Great Joy 35mm T2.9 1.8x Anamorphic Prime Lens is Coming Soon

Lens News

by Olaf von VossAugust 16^th, 2022

The upcoming new lens from Chinese manufacturer Great Joy is the third anamorphic lens the company has developed so far. This time around, we’re looking at a 35mm T2.9 1.8x anamorphic lens, while the other two cover 50mm (T2.9 1.8x, article here) and 60mm (T2.9 1.33x, article here), respectively.

While 50mm and 60mm focal lengths can already be very useful, a good wide angle is essential for any filmmaker. And in the case of Great Joy, the freshly announced 35mm T2.9 1.8x anamorphic could be a good lens if you want to go cinematic.

Not sure what anamorphic means or how to use such a workflow in your projects? Be sure to check out our interview with Tito Ferradans on the subject. He also has a complete course called “Anamorphic Cookbook” on MZed.com if you’re interested (full disclosure: MZed is part of CineD).

Great Joy 35mm T2.9 1.8x anamorphic

According to Great Joy, the new lens will be launched at the end of September this year. There is no full specification sheet out yet, but some of the more important specs are out already:

• Image Circle 33x24mm for 4:3 Full-Frame Shooting
• EF / PL / E / L / RF /MFT Mount Available
• Constant Squeeze Ratio
• 1190g Ultra-lightweight
• 246° Focus Rotation 
• 1/4″ Screw for Better Support
• Markings in both cm and inches
• 0.7m Minimum Focusing Distance
• Little to no lens breathing  

This information comes directly from the manufacturer, so we can’t confirm it, but it seems that this lens has a constant squeeze factor of 1.8x from minimum focus distance to infinity focus, whereas the squeeze factor of the already available 50mm T2.9 1.8x varies a bit.

The lens covers an image circle of 32 x 24 mm and the aperture consists of 11 blades with an aperture ring rotation of 99º (focus ring: 246º). The lens sports 18 elements in 14 groups, and the front filter thread is suitable for 82 mm standard filters (front outer diameter: 85 mm).

The lens will be available in a wide range of mount options, namely PL / EF / E / MFT / L and RF. Due to the lens design (and as with the 50mm), the upcoming 35mm lens will not support adapters with built-in glass elements or some cameras with internal ND filters.

The length of the lens is determined by the mount used: The PL version is the shortest at 127 mm, followed by the EF version (135 mm). The others are about 160 mm long.

Pricing

Great Joy has not yet set the price for the upcoming 50mm T2.9 1.8x anamorphic lens, but it should land somewhere in the $1,500 range, just like the 50mm version. as mentioned above, the lens will hit shelves in late September.

Link: Great Joy website

Would this anamorphic wide-angle lens be something you would consider? Share your experiences in the comments below!