Atlas launches the new Mercury series of 1.5x front anamorphic cinema lenses. The Mercury covers full-frame sensors, emphasizes the vintage anamorphic look & feel, and grants golden streak flares. However, the most pleasant surprise is the price. Indeed, with the Mercury series, Atlas finally justifies its slogan: “Anamorphic for all”. Read on.

We really wanted to push the boundaries of the Mercury Series in optical and product design, balancing vintage character with modern sensor performance. This is a lens made for making movies, with an undeniably cinematic quality the second you attach it to a camera.

Atlas

Atlas launches Mercury

Atlas Lens announces the launch of its Mercury Series 1.5x front anamorphic cinema lenses, which feature full-frame coverage, a 1.5x squeeze ratio with enhanced bokeh, a significant reduction in physical size and weight, a more dynamic geometric optical personality, and warmer vintage tones than the Atlas Orion Series. “Mercury Series is yet another achievement towards the Atlas Lens Co. ethos of putting the world of cinematography in the hands of each image-maker. We’ve tested Mercury with several of our cinematographers, directors, and filmmaking friends all over the world and the response has been astounding. We’re thrilled to introduce the Mercury Series – opening a new era in making your cinematography more interesting, more personal, and more rewarding,” said Dan Kanes, CEO of Atlas Lens Co.

Why Mercury?

According to Atlas, the introduction of the Mercury Series is a significant addition to the Atlas Lens Co. catalog of anamorphic cinema lenses since the debut of the Orion Series 2x anamorphic lenses in 2017 and the Orion 21mm, and the world’s widest front anamorphic cinema lens in production. The addition of the Mercury Series to the Atlas lineup of anamorphic lenses will provide more image-makers with new and distinctive choices for their cinematic toolkit.  “We really wanted to push the boundaries of the Mercury Series in optical and product design, balancing vintage character with modern sensor performance. This is a lens made for making movies, with an undeniably cinematic quality the second you attach it to a camera” says the team at Atlas.

Anamorphic imagery: Classic, vintage, and with golden streak flares

The image Mercury produces provides classic anamorphic barrel distortion, smooth bokeh transitions, and a pleasant separation of foreground and background objects – all while being about half the size and weight of most pro anamorphic lenses. The Atlas Mercury Series is optimized for use with both film and digital sensors, providing professional features such as:

• Full-frame sensor coverage with 1.5x anamorphic coefficient
• An aperture of T2.2 – T2.3 for Mercury Series
• Exceptional optical performance with vintage geometric personality
• Golden streak flares, pleasing barrel distortion, near-zero chromatic aberration
• Lightweight and compact: Half the size and weight of most pro anamorphic lenses
• ARRI PL mount for use on professional cinema cameras and mirrorless cameras via pl adapter
• Standardized gears and diameters with 95mm front diameter
• Focal lengths: Initially offering 36mm, 42mm, and 72mm. 54mm, 95mm, and one additional telephoto focal length to be announced in 2023

Explore the tech specs below: 

And here are some stills: 

Atlas Mercury: Highlights

These are the highlights of the Mercury Series:

• Full-Frame Anamorphic: Imaging area of 36.7mm x 25.54mm covers full-frame sensors as well as 16:9 / 3:2 / 4:3 sensors, with easy delivery to 2:1 / 2.25:1 / 2.66:1 / 2.4:1.
• 1.5x Anamorphic Coefficient: In addition to the ease of supporting multiple delivery aspects, the Mercury Series 1.5x optical design allows for many of the visual characteristics image-makers love about the traditional 2x cinemascope format (oblong oval bokeh, barrel distortion, shallow depth of field) while also allowing for a meaningful size and weight reduction in the overall physical product design. This results in an ideal balance of compact size, weight, optical performance, and professional-focused usability across a variety of productions.
• Optical Personality: Mercury Series features an exceptional optical performance with character, color, and clarity while embracing the geometric personality of vintage front anamorphic.
• Pleasing barrel distortion (more so than Orion Series): Painterly oval bokeh, and dynamic golden streak flares with the added benefits of close-focus, and near-zero chromatic aberration.
• Lightweight and Compact:  Half the size and weight of most pro anamorphic lenses, the Mercury 42mm is 2.3 lbs / 1.1 kg in weight and 4.4 in / 11.2cm in length.
• Versatile and easy to use: Mercury’s robust, the reliable mechanical design emphasizes professional usability with many on-set conveniences that come standard with all Atlas lenses.
• ARRI PL mount: Makes it at home on professional cinema cameras as well as any mirrorless prosumer camera via PL adapter. Unified focus and iris position makes switching focal lengths on set quick and easy. Standardized gears and 95mm outer diameter allows for native use with various matte boxes and filters.

Price and Availability

The Mercury Series is available for preorder at an MSRP of $5,995 each for the 36mm, 42mm, and 72mm, and $17,985 for a 3-lens set. Preorder deposits open at $995 for a single lens and $2,495 for a 3-lens set through December 31, 2022 – with incremental preorder deposit increases through September 2, 2023, the end of the Mercury preorder window. Furthermore, discounted preorder pricing will be available for early adopters at $4,995 for one lens and $14,595 for a 3-lens set. For more information about preorders, pricing, deposits, and order windows, please visit the Atlas website. Moreover, the Mercury Series will also be available for in-person demos at the IBC 2022 Show in Amsterdam (booth 12.C44) September 9-12, 2022, or by appointment at the Atlas Lens Co. headquarters in Glendale, CA. For questions about preordering the Mercury Series or to book a live demo, please contact info@atlaslensco.com.

Initial thoughts

The Mercury series seems like a fresh breeze from Atlas. The company always has been a pursuing after the vintage look. However, it appears that the vintage anamorphic characters were even more emphasized in the Mercury series. Nevertheless, the most exciting announcement here is the price. Early adopters can purchase a lens for $5,000. Even the regular price ($6,000) is reduced by 30% (!) compared to the cheapest Orion lens, and don’t forget that these are aimed for full-frame (although ‘only’ 1.5X compared to the X2 of the Orion). Hence, the Mercury lenses are truly affordable, and thus justify the Atlas’ slogan: “Anamorphic for all”. Therefore, the Mercury seems like a very smart move by Atlas, for offering affordable yet professional anamorphic glass. That would fairly compete with the other affordable anamorphic options. We expect the Mercury would sell well. For sure, that’s a piece of interesting glass!

BTW– As for now, there’s no sample footage (besides the stills in the article). It’s strange that Atlas launches a new anamorphic without sample videos. But we’ll update you if it will.

Update: We’re able to find a video shot on the RED Komodo and Canon R5 C paired with the Atlas Mercury 42mm. Check it out:

And here there are more samples. Enjoy: