Panavision Anamorphics on the 5D2

[Tom Lowe]

I had a chance to try some Panavision anamorphics on my 5D2 today. I'm prepping for some 2nd unit work shooting digital timelapse that is supposed to match 1st unit's 35mm film anamorphic. I was surprised to discover that the 50mm Primo fits and works well using one of the Panavision>EOS adapters that was custom built recently at the Hollywood location.

The 50mm Primo T2 covers about 80% of the sensor, resulting in a nearly square "4K" image, meaning that it's roughly 4K wide. But once you unsqueeze the image at 2:1, you are left with something like 3K by 6K! This should be a lot of fun!

http://i40.tinypic.com/2hxvvao.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/1zgulxd.jpg

Sample shot:

http://i44.tinypic.com/555rv7.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/2vb761x.jpg

If anyone is interested I will try to get some more pics and info as the shoot progresses.

[hunterrichards]

So its 50mm and up that cover? I have a friend that has two PV/EOS adapters and I was thinking the same thing. Cant wait to see your anamorphic timelapses!

[Kholi Hicks]

Whoa whoa whoa

I thought you couldn't get these on the camera without having to modify the body? Or you can get a Panavision mount no issue, but PL won't work?

Fill me in.

I'm okay with a 50 and up coverage m'self. But would be fine with even less for Music Videos and Short Filmms.

Divulge

Berserk wasn't good man sorry

[hunterrichards]

Panavision has a longer FFD than PL mount lenses which allows them to work on EOS mount bodies. They already have made adapters for PV mount lenses on EOS cameras too.

[Tom Lowe]

The 35mm Primo fit but the amount of the 35mm sensor that it covered was much smaller than what the 50mm covers, so I figured the 50mm Primo would be best.

You have to figure that a 50mm on a FF35 = 35mm on a motion 35mm camera. Then once you add in the anamorphic factor (with some side cropping), the 50mm Primo is actually the equivalent of roughly a 20mm lens on a standard 35mm cinema camera! 50mm sure doesn't sound wide, but it is! The fun part of this shoot is that we will have a number of anamorphic lenses, going up to 180mm I think.

Some of the wider E and C series anamorphics did not fit, because they bump into the plastic well behind the lens ring.

Keep in mind that IMO, this is really only useful for timelapse, shooting 21mp stills full frame. Once you get into video mode 1080p, it would be kind of pointless to use anamorphics, because the sensor area is cropped (smaller) and you would actually lose resolution from 1080p I think. But once DSMC FF35 comes out, it will be open seasons with these anamorphics!!

[Rick Darge]

Wow Tom! That's awesome man!! Looks so front heavy!

[Tom Lowe]

The goddamn thing weighs 20 pounds! The 5D2 seems like a rear lens cap on it! :)

[Charles Angus]

Very nice.

[Brook Willard]

Looks like there was an intense discussion around the white board in the background before the picture was taken...

[Tom Lowe]

Looks like there was an intense discussion around the white board in the background before the picture was taken...

Heh heh, this is the result of the fact that I never went to film school. A lot of times people have to explain really basic stuff to me.... The guy at Panavision was giving me a quick lesson on why longer focal length anamorphics cover a much larger area of a FF35 sensor. :blush:

[Raphael Varandas]

wow... inspiring

post some more as possible as you can

nice work... great idea

and about the timelapses unfreakinreal, marvellous

Thanks Tom

keep going

[Sanjin Jukic]

Tom,

it's amazing what you are doing.

But from my point of view even use of Panavision anamorphics can't "save" a sort of dignity about 5DMK2 as a motion picture camera.

Simply, it's not about Canon, 5Dmk2,... it's about compression involved and artifacts that have and even use of best lenses can't keep

things going on towards a Panavision quality widescreen picture... just for example Canon's 5Dmk2 "HD video" doesn't have Todd-AO camera quality picture at the end.

Anyway it could be interesting experiment and of course I'll wish you the best.

Hope I didn't upset you with my opinion.

[Craig Parkes]

Heh heh, this is the result of the fact that I never went to film school. A lot of times people have to explain really basic stuff to me.... The guy at Panavision was giving me a quick lesson on why longer focal length anamorphics cover a much larger area of a FF35 sensor. :blush:

Trust me - they don't normally teach that stuff at film school - at least that's not the impression I would have from all the film school students I have ever dealt with!

[Craig Parkes]

Tom,

it's amazing what you are doing.

But from my point of view even use of Panavision anamorphics can't "save" a sort of dignity about 5DMK2 as a motion picture camera.

