Apefos Scoperama Anamorphic Adapter Development Topic

veeneman

apefos

I will ship the second unit for you today and update the shipping status on ebay with the tracking number!

mjones41

Captain Apefos, just a snap I took of my Apefoscope on a Juputer-3, I have one of the original f5.6 units but focus seems to be just as good at f4 as it is f5.6 with the J-3. It is actually mounted via a metal vented lens hood between the J-3 and the Apefoscope, so there is a 20mm gap between the lens and adaptor, doesn't seem to cause any problems at all.

The one thing I modified which I am really happy with is on the front of the unit I super glue'd a 67mm Cokin ring adaptor. This has 2 benefits, firstly I can use my Cokin filters on this, and scondly it acts as a bit of protection as I can sit the adaptor face down without fear of the lens getting scratched. Keep up the good work, can't wait to try out the f2.8 when it arrives ;)

Matt

PS and anyone out there thinking this looks bulky and heavy, it isn't, it is very light weight and extremely well balanced. Although my normal go to set up is the Apefoscope on a 12-50 zoom.

apefos

Hi everybody,

The last two Apefoscope units are assembled, tested and ready to ship. they are rated at f2.8 and are listed on ebay for sale.

I do not know if there will be more units in the future due to difficults in dealing with plastic services and optical labs.

ebay prices are 360 and 390 usd for the units, but If somebody who is P-V member wants to buy, PM me, I can do a special price for paypal payment and free shipping direct to P-V members. See the listings:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321152412502?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321152413087?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Thanks!

johnnym

With the Contax i think it looks really good.

veeneman

apefos

Excelent job Veeneman! I am happy to see the results you got with the Apefoscope rated at f2.8

veeneman

Did another video testing different taking lenses on a DIY Lens Test Chart...

apefos

The widest lenses to use with the Apefoscope are:

35mm for M43 cameras

40mm for Canon APS-C cameras

45mm for Nikon and Sony NEX APS-C cameras

60mm for D800 or NEX with Speed Booster

70mm for full frame cameras.

veeneman

I tried the Canon FD 28mm on the Apefoscope this morning. It has some very slight vignetting in the corners. I think it's usable, but not perfect.

apefos

Well done @veeneman The Oly 38mm lens works great with the Apefoscope.

veeneman

Here's some test footage with my 38mm lens.

Meanwhile, I got a 28mm canon fd 2.8 lens in the mail. The iris ended up being stuck, so I returned it... but i briefly tested it with the anamorphic adapter. The 28mm seemed like the largest size you can use while avoiding vignetting.

veeneman

Hmm... maybe my Canon FD 35mm is bad. Mine has horrible barrel distortion. Nothing is straight. oh well.

Anyway, I have a little Olympus pen f 38mm which I prefer. If time permits, I'll gather some footage with that later this week.

apefos

I also have the Canon FD 35mm 2.8 and I do not see issues in that lens, in my tests it works good with the adapter. Better option will be to shoot some footage with this combo to upload. I think It will be good to show the Apefoscope working with other lenses, until today I just uploaded videos with the Nikon 35mm 1.4

veeneman

@Apefos No problem.

I have a Canon FD 35mm 2.8 lens, but the barrel distortion on that prime lens awful. I hate that lens. It works fine with the Apefoscope... I just can't stand the look of that prime lens.

I'm going to order a cheap canon fd 28mm and see how that works. With the GH2 crop that might be the jackpot. I'll let you know.

apefos

@Veeneman thanks for the review.

the adapter works better with short focal length lenses. 35mm and 50mm give better results. Lenses above 50mm magnifies the imperfections so much, so I do not recommend. If you crop the 24mm lens footage in post you can remove the vignetting, but better option is to get a cheap Canon FD 35mm f2.8, it will avoid vignetting and keep the quality good.

Try to experiment more with focus following the operating instructions, I see in the video sometimes the focus is good, but it is in the wrong part of the frame.

@JohnBarlow thanks for the idea, I will evaluate it terms of manufacturing possibilities with the resources I have.

JohnBarlow

At this moment I do not know what I can do for the adapter in terms of improvements

Hope you dont mind me saying that making a simple focus ring will not break the bank and will make the product look and feel much better.

See pic below ---- three rings, two are fixed either side of the center ring which has a slot on the bias for the inner tube lugs. Turn the ring and the inner tube moves in/out. Put a scale on one of the fixed rings. Yeah, also paint the edges of the glass with indian ink, to hide the raggedy edge grinding.

So simple but will improve the product perceptions

Nearly forgot - stick some ping pong bat pimple rubber over the center ring for improved finish

veeneman

ok, got some test footage...

Test footage was shot with my hacked GH2 and a few prime lenses identified in the video. Aside from changing the footage to the 1.33 aspect ratio, none of the footage was altered.

Extra Notes: One of the shots with the Canon FD 24mm was at a 1 foot focus distance(the sink shot with water dripping). Unlike most anamorphics, the focus distance is really good with this thing.

veeneman

I ordered Apefos's gold coated adapter rated at 5.6 and thought I'd share my initial results. It took me a few hours to get familiarized with focusing. Once I got that down, this adapter works great.

I've successfully tested it with an assortment of lenses: Canon FD 35mm f2.8, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.2 Contax G 45mm f2 and 90mm f2.8 Olympus Pen F 1.8

With my Canon FD 135mm, I couldn't quite nail down the focusing. I was delighted to see my Canon FD 24mm can work with some acceptable vignetting... it barely fits, but the 24 looks damn good.

Also, Apefos ratings for sharpness and focusing distance are conservative. I'm sure it depends on your lens, but I've gotten some acceptably sharp images at F4 and below. I've also focused on things well within 1 meter of the adapter... I think that was with the contax g ziess glass. I thought this was worth mentioning because I'm using one of the cheap lower quality models, rated at f5.6. The adaptor is also really light.

Bottom Line: Forget about the diopters or cropping a 2x anamorphic... This thing is cheaper, and it works well. Get one on ebay before I decide to buy two.

I'll post some test videos later...

apefos

So after 10 days out from internet I came back. It was a good time to rethink some things. I removed the listing for the Apefoscope manufacturing rights and technical specifications from ebay. At this moment I do not know what I can do for the adapter in terms of improvements, but I will go on selling units as I was doing before these holidays, I have 5 units at this moment, and if I can count on my old optical and plastic partners I will build more units in the same way, there are some time I talked to them last time so I will confirm if they want to continue building units. Thanks.

apefos

I will be giving a break for some rest, thanks!

apefos

Maybe some company can buy and improve the adapter with the CNC lens grinding and make lots of money.

If no company buy I will continue building units for sale with the mechanical grinding, the best I can do.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Apefoscope Rights and Technical Specifications is for sale, you can become the manufacturer and sell units worldwide:

How it is related to making adapters for people?

Are you giving up or what?

P.S. No one will buy this.

apefos

Now getting best offer

apefos

Apefoscope Rights and Technical Specifications is for sale, you can become the manufacturer and sell units worldwide:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321064572159?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#

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