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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Anamorphic Lens Tests - Kowa, Arri Master Anamorphic & Lomo

Insanely impressive how controlled the breathing is on the Arri master anamorphics
 
Well - the Arri Master Ana's are certainly modern anamorphics - very much like normal spherical primes (very clean), but I miss the Ana breathing and mumps :)

I'd presume the Lomo's are Roundfronts... as the 35mm has a lot of barrel distortion. Interesting that the Kowa has the strongest flare - but the Lomo RF's don't flare as much as the Lomo Squares. I haven't used Kowas, but I was expecting a warmer flare (more to orange) from what I'd heard, so a blue flare was a surprise.

Overall, I like the Kowas in this test - especially in terms of bokeh.

I'd like to see some Hawk Vintage 74's with this simple test.
 
On the Kowa and Lomo I felt the breathing/distortion too unsettling at 50MM or wider. The more telephoto it gets, the less it bothers me.

The Arri Masters looked clean, less unsettling on the wides. But certainly less character.
 
Wow, the breathing on the Lomos and Kowas is much more severe than I'd imagined. The Zeiss are so, so much more controlled. Also the Lomos and Kowas aren't that sharp by comparison - not saying they don't look good (the bokeh is at least interesting), but I have to say the Master Anamorphics really sing here - bitingly sharp, have nice bokeh, and overall have a very modern image.

That said...the "JJ Abrams" flares of the Kowas are...um...sublime.
 
Timur Civan said:
wow i kinda hate the Masters....

LOVE the Kowas....
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Funny I kind of hated the Masters earlier, but this test made me feel neutral about them. I get it - they are clinically great Anamorphics. The Kowas do have a mind numbingly good flare, I have to say!

The only let down about this test is it's hard to truly judge bokeh with these...a hum drum office doesn't really convey the same as say a night-scape, or some lush greenery (ie a forrest or park in back).
 
Well we've seen plenty of Kowas wide open in my work... what I was suprised about was the lack of interesting flare on the lomos...
 
never used the lomos but when using the anamorphic adapters I have worked with you have to make sure the anamorphic lens is perfectly straight otherwise it will skew the perspective.

The bokehs are leaning to the left and the color chart heavily skewed in that 75mm shot on the lomo:

ana.jpg


Is that regular behavior or did they misalign the lens?
 
Christopher Probst said:
what I was suprised about was the lack of interesting flare on the lomos...
Click to expand...

Agreed ... maybe these are Roundfronts that are recoated (or have had coating changes)? RF's I've used before have flared more than this... so maybe it's down to lens year/coating too?

But I've never used Kowas, so was surprised by the blue flare in this test (was expecting a warmer/orange style flare).
 
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Karim_Nassar said:
never used the lomos but when using the anamorphic adapters I have worked with you have to make sure the anamorphic lens is perfectly straight otherwise it will skew the perspective.

The bokehs are leaning to the left and the color chart heavily skewed in that 75mm shot on the lomo:


Is that regular behavior or did they misalign the lens?
Click to expand...
The Lomo 75mm definitely looks skewed. I don't think it typical I have seen others that weren't.
I love those Kowas!
 
Karim_Nassar said:
never used the lomos but when using the anamorphic adapters I have worked with you have to make sure the anamorphic lens is perfectly straight otherwise it will skew the perspective.

The bokehs are leaning to the left and the color chart heavily skewed in that 75mm shot on the lomo:

Is that regular behavior or did they misalign the lens?
Click to expand...

As Chris has just posted, it's not normal for a 75mm to look like that. The lens needs to fixed.

RF's are housed as one lens, so it's unlikely someone has tried to align it (incorrectly), it's more likely that it's just gone out of alignment through use.

This happens on older anamorphics (a lot), so it's wise to do tests before any shoot as this highlights issues like this (and means you need to get the lens replaced if it's a rental - or sent to a lens tech for adjustment). It's always good to have prep time.
 
Chris Elkerton said:
The Lomo 75mm definitely looks skewed. I don't think it typical I have seen others that weren't.
I love those Kowas!
Click to expand...

I see thanks.

Well I will go against the trend in here and say that the Arris are my favorites by far.

Simply because they show no distortion/skew on the image which makes it much more comfortable to watch.
Not only on the environment, the womans face looks distorted to me on the others.

ana2.jpg


Flares can easily be added in post anyways.

Now if the lenses are actually slanted then it's another story and the comparison is not fair...
 
Andy White said:
RF's are housed as one lens, so it's unlikely someone has tried to align it (incorrectly), it's more likely that it's just gone out of alignment through use.

This happens on older anamorphics (a lot), so it's wise to do tests before any shoot as this highlights issues like this (and means you need to get the lens replaced if it's a rental - or sent to a lens tech for adjustment). It's always good to have prep time.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info
the kowas are also housed as one lens?
 
Karim_Nassar said:
thanks for the info
the kowas are also housed as one lens?
Click to expand...

Yes on the Kowas (although I've not used one - only held them :). The only 2 lens 'cine' anas I know of (where the the rear and front lenses can be two pieces) are the Lomo Squarefront's that normally come in OCT-18 mounts. These have a single front ana and an interchangeable rear (50mm/75mm) - the set is completed by a 2 piece 35mm.

The one piece Squarefronts are housed as single lens units and come in 35mm/50mm/80mm sets. The other two piece lens is the Foton zoom with front ana... and this one does need careful adjustment to avoid off-sets and skews.
 
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