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- The anamorphic lens actually makes the picture slightly brighter because it allows you to use the projector’s full pixel panel for the active 2.35:1 movie content, without wasting pixels.
- Kase 1.33x Widescreen Anamorphic Mobile Movie Lens 2.40:1 Widescreen Movie Lens. Mobile Phone Opening Tool Kit Screwdriver 9 in 1 set for Repair iPhone 7, 8, X.
Smartphone Lenses: Anamorphic
The majority of smartphone filmmakers consider lens attachments to be essential additions to their basic filmmaking kit. I haven’t included them in my Beginner’s Guide, because I think they can be an unnecessary distraction, especially if you’re just starting out.
Make sure this fits by entering your model number. ? 【Universal compatibility 】 The AMWEfun anamorphic lens works with iPhone, Pixel, Galaxy and OnePlus Phones. ? 【High color reproduction】 The lenses are designed with aspherical lens, effectively correcting the spherical aberration and axial chromatic aberration in the imaging process, reducing the image distortion less than 2%.
However, once you have the basics of smartphone filmmaking down, you might want to try adding one or more lenses to your filmmaker kit. One of the most popular lens attachments is the anamorphic.
When I set out to make my first smartphone film, I had read much positive reaction to the Moondog Labs Anamorphic adaptor. This lens has been a game changer for many filmmakers turning to smartphones. Not only did Sean Baker decide to shoot Tangerine with iPhones because of it, but leading camera app, FiLMiC Pro, even has a setting specifically for the Moondog Labs Anamorphic.
So, I felt I had to try one. I was not using an iPhone, however, and that was the first issue. But, checking their website, I found a 37mm option. So I bought a clip with a 37mm thread, from Amazon.
Why does this lens attachment need a special setting in your camera app?
Because to achieve a wide ratio such as 2.40:1, light coming through the lens is squashed horizontally onto the camera’s sensor. The image must then be “un-squeezed”, otherwise everything will look taller and thinner, like in fairground hall of mirrors.
Some people get the widescreen effect simply by cropping their original image during the editing process. But this “cheat” does not reproduce the sexier aspects of anamorphic look, plus it results in a loss of image resolution.
Noam Kroll discusses the use of anamorphic lenses here:
“Although you can compose the exact same frame using either spherical or anamorphic lenses, you’ll ultimately need to crop your image in some way in order to achieve a wide aspect ratio when using a spherical lens, making it less desirable. For instance, a 2K image that’s cropped to a 2.39:1 (widescreen) aspect ratio, only has 858 lines of vertical resolution. On the other hand, an anamorphic lens is able to take full advantage of all 1152 lines of vertical resolution.”
But here’s why I don’t use the anamorphic lens any more.
The clip problem
When using the Moondog lens with a phone which isn’t an iPhone you need an alternative method of fixing it to the phone. The 37mm clip covers the exposure settings on FiLMiC Pro. Yes, there are ways around this issue.
- try attaching the anamorphic with a different mount. Moondog have a list here of different mounts for different phones (not up-to-date). The problem I have with this is the alternative mounts add bulk to the phone, which makes it impossible to use a gimbal. I also don’t like adding too much bulk to my phone.
- Use a 2nd phone to control FiLMiC Pro. There is a remote option, so you could control the exposure using a 2nd phone or device. But for me, again, this is an extra complication which undermines the advantage of smartphone filmmaking – simplicity and fluidity.
- remove the clip, fix the settings, replace the clip. Now you’re ready to film. Except, the lens will alter the amount of light hitting the sensor, so the exposure will be wrong.
- Use an alternative camera app. Moment also produce one. I’ve never used it (just installed it for $2) before, but from a quick look it doesn’t seem to have ratio or resolution settings. My guess is this app is best used by Moment lens fans. On first glance, it’s more of a marketing device than a serious camera app.
None of these options work for me. So I’m left with a choice – anamorphic lens or FiLMiC Pro?
Here is an outtake from You Have Been Chosen. In this take I managed to avoid the gimbal in shot issue.
Other issues
Although it’s a pretty simple device, it does add some burden to your shoot. Bbedit 11 1 4 download free. You will be spending extra time fitting the lens, adjusting it, cleaning it, finding where you last set it down…
I also found 2 major issues when combining the lens with a gimbal. First, the extra weight means you need to add a counterweight to your gimbal (I used 3 £1 coins stuck on with Blu-Tack). Again, something else to fiddle with which slows you down. Second, the extra wideness brings into shot the front of the gimbal. So, unless you want a black blob moving up and down on the right hand side of the image, you need to angle the gimbal so you are holding it in an unnatural way.
While I was filming, I kept forgetting (even when we stuck white tape to it), so many of my shots ended up with gimbal in frame, which I then had to crop out in the edit. Tunesgo 9 7 3 4. Below is a frame (ungraded) – to the right you can see the gimbal at the edge of the shot.
