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The surge in availability of anamorphic lenses over the previous couple of years is simple, with numerous producers releasing choices at a variety of high quality and value. Whereas this democratisation is mostly a great factor, because it widens the selection for customers, some areas are nonetheless missing, however Laowa has entered the fray with what could possibly be an actual winner, within the type of their Proteus Anamorphic zooms.
Whereas there are numerous flavours of anamorphic, Laowa has opted for traditional 2x squeeze, which ought to give a glance just like many much-loved motion pictures. That mentioned, such a desqueeze issue can introduce some issues to cope with, so I used to be eager to familiarize yourself with them, to see simply what they provide, in comparison with the non-zoom anamorphics I normally use. The draw of zooms being much less gear to hold and fewer swapping of focal size on a shoot.
I’m all for decreasing the quantity of substances that wants wrangling, as long as I don’t should compromise on high quality. However did the Proteus pair of a 26-45 and 45-85 T2.9 match the invoice?
Laowa Proteus: Specs
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Focal Size |
26-45mm and 45-85mm |
|
Most aperture |
T2.9 |
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Minimal focus distance |
50mm |
|
Filter thread |
77mm |
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Mounts |
EF, PL, L, RF, E |
Laowa Proteus: Value
$5,999 would possibly sound costly, and to make sure, it’s some huge cash. When you decide to purchase the two-lens package, then it can save you some money too, as they arrive in at $11,000.
That mentioned, I feel it’s a cut price value for what you get. Anamorphic lenses have at all times been extra expensive than spherical lenses, and the Proteus pair aren’t simply good anamorphics but in addition glorious zooms, making this a uncommon discover. At any value. You’d be very arduous pushed to match this. When you had been to take a set of lenses that matched the focal vary, with the specs of the Proteus, you’d not solely in a short time surpass the fee but in addition have additional weight and storage wants, in addition to the added dangers of extra frequent lens swaps.
Laowa Proteus: Design & Dealing with
This pair of lenses could be very comparable, so I’ll deal with them as the identical, noting any variations alongside the best way. The very first thing you’ll discover is the load. They weigh in at 1.5kg, which sounds hefty however is definitely very affordable for the sort of lens and simply manageable for a single shooter, though I wouldn’t wish to mount one to a prosumer gimbal. Balancing can be difficult, particularly because the lenses are lengthy at 189.5mm. The 45-85 is definitely a contact longer by round 3mm however don’t fear, that’s purely the very entrance. Gears all match completely, avoiding any frustrations when swapping lenses.
It’s fairly frequent to see restricted mounts for anamorphics however Laowa contains PL and EF with the lenses, and you’ll specify E, R,F and L too. The mounts are user-swappable as effectively, with instruments and shims included do you have to want them.
General development is great. The our bodies are full steel with engraved markings, a great transfer as paint can put on over time. When you use screw on filters the thread is 77mm and the outer diameter is 80mm, making it simple to connect a clamp on matte field.
Though the mounts really feel very strong, I might counsel a lens assist can be a clever resolution, as 1.5kg may stress issues. That is much more vital if you happen to use motors to regulate focus, zoom, and iris, as they do put some lateral stress on the mount.
One key distinction discovered between cine and picture lenses is the main target throw. For cine use, a bigger throw is mostly thought of higher, because it permits for finer management. The Proteus lenses throw of 270 levels is cheap, and I haven’t discovered myself wanting extra. Zoom is 100 levels, which is okay, though after I tried it with my FIZ unit, I discovered I wanted to regulate my motor velocity, though that basically comes all the way down to the wants of the shot.
One factor to notice is that once you buy these, you do must specify whether or not you need imperial or metric markings. I’d moderately have seen each, however that’s a small gripe.
Lastly, the Proteus lenses are designed for Tremendous 35 sensors. Hold that in thoughts, however we are going to come again to it later.
Laowa Proteus: Efficiency
Individuals wanting to make use of anamorphics usually are in search of a few attributes. The primary being flares. You may select blue, amber, or silver, labelled by the ring simply ahead of the main target gear. Personally, I like silver because it takes on the hue of the sunshine supply and feels extra pure to me, however I do know there are followers of all three, so it’s good to see the selection.
Second is ‘character’, which is hard to outline however usually is a visible gumbo of distortion, sharpness, and aberrations. There’s no trick to get this proper, as it’s so subjective. So, how do these really carry out, and what sort of character do they present?
Let’s begin with the fundamentals. In use, they’re fabulous to function. All three gears are easy, with sufficient resistance to allow accuracy when setting, both by hand or motor. As talked about earlier than, you could wish to use lens helps in your rods, which can have to be lengthy sufficient to achieve the entrance, which is an effective 19cm from the physique of your digicam.
I’ve used lenses the place there wasn’t fairly sufficient room for 3 motors. This may rely considerably on the motors you employ, however there must be no issues with the Proteus as there’s ample room if you happen to use a FIZ system.
