A very clinical but interesting look at the differences between Lomo (round front) anamorphic and Hawk lenses on the Red EPIC. Made by John Brawley:
Here we really see the differences in barrel distortion and sharpness. I read somewhere that the Russian designer of Lomo anamorphic lenses went on to work for Hawk. Here’s an x-ray scan with Lomo & Hawk 100mm lenses (Top is Lomo). Steve Morton from cinemods.com remarks how their elements look rather similar:
Yet it’s clear how the Hawks beat the Lomo’s for sharpness outright. Not surprisingly so given that Lomo’s are not made new anymore, and their standards in optical condition vary greatly as they are passed from user to user. However I must say my own Lomo 50mm is rather sharp at wide open aperture. I can boast mine is nearly mint! This again goes back to finding good, clean, and preferably serviced Lomo lenses.
Considering their astronomical difference in price, the Lomo’s are a good deal if you want a ‘proper’ anamorphic lens. But the challenge is to find a good quality Lomo these days…
Would just like to share what kept food on my table for 2011. Some were shot in Lomo anamorphic – you can tell which ones! Those scenes featured in this video I used the 35mm T2.8. Great lens but I had sold it a few months ago. Kind of miss it now especially since my 30mm developed an air bubble in the element!
The 1.5x cropped videos were just artificially cropped.
I first watched Manga’s cult classic “Ghost in the Shell” when I was a teen but only recently realised that the film’s city background is actually based on Hong Kong – my current place of residence.
When it was made in 1995, it depicted a grimy, futuristic city. Now, 16 years later, it’s interesting to see how Hong Kong has physically changed. So I set out to try and recreate particular scenes from the film. The biggest differences between the film and now is that Hong Kong no longer has those awesome low-flying airplanes (airport moved in 1998) nor do we have canals and river boats – though we do have tramcar systems which is the obvious influence for Masamune. Not every shot could be faithfully recreated. Simply because it was an animation! But when you do a comparison there are the obvious locations (youtube.com/watch?v=wYVbQ-GQTxQ)
I left the scenes with Motoko Kusanagi for narrative reasons (and I couldn’t be arsed looking for an actress!). Another note is the first two shots of the planes, they were ripped and up-rezzed from a YouTube video by airboyd. There is no way I could have recreated those scenes yet I wanted to show people just how crazily low they flew.
This was shot with Sony NEX5-N in 1080p/50fps with 30mm squarefront and 50mm roundfront Lomo anamorphic lenses.
Special thanks to Pete Furkidsinhk and his “fur kid” Cream.
Here’s an interesting extract from Wong Kin Yuen, “Science Fiction Studies #80, dated March 2000:
1. It is now widely acknowledged that Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982/ 1992) initiated a whole tradition of cult movies later grouped under the label “cyberpunk.” Blade Runner’s style draws its images from urban spaces all over the world, including such Asian cities as Tokyo and Hong Kong. Science fiction film critics are less aware, however, that when anime film director Mamoru Oshii was looking for a model of the city of the future in a computerized world, he turned for his primary inspiration to the cityscape of Hong Kong. Through his art designers, actual spots in the city of Hong Kong were transformed into the mise-en-scène of Ghost in the Shell, first released in the United States in March 1996. Science fiction has not fared well in Hong Kong (either in terms of production or consumption), nor is there a cyberpunk culture among Hong Kong’s young computer users. So the question arises: what elements in Hong Kong provided inspiration for this cinematic representation of a near-future city characterized by decadence, anarchy, and fantasy on the one hand, and a mistrusted, high-tech hyper-reality on the other? Taking up this question, I will first suggest a reading of a shopping complex in Hong Kong that emphasizes its fragmentation, disjunctiveness, and ephemerality. Like Blade Runner’s “Ridleyville,” this Hong Kong shopping complex intertwines past and future, memory and desire. Finally, I will analyze the setting of Ghost in the Shell, especially the parts that are clearly modeled on Hong Kong street scenes and architecture. I hope to validate Anthony King’s argument that colonial cities have the best chance of establishing a cityscape of the future that embraces racial and cultural differences.
The front element of my 30mm formed a small bubble, but it was enough to be seen in the image, especially when on a dark surface.
So I braved up and cracked it open. I was assured it would not affect the lens’ collimation.
I was mortified when I discovered the bubble was formed within one of the concave anamorphic elements. I heard if you mark a small black dot directly behind it, it wouldn’t reflect so much in the image. Turned out okay… but still a tad noticeable to the discerning eye.
I only had the lens for about 5 months, and it was stored in a dehumidifying chamber (along with other lenses) the whole time when not in use. Now I’m keeping it in its own storage case.
Anyway, here’s a rare chance to see the innards of the lens:
Basically every Lomo anamorphic lens is made up of a rear prime and anamorphic element. The anamorphic element itself is made up of two optics: A concave anamorphic element and a sort of wide angle element at the very front.