Note: since I have upgraded from the Samsung S8 to the S9, I find the gimbal is now in frame, even without any lens attachments. Presumably, the S9 has a wider lens than the S8.
The Moment Anamorphic Lens
Moment are a popular brand of smartphone lenses. They also do an anamorphic adaptor, which can mount on a their own phone case.
For those shooting with an android phone, there’s a little more information here at Droid Life. So, this case would fix the issue caused by the clip.
Read more:Moment Smartphone Lenses
There’s only been one (so far) YouTube Moment vs Moondog Labs Anamorphic showdown. It’s flawed, as the tester used 2 different phones, which makes it hard to tell whether the difference is because of the phone or the lens. But here it is anyway:
There’s also a Beastgrip Anamorphic lens.
Beastgrip’s Anamorphic lens is listed at $175. They also make a 37mm mounting plate, which can be used with lenses with a 37mm thread (such as the Moondog Labs Anamorphic).
Read More:Beastgrip Lenses for Smartphone
If you’re using an iPhone, it seems there’s less issues to overcome when adding an anamorphic adaptor. This is down to the fact that the iPhone market for accessory makers is still currently far greater than for Android. Plus, Android phones obviously come in many many shapes and sizes. Which just adds to the difficulty for accessory makers when it comes to design – the android market is fractured.
This becomes the self-fulfilling prophecy of Apple success: accessory makers focus on iPhones, people buy iPhones for the extra accessories, makers continue focusing on iPhone. Rinse and repeat.
If you’re really desperate to film with anamorphic, for the bendy lines and the lens flare, then go for it. But, until someone designs an android clip that works with FiLMiC Pro, certainly easier to use when combined with an iPhone.
Read Next:Best Smartphone Filmmaking Kit 2019.
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Anamorphic Adapter Tips and Tricks
The SLR Magic Anamorphot 2.0x-50 anamorphic lens adapter is a game-changer for cinematographers who want to get the cinemascope look without a six-figure lens budget. I spent some time shooting with the 2x Anamorphot (after working with various 2x vintage adapters) and have a lot of tips and tricks to share to get the most from any anamorphic adapter rig.
A frame from “Upstairs.” It was shot with a Sony FS7, a Zeiss 50mm ZE Planar T* lens with Metabones Speedbooster, the SLR Magic Anamorphot 2.0x-50, and Rangefinder.
This is the crazy rig I started using for the short film High Beam. It’s a Panasonic GH4, with an EF to MFT speedbooster, with a m42 to EF adapter, a vintage Helios 44-2 as the taking lens, a modified lens hood for mounting the Bell and Howell anamorphic adapter, which had the adjustable diopter cine modified. Then on the end, to get wide enough, I resorted to taping on a 0.7x wide angle adapter.
I started my anamorphic journey with a Bell and Howell 2x super 16mm projection lens. Getting the imperial threads of the lens adapter to fit onto the metric standards in use on my lenses and filters took a few deep dives on eBay. Figuring out how to mount and support the lens was a lot of trial and error, too. Mac parallels desktop 14 1 0 business edition. There are a lot of tips online, but with any modified projector lens, you’re going to need to figure out what works best yourself.
![Kit Kit](https://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/pi/mp/10465961/prod_4918217403?src=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F619H8vKVbWL._US1500_.jpg&d=ae3d7e2cd7d4fab1045321d1026cfdea1f81121f&?hei=64&wid=64&qlt=50)
I learned one big lesson from shooting on the Bell and Howell: try not to change lenses. While I had lots of options, I ended up shooting almost exclusively on the vintage 58mm Helios 44-2. Since changing the taking lens meant changing the length of the crazy lens assembly, as well as using different stepping rings, lens changes were a 15-minute ordeal. I found it was easiest to switch between a “dumb” adapter for my telephoto shots, a speedbooster for my middle shots, and a speedbooster plus a wide angle adapter on the front for my widest shots. I found the the character of the vintage lens helped forgive some of the softness of the adapter.
Paired with a vintage lens, the Bell and Howell gives one-of-a-kind visuals, although it was bordering on impossible to use. Courtesy of High Beam. Click image to view in 4K
The rig was very inelegant, but did create some gorgeous images. The size of the Bell and Howell was suited to a Panasonic GH4, not s35 or full frame sensors. On MFT, it seemed a bit soft in 4K. Even with the modification to the variable diopter focus, focus was a challenge. It also looked so ridiculous that I couldn’t possibly suggest it for a “proper” shoot.
