@Douglas Horn, spot on assessment.

Since I didn't see this anywhere on personal-view, I thought I'd add it to the Veydra thread.

Veydra announces m4/3 mini Anamorphic lenses at NAB

Specs

• 2X Anamorphic
• 25mm T2.2
• released by the end of the year
• <$5,000
• 2 more anamorphic lenses coming after to make 3 lens set

PR

Veydra Mini Anamorphic 2X Project: Anamorphic for Everyone The Veydra Mini Anamorphic Project is an ongoing development project to manufacture true 2X Front >Anamorphic lenses exclusively for the Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. True 2X Anamorphic Lenses offer the >ability to captured a horizontal field of view that is twice as wide as the given focal length that is then >“unsqueezed” to a “normal” looking image that has a wider screen cinematic aspect ratio like 2.39:1. This >concept provides an increase in vertical resolution as well as the ability to minimize digital noise when the >anamorphic image is corrected to a “flat” or normal looking image. There are also creative implications as the >out of focus image (bokeh) when using the 2X Front Anamorphic Veydra lenses which exhibit the traditional and >desirable oval shape providing a surreal look and feel to the image around your in focus subject.

True 2X Anamorphic shooting presents several advantages to your final image over standard spherical lenses for >2.39:1 CinemaScope output.

Using a standard spherical lens and simply letterboxing the 16:9 image for 2.39:1 CinemaScope, you lose half of >the image height and therefore must frame very wide on top and bottom of your image to accommodate for the >crop for final display. When a 2X anamorphic lens is used, you achieve a 2X squeeze of the image horizontally >and a resulting 2X increase in image height which allows you to frame more closely to the final image output for >CinemaScope. You can later “de-squeeze” the image from the 2X anamorphic lens in Post Production into the >final desired 2.39:1 CinemaScope format while maintaining your original image height.

Another advantage to shooting Anamorphic lenses are the more widely known desirable image effects such as >“anamorphic flares” whereby light flares are imaged in a stretched line of light across the image. This is >sometimes referred to as “anamorphic streaks”. The Anamorphic lens also creates an oval shaped bokeh or out >of focus background which is very pleasing to many. Anamorphic lenses also create a separation of the subject >from the image background which can be described as closer to 3D imagery than it is to a 2D image. All of >these effects combine to make shooting with an anamorphic lens far more desirable than using spherical lenses >for 2.39:1 CinemaScope output.

While shooting Anamorphic has its advantages, until now the major drawbacks have been availability of lenses >and cameras that could be afforded by most. The options to date have been to rent or buy the exceptional >performance, yet exceptionally high priced, cameras and 2X Anamorphic lenses from highly regarded >manufacturers such as Arri, Cooke, Zeiss, Hawk, and Service Vision. The combination of these cameras and >lenses could land you near $200,000+ USD to own and shoot true 2X Anamorphic. These options remain by far >the highest quality and true anamorphic shooting experience for those with the budget to do so.

Panasonic recently made Anamorphic shooting available in their GH4 camera via the 4K Photo Mode which >currently allows for 4K UHD video shooting in 30p frame rate. This has drastically cut the price of the camera >component of the anamorphic system down to under $2,000 USD. The missing link is now affordable true 2X >Anamorphic lenses to take full advantage of this offering.

Other manufacturers marketed some more affordable anamorphic options via 1.33X and 2X anamorphic >adapters that are intended to go on the front of camera lenses. The issue with anamorphic adapters, and main >reason that Veydra will not offer an adapter at this time, is that front mount Anamorphic lenses feature two >nodal points of focus and therefore the spherical lens AND the adapter must be refocused for each change in >focus in the scene. This makes common image effect tools in cinema such as focus pulls and camera movement >nearly impossible unless you are shooting at a depth of field and camera position where movement and change >in focus are irrelevant. Focusing both the lens and an adapter greatly limits your options as a filmmaker.