Simply, it's not about Canon, 5Dmk2,... it's about compression involved and artifacts that have and even use of best lenses can't keep

things going in a Panavision quality widescreen direction... just for example Canon 5Dmk2 doesn't have Todd-AO camera quality picture at the end.

Anyway it could be interesting experiment and of course I'll wish you the best.

Hope I didn't upset you with my opinion.

Uh, Sanjin, he's using it for Timelapse, not motion, so I'm pretty sure it will be shooting RAW - as it's intended use would be.

[Tom Lowe]

Uh, Sanjin, he's using it for Timelapse, not motion, so I'm pretty sure it will be shooting RAW - as it's intended use would be.

Correct.

Like I mentioned earlier, I think using these anamorphics on the 5D2 in video mode would be worthless if you are trying to finish at 1080p.

Shooting full 21mp RAW stills on the Canon with Panavision anamorphics results in timelapse frames roughly 7700 x 3700! Obviously, there is plenty of room for downsampling to 4K!

[Craig Ryan]

Cool stuff as usual Tom; any chance of us getting a peek at the final product once its shot?

And believe me, that kinda stuff isn't taught at the majority of film schools. Maybe the ones with advanced cinematography though.

[Sanjin Jukic]

Uh, Sanjin, he's using it for Timelapse, not motion, so I'm pretty sure it will be shooting RAW - as it's intended use would be.

Craig,

sorry but I forgot it.

I thought that he is going to do the same like this example below but with anamorphics:

http://blog.planet5d.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/panavision-lens-to-canon-eos-lens-mount-adapter-agbkblog.jpg
Panavision lens on Canon EOS camera...

LINK>>> (http://blog.planet5d.com/2009/04/music-video-filmed-with-canon-5d-mark-ii-and-panavision-movie-lens/)

Also could be that Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III is even better choice for that sort of "Baraka" movie timelapse style...

But maybe I am totally wrong again...

So let us have a look at the final result.

[Kenneth Elkington]

Correct.

Like I mentioned earlier, I think using these anamorphics on the 5D2 in video mode would be worthless if you are trying to finish at 1080p.

Shooting full 21mp RAW stills on the Canon with Panavision anamorphics results in timelapse frames roughly 7700 x 3700! Obviously, there is plenty of room for downsampling to 4K!

I don't know if you're right about the resolution, since the 5d only captures a picture a little less than 6k wide you can't get more resolution in there.

[Tom Lowe]

I don't know if you're right about the resolution, since the 5d only captures a picture a little less than 6k wide you can't get more resolution in there.

So how do you measure it? The image area the 5D2 captures with the Primo 50mm is roughly 4K x 4K - not quite but nearly square. So do you expand horizontally to 8K x 4K? Or reduce vertically to 4K wide x 2K tall and just gain all the extra detail?

I guess you could just figure out what your final post width will be -- 4K or 2K or whatever -- resize it to that width, then squeeze it vertically to fit?

[David Mullen ASC]

If you are just shooting day exterior time-lapse, is there much reason to use anamorphic lenses versus just cropping your 12MP images to 2.40? Are you really going to see a lot of anamorphic lens artifacts to make it necessary to use the same lenses as the main production, which I assume is shooting on film anyway?

[Tom Lowe]

If you are just shooting day exterior time-lapse, is there much reason to use anamorphic lenses versus just cropping your 12MP images to 2.40? Are you really going to see a lot of anamorphic lens artifacts to make it necessary to use the same lenses as the main production, which I assume is shooting on film anyway?

It's not my choice, David. I had initially thought the same thing you are suggesting. I was going to offer my 14-24 Nikon or 24 f/1.4 still lenses but the production seems to want anamorphic. We will be shooting quite a bit of night timelapse stuff around the city, with lots of shimmering lights.

[Andrew Walker]

It's not my choice, David. I had initially thought the same thing you are suggesting. I was going to offer my 14-24 Nikon or 24 f/1.4 still lenses but the production seems to want anamorphic. We will be shooting quite a bit of night timelapse stuff around the city, with lots of shimmering lights.

I'm interested to see some city stuff from you Tom. I don't think I have seen any yet. All the clips I've seen have been the awesome star fields. The city is fun to shoot but it can be a little rough sometimes.

[Pietro Impagliazzo]

Anamorphic timelapse...

You're heading to the right direction Tom.

