Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/02/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The zoom lenses that I used on 16mm read from the back. I don't remember what 35mm lenses are marked like. The pictures of new lenses (Cooke) that are advertised in a recent "American Cinematographer" magazine show markings that are vertical and can be read from either front or back. Most 35mm movie film is shot with a frame that is slightly less than half the size of a Leica frame. Lenses made for that format would probably not cover the 35mm still frame. In the mid to late '50s some films were made in "VistaVision" which used a double frame size which was pretty close to 24x36mm. Since there were relatively few of these cameras made I suspect they used still lenses rather than the other way around. The surviving VistaVision cameras are still used for special-effects work and many have been converted to use Nikon F lenses. Tell us more about your lens and maybe somebody here can place it. Mike D - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug Richardson" <doug@meditor.demon.co.uk> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2001 1:19 PM Subject: [Leica] Re: Focussing cine-camera lenses > Recently there was some discussion on the LUG concerning the focussing > techniques used with cine cameras, and the fact that lenses were > scale-focussed to pre-measured distances. > > If any LUG members are involved in the cinema industry, could they > tell me: > > If the lenses are manually focussed to preset distances, does that > mean that the focussing is engraved to be read by someone standing in > front of the lens, rather than by someone standing behind the camera - > i.e the distance values are engraved 'upside-down' compared with those > on a 35mm still camera lens? > > Do cine lenses have depth-of-field markings similar to those on > still-camera lenses? > > The reason for these questions is that I have an old lens can be > screwed into a Leica, but which has no DOF markings, and has a > focussing scale engraved to be read from the front. > > Given these odd features, I'm wondering if it may have been a cine > lens which has been adapted for use on the Leica. > > Regards, > > Doug Richardson > > > >