Century anamorphic lens, how to get better image quality.

gh2hacked

Alot of peoples are using the Century anamorphic lens also refer to as Century 16:9 ratio converter. So, I thought I share a little discovery that can help you get better image quality out of this lens. The Century anamorphic lens in my opion has better center sharpness than the La7200. It is lighter, smaller, and has better build quality. What is so interesting about this lens is that it is one of the very few anamorphic lens that allows you to use with wide angle lens of 30mm or less. It has a stretch factor of 1.33x. Making it very ideal for cameras that has 16:9 censors. It one major draw back is the blurry edge. The blurry edge kind of kills everything so great about this lens. Although, not much of a problem if you film indoor and work your scenes. Sometime the blurry edge can enhance the shallow depth of field. So, how do we overcome this flaw? To overcome this problem, I have discover that if you attach a +1 diopter in front of the Century, the blurry edge are gone. Now, you can focus the image as close as 1.5 feet. Infinity focus is not being affect at all! I guess the original design is for a small censor size camera and the +1 diopter seem to fix all the problems. Now the Century is back in the game for me and hopefully it will for you too! I hope everyone found this article helpful and please share your though and comments.

JDN

@nomad can't speak to 14 on century, but used it without problem on a la7200 I had borrowed from a friend and was playing around with a while back. That said, the 25 leica looked much better.

jleo

I still see them in some movie supply houses sitting on the shelves.

http://www.whcamera.com/centuryoptics133xanamorphicfocusableconverter.aspx

One of our local camera shops had a clearance of Century anamorphic adapters for around $200. All gone now,

itimjim

@jleo I believe the BBC snapped a lot of them up from Century when they cleared the shelved. Not sure about $1500, seems a bit much.

jleo

You can still find that model in some camera stores, for around $1500. Century Optics used to clear out these lenses for $99.

The 37mm version could be modified to a wider thread on the back. I did it once with one of their wide angle converters.

itimjim

@BurnetRhoades I got it from @LPowell (Lee) on this site. It's got a step-up ring as well as the original bayonet mount.

BurnetRhoades

Whoah! Where did you get that? I've never seen that model before, not even on their website back when I was looking at them for a friend who wanted one for his GL1 or GL2, I forget which.

itimjim

Sure...

It's dual focus.

BurnetRhoades

@itimjim Interesting. Could you maybe post a pic of that Century? Is it dual-focus or is it a modified version of the more common variety?

itimjim

@BurnetRhoades that test video you posted is mine. No diopters used, just the Century Optics 1.33x. Mine is the focusable version though, that might make a difference. It's quite a large piece of glass.

I also have the LA7200 (and about 3 other anamorphics :)). I've chopped the front hood off the LA7200 and can use it with the 14/2.5, 14-45 and 14-140 no problem. My Tokina 11-16 works too, but I can't remember to which focal lenght it works. Will test later.

nomad

OK, it was only "lens whacking" without the proper step-up ring, but a Kern Switar 10mm works OK with the Century in ETC.

BurnetRhoades

Maybe, @CRFilms, but I'm only interested in the anamorphics that allow for full visual grammar so ETC and long lens solutions aren't useful to me. That's why I'll, regardless of how lovely the glass is, never mess with any of those attachments originally designed for the 8mm cameras. At least with the 16mm solutions there's still enough coverage for a semi-decent wide-ish shot. You're already hamstring'd with those rendering follow-focus an impossibility so I'll pass.

nomad

I'll try handheld, I have a 10mm Kern Switar but no rings for the Century yet (just got it lended to me).

Could you try the 14mm 2.5 for me, please?

CRFilms

I've got one of the last new 37mm Century Optic adapters and I believe I can put it on the 14mm pancake without vingetting, but I'm not sure. Also I believe it will vignette with the stock 14-42mm. I'll check later tonight. EDIT: Got delayed and now I can't find my adapters to mount the lens to either the pancake or the kit lens.

Even with a plus 1 diopter the corners are a bit soft. One thing I've always wanted to try is to mount it on a cctv or c mount lens. With the GH2s ETC you can zoom past the blurry edges. And it might work with some of those ultra wide fast c mount lenses. I've done it with the 14mm pancake, but I don't have any c mount lenses.

Does anybody have a 12mm or wider c mount and a century optic adapter to try it out?

soundgh2

@BurnetRhoades was a super slim step down to 46mm straight on the front - its very slight but was there - dont have the Century anymore or the 20 so cant have another look - used a Tokina 0.4 on the front which worked well with one of RedStans front clamps improved the quality a lot.

kellar42

I've got no Vignette on the 20 1.7 with the LA7200 (just posted a video in the Driftwood settings thread only with 20 1.7), and I understand the 14mm (as well as the Olympus 12) to work as well.