:)

[David Mullen ASC]

That sort of answers the question because at night, wide-open, you can get a lot of anamorphic artifacts which are interesting, especially on longer lenses with out-of-focus planes. So I can see why they want you to shoot anamorphic for that, just make sure you use primes with front anamorphic elements. There's no reason to use an anamorphic zoom because a rear-anamorphic lens hardly has any anamorphic artifacts.

[Gavin Greenwalt]

If anyone is interested I will try to get some more pics and info as the shoot progresses.

"If anyone is interested".... don't be coy Tom. Who WOULDN'T be interested? :D

[Kenneth Elkington]

So how do you measure it? The image area the 5D2 captures with the Primo 50mm is roughly 4K x 4K - not quite but nearly square. So do you expand horizontally to 8K x 4K? Or reduce vertically to 4K wide x 2K tall and just gain all the extra detail?

I guess you could just figure out what your final post width will be -- 4K or 2K or whatever -- resize it to that width, then squeeze it vertically to fit?

You're getting eactly as much resolution as you're capturing from the sensor. I think you're a little confused by the anamorphic, because you can only ever capture as much detail as the camera has pixels(or in your case the number of pixels being exposed). The captured resolution would be 4kx4k or ~16 MP.

[Dominic Jones]

Kenneth's bang on - the "extra" resolution you get from anamorphic is due to not cropping the sensor (or film gate, of course!) down to the 2.40:1 ratio and loosing a lot of information.

Now, if you are finishing for a non-anamorphic projection, then you're probably going to loose that resolution at some stage anyway (as you'll convert the image and squeeze it back down to fit in either a 2K or 4K 16:9 frame), but at least that will be later on, once CC and effects have been applied (or at least, one hopes so). But if you finish for an anamorphic projection, it all stays in the frame...

Sounds like a great project by the way Tom, congratulations on landing it - judging by your previous work it certainly seems like you deserve it...

Cheers,
Dom.

[Matthew Bennett]

Wow, RAW timelapses, I always just end up shooting small jpgs....

What kind of rigs are you going to be using, Tom??

Still with your own motor driven dolly, or getting into more advanced motion controlled crane moves and the like??
Lately I attached a wee motor to my Kessler pocket dolly, and then put the dolly on a severe tilt, do a timelapse, and the result is like a small crane-move in timelapse... good stuff!

[Matthew Bennett]

I'm interested to see some city stuff from you Tom. I don't think I have seen any yet. All the clips I've seen have been the awesome star fields. The city is fun to shoot but it can be a little rough sometimes.

Andrew should know... he seems to have done time under every dark, seedy bridge in the LA area... way late at night with an expensive camera clicking away...

[Craig Meadows]

Tom gets to have all the fun!

[Joe G.]

Tom--

A side question, how did they do that daytime timelapse at the end of Baraka, where you can see the stars in the daytime?

Is there something magical in filtering it, or ultraviolet/infrared, or is it just stopped down a lot?

[David Mullen ASC]

I haven't seen it, but it would either have to be a moonlit shot exposed fully so it looked as bright as daytime, or a composite effect adding stars to a daytime shot.

Here's a photo of my car taken under moonlight:

http://www.davidmullenasc.com/moonlit3.jpg

If I had set the color temp of my Nikon to 5600K instead of 3200K, it would be normal daytime color as well.

[C.H.Haskell]

Tom, great gig man...I look forward to some field result. Go kill em man. Best of luck.

[Petr Dvorak]

Wow wow wow Tom you have a lot of fun :thumbsup:
Cant wait for results.

[Tom Lowe]

Well I hate to disappoint, but it looks like after meeting with the director today and looking at some test shots of the 5D2 cropped vs Red anamorphic vs 5D2 + anamorphic, etc, we've tentatively decided to do what what David said -- just shoot spherical on FF35 still lenses and crop to 2.40. The anamorphics were just too exotic and heavy, plus the 5D2 cannot take any Panavision anamorphics beyond 180mm, which is actually similar to a 60mm on a cinema 35mm camera -- not enough reach for some of the long-lens shots we have planned. Plus we are wanting to use multiple 5D2s, so unfortunately, I don't know if I will be able to work in any anamorphic shots. We'll see.

Drew, I was hoping to maybe bring you into this production to help, since your LA timelapses are so freekin awesome and you have so much experience with this. I'll PM you about it. One up side is that several of our locations, including some nice rooftops, will be fully permitted and rented, so no hassles getting chased off by the popo.

[Tom Lowe]

Tom--

A side question, how did they do that daytime timelapse at the end of Baraka, where you can see the stars in the daytime?

