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The complete guide – How to turn any lens into an “anamorfake”

Anamorphic lenses seemed to disappear in popularity for a while but there is no doubt now that they’re back in a big way. And while there are some moderately low-budget options out there from companies like Sirui, Samyang and Great Joy, they’re still above the budgets of many who just want to play around and experiment. And playing around and experimenting happens to be Tito Ferradans’ speciality.

Over on his YouTube channel, Anamorphic on a Budget, he’s experimented with a lot of DIY “anamorfake” options and he’s put together a complete guide on how you can do it yourself to pretty much any lens you already own. At least, he’s put together the first part of it, which is the video above.

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Laowa launches trio of compact, lightweight and low budget 1.5x anamorphic prime lenses

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Venus Optics has announced a new line of low budget lightweight 1.5x anamorphic prime lenses for EF and PL mount cameras as well as seven different mirrorless mounts. It’s called the Nanomorph series and consists of 27mm T2.8, 35mm T2.4 and 50mm T2.4 1.5x anamorphic lenses. Interestingly, they’re available with a choice of “flare options” – amber or blue – letting you choose your desired look.

They claim to be the “world’s tiniest anamorphic lenses” and in mirrorless form, they are. The Canon EF/PL mount versions are a little larger and heavier, but not by much. In total, they’re available for nine different camera mount systems and the mounts are user interchangeable (but there’s a caveat that we’ll get to down below).

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Try one of these seven weird and unusual lenses to shoot your next documentary

The king of weird lenses, Mathieu Stern set himself a challenge with a documentary short film he shot recently. The challenge was to use only anamorphic and swirly bokeh lenses. But he wasn’t just getting off-the-shelf ready-to-go lenses you can pick up online (although he did use a couple). He ended up using seven different lenses to film his documentary, along with various adapters and doohickies to tell his anamorphic story.

The short film itself, which follows the journey of Louis-Thibaud Chambon, AKA The Waterfall Hunter, is quite interesting in itself but visually it’s also very appealing indeed. The footage itself was shot using the Sony A7III camera and Mathieu wanted to use lenses that not only gave the film a cinematic look but also presented it in an almost magical way. And this wonderful array of lenses and adapters certainly did that!

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“Great Joy” launches full-frame 60mm T2.9 1.33x Anamorphic lens and 1.35x Anamorphic adapter

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Seems to be a big anamorphic thing going on lately. We’ve had the launch of Sirui’s full-frame 50mm T2.9 Anamorphic lens, stacking Anamorphic lenses with Anamorphic adapters and now we’ve got the new “Great joy” 60mm T2.9 1.33x Anamorphic lens and 1.35x Anamorphic adapter being launched through Kickstarter.

The new Great Joy 60mm T2.9 lens offers a 1.33x anamorphic aspect ratio. The adapter provides a 1.35x anamorphic aspect ratio. When stacked together you’ve got 1.8x anamorphic, offering some pretty wide field of view. Of course, like other anamorphic adapters, you can also put this one onto a regular lens to give it that anamorphic look.

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This is what it looks like when you use an anamorphic adapter with an anamorphic lens

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Anamorphic lenses are a lot of fun to shoot with and they’ve really risen in popularity over the last few years. That’s obvious by the number of new ones that keep getting announced, particularly for the lower end of the movie-making spectrum. Sirui even announced their newest one today. But there are also anamorphic adapters out there. They sit on the end of a regular lens to give it that anamorphic look and feel.

So… what happens if you stack the anamorphic adapter on the end of an anamorphic lens? Well, that’s the question that was asked of the folks at Epic Light Media, so they decided to find out!

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Sirui launches $750 24mm f/2.8 1.33x anamorphic lens

Sirui has just added another member to its family of affordable anamorphic lenses. The Sirui 24mm f/2.8 1.33x is now out, and unlike many other anamorphic lenses, it won’t hurt your wallet too much. It’s currently available for $750, but you need to hurry up if you want to get it at this price.

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Anamorfake: achieve the anamorphic look with a $35 vintage lens

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The anamorphic look comes with a price, even if you buy an anamorphic lens that’s considered affordable. So if you’re on a tight budget, you can (anamor)fake it ‘til you make it. In this video, Mark Holtze will show you how to achieve the anamorphic look with a $35 vintage Helios lens.

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This is why anamorphic lenses have oval bokeh… It’s nothing to do with the aperture

After something of an at-home hiatus, John Hess at Filmmaker IQ is back and he’s dropped a doozy with his new video. Have you ever wondered why the bokeh in anamorphic lenses is oval-shaped? Have you ever wondered why it’s oriented in the wrong direction relative to the de-squeeze that anamorphic footage has to go through?

Well, it’s nothing to do with the aperture, as John explains in this video. Well, put into its simplest explanation, the reason is that you’re effectively shooting two different focal lengths simultaneously when you use an anamorphic lens. One for the horizontal field of view, and a different one for the vertical.

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Anamorphic lens: What is it and why you should use it

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Anamorphic lenses are an asset in any filmmaker’s toolbox. As a creator, you’re faced with tough choices when it comes to your masterpiece. However, when asking yourself ‘How do I make this story look great on the screen?’ that’s where an anamorphic lens is pretty badass.

The anamorphic lens is a filmmaker favourite, mainly because of the look it brings to a shot. Check this guide out before considering your next lens hire or camera hire!

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