Vazen, a new Chinese cinema lens brand, has unveiled the 85mm T2.8 1.8X anamorphic lens, one of the lightest and sharpest 1.8x anamorphic lens for full frame PL/EF cinema cameras, says the company.

Designed to cover large format cinema cameras like RED Monstro, Alexa LF, Kinefinity Mavo LF and Z-CAM E2-F8, the new 85mm T2.8 1.8X Anamorphic lens in PL/EF mount from Vazen is the first full frame lens from the company, that in the past introduced two Micro Four Thirds solutions: the Vazen 28mm T/2.2 1.8X  and the Vazen 40mm t/2 1.8X, both Anamorphic lenses.

The new 85mm features a super compact and lightweight design. Weighing merely 3.28 pounds (1.49kg) and 6.89” long (17.5cm), it is currently the world’s lightest and smallest 1.8x anamorphic lens for full frame cameras. Its compactness allows it to be balanced on gimbals and rigs very easily. The lens is designed with a 86mm front filter thread for easy installation of ND filters or diopters. The front diameter is a standard 95mm for matte box mounting.

Outstanding sharpness, even wide open

The entire lens is built up of aluminum and the independent aperture and focus rings are incorporated with 0.8 mod cine gears. These parameters are expected to be consistent with the rest of the focal lengths for easy lens switching on set. The lens is available in an interchangeable PL and EF mount. Both mounts can be found with the lens in a Vazen hard case.

All the Vazen 1.8x anamorphic lenses feature a front anamorphic design. It delivers a butterly smooth oval bokeh, signature blue, but not over saturated, horizontal flare and the widescreen cinematic look. The lens delivered outstanding sharpness, even wide open, which is unparalleled by other PL/EF anamorphic lenses with the similar squeeze ratio, claims the company.

Vazen chose to adopt a 1.8x squeeze design to balance the anamorphic characters as well as the resolution of the image. The 1.8x 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.

Lens ships late August

The large image circle is capable of covering RED Monstro 8K HD and also Alexa Mini LF opengate with no vignetting, according to Vazen. The lens also features a ultra-wide 50° horizontal field of view and the closest focusing distance is 3.8” from sensor.

The lens is currently available to order from authorized resellers and from Vazen website (http://www.vzlens.com/). It is available to ship in late August, with Free Priority shipping provided. The retail price for the 85mm T2.8 1.8X Anamorphic lens in PL/EF mount in US is $ 8,000. Purchase discounts for 85mm owners will be available when the other 2 focal lengths are released.