Is there something magical in filtering it, or ultraviolet/infrared, or is it just stopped down a lot?

That's all shot at night, Joe. It's like David's photo there. Long exposure with moonlight creates a blue sky that looks very similar to the daylight skies we see with our eyes.

[Andrew Walker]

Well I hate to disappoint, but it looks like after meeting with the director today and looking at some test shots of the 5D2 cropped vs Red anamorphic vs 5D2 + anamorphic, etc, we've tentatively decided to do what what David said -- just shoot spherical on FF35 still lenses and crop to 2.40. The anamorphics were just too exotic and heavy, plus the 5D2 cannot take any Panavision anamorphics beyond 180mm, which is actually similar to a 60mm on a cinema 35mm camera -- not enough reach for some of the long-lens shots we have planned. Plus we are wanting to use multiple 5D2s, so unfortunately, I don't know if I will be able to work in any anamorphic shots. We'll see.

Drew, I was hoping to maybe bring you into this production to help, since your LA timelapses are so freekin awesome and you have so much experience with this. I'll PM you about it. One up side is that several of our locations, including some nice rooftops, will be fully permitted and rented, so no hassles getting chased off by the popo.

Sounds f-ing awesome man. Of course I'm down to shoot some timelapse from rooftops...check your PM:thumbsup:

[Andrew Walker]

Andrew should know... he seems to have done time under every dark, seedy bridge in the LA area... way late at night with an expensive camera clicking away...

I've learned to grow eyes in the back of my head. People on bikes are sometimes the quietest. I usually setup my camera and take up a position to see who's coming my way. Its just safe practices on the streets of LA.

[Kholi Hicks]

Aw dang. Was lookin' forward to some stills. But gotta do the right thing.

Thanks for at least posting a test still!

[Tom Lowe]

I still might try to work in one anamorphic shot if I can! Just to say we did it. :)

[Sanjin Jukic]

I still might try to work in one anamorphic shot if I can! Just to say we did it. :)

Tom,

it's very brave from you and also nice that you are not giving up use of anamorphic on 5D (possible to use Panavision lenses only with EOS mount).

But following the rules of Baraka made by Ron Fricke, a master of time-lapse photography, he decided for his next project Samsara (filming) to
"photograph in 70mm film using both standard frame rates and a motion control time-lapse camera designed
specifically for this project. This camera system will allow him to shift perspectives to reveal extraordinary views of ordinary scenes.
The film elements will be then be scanned to a digital intermediate format. Effects produced in this manner will be stunning without
appearing artificial. Samsara will be the ultimate showpiece for both the HD format and high-resolution digital projection,
as well as standard film projection."

LINK>>> (http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/samsara-official-press-releases)

What does it mean?

So if it would be possible to achieve Baraka like a time-lapse photography with existing DSLR time-lapse quality Ron Fricke would do it for sure...

But it is not possible and Ron Fricke is still shooting on film (70mm/65mm) and possible with the same set of Todd -AO anamorphic lenses that can be rented at Clairmont Camera (http://www.clairmont.com/catalog/us_cat/pages/lenses/35mm_anamorphic_prime_lenses.html).

All other anamorphic experiments with 5D and similar DSLRs (GH1, DX3, etc,..) as I said before are going to finish in a field of "advanced video touristic cinematography"...

[Tom Lowe]

Sanjin, I don't know. It's possible that Fricke is using multiple cameras and then blending between shots in post to produce VFX "moves" or perspective changes. I can't remember what that technique is called (it's fairly new I think), but I saw an amazing sample of it yesterday from some post/VFX guys out of London. Basically you set up a few cameras side by side with overlapping FOV's then "pan" across multiple cameras to produce something that looks like a dolly move. It's really stunning! I know some guys in the Republic of Georgia (they post here too) who have something like 160 Canon 40D cameras that they can line up and sync for bullet-time, but after this thing I viewed yesterday, I am hoping to talk to them about trying to use their gear to shoot something with this new technique! Maybe a TVC or something.

Anyway, in terms of 65mm film vs 5D2, for example, I think Fricke and Mark Magidson are fully aware that "Samsara" will probably be the last major film ever shot on 65mm Todd AO, so they are planning to throw one hell of a final farewell party with "Samsara"!!!!!!

[David Mullen ASC]

Don't confuse Todd-AO 35, which was anamorphic (used on movies like "Logan's Run"), with regular Todd-AO, which was 5-perf 65mm spherical, the same format as Super Panavision. Todd-AO 35 anamorphics, put on a 65mm Todd-AO camera, would be adding a 2X squeeze to a 2.20 : 1 negative, creating a 4.40 : 1 aspect ratio, assuming the lenses even fill the 65mm negative, which I doubt.

