This item just went under the radar. It appears that a few months ago, Xelmus, which specializes in X2 affordable anamorphic lenses for full-frame cameras, introduced a new and very interesting lens โ the X2 APOLLO 24mm t2 which covers Super 35 sensors.
Xelmus X2 APOLLO 24mm t2
This was a bit of a surprise, as we know how much challenging it is to develop a wide X2 anamorphic. Although itโs not as wide as the Atlas Orion 21mm which is the worldโs widest front anamorphic cinema lens, an anamorphic focal length of 24mm is pretty impressive. Thereโs no sample footage yet, however we are sure that it looks as gorgeous as the rest of the APOLLO glass. Moreover, Xelmus specialists in full-frame anamorphic. But the 24mm is made for Super 35, just like the 32mm. As Xelmus states โAll Apollo line lenses are compatible with ALEXA LF Full Frame Open Gate. Only 32mm and 24mm lenses are made for super 35 sensorsโ. Thereโs no info regarding the price. Nevertheless, we assume that the 24mm will be more expensive than the 32 which costs $17,000.
The Changeling: Xelmus APOLLO on ARRI ALEXA 65 sensorย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Xelmus Anamorphic lenses have been used in major filmmaking projects. For instance, โThe Changelingโ on Apple TV+ demonstrates another way DP Marcell Rรฉv HCA ASC helped to realize Matsoukasโ vision was through his choice of lenses: newly rehoused Xelmus APOLLO Anamorphics with gloriously heavy bokeh, paired with the ARRI ALEXA 65 and custom filters. โThe lenses have this halo effect โ a really heavy falloff โ and it helped to blur the edges and blur the surroundings a bit to create this distorted world around the characters,โ he says. โThat just felt right for this storyโฆWe werenโt sure about the aspect ratio but we were sure about the texture of these lenses, so they ended up defining itโ.
Watch the trailer below to explore more about the Xelmus APOLLO look & feel:
Furthermore, Xelmus lenses were utilized by cinematographer Chung-Hoon Chung on Wonka, and BLACK MIRROR Season 6 as well.
These lenses have exceptional anamorphic characteristics and we hope that more filmmakers will use them in all kinds of projects.
BLAZAR strikes again and I’m waiting for NEW 2x anamorphic squeeze BLAZAR CATO, price should be not more than 2,500$ possible to be the cheapest 2x anamorphic on the market!