Great Joy is about to release its new 35mm T2.9 1.8x Anamorphic Lens, which will join the 50mm T2.9 1.8x Anamorphic Lens that I previously reviewed on the site.
Just like the 50mm, the 35mm T2.9 1.8x Anamorphic covers a 33×24 mm image circle. If you are shooting open gate 4:3 you can get a 2.4:1 image without any vignetting on a camera with a full-frame sensor.
I did, however, find that when I was testing the 50mm I did see some slight vignetting when shooting open gate on certain cameras, but if you are cropping to get a 2.39:1 aspect ratio then you won’t see any of that vignetting.
The whole concept behind these Great Joy anamorphic lenses was to bring affordable full-frame anamorphic lenses to the masses. Most anamorphic lenses, especially those that cover full-frame are expensive.
Key features
- Image Circle 33x24mm for 4:3 Full-Frame Shooting
- EF / PL / E / L / RF /MFT Mount Available
- Constant Squeeze Ratio
- 1190g Ultra-lightweight
- 246° Focus Rotation
- 1/4 ” Screw for Better Support
- 0.7m Minimum Focusing Distance
- Little to no lens breathing
The new lens will be available in EF/PL/E/L /RF/MFT mounts and the company claims that it has a constant squeeze ratio. One of the complaints some users had with the 50mm was that the squeeze factor did vary from around 1.68x to 1.8x depending on the focusing distance. This is not uncommon among anamorphic lenses for them to behave in his way. If you are shooting someone’s face, then depending on the individual, it did have the potential to look slightly distorted. This could, of course, be easily corrected by changing the squeeze factor slightly in post.
In a lot of ways, particularly for a lens at this price, the decision to go with a 1.8x anamorphic makes a lot more sense than going with a 2x. 1.8x is more versatile and it allows the lens to be used on more cameras. I also suspect that it is also more affordable and easier to make a 1.8x anamorphic lens than a 2x.
The optical design of the lens consists of 18 elements in 14 groups and there are 11 aperture blades.
The 35mm T2.9 1.8x tips the scales at 1.19kg / 2.62 lbs (PL mount version), which makes it slightly heavier than the 50mm T2.9. The minimum focusing distance is 70cm / 27.55″ which is the same as the 50mm. Just like the 50mm, the 35mm has been designed with an 82mm front filter thread for attaching filters or diopters. The front diameter is a standard 95mm for matte box mounting.
The lens is not compatible with the focal reducer, speedbooster, or adapter that has a built-in filter and glass elements.
Great Joy is also going to release an 85mm down the track so you don’t have to worry about buying a lens and then worrying if any more focal lengths will appear. I would imagine that if these lenses prove to be popular then there may well be other focal lengths available in the future to further expand the set.
I think it would be fair to say that Great Joy is probably trying to attract owner/operators of mid-tier and lower-cost digital cinema cameras and mirrorless hybrids that are capable of shooting in open-gate anamorphic modes. They could also very well find themselves on more expensive cameras as well.
There is no current indication of pricing, but I would expect it to be very similar to the price of the 50mm T2.9.