[Tom Lowe]

Sanjin, check out my new signature. :thumbsup:

[Roberto B]

Sanjin, check out my new signature. :thumbsup:lol do not steal him the title..

[Andrew Walker]

Sanjin, check out my new signature. :thumbsup:

Good one Tom.

I think Sanjin is a little confused as to the use of this setup...or I am. But as I was lead to believe it was going to be used in a timelapse setup, which is quite different than using the video function on the 5D2.

[hunterrichards]

Sanjin is the salt of reduser.

[Joe G.]

"Here's a photo of my car taken under moonlight:"

Thanks David (and Tom). That's amazing. I never knew you could do "night for day."

What ISO, F-stop and shutter are required?

[Rick Darge]

LOL Tom.

I think Canon should brand all of their 5DM2 with that title. It would be nice to see that on the box... Would make me feeling like I'm buying something advanced for all my touring.

[Sanjin Jukic]

Sanjin, check out my new signature. :thumbsup:


Tom,

I back now (afters too much wine), and: wow that's great news... your signature like that you should just leave it for a some-time :rofl:

But anyway back to the Ron Fricke Baraka picture quality that I think no any Hollywood movie before or even after Baraka achieved that

outstanding anamorphic(s) or whatever type of moving image quality anyway...

(that's also would make crazy all those "in line waiting for a job list Hollywood type of shooter(s)" on this or any other similar forum just simply a jealous)...

Or just imagine if every Hollywood feature drama/action/comedy/horror would have this type of Baraka image quality that would be really another or even new

type of moving image art...

but it is still not a reality just because all (decision making) is in a hands of almost always "doomed" and mostly "stupid" producers and their (monopole)

collaborators in a rental and other parts of production in motion picture industry... but sorry that would lead us now to another big topic...

Also it is very-very expensive to make 70mm/65mm feature film production, so many compromises are always involved...

[Rick Darge]

Sanjin, you're an alcoholic... :)

[Sanjin Jukic]

Sanjin, you're an alcoholic... :)

Ha, ha, ha, Richard are you a traffic policeman from CA or what (?)...

BTW, I am drinking a wine all of my life... and it's a part of my lifestyle and philosophy...

Also wine is a drink chosen by the "Gods" even before Biblical time...

Ancient Greece (where wine was a sort of holy drink) is a motherhood of our Western Civilization...

by Bertrand Russell his book: A History of Western Civilization (http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Western-Philosophy-Bertrand-Russell/dp/0415078547)>>>

And now it's all going beyond Westen Civilization that reaches rules of other Global Civilization(s)

and its way of living, feeling, thinking and existing...

I do not discuss any more that so take it or leave it as it is...

[Rick Darge]

I love wine. I was raised in wine country Napa Valley. More than enough to go around up there.

[Sanjin Jukic]

I love wine. I was raised in wine country Napa Valley. More than enough to go around up there.


Richard,

you are a lucky guy and now I'm sure you understand me even better...

[Tom Lowe]

Well, we are back on for one Panavision Anamorphic/5D2 shot monday night.

So, a quick exposure question here. We have a shot exposure picked out for a city skyline night shot. It's ISO 800 f/4 1/8th second on the 5D2 with still lenses. So what T-stop should I set the Panavision Primo to? T4?

[Phil Holland]

Tom. It's so amazingingly random that you and I have met or even worked together, but I've been on the same track for about 3 years using anamorphic lenses on still cameras.

Here's an image shot on an old Isco anamorphic that actually covers the full 35mm plane. It's about a 1.5x anamorphic which produces a 2:1 aspect ratio.

http://www.artbyphil.com/phfx/photography/misc_2008_NovemberLA/images/PHFX9956.jpg
- bigger (http://www.artbyphil.com/cgi-bin/phfxview.cgi?image=photography/misc_2008_NovemberLA/bigs/PHFX9956.jpg)

And this is actually a 100mm f/2 anamorphic lens that I had Panavision machine together. This sucker is a 2x anamorphic and produces a 3:1 aspect ratio, which is what I was originally after.
http://www.artbyphil.com/phfx/photography/misc_2008_NovemberLA/images/hollywoodandhighland.jpg
- bigger (http://www.artbyphil.com/cgi-bin/phfxview.cgi?image=photography/misc_2008_NovemberLA/bigs/hollywoodandhighland.jpg)

My goals were rather different on this front though because I wanted full coverage on the sensor.

