down though I can at least give you a good head start on how to do since I'm not an expert! But it was super fun and yeah I'm super stoked to keep experimenting and see what other kind of magic I can discover😁 just let me know!

[@furymotionpictureco.7952]

Dustin Armstrong yes and yes. Redman has a couple sets of Kowas they rent out, the “best set” that I was using is actually owned by Paul Meyers. And yeah, ironglass. I just wish they were here already. I probably have at least another month before they ship which is annoying, but I’m excited to see what they’ll look like on the LF. Now I’m wondering how well they’d work on an anamorfake setup like this. 😁

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Ahh gotcha gotcha. Yeah those ironglass are sweet! Maybe I can convince you to do a calibration with those so I can try them out....😁😁😁

[@BrentStrition]

Sick intro and sick video. That is all

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Comments like these bring me joy. Thank you🙏

[@BrentStrition]

Dustin Armstrong you’re welcome buddy

[@nicodehnhardt466]

WHAT ABOUT A VIDEO TEST LOWLIGHT S1H VS A7SIII

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

That will be in the S1H vs A7sIII video coming soon👍

[@aaronlanducci]

Has anyone done this with the Ursa Mini?

[@DarshanGajjarFilms]

I think from the results the image still looks quite squashed maybe it needs more stretch, if you look at the peoples heads they seem a bit more vertical? But damn is it nice.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Yep the more I watch it, the more I see it too. I either did the math wrong, or with so many things at play, the math doesn't work😂 I'm going to be posting that video separate in a few days and I'll be sure to fix it👍 thanks for watching!

[@DarshanGajjarFilms]

@@DustinArmstrongPro Legend man, buying an S1H soon gonna be a fun swap from my GH5 :D

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

You'll love it. I'm stoked for you!

[@StephenHildreth]

@@DustinArmstrongPro Just a thought, but as a testing method to get the squeeze down, why not shoot something you know is square and then adjust the aspect ratio until it looks right? Seems like an easy way to adjust to taste.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Definitely will do that if needed. Thank you!

[@ArthurD]

Put diopter lens in some sort of helicoid and screw it to the front of your lens. Boom, you got yourself a zoom lens!

[@Vitaphone]

Where are you getting your lowest prices for anamorphic lenses??? There are great options ranging from 600 including actual cinema primes... that’s the incredible thing over the last few years... it’s finally becoming feasible.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

I’m mostly talking about 2x Anamorphic lenses in this video. The cheapest I know of is the Atlas. The Sirui are 1.33x so a little different

[@Davidh741]

I don’t like putting anything in front of my kowa more glass just degrades kowa image I am double focus guy plus you do know you can mod kowa to focus closer down to 2 ft

[@ronnyjonah_colorist78]

sorry but you have do some mistakes, its not a 2x format bro; bad desqueeze but footage awesome

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

No totally made mistakes. Again my first time doing something like this and have 0 experience with Anamorphics. I'm posting that video separately in the next few days and will fix the squeeze. What format is it if it's not 2X? I get there's a lot of factors at play with a build like this so I'm curious your thoughts

[@damiansciberras]

You lost me at double focus!

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Yeah def not convenient lol

[@wbs2017]

Second.

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

🙏

[@Miedjia]

Bro your shots are not well desqueezed

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Yep first time desqueezing footage. Check the final video separate from this

[@NickKovakova]

Bell*

[@DustinArmstrongPro]

Legend 🙏