SLR Magic today unveiled a set of 2x anamorphic prime lenses designed for indie filmmakers. The set comprising of a 35mm, 50mm and 70mm will be on show at IBC in Amsterdam from September 11-15th 2015 and later in New York at the Photo Plus show (Panasonic stand).
These lenses are a perfect match for the Panasonic GH4 which shoots the necessary 4:3 aspect ratio required to make the best use of the cinema standard 2x stretch anamorphic format.
The lenses are Micro Four Thirds mount and produce an aspect ratio of 2.66:1 from 4:3. I expect future Panasonic cameras to develop the anamorphic mode further and hopefully Sony will jump in on it too.
Full press release from SLR Magic:
Hong Kong, China (Sept 9th, 2015) – SLR Magic is proud to announce the SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 2x lens set for indie filmmakers.
As a commitment to the film industry, SLR Magic developed the SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE lenses to deliver the classic contrast, distortion, chromatic, color aberration, and flare characteristics of vintage anamorphic lenses, but with the convenience of a matched lens set without the hassle of aligning and matching lenses to the already popular SLR Magic Rangefinder with Anamorphot adapter combination.
To achieve the much loved scope aspect ratio, which gives a very pleasant, epic effect, filmmakers must crop off the top and bottom of standard 16:9 footage when using spherical lenses with modern digital cameras. As a result, 25% or more sensor/negative information is discarded.
This 2x anamorphic lens help filmmakers to maximize their image quality by preventing this loss of vertical resolution. The unique 2x squeeze factor uses the entire 4:3 sensor/negative area to achieve the desired 2.66:1 aspect ratio. The SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 2x does this by compressing a 100% wider field of view to fit the width of the 4:3 sensor/negative without compressing image height.
The SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 2x create a unique “artifact” such as horizontal lens flare, commonly referred to as anamorphic streaks, and may create slightly elongated bokeh. Over the history of cinema, these same stylish effects have contributed to the cinematic “look” of epic motion picture photography. Characteristics that shape this anamorphic “look” come from “front-mounted” anamorphic designs such as the SLR Magic Anamorphot while “rear-mounted” anamorphic designs have more suppressed anamorphic characteristics.
The SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 2x lenses will be available for viewing at:
The IBC show in Amsterdam, Netherlands from September 11-15 in the Atomos booth in Hall 9 Stand D.25 and in the Convergent Design booth in Hall 11 Stand A.38
The Photo Plus show in New York, USA from October 22-24 in the Panasonic Booth 445
Technical Data:
SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 35mm T2.4
SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 50mm T2.8
SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 70mm T4
Lens Type: Anamorphic lens
Squeeze factor: 2x
Camera mode: 4:3 Anamorphic
Objective front filter thread: Φ82
Mount: micro four thirds
Lens Coating: Multi Coated
Close Focus: 3’6
Weight (oz./g): 47.9/1,360
Length (cm): 19.25
Diameter (cm): 10
Suggested aperture setting: T4-5.6
Image Circle: mFT for 35mm T2.4, S35 for 50mm T2.8 and 70mm T4
MSRP
$2,499 for SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 35mm T2.4
$2,999 for SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 50mm T2.8
$2,999 for SLR Magic ANAMORPHOT-CINE 70mm T4