I'm currently trying to build a wide angle anamorphic, something between 25mm and 35mm if possible, but this is just getting silly expensive on my side.

Here's a couple others from the 100mm.

http://www.artbyphil.com/phfx/photography/2008_12_20_SaltonSea/images/PHFX0598.jpg
-bigger (http://www.artbyphil.com/cgi-bin/phfxview.cgi?image=photography/2008_12_20_SaltonSea/bigs/PHFX0598.jpg)

http://www.artbyphil.com/phfx/photography/shoot2008_linzUnderooz/images/linzUnderooz_055.jpg

These were all shot on the 1Ds Mark III. I've done a little testing with the video on the 5D Mark II and the anamorphics, but you will certainly be using higher quality optics for your shoot. Locking focus, as always, is just a "pleasure" with these suckers.

Cheers man, and good luck on the shoot!

[Tom Lowe]

http://www.artbyphil.com/phfx/photography/misc_2008_NovemberLA/images/hollywoodandhighland.jpg

OMG, this shot kicks ass, Phil. I'm going to PM you about something.

[Roberto Lequeux]

Nice Tom! I am glad to see you will get at least one anamorphic shot. Hope you have fun and like Drew said, I am very much looking forward to seeing some city stuff from you!

I suppose your dolly and robot head will manage the extra weight without a problem right?

[Tom Lowe]

Probably could manage it, but the anamorphic shot won't be a dolly move in this case.

[ericyoung]

Don't confuse Todd-AO 35, which was anamorphic (used on movies like "Logan's Run"), with regular Todd-AO, which was 5-perf 65mm spherical, the same format as Super Panavision. Todd-AO 35 anamorphics, put on a 65mm Todd-AO camera, would be adding a 2X squeeze to a 2.20 : 1 negative, creating a 4.40 : 1 aspect ratio, assuming the lenses even fill the 65mm negative, which I doubt.

Wow, how does all this info fit in your head David? :blink: :)

[David Mullen ASC]

Widescreen format history is one of my hobbies...

As for T-stops, Tom, think of them as more accurate f-stops. In other words, if your meter says "f/4" then you set the lens to T/4.

The idea behind T-stops was just that there is some slight light loss through the lens so one lens at f/4, for example, wouldn't give you the same exposure as another lens at f/4. So they measure the actual light that the lens transmits, hence the "T", and move the f-stop mark to a more accurate position on the ring so that the amount of light is actually that f-stop. But they can't call it an f-stop anymore because that figure is an actual physical measurement based on aperture size and focal length.

But since on most lenses, the difference between an f-stop and T-stop is only a quarter-stop or so (an f/2.8 zoom might be a T/3.1), you can think of them as the same thing more or less, or when in doubt using a lens marked in f-stops, open up a little...

[Tom Lowe]

Thanks, David. So if my f/4 exposure is as bright as I want to go (I definitely don't want to go any brighter or it will begin to blow out), then I should stop down a tiny amount on the Primo past T4? Like T4.3 or something?

[David Mullen ASC]

The T-stop is a more accurate f-stop mark, so if you want to shoot at f/4... then shoot at T/4, get it? If you don't want to shoot at f/4, then shoot at the T-stop you want.

It's only an issue with lenses marked in f-stops, not T-stops, because then if you want to shoot at f/4, your lens marked at f/4 might not be giving you an f/4, it might be underexposing by a quarter-stop or something. Not normally a big deal of course, but if you had multiple cameras running on the same subject, you'd normally want them to match in exposure, so it's easier with lenses marked in T-stops because then you know that if you want f/4, you set every lens to T/4 and they should match. Whereas if every lens only had f-stop marks and you set them all to f/4, some may be exposing less than others.

Just think of T-stops as the f-stop and don't confuse yourself. If you want to open up or close down a little, that's up to you. Besides, isn't your DSLR reading the exposure through the lens anyway?

The difference between the f-stop and T-stop is so minor, it's not the difference between blowing out or not. Besides, as I said, if you want to shoot at f/4 because that's what your meter tells you, then T/4 would be the best match to what your meter tells you because T/4 is an f/4, exposure-wise. f/4, on the other hand, might not be an f/4...

The simplest thing would be to put the still camera lens you are used to on your Canon and then the Primo and shoot the same subject at the same stop and see the difference. If the Primo is consistently a quarter-stop brighter in exposure, then you take that into account when switching between the lenses to match each other better. So you may be stopping down the Primo slightly to match or opening up the still camera lens slightly.

