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All the anamorphics


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Hi folks

I'll be upfront that I'm researching for an article here.

I'm looking at anamorphic lenses with a particular interest in listing recent releases, but I was wondering what it'd take to list all of the anamorphic options that currently exist. I would imagine it's not more than a couple of dozen, at least in terms of things available commonly at rental.

So, um, who wants to go first?

 

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Languishing in COVID isolation, so why not. 

35mm 2x unless stated otherwise


Panavision 

      B series

      C series

      E series

      Primo anamorphic

      G series

     T series

     Ultra Panatar, Auto Panatar (large format, 1.3x)

     Ultra Vista (large format, 1.65x)

JDC Xtal Xpres

Kowa Prominar 

P&S Technik Evolution (modern Kowa clones)

Technovision

P&S Technik Technovision Classic (1.5x for large format)

Lomo

      Squarefront

      Roundfront (also Roundfront high speed)

Optica Elite

Ultrascope 

Arriscope

Todd-AO

Cineovision

Hawk 
     C series

     V

      V-Plus

      V-Lite (2x and 1.3x) and V-Lite16 (1.3x for 16mm)

      Class-X

Cooke

       Cooke Anamorphic/i (S6)

       Cooke FF Anamorphic (1.8x for large format)

 Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic

Arri Rental Alfa (expanded, modified Zeiss Master Anamorphics for large format)

Atlas Orion

Servicevision
       Scorpiolens (large format)

        Scorpiorama  (1.65x for large format)

Caldwell Chameleon (1.79x for S35+ or FF)

Glaswerk One (for large format)

Vazen (1.8x for large format)   
 

I didn’t bother with some early ones like Franscope or Dyaliscope or the original anamorphics - CinemaScope - since I don’t think you can realistically rent them. 

I remembered most, but must admit the new Cine Lens Manual was quite useful to round out the list. I think I’ve worked on roughly two thirds of these, just finished repairing an Atlas Orion last week. 

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30 minutes ago, Dom Jaeger said:

Languishing in COVID isolation, so why not. 

35mm 2x unless stated otherwise


Panavision 

      B series

      C series

      E series

      Primo anamorphic

      G series

     T series

     Ultra Panatar, Auto Panatar (large format, 1.3x)

     Ultra Vista (large format, 1.65x)

JDC Xtal Xpres

Kowa Prominar 

P&S Technik Evolution (modern Kowa clones)

Technovision

P&S Technik Technovision Classic (1.5x for large format)

Lomo

      Squarefront

      Roundfront (also Roundfront high speed)

Optica Elite

Ultrascope 

Arriscope

Todd-AO

Cineovision

Hawk 
     C series

     V

      V-Plus

      V-Lite (2x and 1.3x) and V-Lite16 (1.3x for 16mm)

      Class-X

Cooke

       Cooke Anamorphic/i (S6)

       Cooke FF Anamorphic (1.8x for large format)

 Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic

Arri Rental Alfa (expanded, modified Zeiss Master Anamorphics for large format)

Atlas Orion

Servicevision
       Scorpiolens (large format)

        Scorpiorama  (1.65x for large format)

Caldwell Chameleon (1.79x for S35+ or FF)

Glaswerk One (for large format)

Vazen (1.8x for large format)   
 

I didn’t bother with some early ones like Franscope or Dyaliscope or the original anamorphics - CinemaScope - since I don’t think you can realistically rent them. 

I remembered most, but must admit the new Cine Lens Manual was quite useful to round out the list. I think I’ve worked on roughly two thirds of these, just finished repairing an Atlas Orion last week. 

Uh… do you want to think about this Dom? ? Bravo! Well done! ?

G

Edited by Gregory Irwin
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29 minutes ago, Gregory Irwin said:

Uh… do you want to think about this Dom? ? Bravo! Well done! ?

G

I dare say you’ve had your hands on a quite a few of these lenses yourself Greg!

I got to appraise a set of the P&S Technik Technovision anamorphics you used on Black Adam the other day.  Looking forward to seeing your work on that one.

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If I mention Sirui do I get baleful stares from the high-end people?

Seriously - thanks for that, it's super-comprehensive.

Do things like the Panavision B get used much? I've heard of C and E a lot.

 

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9 hours ago, Phil Rhodes said:

If I mention Sirui do I get baleful stares from the high-end people?

Seriously - thanks for that, it's super-comprehensive.

Do things like the Panavision B get used much? I've heard of C and E a lot.

 

A baleful stare is my default state, I might have to extend to an eye roll..

No of course not, these days especially people use all sorts of optics. They used a $1000 rehoused Helios on the recent Batman movie.

There aren’t many Panavision B series around, they were resurrected from a display cabinet (like quite a few Panavision lenses in the last decade) for some famous DoP and are now back in circulation, but those few are always working. They often  get supplemented with C series.

