Taken apart Isco Blue Star lens

[Renato Bulhoes]

Hi guys. Recently I've found an advertisement about an Isco Blue Star. It belongs to a photographer. I think It would be an Isco Blue Star Integrated anamorphics (focal=48mm)
but It seems missing its (f=33.7mm) back lens counterpart designed for it. Looks like it has been stripped down of its prime. The seller told me he owns only the front end ( the '2x' anamorphics part ).

Snap 2020-03-29 at 03.22.37.png

I read a discussion somewhere on former Film-Handler's forum, well perhaps the anamorphics front end construction on the 'integrated' version may be a different project from
the anamorphics 'attachment' version.
Considering we can use a limited range of Ultra Star HD and HD Plus primes coupled to the Blue Star 'attachment' and the seller offers a Blue Star 'integrated' but without its prime or back lens.
So my question is: could I use that stripped anamorphics front end part with an Ultra Star HD (60mm and upwards) or even HD Plus (52.5mm and upwards) primes instead of the regular 33.7mm missing lens regardless of a high likelihood of different engineering between attachment and integrated versions ? And should be coupled by means of an (70.6 diameter) adapter ring/spacer ?

[Randy Stankey]

Regardless of whether this item can be coupled to to another lens, the fact that it has been disassembled at all would be enough to concern me. We have no idea how far the lens has been disassembled or whether it has been reassembled properly.

In fact, if it has been disassembled, it's almost a guarantee that it hasn't been reassembled properly because special jigs and equipment are required to assemble a lens of that caliber. Virtually no home tinkerer would have the equipment or knowledge to restore a disassembled lens to factory condition unless the person who worked on it had special knowledge or natural talent.

Unless the price is really cheap or unless you only want the lens to tinker with, I'd pass on it if I was you.

[Stefan Scholz]

The blue anodized anamorphic parts do not differ from the ones gold or red anodized. They are of the same construction, basicly a 16 mm anamorphic attachment.
They were only available in a few focal lengthes, and the others were in red or golden aluminum bodies.
So, if the front end is otherwise unaltered and not been disassembled, it would work with different primes, probably from the Jsco range of Ultra Star HD (studio), and not that good with Schneiders.

There was a craze, when people removed the anamorphics to attach them to their smartphones to take anamorphic movies or images, not understanding the factor of 2 is quite wide for a sensor native at 1.78 to 1.
I feel that craze has cooled down.
A newer idiocy seems to be to use the primes for digital photography at full f stop, and claim a special Bokeh or other weird artefact that makes images special.
I came across that, when some idiot dumped the outer shells that fit into the projector and just delivered the actual lens element to save on postage. Not even he 62.5 mm collar left. Makes it time consuming to lathe a new collar.
Something we have to liuve with these days. The craze to think an iPhone can replace a $ 5000 DSLR with $ 10000 set of lenses.

[Sean McKinnon]

I would say test it and give it a try... You wont neccesarily damage anything (unless your not careful and damage the threads) so add your prime lens and see what the image looks like. I think the benefit to integrated anamorphics was that they were selected as matched sets so while you probably wont gain anything over a regular attachment you may not lose anything. Please let us know what you find!

[Renato Bulhoes]

Hi guys. Thanks for the answers till now. Well I will ask the seller for more pictures from the lens bottom for looking into the threads. And I've sent that question to Schneider Optics too.
Randy, I'd like so much put my hands on that lens !
Stefan, I believe the 2x scope part is entire. Yeah, the photographers have destroyed jewels by looking for weird pics.
McKinnon, I will wait the end of this quarantine for preserving my finances. These are difficult days, everywhere. But If the seller keep the lens thereafter, so I could give it a try and post here the results afterwards. But I still need to find the right collar/ring adapter, then I see a long time ahead. Cheers for all of you !

[Renato Bulhoes]

Snap 2020-03-31 at 15.32.02.pngThe seller has sent these new pics. We can see the thread.Snap 2020-03-31 at 15.32.22.png

[Randy Stankey]

Randy, I'd like so much put my hands on that lens !

If you want to tinker and experiment, by all means, go right ahead!
I love to tinker, too.

All I wanted to say is that a piece of used equipment, when we don't know how well it's been taken care of, shouldn't be expected to function within original specification in mission-critical usage.

