16:9 adaptor

[Noah Kadner]

It is pretty much what you see is what you get- make sure you take time setting it up on a monitor. The only thing most folks have trouble with is removing it. Here’s way more info:

Panasonic Anamorphic Adapter LA-7200G
By
Barry Green
Fiercely Independent Films, Inc.
(AKA ICExpo)

The LA-7200G is an anamorphic adapter for the AG-DVX100 camera, that attaches to the front of your camera’s lens. It optically “squeezes” the camera’s image so that it becomes 16:9. Having this adapter on your camera gives you effectively a native 16:9 camcorder.

How does it work?
The anamorphic adapter uses “bent glass” to squeeze a 33% wider picture onto your camera’s CCD. There is no change in the vertical size of the picture, but on the horizontal axis there is 33% more image. You get a dramatically wider picture, and one that allows you to make 16:9 DVD’s, or uprez to HD or transfer to film with higher quality.

What’s the difference between the anamorphic adapter and using “letterbox” mode?
Both are ways to get an image that looks like 16:9. Letterbox Mode shoots 4:3 video and simply puts black bars on the top and bottom of your image. If you’re playing back on a 4:3 device (like a conventional television) then Letterbox mode will give you what looks like letterboxed video. Also, because much of the picture is covered with black bars, you end up with only about 360 lines of available resolution (in NTSC mode).

The anamorphic adapter actually changes the shape of the video, making it appropriate for widescreen televisions. If you play back anamorphic footage on a 16:9 widescreen television, it’ll look “proper”. If you play back anamorphic footage on a 4:3 television, it will look “squeezed”. The anamorphic adapter also uses the full surface of the camera’s CCD, so you get widescreen video with a full 480 lines of vertical resolution (576 lines on PAL).

How does it attach to the camera?
The anamorphic adapter has industry-standard 72mm lens threads on it. You screw it into the front of your lens just like any filter. It can also attach to any other 72mm-lens-thread camera, such as a Canon XL1.

Once the adapter is on your camera, you have to “square it” — make sure that it is perfectly in square with the CCD of your camera, so that the light-bending effect is working on the horizontal axis only. The way you do this is by attaching the anamorphic adapter’s white lens cap. The lens cap has a grooved square outline on it. Point the camera at a light source and zoom out to wide angle, and you’ll be able to see the grooved square. You use this square to line up the adapter. Loosen the leveling screw on the side of the adapter, and then rotate it until the square is perfectly squared-up in your viewfinder. Then firmly tighten the leveling screw.

(note: you can also use the adapter for some wacky effects, if you purposefully rotate it during shooting — loosen that screw, and rotate that lens around, and you’ll get some wild distort-o-vision effects on your video).

How do I remove the anamorphic adapter? It just spins and spins but won’t come off!
This is a frequently asked question. The answer is, tighten the leveling screw VERY TIGHT before trying to unscrew the lens. If the screw is not very tight, the lens will behave as if you’re leveling it instead of trying to remove it. Tighten the screw very tightly and it’ll engage the lens threads, allowing you to unscrew and remove the adapter.

What about filters?
The anamorphic adapter doesn’t use screw-in filters — it has a square front and no lens threads. So you cannot use screw-in filters and the adapter at the same time. You cannot put a screw-in filter on the camera and then try to attach the anamorphic adapter to that filter either. However, the front of the anamorphic adapter is 4.25″ x 4.5″, which is big enough to fit a standard 4″ x 4″ filter in, so you could always jerry-rig a 4×4 filter into the adapter’s lens hood. There are reports that Cokin’s X-PRO filter holders can be adapted to fit the front of the anamorphic adapter, and perhaps soon matte boxes will appear that accomodate the front of the adapter.

Can I use a wide-angle or telephoto lens in combination with the anamorphic?
No. The anamorphic adapter precludes the ability to use other add-on lenses.

Should I use “Letterbox” mode when using the anamorphic adapter?
No, normally you’d use full-screen mode with the anamorphic adapter, which will result in 16:9 widescreen video. But, if you also use letterbox mode at the same time, the result will be a 2.35:1 widescreen image — the same aspect ratio as “CinemaScope.”

How to Use the Adaptor

By Jan Crittenden
Panasonic Product Line Business Manager
DVCPRO50/25, DVX100A

Theory In The Mounting Of This Adaptor
The threads that screw onto the lens are designed to be free floating so that the lens can be aligned for the 16:9 field of view once it has been tightened on to the front of the camera. So what one has to do is to lightly tighten the threads into place, screw the adapter on and then release the set screw so that the lens can be reoriented to the proper position. Once in place, re-tighten the set screw. To remove this adaptor, simply unscrew with the set screw fully tightened.

To Mount:

[Barry Green]

To add to that, focus is *not* intuitive with the anamorphic adapter. You have to keep your iris and your focal length within certain limits or you simply will not be able to focus properly.

Adam Wilt published a chart that outlines the restrictions, you would do well to print it out and take it with you.
https://adamwilt.com/24p/7200chart.html

—————–
Get the most from your DVX camera. The DVX Book and DVX DVD are now available on ebay and at Amazon (https://www.fiftv.com/db)

[Ben Insler]

GREAT INFO!

Just one question. What’s the difference between using the Anamorphic 16×9 lens adapter and using the anamrphic (not letterbox) 16×9 setting in the camera (the DVX100’s and many other cameras have both anamorphic 16×9 and letterbox options). Is the in-camera anamorphic option artificial, or scaling the image in some way to achieve the widescreen effect (thus decreasing resolution, or is it the same? Technically you’re using the same lens, so how could it switch from normal to squeeze???

Thanks,

Ben

Ben Insler
Editor
Telemark Films

[Barry Green]

The in-camera squeeze on the DVX is a digital stretching process. The anamorphic adapter is an optical stretching process. The digital stretch will cause some loss of resolution; however, if you’re shooting 24p 16:9 progressive with thin line detail, it still nets out at the same amount of res as a native 16:9 interlaced camera would, so it’s not bad at all, it’s one of the better digital stretch systems.

—————–
Get the most from your DVX camera. The DVX Book and DVX DVD are now available on ebay and at Amazon (https://www.fiftv.com/db)

[Rick Amundson]

The anamorphic squeeze within the camera is artifical. Basically, the camera is trying to give you 33% more image on the sides of your image so you loose resolution on the vertical side (down to 372 lines). On a 4:3 monitor the picture will looked squeezed but looks normal on a 16:9 monitor (the vertical lines are being stretched to fit the screen). The letterbox mode gives you the same vertical resolution (372 lines) and plays back with the black bars on a 4:3 monitor. The anamorphic adapter is a true optical squeeze retaining the vertical resolution. Be sure to read the artical on focusing and depth of field mentioned earlier. Focusing in low light is a bear.

Rick