Tito Ferradans here for an extremely hardcore tutorial on how to make your own split field diopters. In case you don't know what split fields are, they are diopters that cover only half the lens. By doing so you can have things in focus on the foreground and background at the same time. I started to obsess about these after watching "The Hateful Eight", which features a split field shot, and started to hunt them on eBay with no luck. All I could find were small sized ones and I needed at least 72mm to fit my anamorphics. It takes some practice to get used to the technique, so the sooner you get yours done, the sooner you can start practicing.

What are we gonna need here? Diopters (mine are 72mm, but you can get whichever size you like), a few circular polarizers, a black sharpie marker, many clamps, LOTS of sandpaper (or sanding stones), wire, a transformer (mine is 24V, 50W), nichrome wire (thicker than gauge 34, for your own good), a ceramic connector, lens wrench, gloves, mask, protection goggles, pliers, exacto knife, a ruler a bucket of water and a water sprayer.

Electricity is a key part in this tutorial, so play SUPER SAFE. I had a ton of help from my friend Bruno Nicko, who's starting his own channel with a series of DIY videos (his first project is revamping a dead electric scooter). Many things can go wrong with electricity, so I asked Bruno to explain the details regarding resistance, current, voltage and everything else so you have a rough idea if you're gonna burn your house down. Always wear protective gear and be extra careful with all the steps in this tutorial.

Let's get started with an easy step: remove the diopter from its original filter frame. These rings are super cheap and you won't be using them anymore, so don't worry if the locking ring breaks in the process.

Now, the electrical rig. Connect the transformer to the wires and the wires to the ceramic box (this thing is meant to resist great heat and contain electricity). Now make your nichrome loop - my wire was too thin (gauge 34) so we had to make it thicker, since the heat was melting it right off the bat. Connect the loop to the ceramic box too. The nichrome wire works as a resistance and heats up as electricity passes through. I highly recommend using an extension with its own fuse instead of connecting this contraption directly to a wall outlet.

Step away from this for a second, fill your spray bottle with water and put it in the fridge.

With your diopter, ruler and exacto knife, head outside. It's time to score the edges of the diopter to hold the wire in place. Use a piece of cloth as a base so the glass doesn't get scratched and there's some tolerance for the pressure you're applying. Don't put too much pressure or you'll break the lens, but if you do it too lightly you won't carve the line you need. WEAR MASK, GLOVES AND GOGGLES for this. Glass dust is a mean thing.

Back to the wiring, rig up everything to hold the lens in place. Don't hold it with your hands for cutting: the wire goes over 800°C and the glass heats up as well, so you don't wanna hold that. We used a bunch of clamps to hold the ceramic box and another two (attached to a tripod as a flexible arm) to hold the lens in place. The two popsicle sticks make sure the clamp isn't scratching the glass. The sticks also handle the heat. Fit the nichrome wire on both sides of the lens using the cuts in the glass. The wire should run right through the middle of the diopter. We used the convex side so the lens itself helps in keeping the wire stretched. You want it to be as stretched as possible, applying some counter-pressure to the glass.

This is the hard part, it's also when magic happens right before your eyes. Turn on the transformer and wait for the wire to heat up, give it a good minute. Turn it off, spray the glass with cold water. Heat it up again, spray it with cold water. It takes time. My transformer was at the very edge of dying while we did this. You'll be motivated to continue since you're able to see the cracks forming through the glass. The center is the thickest part, and it's a pain, but eventually it'll give in. As a reference, the entire process took about four hours for me, but we were still figuring things out along the way.

This will get you two halves of a circle and an edge that tries to cut you just by looking at it. Once more with your mask, gloves and goggles, head outside. Grab the sandpaper and the bucket of water. Using a coarse sandpaper (or sanding sponge, in my case), submerge the glass and sand the edge away. Don't do it flat, always sand the glass at an angle to smooth it out. This step takes a reasonable amount of time. When the edge is straight, switch to a thinner grade sandpaper for finishing it up. Now you have a friendly edge that won't chop your fingers off, the problem is that the white of it will introduce a terrible glow across the frame. Using the black sharpie marker, paint it the best you can. Since you sanded it down, the ink will stick for good.

The last step is to get the glass and mount it onto the circular polarizer ring, so you can rotate it as you please once you put it in front of your lens. On the bright side, each set of diopters gives you TWO sets of split fields so you can keep the leftovers as backup gear.

