Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater high cost of anamorphic lens

I am helping my dad setup a home theater in his basement and we are at the point were we are going to pick out a projector. I am leaning toward the JVC DLA-RS2 or the Planar PD8150 as possible choices. If he doesn't want to spend $8000 then he will probably go with the Epson UB. Another thing that we would like to do is have an anamorphic lens for the projector. The JVC has the ability to vertically stretch the image (I'm not sure about the Planar or Epson) so I could use an aftermarket lens, although JVC offers a motorized anamorphic lens designed for the projector for $6500.

What is the difference in an anamorphic lens?

I have not been able to find any reviews of them anywhere. I have been able to find some for $2000 and then they jump to around $5000 to $6000. I wouldn't want to put a junk lens on an $8000 projector. But spending almost as much money on the lens as the projector is a bit crazy to me. The lens that comes with the projector isn't $6000 so why is a simple anamorphic lens that expensive?

Are good ones really this costly?

Has anyone found any reviews or shootouts of different anamorphic lens' in the different price ranges?

- Nick

If you desire a CIH (constant image height) system, there is no way to do it without an anamorphic lens other than the old zoom and refocus method - which really sucks. Good luck on finding professional reviews. I don’t think there are any. There’s quite a bit of information at the AVS – 2.35 Constant Image Height Chat board. The Isco III is usually regarded as the ‘best’ available due to some pretty high end optics, but I don’t know if it’s worth the money or not. Plus, you have to move it in / out of the beam, either manually or by means of a motorized carriage. Panamorph also makes some nice lenses, but again, you have to move them in / out of the beam path. Then there is the lenses made by Prismasonic. They stay in the beam path and you either twist a couple knobs or push a button on your remote and a motor moves the lenses. They have just recently come out with a new and improved lens, the HE5000 in either manual or motorized trim. I use a Prismasonic 1400 FE and think it has terrific optics. The 5000 is supposed to have a slight edge over the 1400 FE. They all cost quite a bit…… Your best option may be to keep an eye out for used lenses. They do pop up from time to time.

One thing to keep in mind is there are two different configurations. One where the lens expands the image horizontally and one that expands it vertically. There are advocates for both. I personally think HE lenses are the way to go. Obviously, if the projector will not V-stretch the image, you will need a video processor for that. Most projectors nowadays have this function, but be sure to verify they will do it with all resolutions.

For projector, the two you mention are on my list of possible units that will replace my PT1000U this fall. The street prices of both are very comparable (about $5500). If that is what the budget is, you should also be looking at the Marantz 15S. Its street price is $6000. Another projector that is probably the best bang for the buck right now is the JVC RS1X. It is not an RS1, but a new model and comes with HDMI 1.3, selectable Gamma profiles, they fixed the bright corner issues that the RS1 had, and I’m pretty sure it has the V-stretch feature. It streets for about $4200. Is does not have the CR as the RS2, but its still number two and is brighter than the RS2.

Even though I love my 2.35 constant height setup using my Prismasonic anamorphic lens and Sanyo Z2, and HTPC running TheaterTek software, I sometimes would prefer the ease of just using a standard 16:9 screen, sit back and enjoy, with no hassle.

In reality, the black bars aren't that big of deal for most people.

Just found on the prismonic webiste they have a place that you can type in your projector, throw distance, etc. and you can get the brightness, geometric distortion, etc. with different prismonic lens'. What you do guys think?

http://www.prismasonic.com/english/calculator.php

Looks like this might tell me the best lens to go with any projector that I pick. Hopefully it will be at a reasonable price if I find one.

- Nick

I really wish someone would release a projector that has the capability to do CIH internally. Is that even possible?

It would have to be projector with 2.35 format that would letterbox 1.85, 1.69 and 1.33 sources. I suspect we will see this eventually as CIH is gaining popularity and pretty much all new releases are 2.35.

Nick,

The Prismasonic lenses do tend to work better with longer throws than short throws. The first thing you need to figure out is screen size and throw distance. When you have that nailed down, then you pick the projector as some are limited due to their zoom range. If I recall correctly, Prismasonic recommends a throw ratio of 1.5 or greater. Sometimes this just can’t be done and you will have to look at the other offerings out there. Make sure when you do the math that you use 1.69 screen width when figuring throw ratio. I was using 2.35 and had ruled out Prismasonic until Anssi told me to use 1.69, then all their lenses would work for me.

If you have not picked out a screen yet, I’d seriously look at Prismasonics curved silver screens. I can’t believe they are selling them for what they are. A curved high gain silver screen is normally around 7 grand. They are selling theirs for less than 2 grand….. If I didn’t have a Stewart Firehawk that’s less than two years old, I’d buy one of these silver screens without a second thought.

mdrew,

My dad has said that he will go with a curved screen, but he is going to do a DIY one. I can't understand why some companies charge ridiculous amounts of money on screens and curved screens seem even more ridiculous. How is the screen material any different than the bulk roll that you can buy for $100 to $200? It is just a matter of building a frame after that.

- Nick

mdrew,

You mentioned that the JVC DLA-RS2 can be found for around $5,000 to $6,000. Where exactly? I have been searching a little bit an haven't seen it less than $8,000. Also, if the projector can be found for $5,000 to $6,000, can the JVC anamorphic lens designed to go with the RS2 be found for less than $6,500? If I could get the total around $10,000 then my dad might just go for it.

- Nick

Send one of the salesmen at AVS an email or call on the phone and request quotes for all the projectors / screens / HE lens / etc that you want. You'll be pleasantly surprised. I buy just about everything from them anymore. They are authorized to sell just about every brand out there. Plus, they know the products they sell and have a great return / exchange policy.

On the curved screen, I doubt you'll be able to find bulk silver material with a gain of 3. Silverstar is the only other high gain silver I am aware of, and their flat, rigid screens are well over 5 grand and take up an entire van to ship them.

mdrew,

That is a lot of gain. I thought that if you have a projector with a good contrast ratio (which any of the ones on the list do) and can completely darken the room then a gain of 1.0 to 1.3 would be best. Aren't the high gain screens for watching movies with the lights on or a budget projector that has poor black levels?

- Nick