These Anamorphic Lenses Make EVERYTHING Look JAW DROPPING!

0:32 There's a reason anamorphic still feels different,

0:35 and it's not just the bokeh or the flares.

0:38 It's the way space feels.

0:39 wider, more deliberate, more cinematic.

0:43 But for a long time, anamorphic came with compromises.

0:46 [music] The Blazar Mantis feels like a shift away from that.

0:50 All right, quick thing before we jump in.

0:52 This video is not sponsored by Blazar.

0:55 We do have a sponsor, and that is Artless, but more on them a little bit later.

0:59 Now, I've been using these lenses for several of my YouTube videos.

1:03 I've used them on commercial projects and even a narrative film.

1:06 So, this isn't going to be like a first impressions video.

1:10 I'm actually going to tell you what I like

1:12 about them and also what I dislike about them.

1:15 So, as I mentioned, I've been using these lenses for some time now.

1:18 I actually picked them up during Black Friday, so it's been a couple of months.

1:21 And this is a full-frame lens kit that consists of a 25,

1:26 35, 50, 75, and 100 millimeter.

1:31 I do see that they also came out with a 135,

1:34 which I do plan to pick that up soon.

1:36 So, one of the reasons that I wanted to pick

1:38 up these lenses is because I already own the Blazar Remis.

1:42 In fact, I did a whole video about

1:43 them if you guys are interested in watching it.

1:45 There will be a link down below the like button.

1:47 But in a nutshell, the Blazar Remis wide open

1:50 tend to be very soft and also are very characterheavy,

1:54 which at times can be perfect.

1:56 But when you're shooting commercial work or even narrative films,

2:00 I feel like a little bit sharpness wide open,

2:02 also less characterheavy at times like

2:06 the Remis can be a little bit distracting.

2:09 It's a personal preference, but for me,

2:10 I just like that these lenses tend to be much sharper than the Remis,

2:15 but also give you enough character even wide open.

2:18 So, one of the interesting things about this lens

2:20 is that on paper it's a 1.33 anamorphic lens,

2:24 but because of the way they designed the iris with an oval iris,

2:28 you're going to be able to get not only oval bokeh,

2:31 but also the separation and the width of it is going

2:34 to give you a more of a look of a 2x anamorphic lens.

2:38 So, a perk about that is most

2:41 anamorphic lenses that are 2x have crazy distortion.

2:45 And in fact, even Blazard's own KO lenses to me are like overly obnoxious.

2:50 Like I'm not a fan of them personally.

2:52 I don't like them.

2:53 I know some people like that look where it just everything just looks distorted.

2:57 I don't like it.

2:58 But the perk about a 2x lens is you get more width.

3:01 And the perk about a lens like this, the 1.33,

3:04 is you don't get that much distortion.

3:06 Like take for example even this frame here.

3:08 I'm shooting this with the 50 mm Mantis and I have a field of view.

3:12 It's pretty wide actually.

3:14 In order for me to do this with a spherical lens,

3:16 I'd have to probably film this with a 28

3:19 millimeter lens just to get a similar field of view.

3:22 Also, the minimum focus distance, I can actually even go closer.

3:24 But even right now, just because I want to see more of like my body,

3:27 I don't want to be so close.

3:29 I have it fixed right now on my focus, but like I can almost touch the lens.

3:35 Like I can get really close to a 50 mil where if I had a spherical 50 mil,

3:39 I'd have to be way like the camera would have to be way far apart.

3:42 So anyway, on paper, 1.33.

3:45 However, you get a 2x look without the crazy distortion,

3:49 but you still have a beautiful nice bokeh on the side.

3:52 So, kind of a cool thing, but there is a caveat,

3:55 which I'll talk about that a little bit later.

3:57 Now, let's go ahead and talk about image character and behavior.

4:00 So, when it comes to focus breathing, I would say that most anamorphic lenses

4:04 tend to have some form of focus breathing, some more than others.

4:08 These are pretty well controlled.

4:10 like they're not annoying.

4:13 I would say that for the most part, I think that they're pretty well balanced.

4:17 I would say even on the upper end.

4:18 So, given the fact that these are more on a budget or, you know,

4:22 more affordable, I'm pretty impressed with the focus breathing.

4:25 When it comes to flaring, this is an area where they're neutral,

4:29 but uh I have some mixed feelings about that.

4:31 So, neutral meaning that they adapt to any color

4:34 that or any light that is being shined on the lens.

4:37 So, for example, if it's a gold light, it will flare gold.

4:40 If it's a blue light, it will flare blue.

4:43 Personally, maybe because growing up as a kid,

4:45 I've always associated blue flares with cinema.

4:48 So, I'm kind of biased and I wish Blazar would actually

4:52 make a blue flare set because my Remis are blue flares.

4:57 But, yeah, they adapt.

4:58 So, they're pretty neutral and I guess for what it's worth,

5:02 probably best for commercial work, I guess.

5:05 Maybe.