Last minute advice, if you're thinking of trying a different method than the wire, I did that for my first diopter. I tried the flaming thread method, then a glass cutter, both failed. We ended up hammering a ruler to the line down the middle of the glass. It cracked unevenly, of course, and I had to sand down 1/8th of an inch on the good half of the diopter. It doesn't look like much but it took me three and a half hours to dust it and the resulting split still could use some more polishing to get straighter.

As mentioned before, I had tons of help from Bruno Nicko for this tutorial, so you should definitely check out his channel for more extreme DIY projects. Let me know if you got the guts to try this out and how the process goes! I'll get back to work here because Vancouver is sunny for a change and I gotta shoot as much as I can to keep you all busy! Subscribe to the channel and check my blog for more tutorials and anamorphic stuff! See you soon.

In case you wanna see some more split field in Hollywood, here's a supercut! Music is a bit off, but the technique is well represented and you can see which ones are split diopters and which ones are done in post!

My first camera was a Canon XSi, later on I stepped up to the 7D and not long after that I had a Canon 5D3 and a T2i as B-cam. Long before I started into anamorphics I found out about Magic Lantern, a sort of "hack", even though I prefer the term add-on software, that can run on most Canon cameras. Magic Lantern itself is absolutely awesome for enabling zebras, focus peaking, crop marks and many other tweaks otherwise non-existent on the original Canon firmware. A group of hackers and programmers started to study Canon's source code around 2009 and quickly achieved some advantages over the original firmware. The software is free for anyone and can be download from its official website. I have used from 2010 to 2016 with zero major issues, and a few bugs that only required me to pop off the battery and reinsert it.

Magic Lantern became extremely popular in 2013 for enabling RAW video recording on many Canon DSLRs, and RAW absurdly improves image quality over the original H.264 codec, you can see some comparisons here and here. I can honestly say it was Magic Lantern and RAW recording that made me hold on to my 5D3 for so long. The only issue is that you need tons of fast cards. I tested the workflow on several personal projects - including Zona SSP - and have used it for all the reviews in this channel until after the Isco Widescreen 2000 review, when I switched to the Sony A7s2.

Zona SSP

The common ground between shooting RAW and using anamorphic lenses is the ability to pick a non-standard "recording window" from the camera's sensor area. If I set a recording window to 4:3 and use 2x stretch lenses, the final output is 2.66:1 instead of 3.56:1. Shooting with a shorter aspect ratio also avoids wasting footage that would be immediately cropped in post. While shooting RAW, these guidelines show you what's being recorded, so they're your key to framing.

To change the recording resolutions, go in the "Movie" tab, then "RAW video (MLV)", enter its submenu (Q) and open the "Aspect Ratio" tab. There you can change it freely. I'll go with 4:3. Then you can go in "Resolution" and adjust the size according to your preference. For 4:3 I usually go with 1600x1200, then so you know what you're framing, set "Global Draw" to Allow (the default is OFF). If you want more information on how to shoot RAW, there's plenty of tutorials around.

CUSTOM CROP MARKS

My first contribution to Magic Lantern was way before RAW video, and it's still useful for cameras that can't handle RAW: custom anamorphic crop marks. These are overlays placed on top of the image that is being shot, allowing you to preview a different frame format than the one that is actually being shot. This guides my framing based on the final aspect ratio I want for the video. The Anamorphic Calculator is a great tool to help you with that too.

Since mixing stretch factors in the same video is a common thing (more than once I used a 1.33x stretch lens for some shots and a 1.5x or 2x stretch for others) we know that something is gonna be cropped off later (either top-bottom or left-right of the frame). From here, I created nine unique crop marks that allow mixing any kind of lenses (from spherical to 2x) always showing what's the core framing and what will be cropped. To install them, just copy the BMP files to the ML/CROPMKS folder in your card. You'll have to remove any other cropmarks, as the limit is nine.

To enable them, go on the "Overlay" tab, then into "Cropmarks" (Q) and choose the one you want. I also like to enable "Show in PLAY mode", so when I'm reviewing the footage I can see what's going to be cropped.

File names look like some sort of code but I promise they make sense: the first value is the final aspect ratio, according to the lens stretch. 1.33x stretch results in 2.4:1, 1.5x equals 2.66:1 and the monstrous 2x goes as wide as 3.56:1. The second part of the file name is for the kind of lens being used. Let's say my whole project was shot with 2x stretch and I'm going for the 3.56:1 aspect ratio. After principal photography is done, I have to shoot some extra footage using spherical lenses. In this case, I need to pick the "2x-norm" crop mark for the extra footage.

ON SET PREVIEW

One of my main concerns shooting anamorphic was how to take a look at the footage on set at the correct aspect ratio, not squeezed like it's shot. This is really easy to solve through Magic Lantern. In the "Display" tab, there's an "Anamorphic" submenu. This submenu offers the most common lens stretches. By selecting one of the values, this stretch is applied to the LiveView and you see things in the right proportion while shooting. Its only flaw is the fact that it doesn't work when you're reviewing your clips in Play Mode. Developers informed me that messing around with Play Mode is complex and risky, but it works great with RAW recording!

If you're handling the camera by yourself this is a great solution for it eliminates the need for any other piece of gear devoted only to fixing the images' aspect ratio.

I thought Magic Lantern deserved this video since it was my loyal companion, making my life easier and the results better, through these years of shooting indie anamorphic projects. I miss the custom crop marks and LiveView stretch every time I'm shooting bare bones with the A7s2 and I'm still getting used to life without it. If you're shooting with Canon and haven't tried Magic Lantern yet, waste no more time. Just before you do that, remember to subscribe and quickly check the blog for more reviews, downloads and tutorials! Ferradans out.

Ever since I reviewed the Isco 16:9 Video Attachment I, the only 1.33x anamorphic I was missing in the reviews was SLR Magic's. Now that I have it here, I wrote a very simple and straightforward script then got a ton of help (and patience!) from my friends while shooting this side project mixing all the 1.33x attachments in unmarked shots to see if we can actually spot the difference between them. Thank you very much Nicko and Ariana, you are the best.

Shooting this was all kinds of crazy since I was constantly swapping taking lenses, anamorphics and diopters (every single shot!) and keeping track of which shot had which combination was a complex task but not more challenging than shooting it all in a single Saturday afternoon. It was a fun project and also my first time shooting with Rob's Kinemini, so I took advantage of the S35 sensor + SpeedBooster to match full frame and shot it all in 4K Cinema DNGs without having to worry about crop factors and math (the resulting crop factor was 1.066x, which for me can be considered 1x).

Telling which shot used which lens, without looking at my notes ended up being much more difficult than I expected. A few of them are easy to spot thanks to more visible features - SLR Magic's super blue flares, the Panasonic's super wideness and poor edges, the Isco's oval bokeh - but when these features are not so visible in the shot, it's blind luck trying to tell which lens was used. Check the list below for full specs. How many did you get right and which ones are your favorite shots?

Before I end this video, I would like to point out the amazing score composed by my friend João Gabriel Rodrigues, he was my classmate back at Film School, and he did an outstanding job coming up with the music from the most bizarre set of notes I ever wrote about what I wanted for the mood in this project. If you're looking for good music, he's a freelancer and works super fast, so you should definitely get in touch!

What did you think of this alternate method for reviewing lenses and putting them against each other? Leave a comment below, subscribe to the channel and drop by the blog for the extra anamorphic content! Ferradans out.

Also, here are the reviews for all the lenses used in this test
Century Optics 16:9 Ratio Converter - on EBAY
Century Optics WS-13 - on EBAY
Panasonic LA7200 - on EBAY
Isco-Optic 16:9 Video Attachment I - on EBAY
SLR Magic Anamorphot 1.33x-50 - on EBAY

If you wanna take a shot at getting one of these purple lenses, join the raffle below! As the master at VintageLensesForVideo says, "Giveaway is open to everyone, everywhere in the world. Good luck!". The lens is Nikon mount (nothing an adapter can't handle) and has a focal reducer at the back. It's a different lens than the one in the tutorial and is a little beaten up. Aperture has a few quirks, you gotta loosen the entire barrel to rotate it, but it's still a great lens to play around, disassemble and learn how it works. Focus is great, so if you just want it wide open for maximum craziness, this is the one for you!