Yes, I am amazed (unpleasantly so) how people think that they can use an iPhone or a digicam bought from Walmart or BestBuy and call themselves photographers. I don't use digicams at all, except for sharing on the internet, and I have no illusions that I can, somehow, be like Ansel Adams. I have a basement darkroom full of vintage photography equipment but that doesn't make me a great photographer. I think I'm pretty good but, Ansel Adams I am not.

I'm with Stefan! The possession of multi-thousands of dollars worth of equipment does not a photographer make.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Schneider Optics can repair, reassemble and align the front and rear elements of ISCO and theor own products for highest resolution. I have never had to have a Blue Star anamorphic worked on , but a friend has had them do work on his.

https://www.productionhub.com/press/...rbank-location

[Renato Bulhoes]

Thank you Mark. Well today it has arrived an answer from Schneider Optics, Germany:

' Dear Renato,


Unfortunately the people who knew these products best have been retired and we only have very limited information about these old products.


If it is really the front part of an original integrated anamorphic lens (48mm) than it most probably only works with the original 42mm, 45mm and 48mm prime lenses. (The 33.7mm was not the focal length of the base lens but the back focal length).


ISCO offered different Cinemascope attachments working with longer focal lengths. Please see the enclosed an old price list from 2006, which I also found in the internet, for further information.


So I don't think that you can use your Cinemascope front part with the longer focal length prime lenses with good results.


I hope that this info is at least of some help.


Best regards

Steffen


______________________


i.A.

Dipl.-Ing. (FH)

Steffen Mahler

Industrial Project Center

Product and Market Specialist '

[Steve Guttag]

It is entirely possible that the anamorphic portion was modified to be optimized for the three EFs and specifically, the three prime lenses that were used. It is notable that they did not ever offer the red Ultra-Star Plus in that format. If it was a simple matter of changing the prime lens, then when the USP line came out, those three lenses would have followed suit like the other integrated anamorphics.

As an aside, I found that the old .52x magnifiers (101mm diameter) worked notably better with the "ULTRA" series of lenses as prime than the red Ultra Star Plus. As one tends to the very short (or the very long, for that matter), how the lenses interact seems to be much more critical.

ISCO also never did their integrated anamorhpics other than as a completed assembly (the closest they got was for 16mm they made the integrated anarmorphic portion as something that could be clamped and swung out of the way). Schneider had their compact anamorphic still as an attachment. This was most handy for 16mm because Schneider also used the same sized barrel/threads for most of their short focal lengths (below 50mm). So for 16mm anamorphic, it was possible to use short EF primes with standard close couplers to make 16mm film format anamorphics that looked rather good. They would vignette for 35mm but were excellent for 16mm.

[Renato Bulhoes]

Yes Steve.I think so. It seems the Blue Star (2x) attachments (blue barrel color) were 1st class and/or optimized for their respective prime/back blue barrel lens (between 3 choices). Thanks for the excellent tip aimed at16mm gauge.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Renauto, Contact Century Precision in Burbank, CA. That is Schneiders repair division here in the states. They fixed on for a friend a couple of years ago. I am pretty sure they still can. At least it can not hurt to ask.

https://schneiderkreuznach.com/en/ci...graphy/century


Mark

[Renato Bulhoes]

Thank you Mark and everyone above. There was just one part (the scope front end). I think I should buy more two specific hard to find parts so I dropped out.

[Steve Guttag]

You could probably find a late model ISCO integrated anamorphic (red barrel or even an ISCO gold barrel) lens for low cost and give it a shot to transfer the "prime" lens to the Blue Star anamorphic and see how it goes. If not, move it back to what it came with. Worst case, you end up with a 4 element anamorphic. Best case, you end up with a 6 element. Note, you MAY have to create/add spaces but it could very well just go right together.

I'm afraid that the talent that created these fine pieces are probably pretty scattered by now and some have, quite possibly, passed-on. Herr Lindstadt may still be around. He was reasonably knowledgable about the ISCO line, including from that era.

[Jacob Tutt]

ISCO offered different Cinemascope attachments working with longer focal lengths. Please see the enclosed an old price list from 2006, which I also found in the internet, for further information.

Hi Renato,

I'm also trying to switch anamorphic attachments to different size prime lens. Would you mind sharing the document that Steffen email to you? I'd like to know what range of prime lenses my anamorphic attachments could work with.