For filter followers the thread is sweet and easy however I think about most would go for a clamp on matte field, through which case the graceful 80mm entrance diameter will probably be high quality, though be careful for the depth of becoming, because the Proteus steps up a contact at simply over a centimeter entrance he entrance edge. In case your matte field has a deeper attachment space, you could not make full contact. I examined with each a small rig mattebox mini and a Polarpro, each of which wanted step-up rings, so no drawback there.
On the different finish, the mount (PL in my case, though I attempted it utilizing an L adapter too) was rock strong, with zero play. That will probably be all the way down to each lens and digicam, however I’ve skilled lenses with user-swappable mounts, the place issues had been much less confidence-inspiring, so glad to notice that these really feel very safe.
Earlier than we speak about picture, I wish to notice that focus respiratory, which zooms can generally endure from extra. There’s a tiny quantity right here, but it surely’s barely noticeable and never one thing I might be worrying about, and it’s nearly non-existent on the 26-45.
Now, Laowa sells this lens as a brilliant 35 lens, however I needed to check this and was pleasantly shocked to seek out that it was away from any vignetting in lots of codecs on a 6k full-frame digicam. Clearly, in S35 mode, all was high quality. 6K DCI, Open gate 4:3 and 6:5 did all endure from vignetting, however for all however the 4:3, this cleared up from 28mm onwards. 2.4:1, 4k DCI and 4k 16:9 had been completely clear. This makes the Proteus a helpful possibility for extra than simply super35 shooters, which I feel Laowa ought to speak about extra. I’m impressed by this protection on anamorphics.
Focus is robust throughout the picture. The character of compacting means that there’s an inherent softness, but it surely’s a really natural-looking softness that by no means appears to be like out of focus, extra a type of natural look, which I’m a fan of. If you’d like razor-sharp, scientific photos, then anamorphic might be not for you. Though there’s a little fall off towards the corners and horizontal edges, it isn’t robust by any means. Even the minimal focus distance is excellent, at 50cm, so you will get fairly near your topic.
A a lot greater deal is that of distortion. That is going to return down to private choice and undertaking, however plainly a little bit of distortion is taken into account a great factor with a lens of this kind. Nevertheless, the Proteus has pincushion distortion, moderately than the extra generally sought-after barrel distortion. This isn’t a foul factor, and the degrees of distortion are pretty minimal, however they’re there. Pincushion has a really completely different look, distinct from the barrel. With pincushion, the skin edges of the body are more and more exaggerated. After all, this may (and has been) used for narrative functions, so deliberate on what your wants are. That mentioned, it doesn’t take a lot work to regulate the distortion to non-existence within the edit, however that’s an additional step in your workflow. It doesn’t matter what your tastes are, the distortion has a easy sufficient falloff, and I discover it fairly pleasing.
The focal vary of 26-45mm isn’t the broadest, however ought to suffice for a lot of medium extensive wants, and keep in mind the 89-degree discipline of view (horizontally a minimum of) is completely different with anamorphic lenses, in order that they really feel rather a lot wider. The longer lens, with its 85mm most, nonetheless has this widening impact however retains respectable attain.
These are pretty quick lenses with a max aperture of T2.9. I used to be anticipating them to be a bit gentle when extensive open, however they’re really fairly sharp throughout the entire vary, which makes them usable in a broader vary of conditions.
In addition to being sharp, they solely present minimal fringing too. That is most evident at greater T stops and on the longer finish of the 45-85, and doesn’t have an effect on the picture an excessive amount of. In actual fact, I’d say the mixture of this, the pincushion distortion, flares and the inherent softness of a desqueezed picture is what provides these lenses simply the correct amount of character. They’ve a ‘look’ about them which is way extra refined than different anamorphic lenses, together with the Blazar Cato set that I exploit continuously. That is perhaps because of the value distinction, or perhaps a call made by Laowa to make these interesting to a wider group of filmmakers. Both manner, the outcomes are nice. You get that much-sought-after really feel whereas remaining versatile sufficient for many use instances.
Throw within the comparatively low measurement and weight, and also you’re on to a winner. Then there’s the easy undeniable fact that there actually isn’t a lot, if any, competitors for this package. Not simply on this value vary, both, however in any. Laowa has actually hit it out of the park, providing a terrific pair of lenses, with a correctly helpful focal size vary, glorious construct, and choices for nearly all customers.
Laowa Proteus: Verdict
The Proteus are unbelievable lenses, for anyone needing anamorphic glass. The character of the lenses is sweet and sufficiently subtle to not overpower the picture. Construct high quality is great and it’s nice that they are often specced with a variety of mounts. They’re gentle sufficient for solo shooters too, which ought to broaden their enchantment. The picture is excellent throughout the entire body too, making these a terrific possibility, though ‘possibility’ is stretching it, as you gained’t discover something like this, at any value.
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Options ★★★★★ |
Apart from having to decide on metric or imperial, the characteristic record is full |
|
Design ★★★★★ |
Prime notch design all spherical. Clear labelling, good throw and straightforward to combine right into a rig. |
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Efficiency ★★★★★ |
Improbable lenses for each groups and indie filmmakers |
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Worth ★★★★☆ |
They might be an enormous funding however they’re price each penny and there are actually no rivals. |