Looking for something that would be a better fit for the Sony A7s II, I picked up a Lomo 35 NAP2-3m. It’s a massive beast of a lens. While it does allow for relatively wide lenses even on a full frame camera, close focus is limited to a ridiculous 6 meters. The front element is so huge that no variable diopter would fit. Some anamorphic lensheads have done extreme modifications to the 35-NAP2-3M, but to do it right means building your own lens housing. Even with modifications, focus is difficult and requires the dual-focus method. After trying a few test shots, I quickly realized that the Lomo wasn’t a good option for me.
SLR Magic is the only company making modern “budget” anamorphic lenses and adapters. The Anamorphot 2.0x-50 is designed to work with the SLR Magic Rangefinder for single-focus operation. It has easy-to-use metric filter threads on the front and back. Everything about it makes it a lot easier to shoot with than any of the modified anamorphic projection lenses. I decided to work with the 2.0x model, since it gives a much more distinctly anamorphic look than the 1.33x.
SLR Magic definitely has some anamorphiles on staff. Everything in their Anamorphot line has a blue lens coating, which amplifies the blue-streak flares made famous by filmmakers like J.J. Abrams. The glass definitely has a unique character, like nothing I’ve seen from any other anamorphic lenses. The Anamorphot 2.0x-50 is relatively sharp when used with the right taking lens. I used it a lot around f/4 with Zeiss ZE series lenses. To get a tack-sharp image, you need to be sure that your taking lens and the adapter are at infinity, your adapter is mounted squarely, and of course your front focus element needs to be spot on as well. It takes some time and practice before that all happens naturally.
Lighting requires a different touch, as well. In general, highlights are to be avoided, except for the intentional lens flares and bokeh-ed points of light. High-contrast areas on a face, for example, can “bloom” and cause an out-of-focus look. In general, anamorphic shines most in low-key and night scenes. Getting the most from daytime exteriors usually means shooting low contrast, with a long lens and maximizing the oval bokeh effect.
After a few days of camera and lens tests, I’ve fine-tuned my ideal anamorphic adapter setup. I shoot on the Sony FS7, with an Atomos Shogun Flame to handle anamorphic de-squeeze and LUTs. A Zacuto Universal Baseplate provides a stable connection to rails (and gives the option to handhold the rig, if necessary). I use a Metabones adapter (not speedbooster). I found the speedbooster sometimes made focus even harder. I use Zeiss ZE lenses, or the Helios 44-2 for a more vintage look. The Anamorphot 2.0x-50 gets stepping rings to mount to the taking lens. I also use a Canon C-size tripod collar to help keep the adapter from rotating.
Playing with various lenses, I learned that the ideal taking lens has to have certain features. You need non-rotating front filter threads. Ideally, the lens maintains the same length when focusing. For full frame cameras, the front filter threads should be 62mm or smaller and the front element should be about 50mm or smaller. You can get away with slightly bigger numbers if you’re using full frame glass on a crop sensor.
Any comfort you have with lens lengths goes out the window with 2x anamorphic. Since a 50mm becomes a 50mm x 25mm lens, it can almost be wide and telephoto at the same time. Screengrab from Upstairs.
Anamorphic Pro 2 1 – Professional Lens Blur Tool Kit Replacement
The Zeiss ZE 35mm f/1.4 on super 35, cropped to 2.35:1, was the absolute widest I could get, and required removing the Rangefinder. It still left me wanting a wider option when shooting interiors. It gives about the same horizontal field of view as a 28mm on s35. The 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 were both simple to use, and worked with the Rangefinder no problem. The 50mm was definitely the workhorse lens. Using an 85 seemed limited to large spaces and exteriors. I can see why the Helios 44 series is so popular among anamorphic adapter shooters. It’s an eminently useful length that’s long enough for bokeh effects and still wide enough to use indoors. On paper I was worried about not having a lens longer than 85mm, but in practice I never really felt I needed it.
Full manual is definitely the easiest way to go. Zoom lenses are tricky to use, since most of them change length while zooming. Primes are a much easier option. I experimented with a Canon 70-200, and it’s definitely not parfocal. In general, trying to focus past 135mm with an anamorphic adapter requires a zen-like patience, or a “good enough” attitude.
![Lens Lens](https://i.vimeocdn.com/filter/overlay?src0=https%3A%2F%2Fi.vimeocdn.com%2Fvideo%2F439360806_1280x544.jpg&src1=https%3A%2F%2Ff.vimeocdn.com%2Fimages_v6%2Fshare%2Fplay_icon_overlay.png)
After shooting a few projects with various adapters, I really fell in love with the anamorphic look. It’s something I’ve wanted to take into my commercial work, but I didn’t feel an adapter was simple enough for high pressure work. I made the decision to add the three SLR Magic Anamorphot PL primes to my collection. I’ll post back here after I’ve shot a few projects with them.
What are your experiences shooting with anamorphic adapters? Let me know in the comments.