We should make it clear what are they before we understand their differences. You have to choose between anamorphic and spherical lenses at some points. Now, both types of lenses produce different image characteristics. If you can tell the difference between them, then you will know which fits the ideas you had for your shooting. Both also have different practical constraints which must be considered too, which could change production days and cost money in the budget.
Spherical lens, sometimes also known as a singlet, is an optical lens with a curved surface that causes light rays to converge or diverge. Spherical lenses are some of the most common lenses used, in part because they project images onto the sensor without affecting their aspect ratios. These kind of lens is usually split into two basic categories, prime lenses and zoom lenses. When it comes to cost, they can be very expensive or relatively cheap.
Spherical lenses are faster with lower T-stops, so if you are shooting in low-light conditions, consider spherical lenses, or stronger light sources.
Anamorphic lenses are professional tools that affect how an image is projected onto a camera sensor. They were originally created to allow a wider range of aspect ratios to fit into standard film frames. Anamorphic lens will project a compressed version of an image, which usually requires stretching in post-production to display properly. There were designed so that wide-format images could utilize all of the 35 mm standard frames. Without it, these images would be cropped. They also improve image quality by enhancing vertical resolution and reducing the appearance of grain. Anamorphic lenses are incredibly expensive.
Anamorphic V.S. Spherical Lenses
► The bokeh is different for each of these lenses aside from the image side and cropping.
Spherical lenses produce circular, out-of-focus elements. Anamorphic lenses have an oval-shaped bokeh that will also affect the look of lens flares. When it comes to image sharpness, spherical lenses will have an advantage, while anamorphic will have a softer look along the edges.
► The aspect ratios differentiate. Traditional spherical aspect ratios are more square.
Cinema gearheads can get into the weeds with equipment recommendations, but if you're getting started, here's a gear list for beginners who want to explore both anamorphic and spherical optics with a small budget:
• Mirrorless camera or iPhone
• A diopter, which is a magnifying glass placed in front of a lens to help it focus better (there are anamorphic attachments for this as well)
• Black or white foam core for blocking
• A tripod, rig, or stabilizer of some kind (anamorphic lenses can be heavy, so having something to support them is important)
Once you practice with some of these basics, you can start exploring more professional equipment, like film cameras, matte boxes, microphone setups, and lenses. Cooke and Zeiss both make high-quality anamorphic lenses — and SLR Magic, Sirui, Meike, and DZOFilm are good budget-friendly brands to look into. Often, when using anamorphic lenses, light control is essential, so blockers and diffusers are common tools to help with that.
Lens exploration doesn't have to be expensive and time-consuming, especially with some of these tricks.
► Know your distances.
Anamorphic lenses usually come with many flaws, and that's to be expected. But they can provide creative opportunities. Experiment and work with these distortions and odd artifacts of each lens to give your scenes some character. An important area to understand is how to calculate squeeze factors.
Depending on the type of lens you have, the image might distort by a factor of 1.3, 2, or greater. Learning how to de-squeeze your footage with editing software is critical. Bring your footage into Adobe Premiere Pro and use the Interpret Footage dialog box after a test shoot to see how the video will translate from lens to editing bay.
►Digital cameras are your friends.
If you can't afford a cinematic camera, opt for a mirrorless or DSLR camera. Many cinematic cameras are so expensive you need to rent them, and they often require bigger files and powerful editing capabilities. DSLR and mirrorless cameras are more affordable but still film at a high quality. You can often fit these cameras with anamorphic lenses and attachments for greater experimentation.
►Start basic.
Don't purchase an entire filmmaking kit all at once. Start with a camera and a single lens. Film with that for a while to get a sense for how it works and feels, then start investing in more lenses, tripods, and other equipment.
Finally, explore how your footage looks in post-production. Premiere Pro gives filmmakers a full suite of editing tools, so use them to affect your aspect ratio, and you can get a sense for your own style and how a shot will appear once it leaves the camera and starts hitting the screen.
RZ Optics is a professional manufacturer and supplier of anamorphic lenses and spherical Lenses. Our products have accessed to many worldwide markets and won praise from customers. If you are still confused about difference between anamorphic lenses and spherical Lenses or need quotation of spherical lenses, please feel free to contact us and get more detailed explanation.
