John Beatty

I've been shooting a lot of commercial work recently and have actually been trying to avoid the halation/blooming around highlights created by diffusion filters, while still getting the subtle softening effect diffusion filters can offer. Halation/blooming is great when you want it, but sometimes you don't, but still desire some diffusion. For this I have recently been turning to Schneider's Radiant Soft filters. You can go all the way up to a 1 and sometimes even a 2 before you start seeing any blooming occurring around highlights, which has been great in situations where I really don't have a desire to see any.

In situations where you're unable to test particular glass you're interested in, I've found it helpful to visit Sharegrid's Ultimate Cinema Lens Library at https://www.sharegrid.com/ultimate-lens-library.html. There is a ton of information both there and on their YouTube page regarding different sets of lenses, including Hawk V-Lites. In response to your particular question- with regard to anamorphic lenses, their particular aberrations/flaws/irregularities are most often made more obvious by opening the lens all the way. After that, there is no real way of "enhancing" the optical imperfections of the lens- what you see is what you get. The V-Lites are known for being modern lenses while still offering classic anamorphic characteristics, so you may indeed find what you're looking for. It may also be worth looking into Kowa Prominars or Lomos, both have different characteristics that may interest you if you're into the distortion anamorphic lenses can offer. Finally, I would add that if you are only going to use one lens for this project, it is important to keep in mind the close focus distance of the lens you choose. More often than not, anamorphic lenses have a pretty far close focus, making it hard to achieve close up shots on a wide lens without the use of diopters. It may be worth renting one or two for your shoot if you're trying to shoot close ups as well as wide shots.