Though all of this is assuming that the T-stop marks on the Primo are accurate. I found when shooting with the old 11:1 Primo anamorphic zoom that it was consistently exposing less than the Primo anamorphic primes, despite both being marked in T-stops. It may be to exposure ramping, the T-stops on the zoom were perhaps set for the wide-angle position whereas I tended to only use the zoom for tighter shots.

[Tom Lowe]

Thanks, David. I wasn't using a light meter to find the correct exposure, I was just bracketing shots on the 5D2 with a still lens until I found the right exposure, then I double-checked the shots on my monitor when I got home. The exposure is basically ISO 100 f/4 for 1 second.

I wouldn't even know how to use a proper light meter to figure out exposure for a city skyline from a rooftop.

Anyway, it sounds like T4 on the Primo is likely to be just a tad bit faster than f/4 on Canon EF lenses. Shooting RAW, you have at least a full stop of latitude to reduce or increase exposure in Adobe Camera RAW, so like you said, the difference is not enough to blow out the shot. Maybe I will try the exposure comparison test at Panavision when I'm prepping.

[Tom Lowe]

We're shooting the 5D2 Panavision anamorphic tonight! Woohoo.

Here's a shot of my little motion timelapse rig shooting yesterday, and a still I shot at one of our timelapse locations:

http://i43.tinypic.com/15xoo44.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3651222633_5c77d875c5_b.jpg

I'm really enjoying this TVC shooting. I am definitely thinking about trying to get into commercial directing. Not only is it a lot of fun, but I hear the pay is quite good for directors. :thumbsup:

[Andrew Walker]

We're shooting the 5D2 Panavision anamorphic tonight! Woohoo.

Here's a shot of my little motion timelapse rig shooting yesterday, and a still I shot at one of our timelapse locations:

http://i43.tinypic.com/15xoo44.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3651222633_5c77d875c5_b.jpg

I'm really enjoying this TVC shooting. I am definitely thinking about trying to get into commercial directing. Not only is it a lot of fun, but I hear the pay is quite good for directors. :thumbsup:

Nice shot Tom. I might be going down there in a little bit to get some shots. If I went down there last night while I was out I'm sure I would have seen you. Here's one of mine from last night.

http://599productions.com/RED_files/Fountain.jpg

[Tom Lowe]

Drew, I actually set up my whole dolly and everything on the 6th St overpass, and the cops drove right past us several times. Didn't even stop to ask for our permit. We were kicking back right on the overpass with lawn chairs. :thumbsup:

A couple shots of the 5D2 with 50mm anamorphic Primo last night on top of the AT&T building. The location and security people turned out to be more kickback than we expected, so now I'm wishing you had come up, Drew! My bad. Next time.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3653526285_d130dd765c_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3653521997_ba368f9a42_b.jpg

[Stefan Christou]

This thread is insane. So many amazing images it's unreal.

[Sanjin Jukic]

Tom,

very impressive look of that Panavision Primo L anamorphic to Canon 5DMK2 DSLR rig.

It´s a real example of "advanced video touristic cinematography" (http://www.reduser.net/forum/member.php?u=577) :smile5:

Looking forward to see that final result...

[Andrew Walker]

Drew, I actually set up my whole dolly and everything on the 6th St overpass, and the cops drove right past us several times. Didn't even stop to ask for our permit. We were kicking back right on the overpass with lawn chairs. :thumbsup:

A couple shots of the 5D2 with 50mm anamorphic Primo last night on top of the AT&T building. The location and security people turned about to be more kickback than we expected, so now I'm wishing you had come up, Drew! My bad. Next time.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3653526285_d130dd765c_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3653521997_ba368f9a42_b.jpg

Ah man, I was down there shooting TL on the 110/6th Street bridge for a couple hours. Hopefully next time we can work together.

[Roberto Lequeux]

That's got to be insane at full resolution. I am tying to hold back from spamming your thread here so I'll just ask once: As soon as you can share anything, you better! :)

[Tim Lüdin]

Hey Tom

This set up looks so crazy.
What about the pics. Do they come out good?
Is it worth the hassle?

Cheers
Tim

[Petr Dvorak]

Great pics Thanx Tom!

[Pietro Impagliazzo]

Waiting on an anamorphic photo man!

:)

[Tom Lowe]

Waiting on an anamorphic photo man!

