In other words, there is a fundamental difference between the way anamorphic lenses render in-focus and out-of-focus (bokeh) parts of the image. This is despite the fact that anything in focus has been de-squeezed correctly, so that circles are circles etc. If you look at any movies shot in CinemaScope, Panavision, etc, you will find that out of focus circles are oval, taller than wide. Abrams, or you’re going for that cinematic scope aspect ratio (without losing vertical resolution), anamorphic options in the digital cinematography world are stretching new horizons and I, for one, couldn’t be more thrilled. Whether you’re looking for streaking horizontal lens flares, made popular recently by J.J. The ultra-widescreen cinematic look is still wildly popular among filmmakers. Lens manufacturers such as Cooke and Angénieux recently produced their first anamorphic lenses. ARRI released a version of their popular Alexa camera with a 4:3 sensor, which is compatible with 2x anamorphic cinema lenses. To produce a traditional 'Scope' ratio with a 16:9 sensor, a 1.33x or 1.35x anamorphic lens is needed.Ĭompanies like Letus and SLR Magic have developed 1.33x anamorphic lens adapters, which attach to the front of your lens. However, due to the wider aspect ratio of digital sensors compared to 35mm film, 2x anamorphic lenses produce a super-wide 3.55:1 ratio, with a 1.5x anamorphic lens still producing an aspect ratio of 2.66:1. Anamorphic lenses provide a means to capture a 2.39:1 ratio without having to make that sacrifice in resolution. In order to capture the same 2.39:1 aspect ratio with spherical lenses, it meant cropping, or ”masking” the top and bottom of each frame, thus sacrificing vertical resolution.įor digital cinematographers working in HD or 2K formats, cropping a 2K frame to get a 2.39:1 ratio leaves you with a meager 858 lines of vertical resolution. When stretched, a 2x anamorphic lens used with standard 35mm film yields a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, commonly referred to as CinemaScope, or simply 'Scope.' The desire for wider aspect ratios is what drove the popularity of anamorphic lenses in the film industry. Traditionally, anamorphic lenses have a 2x squeeze, meaning that lenses capture twice the amount of horizontal information than a spherical lens.

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