Adapters must also be made for a specific focal length even further limiting your lens choice options and >alignment of the anamorphic elements is critical for optimal image performance. This leaves too many variables >for getting it wrong and destroying your image. Further complicating the anamorphic quandary is the issues of 1.33X versus 2X and front mounted versus rear >mounted anamorphic cylindrical elements.

1.33X anamorphic adapters and lenses are designed to create 2.39:1 CinemaScope from a 16:9 aspect ratio >sensor when de-squeezed in Post Production. The major issue with this 1.33X squeeze of the image is that it >only gives you approximately a 30% increase in image height and limited image effects like the desired light >streaks, oval bokeh, and subject-to-background image separation that you get from a 2X Anamorphic lens.

Anamorphic lenses with the anamorphic cylinders placed in the rear sections of the lens are offered by some >lens manufacturers as well as 3rd party adapters. These can be a powerful tool for adapting existing spherical >lenses however you lose 2 f-stops of light due to the increased distance in the rear of the lens to accommodate >the adapter and the Anamorphic effect is not as strong as a true 2X front mounted Anamorphic optical group.

All of these reasons combine to explain the logic behind the Veydra Mini Anamorphic Project. A front 2X >anamorphic lens free of compromise thus making Anamorphic shooting available to everyone for a fraction of >the price of the nearest substitute lens in other formats.

The first focal length we will make available is the Veydra Mini Anamorphic 2X 25mm T2.2 M4/3. This will >feature the Veydra Mini Prime 25mm base optics in the rear and have the 2X anamorphic group in front. All of >this will be housed in a single lens with a single calibrated focus scale available in Imperial or Metric focus scale >with proper focus gears and movement for motion pictures production. All the same attention to detail found in >the Veydra Mini Primes will be carried over the to the Mini Anamorphic including 0.8 module iris and focus >gears, same maximum T Stop on all focal lengths, similar length, same outside diameter for quick lens changes, >plated brass Micro 4/3 mounts, high quality aluminum housings and the finest optical coatings for maximum >image quality.

The Veydra Mini Anamorphic 2X 25mm T2.2 M4/3 should be available at the end of 2015. We will >simultaneously develop other longer focal lengths with the aim to make a 3 lens set available sometime in 2016. >Expected pricing per lens is to be around or under $5,000 USD per lens.

Source: http://www.veydra.com/news/veydra-nab-2015-announcements/

@DouglasHorn I have a question. I've been considering buying a Roki cine lens in the near future, and I'm weighing that against the added cost of the Veydra line. But, if I go the route you seem to suggest, I might be better off with a Metabones adapter and buying Nikon or Canon lenses.

If i did this, would there be any drawbacks with, say, gearing and follow-focus?

Well I just jumped on the Veydra bandwagon. Hopefully i get the lenses in the next 2 weeks and hopefully they are good lenses.

We are most excited about the new Sony E-mount as it will enable our customers to use the small form factor and high quality 4K+ optics of the Veydra Mini Primes on Sony E-mount cameras like the popular Sony A7RII in 4K crop mode and APS-C cameras like the FS100, FS700, and FS-7.

Digital Bolex D16 and traditional S16 film camera users will also benefit from a similar two-piece C Mount option that will be available for all Veydra Mini Primes from 12mm to 85mm (the 50mm will require its own dedicated mount due to glass elements in the mount itself).

This was shot in Cinelike D on the GH4, 4K with the micro 4/3rd 16mm Veydra Mini Prime Cinema Lens. Cinelike D is a pain to grade, I'm leaning more toward the Natural settings from now on...

Clips 3 & 5 were shot with the Veydra 16mm T2.2 on the GH4. Note - there is a dissolve between clip 1 & 2.

This is a short scene from Ophelia Hodgson's movie “Mahal Expensive Love” that is being filmed on Maui. I shot this on the Panasonic GH4. The Veydra 16mm Mini Prime lens was used on the opening shot when she is walking in, the Olympus 12mm f1.8 on the leg shots (cropped in post) and the Olympus 45mm f1.8 for the face close ups.