Anamorphic adapter advice
 

I’m planning to buy a Century anamorphic adapter for my GL-1 and I see that they have a bayonet mount and one that screws into 58mm threads. Which is better? I’m fairly certain that my next camcorder is going to be a GL-2, so I would think the bayonet mount would work out okay when I upgrade, but are there any advantages to the 58mm mount? Which one would be easier to find/make a lens hood for? If I end up buying a camcorder different from the GL-2, like say a PD-150, would it be possible to modify the bayonet mount to fit it? What the heck is a bayonet mount anyway? Also, can anyone recommend some kind of set up that would let me use a French flag with the adapter? Matte boxes kind of seem like overkill to me.

Does the bayonet mount work on the GL-2? I have a VX-2000 and I thought the bayonet mounted anamorphic lens was for this camera (or PD-150). I think the idea is that you remove the Sony bayonet-mounted sun shade and mount the anamorphic lens in its place.

This article http://www.megameme.com/vx1609.htm mentions problems with the Century bayonet mount.

Thanks for the article link. Isn't Century Optics products made in Germany by Schneider? - by the same people who make Heliopan and B+W?

Century Optics is based in Hollywood, in fact I just spent a few hours over at their factory. They are owned by Schneider, but still manufactur in this country. Interestingly enough, while they have been around for many years making lenses for the motion picture industry (and still do), the core of their sales is now their adaptors for the DV and broadcast video market.

Found these links at the DV Magazine site.

http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.jhtml?LookupId=/xml/review/centuryoptics0901

http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.jhtml?LookupId=/xml/review/wilt0202

The reviewers seem to give a slight edge to OpTex, but they still give high marks to Century. There also seems to be some vignetting issue with the OpTex on a PD150.

In response to a question asked above, Century makes bayonet mounts to fit a number of specific cameras, including the GL-2.

I’ve used Century adapters for many years. The optical quality has always been top notch, along with the quality of construction. I think it has been several years since they were purchased by Schneider. As Charles points out, they have been very innovative in the use of adapters for video. I used an adapter to convert Nikon F mount lenses on my Sony Betacam, that was 15 years ago. At the time, I was told they used Nikon 1.4X and 2X tele-convertors to make the adapters. In any case the quality was excellent. I have subsequently purchased wide angle and telephoto adapters and have been very pleased with their performance as well.

Thanks Jeff. I've heard a lot of good things about Century as well. I kind of found the tone of the Pete Skirrow article cited above a little too extreme to be completely fair, although I do acknowledge that he has tested both of these adapters and I've never even seen one. Still, the extra zoom-through capability of the OpTex is tempting, but the possibility of vignetting scares me to death. ZGC tested the adapter on a GL-1 and declared that the vignetting was "outside the picture area," but doesn't that mean it will show up if I ever have something transferred to film? That's half the point of owning an anamorphic adapter! I tend to flee from any product that requires a step-up ring. I also don't want to lose any wide angle ability as neither of these adapters seems quite wide enough as it is. As usual, the more you study the harder it is to decide.

Depending on the format of film you would transfer to, the vignetting could pose a small problem upon transfer. Zoom through is a very handy feature. I wouldn't buy a convertor if it wasn't zoom through. You may want to wait till after NAB to make a purchase. Several anamorphic convertors (72mm) are rumored to be announced at NAB. These might solve all your concerns.

Thanks for the tip.