:)

Hehe. Keep in mind that this is really rough. I think I kind of framed this one wrong. I should have tilted up a bit more, because the vignetting at the top is forcing me to crop off the top of the US Bank building.

http://i44.tinypic.com/sy3sjc.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2mebay9.jpg

I have another shot that might show off the anamorphic flaring more.

[Roberto Lequeux]

Beautiful. Can't wait to see it in motion.

That isn't sharpened right? I bet you already considered the air quality issues. Every time I fly back into the city my stomach twists and turns as I stare at the ominous layer of pollution covering downtown.

[Andrew Walker]

Hehe. Keep in mind that this is really rough. I think I kind of framed this one wrong. I should have tilted up a bit more, because the vignetting at the top is forcing me to crop off the top of the US Bank building.

http://i44.tinypic.com/sy3sjc.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2mebay9.jpg

I have another shot that might show off the anamorphic flaring more.

Damn you Tom and your cool locations. Must have been nice up there. Did you happen to see the helicopters doing runs. They also looked like they were supporting .50s.

http://599productions.com/599/Media/Heli1.jpg

http://599productions.com/599/Media/Heli2.jpg

[Roberto Lequeux]

WTF?! Haha... looks like from a scene from "Air Wolf". Red and yellow lights are not military (correct?) so I wonder what those 50 cal looking things were. Maybe they were out looking for the suspicious dude atop a building aiming a 50mm at down town LA.

Come on Tom... M0AR!!!

[Tom Lowe]

Ha ha!... yeah we saw those helicopters. They flew right past us like 5 times at the AT&T building's roof. The choppers were full of commandos hanging out with guns. They would land on the roof of the US Bank building, then commandos would jump out. They did this several times, the pilots pulling some very risky maneuvers. All of us on the roof -- including a bunch of Europeans on the crew -- were watching in amazement. Vincent Laforet was with me, testing some new lenses for Canon, and he manged to get some amazing shots with the 5D2 in HD video mode with his 500mm F/4 of those helos buzzing the dusk sky. I don't know what Vince is going to do with those shots, but he got super lucky being in the right place at the right time, with the right lens. :thumbsup:

Some of the guys on our crew thought the helos might be involved with shots for Iron Man II. I have no idea though.

[Andrew Walker]

Ha ha!... yeah we saw those helicopters. They flew right past us like 5 times at the AT&T building's roof. The choppers were full of commandos hanging out with guns. They would land on the roof of the US Bank building, then commandos would jump out. They did this several times, the pilots pulling some very risky maneuvers. All of us on the roof -- including a bunch of Europeans on the crew -- were watching in amazement. Vincent Laforet was with me, testing some new lenses for Canon, and he manged to get some amazing shots with the 5D2 in HD video mode with his 500mm F/4 of those helos buzzing the dusk sky. I don't know what Vince is going to do with those shots, but he got super lucky being in the right place at the right time, with the right lens. :thumbsup:

Some of the guys on our crew thought the helos might be involved with shots for Iron Man II. I have no idea though.

Yeah it seemed like a film shoot to me. I don't think they (LEO/MIL) would have been running drills for that long. Only a film shoot goes that long.:Yawn:

[Patrick Tresch]

Hello,

A bit out of topic... I just heard from an AFP photographer that the Canon 5D MKII is forbidden on F1 track as it can shoot video (for right reason).

This camera has surprising effects on the industry.

Patrick

[Tom Lowe]

Well if that is the case, they are going to have to start banning all the new DSLR cameras, since they all seem to be adding video features now.

[Mitch Gross]

Eventually they'd have to ban cell phones as well. Good luck with that.

[Robb Rosenfeld]

Vincent Laforet was with me, testing some new lenses for Canon

Well, the 500/4 isn't a secret, so I wonder what he got to play with. Obviously you can't bring up specifics, so I won't even ask. I'll just assume it was some cool stuff. :coolgleamA:

[Tom Lowe]

Well, the 30s international spot is now airing worldwide.

Here is the 30s spot:

http://tv.audi.com/video/7182

The director is cutting several longer versions right now. I'll post those when they're done.

[Omar Saad]

Tom,

It looks great! Congratulations on being involved in the project. Very exciting.

I assume that most wide shots of downtown LA most likely came from your camera, correct?

[Roberto Lequeux]

Tom was that a pair or more of sunrises merged together?

Nice spot and timelapse. Loved the framing.

I would love to see it at higher resolution.

[Andrew Walker]

Looks good man. Nice view on top of the AT&T building.

[Eric.T]

very nice stuff!