Lomo Anamorphic Lenses

£275.00 / day

Classic anamorphic look lenses to add a bit of flare to your digital images


Kit Includes

  • 35mm
    50mm
    75mm
    100mm

Clear dates

SKU: CINE_LENS_10 Categories: , ,

Description

Lomo Anamorphic Lenses

Lomo anamorphic lenses have all the character of classic anamorphic glass, complete with bright blue flares and great elliptical bokeh.

Anamorphic has become very fashionable again and the newer lenses are very expensive so this is a good way to get the Scope look on a lower budget. When you put these on your camera it almost becomes instant cinema, with a 1980’s blockbuster look that you’d see on films like Die Hard, Raiders of the Lost Ark, but without the expense of Panavision lenses.

This Lomo set is the round front series from the 1980s. These were the most advanced of the Lomo anamorphic lenses before production ceased following the collapse of the USSR. The German company Vantage then took over most of the optical experts and the Hawk C Series are effectively the same as these with cosmetic differences only.

These round fronts are physically easier to use than the earlier square fronts as they are not dual focus but single focus. They have a 2x anamorphic squeeze and are set in PL mount with proper geared focus rings. The anamorphic elements do not move so there is no “anamorphic mumps” or change in ratio over the focus range.

The fronts rotate so it is best to use a mattebox supported on bars if needed. Originally marked in metric, we have since had Hawk-C series style imperial marking rings placed on them which are clearer and easier to read. If you want to use the 35mm you need something like an Arri MB14 or Arri MB20.

With the 2x squeeze, the 35mm is very wide-angle and equivalent to a 17.5mm spherical in horizontal coverage. This has more barrel distortion and halation due to the shear size of the glass at the front. So it is quite normal to shoot only on the 50, 75 and 100 which all have identical fronts.

One of the very few full sets for hire in London.

Have a look at this great short “Kingsland” shot with this set by Jake Gabbay to get an idea of the cinematic feel achievable.