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According to The Cine Lens Manual, there actually is a Panavision D series, which has always been a puzzling gap in the nomenclature.

It consists of only two focal lengths, a 40 and a 50, both T2, released in the mid 70s. Basically faster wide angle C series.  I must say I’d never heard of them, but apparently they were used on shows like The Witcher, Mudbound and Pig. 

There are so many odd variants and modifications in the Panavision inventory, it’s almost pointless labelling them all.

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42 minutes ago, Dom Jaeger said:

According to The Cine Lens Manual, there actually is a Panavision D series, which has always been a puzzling gap in the nomenclature.

It consists of only two focal lengths, a 40 and a 50, both T2, released in the mid 70s. Basically faster wide angle C series.  I must say I’d never heard of them, but apparently they were used on shows like The Witcher, Mudbound and Pig. 

There are so many odd variants and modifications in the Panavision inventory, it’s almost pointless labelling them all.

I’ve used the D series Dom. I had a D40mm that was my favorite at the time.  Those mixed with the Bs and Cs made for a very good set. 
 

G

Edited by Gregory Irwin
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47 minutes ago, M Joel W said:

Wait did they really use a Helios 44-2 on The Batman?

 

https://www.motionpictures.org/2022/03/the-batman-cinematographer-greig-fraser-on-finding-light-in-the-darkness/
 

They used Iron Glass rehoused lenses for the chase scene with old Alexas as crash cams. Iron Glass is a little Ukrainian company that rehouses Soviet era lenses. Slava Ukraini! 

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The only other scopes I can think of to add to Dom's list are the Xelmus Apollo anamorphics (also out of Ukraine).

Options like the Sirui and upcoming Laowa lenses, I think fall into a different catagory. Similar to the home-made anamorphic options they're mostly being used on mirrorless cameras, and only offer a small number of focal lengths. So whilst they're still scope lenses, they're not really "lens sets" in the way we think of sets conventionally.

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I think Sirui has at least the intention to do complete sets. The APS-C coverage series includes a 24, 50 and 75. There's a 35 in the micro four-thirds version, but with coverage limited to micro four-thirds sensors, and I'm not sure how many of those they're going to sell.

They've also done a 1.6:1 50mm full frame. Time will tell if they can get the others out but if they can make them all for $1500...

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Very slightly divergent in this topic, this article, if you have the patience to read, features the Asian production entity, Shaw Brothers of Hong Kong and Singapore. Their anamorphic films were heralded with the full screen logo "Shawscope". As a teenager, on seeing the logo, my first cyniical thought was that it was asian copycatting and branding of someone else's proprietary hardware. However, on reading this articale I have been re-educated. According to the article, their Japanese Toho lenses were derived from Kowa and Dyaliscope designs. Some of the lenses featured a rear anamorphic optic, a product which Chinese optical manufacturer, Laowa has recently introduced in its line-up.

https://www.davidbordwell.net/essays/shaw.php

Edited by Robert Hart
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  • 4 months later...

Hey @Phil Rhodes...

I know this is a few months old but wanted to let you know to add these to your list:

Toyo Eiki Anamorphics: 32mm, 50mm, 100mm, 203mm. They formerly lived at Arri Rental UK for a time, and OnlyRental.dk in Denmark.

Made in Japan I believe in the 70s or 80s, I think using Shiga anamorphic glass, with Cooke Speed Panchros as the spherical.

This is the only set that was ever made, as far as I'm aware.

I now own them; they're currently getting freshened up at TLS, after which they'll be coming to me here in the USA.

toyo.jpg

toyoooo.jpg

Edited by James Coleman Rogers
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CSLA in Los Angeles rents three original Panavision Auto Panatars from 1958, back when Panavision sold them before going rental-only: http://www.cslarentals.com/rental/lenses/panavision-auto-panatar-anamorphics-t2-3-2

I like the flares in their reel. Wonder if Panavision themselves would ever offer any of these.

Edited by Shawn Martin
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1 hour ago, Dom Jaeger said:

They would not be very different to B series, which are rented out constantly. 

Dennis Toepen referred rather disparagingly to "Bolex sparkle" elsewhere just now.

Conversely, I think these benefit from "Panatar patina".

Edited by Mark Dunn
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There are a few '70s Nipponscope sets from Japan available out there to rent, as well as some Fujivision ones. I don't know when the latter were made. Shiga anamorphics with various spherical glass.

Keslow has a set of three Canon K-35 anamorphics: https://www.keslowcamera.com/gear/lenses/anamorphic-lenses/anamorphic-primes/canon-k-35-anamorphic-primes/. (The K on them is the Keslow logo, which is kinda neat.) But from the look of them, and the K-35 base, I'm pretty sure they're rehoused Cineovisions.

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