SIRUI 35mm and 100mm T2.9 1.6x & 1.25x Anamorphic Adapter – Now On Indiegogo

by Francesco AndreolaSeptember 9^th, 2022

At IBC 2022, we stopped by SIRUI’s booth to play around with their new 35mm and 100mm T2.9 1.6x full-frame anamorphic lenses as well as a 1.25x anamorphic adapter. When combined, these optics grant you access to 2x full-frame anamorphic shooting for a fraction of the cost. All products are now available to purchase via a dedicated Indiegogo campaign.

During IBC 2019, SIRUI planted a seed for the subsequent strategic release of an affordable lineup of 1.33x anamorphic APS-C lenses. The company then took it a little further by going full-frame with their 50mm T2.9 1.6x, which was followed shortly after by a 75mm. Apparently, for some customers, that wasn’t enough.

Indeed, they demanded something closer to what is considered by many the holy grail of anamorphic shooting: a 2x squeeze ratio. The company listened and, along with the announcement of two new focal lengths (35 and 100mm), recently came up with an ingenious solution – a.k.a. a 1.25x adapter – to give customers what they’re looking for.

SIRUI 35mm and 100mm T2.9 1.6x & 1.25x anamorphic adapter

While SIRUI’s current lineup of 1.6x full-frame anamorphic primes currently consists of 4 focal lengths (35/50/75/100mm), official hints to a future 135mm model recently started to pop up on SIRUI’s platforms. All lenses are available in RF, L, E, and Z mount options, deliver a classic anamorphic look with blue lens flares plus stretched oval bokeh, and feature cinematic housing with a unified position of focus and iris gears.

The new 1.25x adapter screws in front of these 1.6x lenses, effectively turning them into 2x anamorphic optics. Also, given its 82mm standard thread, this accessory is pretty versatile, as it can also be paired with traditional spherical lenses to achieve a subtle anamorphic look.

Of course, the combination of a lens and an adapter has its own limitations, starting from operability. For example, users need to move the 1.25x adapter from one lens to the other every time they decide to switch to a different focal length. Furthermore, when using the adapter, it looks like full-frame coverage is lost at 35 and 50mm. In this regard, the future addition of a 135mm can be helpful.

Overall, although it would be nice to see the company introducing a native all-in-one 2x anamorphic lens in the future, I think SIRUI played a nice move with the release of this system, which takes many users closer to otherwise inaccessible tools.

SIRUI 35 and 100mm T2.9 1.6x: key features

• Full-frame coverage
• RF, L, E, Z mount options
• 1.6x squeeze factor (2x when paired with 1.25x anamorphic adapter)
• Geared focus and iris rings
• Close focus: 0.9m (35mm) / 0.93m (100mm)
• Front filter thread: 82mm
• Length: 117.7mm (35mm) / 164mm (100mm)
• Weight: 929g (35mm) / 1477g (100mm)

SIRUI 1.25x anamorphic adapter in a nutshell

• 1.25x squeeze factor
• Front single focus (focus on the lens usually remains set to infinity)
• Rear thread: 82mm
• Front diameter: 85mm
• Close focus: 0.8m
• Length: 46.5-58.5mm
• Weight: 650g
• Geared focus ring

Price and availability

In typical SIRUI style, the lenses will first launch via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, which is now live. Both the SIRUI 35mm and 100mm T2.9 1.6x lenses are available at the Super Early Bird price of $1,279 (14% off), while the adapter can currently be purchased for $429 (14% off) and includes four step-up/down rings (67, 72, 77, and 92mm).

Moreover, the company is also offering different pre-bundled kits. Their content and Super Early Bird prices vary as follows:

• $1,749 (20% off) – 35mm + 1.25x Adapter + Adapter Rings + Hard case
• $1,749 (20% off) – 100mm + 1.25x Adapter + Adapter Rings + Hard case
• $2,949 (20% off) – 35mm + 100mm + 1.25x Adapter + Adapter Rings + Hard case
• $5,199 (22% off) – 4-lens kit + 1.25x Adapter + Adapter Rings + Hard case

All items should start shipping on September 16th. For more information, please visit SIRUI’s Indiegogo campaign here.

We are saying this at the end of every crowdfunding-related article: please be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Please read the platform’s terms of use and keep in mind that there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some projects even don’t get delivered at all.

What do you think of SIRUI’s full-frame anamorphic lineup? Do you believe it offers a valuable way to shoot 2x anamorphic on a budget? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!