5:05 Um, now when it comes to shooting these lenses wide open,

5:08 they tend to be sharp pretty much all across the board.

5:12 Typically with any lens, when you shoot them wide open,

5:15 they're going to be somewhat a bit softer, but these actually impress me.

5:19 And that's one of the things I didn't like about the Remis is wide open,

5:22 they just get really mushy and soft that almost unusable

5:26 where these I would be okay shooting them wide open.

5:30 Although, I will say I don't tend to shoot anamorphic lenses wide open.

5:34 And I feel like the perfect sweet spot tends to always be around T4.

5:39 That's where you get just the right amount of character,

5:41 but still great sharpness and detail in the image.

5:44 So, personally, if I had to shoot wide open with these lenses,

5:48 like, I wouldn't be upset about it.

5:49 So, a lot of the shots that you're seeing here are coming out of real shoots.

5:53 So, I want to take a moment to thank the productions

5:56 and the teams involved in helping craft these beautiful images.

6:00 I'm going to leave links to some of the finished projects and also some

6:03 of the films that we're currently working

6:05 on if you guys are interested in learning more.

6:07 And I also want to thank Artless for sponsoring today's video.

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6:47 is trained on real highquality cinematography.

6:51 So, the results feel production ready instead of overly artificial.

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7:03 So, if you guys are interested in trying out Artless new AI tool,

7:08 make sure you use my link down below in the description

7:10 because there is a discount if you use my link.

7:13 Also, big thanks to Artless for sponsoring today's video.

7:16 All right, let's get back to lenses.

7:18 So, now I want to talk about some

7:20 of the quirks and things I didn't like about these lenses.

7:23 So, first of all, Blazar advertises these lenses as a 1.33 squeeze.

7:28 Well, after using them and also talking to a few people that own them,

7:32 it turns out they're not 1.33.

7:35 They're actually 1.4.

7:37 Not like the craziest deal,

7:39 but it can be somewhat annoying because most cameras have a 1.33 or 1.5.

7:45 Some monitors have 1.4.

7:46 4.

7:46 So, [sighs] it's a little annoying, but it's not the end of the world.

7:51 The other thing is the build quality on these lenses

7:54 feels like a step down compared to my Remis.

7:57 So, like the Remis, I would give it like an eight out of 10 build quality.

8:01 I think they're built really nice all things considered and the price,

8:05 but these lenses, I would say it's like a seven out of 10.

8:08 They feel a little cheaper, like more plasticky.

8:12 I don't even know.

8:13 like it just it doesn't feel as premium as the Remis.

8:17 Like when I picked up the Remis for the first time,

8:19 I was like, "Wa, these lenses are awesome." Like they feel really solid.

8:23 Again, the price point and I just feel like

8:25 they just kind of turned that down a notch.

8:28 Speaking of build quality, and I don't know if this is an issue,

8:30 I haven't really watched anybody's review on these lenses,

8:32 but I don't know if it's just happening to me,

8:34 but my 100 millimeter is my least favorite lens of the whole entire kit.

8:40 For one, it just loses a ton of contrast.

8:43 Like there's almost no contrast at all.

8:45 In fact, when we were shooting this film, our DP Lucas was like, "Hey,

8:49 can you guys take that diffusion off of that 100 mil?" We're like, "Dude,

8:52 there's no diffusion." And since I've already

8:54 had experience with that lens, I told them, "I don't know what it is,

8:56 but that 100 mil just like no contrast." Like, it's super annoying.

9:01 The other thing is it flares extremely easy.

9:04 Like, you have to use a matbox for sure and you have to control the light.

9:08 Like I don't know if it's just a QC thing or just the design,

9:11 but it's something that I feel like you guys should be aware of.

9:14 So, after using these lenses for several months,

9:17 I will say I do like these lenses a lot.

9:19 Again, you get that 2x anamorphic quality without

9:22 the drama that comes with 2x anamorphic lenses.

9:25 You're going to get less barrel distortion, better minimum focus distance.

9:29 They're going to be much easier to work in tighter spaces,

9:31 [music] which is a plus compared to 2x anamorphic lenses.

9:35 There's just a lot of perks.

9:36 And I do like these because they're able to do that.

9:39 I just wish they were slightly better quality.

9:41 Don't care about the misadvertisement as much.

9:44 Like that's not a big deal.

9:45 And that 100 mil is annoying.

9:47 I want to test out with the 135 and see if that's the case.

9:50 But I wish I don't know if it's just my 100,

9:53 but 100 focal length is one of my favorites.

9:56 And it just almost feels like it's not usable.

10:00 But anyway, that's my review on the Blazar lenses.

10:03 If you guys like the video, give it a thumbs up.

10:05 And also, if you're interested in buying these lenses,

10:07 uh, use my link down below.

10:09 It's it's an affiliate link.

10:10 It doesn't cost you any more money, but it does help out the channel.

10:14 My name is Armando.

10:15 Thanks again for watching, and you will catch me in the next one.

10:18 Adios.