Alexa 35 with Hawk V-Lite 1.3x

Neel Potgieter · June 30, 2023

Hello folks,

I am just wondering if anyone has tested this setup? Is there a definite interest to shoot with them to get a 1.85:1 final format? As the Alexa 35 is a 3:2 Opengate sensor, do you know if I can use the full sensor? Like a Alexa SXT for example
Thanks for your thoughts!

David Mullen ASC · June 30, 2023

Should work. 1.3X on a 3:2 sensor gets you a 1.95 : 1 image unsqueezed so you might want to create custom framelines for cropping that to 1.85, basically a 1.42 : 1 frame with a 1.3X optical squeeze.

Dom Jaeger · July 1, 2023

The only caveat is that Open Gate is larger than some 35mm format lenses are designed to cover. Even cropping the sides for a 1.85 extraction you would need an image circle of around 33.4mm diameter. The official V-Lite 1.3x sensor coverage is smaller than this, but I think most of the focal lengths should cover. You would want to test to make sure though. You might need to make a custom frame line slightly punched in to cover all the focal lengths.

Neel Potgieter · July 3, 2023

Hi all, thanks for the responses!
I will do a test tomorrow at Vantage Paris and see what the solutions are. Effectively I see that the image circle is around 23mm so it can be a bit tricky.
I will keep you posted ; )

David Mullen ASC · July 3, 2023

Maybe there's a way to use an expander on the end of the lens? I know Panavision was doing that to some of their wide-angle Super-35 prime lenses and zooms to fill Open Gate on the Alexa.

Dom Jaeger · July 4, 2023

8 hours ago, Neel Potgieter said:

Hi all, thanks for the responses!
I will do a test tomorrow at Vantage Paris and see what the solutions are. Effectively I see that the image circle is around 23mm so it can be a bit tricky.
I will keep you posted ; )

I think you have the wrong number there, 23mm diameter is too small. Normal 4 perf 35mm anamorphic needs an image circle of about 29mm diameter (22mm x 18.7mm), so all 35mm format anamorphic lenses will cover at least that. The anamorphic modes on Arri Mini LF which are designed for standard 35mm anamorphics tend to limit the frame diagonal to a maximum of 33.6mm, which in my experience most will cover, but you can get the odd one that doesn't. Testing will properly answer your question.

Dom Jaeger · July 4, 2023

2 hours ago, David Mullen ASC said:

Maybe there's a way to use an expander on the end of the lens? I know Panavision was doing that to some of their wide-angle Super-35 prime lenses and zooms to fill Open Gate on the Alexa.

Yes, we often use custom optics to expand lenses, normally around 1.1x or 1.2x is enough without losing too much light or altering the focal length too much.

The problem with off the shelf expanders is that they tend to be 1.4x or 1.6x which is often overkill and loses you at least a stop. Sometimes you can go to the trouble of expanding a lens only to find it's now the same focal length as a longer one in your set that already covered, but it's a stop slower and not looking so great wide open any more. They often also have shallow protrusion specs meaning a lot of wide angle lenses that stick out past the mount won't fit.