Laowa has dropped a trailer online that previews their new line of Nanomorph Anamorphic lenses. The video declares that Laowa is redefining anamorphic and breaking with the tradition of the lens format being available only to big-budget film productions.
The lenses used in the video also showcase look to provide some splendid color, with minimal distortion, and just enough lens flare to make JJ Abrams stand up and take notice. The real question will be, just what lenses are they?
Since its foundation in 2013, Venus Optics has been developing lenses under the Laowa brand that promise to be “truly unique, practical and affordable.” Laowa has since become well-known for its still image and cine lenses that are high performing at a price that competes with a good professional lens price point.
For years, the benefit of enjoying a widescreen anamorphic look was the domain of professional cinematographers looking to embrace their inner David Lean on big budget films, and are genuinely expensive to rent or own due to the complex optical geometry and the limited market it has catered to.
Thanks, however, to recent developments in mirrorless cameras, and the democratization of digital cinema, even the most humble independent filmmakers are clamoring to get their hands on a good set of anamorphic lenses that don’t break the bank, and if this trailer is any indication, these Laowa Nanomorphs may be setting out to change that big budget perception.
Image Credit – Venus Optics
Though there isn’t a lot of detail just yet on specs, Venus Optics has leaked three of the Nanimorph lenses on their Instagram page and it looks like they’re planning on a 27mm T2.8, 35mm T2.4, and a 50mm T2.4 with all three offering a 1.5x anamorphic image capture.
Image Credit – Venus Optics
There is also another post showing the 27mm model mounted to a Blackmagic URSA camera, saying that due to demand, the lenses will be available in EF and PL mounts. The lenses also look to be rather lightweight at 3kg each.
The formal announcement will be made on May 10th, with an accompanying Kickstarter campaign. Interested parties can signup for notifications at Laowacine.com/anamorphic or by following it on social media.
[source: Laowa]
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