SIRUI 50mm T2.9 1.6x Full-Frame Anamorphic Lens Announced

Lens News

by Francesco AndreolaSeptember 27^th, 2021

After releasing their popular series of 1.33x anamorphic lenses, SIRUI is now introducing their next innovation: the SIRUI 50mm T2.9 1.6x Full-Frame Anamorphic Lens. Coming in RF, L, E, and Z-Mount, the lens will soon be available for pre-order on Indiegogo at a super early bird price of $1199. Let’s take a closer look.

Almost two years ago SIRUI first introduced their lineup of 1.33x anamorphic lenses covering the APS-C format. It was a ground-breaking event. In fact, those lenses were (and in many ways, still are) the first affordable, easy-to-use anamorphic solution on the market. In case you missed it be sure to check out our reviews on the SIRUI 50mm, and even more footage, as well as our review on the SIRUI 35mm.

A few months ago, the company released an MTF version of these lenses with a cinematic re-housing. Therefore, it was to be expected that they would soon put all the pieces of the puzzle together and drop a full-frame cine version.

Now it’s finally happening: the SIRUI 50mm T2.9 1.6x Full-Frame Anamorphic Lens is here. Let’s take a closer look.

SIRUI 50mm T2.9 1.6x Full-Frame Anamorphic Lens: overview

This new lens covers the Full-Frame format. Moreover, its maximum aperture of T2.9 should ensure good performances even in low-light environments.

Unlike the APS-C lineup, it has a squeeze factor of 1.6x rather than 1.33x. This will result in a 2.8:1 aspect ratio when pairing this glass with a 16:9 sensor and 2.4:1 when shooting in 3:2 mode. This squeeze factor should maximize sensor resolution and provide the classic blue light streaks.

The lens will be available in four mount options: Canon RF, Leica L, Sony E, and Nikon Z-Mount. This should make RED Komodo and Sony FX6 users happy.

Optical design, cine housing and build quality

The optical design features 16 elements divided into 13 groups. The use of German Shott Glass and a Super Spectra Coating should provide great optical performances. The APS-C version is incredibly sharp considering its price, thus we have good expectations for this new full-frame model.

Being a SIRUI 1.33x anamorphic lens owner myself, I also expect the aluminum construction to be exceptional. Furthermore, the lens comes with a cine housing straight out of the factory, so there’s no need for cine mod or any additional gears.

The geared focus and step-less aperture rings should provide seamless control when pulling focus or adjusting iris. While the APS-C version could only focus as close as 0.85m, its full-frame counterpart can reach a minimum focus distance of 0.75m.

Moreover, the lens has an 82mm filter thread as well as a 1/4”-20 threaded hole at the bottom for better support.

Price and availability

In typical SIRUI fashion, the company launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to support the production of this lens and, presumably, other lenses in a new full-frame lineup.

The campaign will officially go live on October 12th, 2021 at 9 am EST as the new lens will be available for pre-order at a super early bird price of $1199 (20% off).

Have you been waiting for a full-frame version of the popular SIRUI anamorphic lens line? Are you going to upgrade? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!