On 16 September Blazar Lens introduced the Remus II, the second generation of its 1.5x full-frame anamorphics. Only one focal length so far, the 50mm T2.4: $799 on pre-order until 25 September, $899 afterwards, with delivery quoted at 4-6 weeks. More focal lengths are promised, with no dates attached.

The original Remus did real damage to anamorphic price lists: mirrorless money for a look that used to cost ten times as much. The II changes very little, and the whole story sits in one mechanical detail that reads like marketing on paper.

The oval iris, and why it matters more than it sounds

Blazar has brought the 16-blade oval iris from the Mantis line onto the Remus. On set the difference is real: on almost every affordable anamorphic the oval bokeh — the entire reason you shoot anamorphic — only exists wide open. Stop down to T4 or T5.6 and the iris goes round, background highlights turn into plain circles, and you are left with an ordinary 50mm squeezed by 1.5x. A shaped iris keeps the oval as you close down, which is exactly where you live when you shoot exteriors in daylight.

The other change is optical: Blazar claims a redesigned, sharper formula that keeps the vintage character of the series. You pay for it in the name: T2.4 instead of the T2.0 of the first Remus, just under half a stop. Not a disaster on today’s cameras, but indoors it is margin you no longer have.

The stated numbers

  • Focal length and aperture: 50mm, T2.4 to T22
  • Squeeze: 1.5x, 36x24mm image circle (full frame)
  • Iris: 16 blades, oval shaped
  • Close focus: 0.68m — 150° focus rotation
  • Weight: 716g — 80mm front, 77mm filter thread
  • Mount: PL in the box, interchangeable EF mount, shims included
  • Flare: silver, gold barrel finish

Our take, as the people who rent this stuff out

$799 for a full-frame anamorphic in PL is cheap, and the urge to buy is strong. What gets missed, in our view, is that a single focal length is not a set: you shoot anamorphic for the look, and the look only holds if the whole sequence shares the same character. The day you need the 33 for a tight interior or the 85 for close-ups, one 50mm leaves you stuck. Three focal lengths run past $2,400, plus VAT and customs: you are at roughly €3,000 before you notice.

There is a calendar problem too, and it bites on set: the discount ends on 25 September and shipping is quoted at 4-6 weeks. Order today and the lens is not in your hands before late October. If you have a music video or a commercial in October, buying solves nothing — you need a set that already exists, and that is where we come in.

One more practical note, about focus. At 1.5x on full frame depth of field is thin and the barrel has 150° of throw: that is short for a focus puller doing fine work. If you are shooting dialogue, plan for it and work slightly stopped down — which happens to be where the new iris earns its keep. The 0.68m close focus, on the other hand, is honest for a 50mm anamorphic: a tight mid shot is there.

What we put it on

The native PL mount makes it immediate on the ARRI ALEXA Mini, still the camera where the silver flare of these lenses behaves best in camera. For proper full frame the pairing is the Sony BURANO, which actually uses the whole 36×24 circle. Beyond that, budget for light: half a stop down from the first series, an Aputure LS 600x Pro indoors stops being a luxury and becomes the baseline. Everything else we keep in house is in the catalogue.

Short version: an interesting announcement, and a series we liked in its first incarnation — but read it slowly. Before you put $800 on a single focal length, rent a full set for a day and look at the rushes.

Source: Blazar Lens. Verified with first details at Newsshooter.