ANAMORPHIC LENSES GEAR.
Atlas
Today, the company offers a range of six 2x anamorphic primes in its Orion series, each of which come with a native PL mount, but can easily be adapted to EF. Focal lengths from 32mm to 100mm are available singly, in two sets or three, or as a set of six. For wider views, there’s also the Orion 21mm and 25mm anamorphics, currently available on pre-order. The company is teasing a Mercury series, due to arrive later this year. If you can’t wait until then and are feeling really flush, the limited-edition Orion Silver Edition set offers the same focal lengths as the ‘standard’ Orion sextet, but with a distinctly different aesthetic and visual performance. Just 100 sets are available, each coming in two custom silver cases.
The new kid on the anamorphic block, Atlas has only been around since 2016, but already has some big accolades. Created by cinematographer Dan Kanes and designer Forrest Schultz, the pair set out to make an anamorphic from scratch. They showed a prototype at NAB in 2017, the rest is history.
Laowa Laowa lays claim to offering the world’s tiniest 1.5x anamorphic lens, in the shape of the brand’s recently announced Nanomorph line-up, which encompasses the 27mm T2.8, 35mm T2.4 and 50mm T2.4 1.5X lenses. Designed for Super 35 and Micro Four Thirds sensors, the lenses feature a front anamorphic design and also offer blue and amber flare options. However, the real draw for this set is the size and weight, with the lenses tipping the scales from just 313g, which is sure to appeal to indie production companies or single-crew shooters looking to cut down on bulk. Available in a huge range of mounts, including EF, PL, RF Sony E, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon Z and Fujifilm X, the lenses also boast a close minimum focusing distance of just 60mm. The sheer portability and lightweight dimensions of the Nanomorph series even opens up the lenses to use with drones, which up to now has been hard to achieve.
Sirui One of the newer brands to get a foothold in the anamorphic lens game, Sirui offers a range of lenses that balance features with value for money. The Sirui 50mm T2.9 1.6x is a full-frame anamorphic that costs just £1299 and features a 1.6x squeeze factor, producing vibrant lens flares and oval bokeh. The impressive build quality is backed up by an aluminium housing, and with a 1/4 screw hole at the bottom, the lens can be mounted directly or on the quick-release plate to maintain the balance of the whole set-up. Sirui also offers anamorphic options for non-full frame sensors too, with the Sirui 50mm F1.8 1.33x, available in Sony E, Fujifilm X and Micro Four Thirds mounts. This is an excellent option for those seeking to pair their anamorphic lens with a camera to use on a gimbal, where payload weights really matter. Also available is the Sirui 24mm F2.8 Cooke With a history stretching back over 100 years, Cooke can trace its heritage to the dawn of moviemaking. The brand’s /i series lenses promise outstanding performance across a vast selection of optics. The Anamorphic/i primes cover 25mm to 300mm, while the Anamorphic/i Full Frame Plus lenses are available from 32mm to 180mm. It’s the fusion of heritage techniques and modern technologies that helps these lenses stand out. From classic polishing methods to cementing processes, quality is paramount. The results speak for themselves, with many DOPs opting for the ‘Cooke look’.
1.33x, which is comes in E, Micro Four Thirds and Fujifilm X mounts, as well as fitments for Canon EF-M and Nikon Z.
Contacts Arri/Zeiss arri.com/zeiss.com Atlas atlaslensco.com Cintek cintek.co.uk Cooke cookeoptics.com Laowa ukdigital.co.uk Schneider-Kreuznach schneiderkreuznach.com Sirui store.sirui.com Vazen vzlens.com
All lenses have factory-calibrated focus scales, with clearly identifiable distance marks. The brand’s anamorphic /i series features an 11-leaf linear module iris assembly. Equally important is the colour balancing, with all /i lenses colour matched.
43. JULY 2022
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