Viltrox will soon be officially announcing its new EPIC 100mm T2 and 25mm T2 1.33x full frame Anamorphic lenses. These two new focal lengths will join the existing 35mm, 50mm and 75mm T2 lenses in the series.
Adding a wider and longer focal lengths certainly increases the appeal of the set.
The Viltrox 1.33x Full Frame Anamorphic Lenses are designed to deliver a 2.39:1 aspect ratio from 16:9 cameras. This is useful if you want to shoot anamorphic with cameras that don’t have the ability to shoot in a 4:3 aspect ratio or open gate.
What sets the Viltrox lenses apart is that, at least to my knowledge, they are the only set of 1.33x anamorphic lenses that cover full frame on the market. Yes, the SLR Magic 1.33x Anamorphot-CINE 50mm T2.8 and 70mm T4 cover full frame, but the 35mm T2.4 doesn’t.
We have started to see quite a few budget anamorphic lenses flood the market in the last year or so from companies such as Laowa, Vazen, and Great Joy/ Blazer.
Competing companies such as Laowa chose to adopt a 1.5x squeeze design to balance the anamorphic characters as well as the resolution of the image. The 1.5x squeeze can produce a cinematic widescreen 2.39:1 aspect when paired up with 4:3 sensors. When paired up with 16:9 sensors, much less data (than 2X anamorphic lens) is needed to be cropped away to create the desired 2.39:1 ratio.
I previously reviewed the Viltrox EPIC T2 1.33x Anamorphic Lenses on the site and you can see that review here.
The Viltrox 1.33x full frame anamorphic lenses offer a good balance of build quality and optical performance. There really aren’t many 1.33x anamorphic lenses to choose from and they really do fill a niche place in the market. The ability to use them on regular 16:9 sensor cameras is a big deal and in some ways, it makes them a little bit more versatile than 1.8x or 2x anamorphic lenses.
Whether or not buying a 1.33x lens makes sense if you want to shoot anamorphic is bound to draw strong opinions from different people. With quite a few 1.5/1.6/1.8/2x options now available, 1.33x is potentially going to be a hard sell.
Price & Availability
I am not sure when Viltrox will officially announce these new focal lengths, but they have been teasing them since December last year. The price for both the 25mm T2 and the 100mm T2 will be $3,999 USD each.
If you already own the 35, 50, and 75mm lenses you can also buy the 25mm and 100mm as a set for $7,759 USD.
Viltrox will also be selling a set with all five focal lengths for $17,299.00 USD.
