How to Choose Anamorphic Lenses: A Practical Buyer’s Guide

Anamorphic lenses give an image a character that spherical glass cannot fake in post: oval bokeh, horizontal streak flares, a gentle fall-off at the edges and a wide aspect ratio that still uses the full height of the sensor. They are also expensive, heavy and full of technical traps. This guide explains what to look at before you buy or rent anamorphic lenses, so the set you choose actually matches your camera, your crew and your look.

What an anamorphic lens actually does

An anamorphic lens compresses the image horizontally onto the sensor. In post (or in the monitor), the image is stretched back out, or “desqueezed”. The result is a wider field of view than the sensor would normally record, with optical side effects that many cinematographers love: out-of-focus highlights become vertical ovals, light sources produce long horizontal flares, and the depth of field feels different from a spherical lens of the same horizontal angle of view.

Squeeze factor: 2x, 1.8x, 1.5x or 1.33x

The squeeze factor is the first thing to check, because it decides which sensor area you should use and which aspect ratio you will end up with.

• 2x is the classic cinema squeeze. It was designed for 35mm film with a roughly 4:3 frame, and on a 4:3 or open-gate digital sensor it delivers a wide image close to 2.39:1. Sets such as the Cooke Anamorphic/i, the ARRI Master Anamorphic and the Atlas Orion use a 2x squeeze.
• 1.8x and 1.5x are increasingly popular on large-format and 16:9 sensors. With a wide sensor, a lower squeeze reaches a cinema aspect ratio without cropping heavily into the sides. The Cooke Anamorphic/i Full Frame Plus is a good example of a 1.8x design.
• 1.33x lenses are mostly used on 16:9 sensors to get a 2.39:1 image from the full sensor width with a milder anamorphic effect.

A simple rule: multiply the width of the sensor area you record by the squeeze factor, divide by the height, and you get your desqueezed aspect ratio. If the number is much wider than 2.39:1, you will crop the sides and lose part of what you paid for.

Match the lens to the sensor

Image circle matters as much as squeeze. Many classic anamorphic sets were designed to cover Super 35. On a full-frame camera such as the ARRI Alexa Mini LF or the Sony Venice, a Super 35 anamorphic will vignette unless you switch to a smaller recording area or use an expander. That is why some sets, like the Atlas Orion set we list with a 1.4x LF expander, come with an accessory to cover a larger sensor.

On a 4:3 Super 35 camera such as the Alexa Mini 4:3, a 2x anamorphic is the natural pairing. Before buying, check that your camera offers an anamorphic desqueeze in the viewfinder and on the monitoring outputs, so the operator and the director see a correct image on set.

Front anamorphic or rear anamorphic

In a front anamorphic design, the cylindrical element sits at the front of the lens. This produces the strongest anamorphic character: oval bokeh, pronounced flares and the typical “breathing” look. Most high-end cinema sets are front anamorphic.

A rear anamorphic places the anamorphic element at the back of a spherical lens. It is lighter and cheaper but gives round bokeh, because the out-of-focus rendering is still shaped by the spherical front. If the oval bokeh is the reason you want anamorphic, make sure the set is front anamorphic.

Look: clean, vintage or special flare

Anamorphic sets differ greatly in personality:

• Modern, controlled sets such as the ARRI Master Anamorphic focus on sharpness, low distortion and consistent colour between focal lengths.
• Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses are known for the warm, flattering “Cooke Look” with anamorphic character. The SF (Special Flare) versions use a coating that increases flares and veiling glare for a more stylised image. The manufacturer’s specifications are available on the Cooke Optics website.
• Vintage or rehoused designs such as the Lomo round-front anamorphics or the Kowa Evolution by P+S Technik bring more aberrations, softness and unpredictability, which can be exactly what a music video or period piece needs.
• Value-oriented modern sets such as Atlas Orion opened anamorphic to productions that could not afford traditional cinema sets, while keeping a real front-anamorphic look.

The best way to choose is to test. Shoot the same scene with practical lights in the frame, a face in close-up and a deep background, then compare flares, bokeh and skin tones.

Practical checks before you buy a used set

• Focus scale: feet or metric. Our listings say “feet”, “Imperial” or “Metric” for a reason. Your focus puller will want the scale they work with, and re-engraving or swapping focus rings is costly.
• Mount and lens data. Most cinema anamorphics are PL. Cooke /i lenses provide lens metadata (focus, iris, focal length) that compatible cameras and lens control systems can record.
• Consistency across the set. Front diameter, gear positions and T-stop should be as consistent as possible so that matte boxes and motors do not have to be reconfigured at every lens change.
• Optical condition. Check for scratches, fungus, separation and haze, and look at the mechanical feel of focus and iris rings. A professional inspection and collimation on a projector is the safest way to buy.
• Minimum focus. Anamorphic lenses often focus less close than spherical lenses. If you shoot product or detail shots, look for close-focus or macro options, or plan diopters.

Find anamorphic lenses at Broadcast Brokers

Broadcast Brokers lists used and new anamorphic sets from Cooke, ARRI, Atlas, Kowa, Lomo, Hawk, Great Joy and others. You can browse our current offers in the search by brand section, or contact us with your camera, sensor mode and budget and we will tell you which sets fit. Comparing spherical Cooke primes too? Read Cooke S4 vs S7.

Upgrading or changing your look? We also buy professional lenses: see sell your equipment. For lens servicing, visit our maintenance and repair page.