Arri and Zeiss, which have been working together for 75 years now, have unveiled the first anamorphic glass designed from scratch for modern digital cameras (although they should perform perfectly with analogue film as well). The Master Anamorphic range has been developed for the Alexa Studio, Alexa Plus 4:3 and Alexa M cameras – all of which have a 4:3 sensor, and will allow users to shoot full Cinemascope (2.392:1) images. “It is not just the aspect ratio, but the specific look of anamorphic. They have an oval bokeh and a very shallow depth of field,” said Thorsten Meyworld, product manager optical systems, Arri. “The optical performance has never been there in anamorphic lenses before,” added Anna Rausch, product manager Cine Lenses, Camera Lens Division, Carl Zeiss. They feature a newly developed iris with 15 aperture blades, a near-telecentric optical design reduces colour fringing and shading at the image corners, and no anamorphic mumps (fat face effect) are experienced. A completely new focusing mechanism avoids time-consuming mechanical readjustments on set. There will be seven focal lengths: 35mm, 50mm and 75mm versions will be available by NAB, while 40mm, 40mm, 100mm and 135mm lenses will be added at IBC2013. Working 50mm prototypes are on view this year. All the lenses are T1.9, for maximum bokeh, which Meyworld promises “is a T-stop you can use.” The maximum lens weight is below 3kg. Most of the range will cost €30,000 each. – David Fox11.F21/11.G64