BurnetRhoades

@soundgh2 I'm betting that's from however you're adapting it to your taking lens. I've seen multiple videos of folks with the 20mm and no vignette at all. It's also, like the 14mm, got a smaller front lens element than my 14-42mm kit zoom and I can go to 18mm wide with that one.

...ah, here's a guy with the 14mm 2.5 and the Century working. It doesn't say anywhere that he had a diopter. For certain types of shots the extreme BD would be pretty cool.

soundgh2

Had vignette on the 20 1.7

BurnetRhoades

Just a hunch, but I'm guessing it's going to vignette. It'd be worth trying with an LA7200 though, maybe, the 14mm having such a tiny front element, maybe it might work. Just looking at the picture it seems quite a bit smaller than the rear element of the Century. My 14-42mm starts to vignette below about 18mm but even its, smallish front element, appears noticeably larger than the 14mm pancake prime.

You peaked my interest.

nomad

Anybody tried the Century with the Panny 14mm 2.5 ?

BurnetRhoades

Oh, oops, I thought I was posting that to the ColorGHear discussion, lol.

BurnetRhoades

@DrDave thanks, when I saw that color emerge I knew I was going to have fun with this new tool. The red freakazoid RX7 with the 2JZ transplant came out good too.

More subtle than the eye popping paint jobs, I was really happy to see how it affected really subtle details like being able to see finger prints in the polished aluminum pieces on wheels (see the CU on that white S2000) and in engine bays. The psychedelic window stickers really like that spectral enhancer as well.

DrDave

Nice color on the yellow honda.

BurnetRhoades

@kellar42 Oh, it's not so much the doing well at wide apertures, though that's nice, it's doing so at wide apertures and such wide angles for taking. Getting that close to seeing the edges of the anamorphic adapter and still having good image quality.

My Nikkors, most of them at least, have CRC which lets me get pretty close but not as close as you're getting. Not even with my Tokina doublet. I need to get me a set of Hoyas or the like for stronger close-up kung fu.

kellar42 · Screen Shot 2013-02-03 at 3.53.58 PM.png

Hmm, @BurnetRhoades I know we spoke about the Lumix 20 earlier in the thread, but I have had, other, full frame lenses do ok at wide apertures so I wasn't positive that was it, and after a little testing I'm still in a quandary although 'small glass' might definitely be part of it, for the reasons you mention, I guess.

And @maximizer, looking good, but do you notice a difference when using all these step up rings?

Below we have a few shots, none are done scientifically and now that I see them on the big screen I was probably a hair closer than I would be in real life on all of them as they're on the edge of focus. That said, we have:

1.) NEX5n, 16mm 2.8 Sony e mount pancake with no less than 5 step up and down rings to get to the LA7200. Focuses six inches from the bag.

2.) NEX5n, Kit Zoom at widest it'll go without vingetting (20-22mm) same five step up rings. Had to come back a hair to find focus but still 8-12" and on the countertop.

3.) GH2 and Nikon AIS 35mm F2, four step up rings. Had to get 5-6 back, as 'usual'.

4.) GH2 and Lumix Pancake, 3 step up rings (I don't have any combinations to try more), not great in the shot here, but surprised me by how close I can get, maybe a foot, which is close enough. Did I just not notice before? Certainly not possible on the lumix kit zoom.

What's going on? Well, apparently the 'rules' of the LA7200 aren't rules, first off. Next, something with pancakes, modern glass? Or is it just the wider you can go, the closer you can go? After all the 16mm on an APS-C sensor gives us something like a 19mm horizontal field of view with the LA7200 which is wider than anything else I've tried, and it gets the closest.

At any rate I hadn't 'noticed' close-focus with my pancake on the GH2, first step is to try shooting some close-ups that I had been doing without the adapter and cropping in post, out in the field. Next I suppose would be to see how much worse the video quality of the 5N is and try some close-ups on it. Lastly I need to get more step up rings to be able to experiment and remove that as a variable.

On the side note that BurnetRhoades brings up, I'm the guy sitting in a pile of FDs, AIS lens, buys Rokinons for still photography, etc. I like manual stuff and old lenses. Once the LA7200 entered my life, however, I have not turned my nose up at the Lumixes, Sonys, whatever works, as they gain plenty of organic character with the anamorphic and, it turns out, have quite a few advantages. (Sometimes exposure, lightning fast autofocus, again, whatever works.)

maxmizer

@kellar42 Yeaahh

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