Besides that, I still have some available for sale, because I need to recoup the money spent in this tutorial (three Helios lenses, cans of spray, oval apertures, polish). Get your own righ here on eBay!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tito Ferradans here for a lengthy video involving some serious modding and unique looks. Summer is here and DIY projects are up. A few weeks ago I was blown away by a few photos posted by one Victor Danell with a modified Helios 44. His process was to "polish" the glass elements with a strong abrasive and sand the inside of the barrel in order to increase how light bounces around. The resulting effect is a light and wonderful glow to the brighter areas of the frame. It's an effect I was trying to re-create in post since forever and having the opportunity to do it in-camera was just too much to resist. Then I pushed the concept a bit further, painted some things inside the lens, replaced the aperture and added a flare filter inside the lens as well.

What are you gonna need for this process: a lens wrench, Helios 44-2, metal polish (I used Autosol, following Danell's instructions), a piece of cloth, some sandpaper (I used 100 because I did the whole thing by hand), masking tape, a can of metal paint, transparent tape, sharpie markers and thin fishing line. I highly recommend you take photos along the process so you know what goes where and to be able to put the lens back together. There are a couple of videos around on how to disassemble and clean the Helios, so this isn't one of them. I didn't fully disassemble the lens, just took out the minimum I could.

Starting by the back, unscrew the rear group. Now the front. The inside of the barrel has a slot for the lens wrench, so twist it out. The front is much easier than the back. Once the ring is removed, the element pops right out. Place it on the desk. Give the lens a gentle shake and the second element will also fall on your hand with a spacer. Onto the back group, unscrew the glass out. If you're having trouble with grip, use rubber gloves! Now get the piece of cloth, add some metal polish to it and uncoat it all away. This process creates countless micro scratches on the glass which are the main cause for the glow since light bounces through them. To completely remove the polish I washed everything in water, dried and let it dry some more on its own.

In the mean time I went outside with the rear (now empty) tubing and the front spacer. Wear mask and protective goggles. Using rough sandpaper (100), take out the black paint inside these two pieces. It doesn't have to be perfect. With the masking tape, cut small pieces enough to cover ALL the threads and just leave the sanded metal exposed. Be very thorough and add many layers in the process because the paint will mess up the threads if it gets there. Now, spray it with your favorite color. Here I'm making a purple one. Make sure you get a decent amount of paint in there. When it dries off you can remove all the masking tape. The glass should be dry by now, so it's time to start putting it back together. The painted elements will reflect on the light that bounces inside of the lens, adding a bit of a color tinge to the flares and glow.

Starting with the front, put back the inner glass element, then the painted spacer, front element and screw it tightly back. Reassemble the back in the same way, but don't fit it in yet. Time to do the oval iris. I had the acrylic disks from the previous tutorial, so I just grabbed one of those. You can choose your aperture value, I'm going with f/2.8 here. Sand it down as thin as you can and be careful not to break it. With the sharpie, paint the disk. I'm going for a crazy look, so I'm gonna use the same color I used for the inside of the lens - purple. This is VERY intense, if you just want oval shapes, paint it black. The tinted aperture has a very strong effect whenever you have a direct light source in the frame, or light rays going straight inside the lens.

UPDATE - OCTOBER 2016: I'm selling aperture discs for this mod on a small scale on eBay, so if you're looking to get some for a decent price, check out the listing!

The last step is to attach the fishing line as a flare filter. Put it across the middle and using thin transparent tape, lock it into place. Cut the edges. To make this an unquestionably purple lens, I'm gonna paint it as well. Careful because neither the wire nor the aperture will ever fully dry. Putting the oval with the right orientation can be challenging. I noticed the gap in the EF adapter is always perpendicular to the top of the lens, so I used the as a guide. The easiest way to rotate it in place is using the lens wrench. It still takes a few attempts and sometimes screwing the back element rotates the iris, so take that into account. Screw the back in as tight as you can and be careful not to break the acrylic disk (you'll feel some resistance). The amber one got a few cracks in this process.

That's it! You're done! Now's the perfect moment to subscribe to the channel and check the blog for plenty of other tutorials and reviews. Ferradans out.

UPDATE: If you like this look but not exactly this build, there's a much more guaranteed way to get a buffed up Helios with LOTS of customization from people who actually know what they're doing: the FlareFactory58 and the TRUMPs, made by Richard Gale at DogSchidtOptiks. I reviewed them a few months back and I still dream about it. There you even have the option of getting optical attachments so your custom Helios turns into a full set of 38, 58 and 88mm.