Help with Cinemascope adapter lens !

[Cheezy]

I have put my hands on a Bausch&Lomb Cinemascope adapter (the one used in the fifties by the 20th Century Fox on 35mm cameras / see http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/wingcs1.htm at the bottom of the page) I would like to fit it on a Super8 camera but it doesn't seem to work on my zoom lenses. Would a prime lens help ? If so, which one ?

[mattias]

it doesn't seem to work on my zoom lenses.

i can think if a million reasons how a lens wouldn't work and why. you have to be more specific.

/matt

[Cheezy]

Be more specific ? Well... What else can I add ? The lens is labeled Cinemascope Camera Attachment DF 3564, Manufactured by Bausch&Lomb.
It is an anamorphic adapter that was intended for 35mm cameras but which could also be fitted on 16mm cameras. It has only a focus ring. The rear element of the lens is pretty small but I was told it didn't matter if the camera's lens was larger than the rear element of the AM adapter. Still it seems that it doesn't work with zoom lenses because they are too long, and the person who lent me this Cinemascope lens told me it would probably work better with a short, fixed-focal lens.
What I wanted to do is fit it on my Super8 cameras, but I can't get an image without seeing the rear of the AM attachment trough my Super8 lens, even when zoomed at the maximum (which is stupid since I get a zoomed image...)

[mattias]

Be more specific ? Well... What else can I add ?

i didn't mean be more specific as in hard facts, but rather as in what exactly do you mean by it doesn't work? this is probably the most common problem when somebody asks for help. they tell you the complete background to the problem and everything they have tried to fix it, but never what the problem is. the two most common error descriptions i've heard are "it doesn't work" and "nothing happens". neither ever makes much sense to anybody but the person with the problem... ;-)

but I can't get an image without seeing the rear of the AM attachment trough my Super8 lens, even when zoomed at the maximum

there you go. the answer to your question is yes and no. since a prime is usually smaller in diameter than a zoom it's more likely to work. on the other hand, since primes are usually more wide angle than zooms, they might cause vignetting anyway. it's a combination of front diameter and focal length that limits your choices, so your best bet is to find a zoom with the smallest front diameter possible and then zoom in until there's no vignetting. forget about wide angle though...

/matt

[Cheezy]

I knew I had to forget about wide angle ! But I get the point and your answer is somehow what I expected/feared...
But all this brings another problem: since you have to deal with lens physical length and a certain amount of zoom, you are limited in your choice of cameras (at least in Super8) and also limited in the way you wanna shoot.
I also read other posts in this forum where it was said that these kinds of 35mm Scope adapters had their rear element too small for the majority of large Super8 lenses. I tried it on my Bauer S207 XL, S709 XL and S715 XL without any luck. It was almost ok on my Nalcom FTL but had some vignetting. Maybe if I get a Beaulieu, it'll be easier to adapt than on a fixed lens camera.