Mark Linsangan
It's well known that the iPhone's video quality is top notch among mobile devices, with each release pushing forward what people can do with the tiny portable computing devices. Today we're taking a look at Sandmarc's Anamorphic Lens for the iPhone XS, XS Max and iPhone XR, and how you can use it to achieve a more cinematic look from your iPhone.
High-quality glass for iPhone
Third-party iPhone lenses have existed long before Apple added a second camera to the iPhone. While the quality of lenses back then were mediocre at best, a company like Sandmarc have taken lens attachments to the next level, especially with their Anamorphic Lens for iPhone.
If you're not familiar with Anamorphic lenses, it essentially provides a true widescreen look, while also introducing crazy lens flares and slightly different looking bokeh, the blurring of out-of-focus items.
Anamorphic lenses are often used in Hollywood films, such as works by Wes Anderson or JJ Abrams. That's essentially what we have here with Sandmarc's Anamorphic lens. This will be able to give you those JJ Abrams-like lens flares, and that true widescreen look.
An all in one package
Out of the box you're greeted with the lens itself, a really nice soft touch case for your phone, a lens clip, and a small pouch to protect your lens when you're done using it.
The lens just screws on to the case which is pretty neat. However, installing the lens is a bit tricky since the front element rotates to compensate for image distortion, but once you get the hang of it you'll be fine.
It's not your ordinary point-and-shoot camera
To start shooting anamorphic videos, you can't just use the regular camera app that came pre-installed with your iPhone.
You'll need to download an app like Filmic Pro where you can adjust and tweak some of the settings to give you full control of the iPhone's camera. Filmic Pro can also give you a live preview of your anamorphic lens which essentially de-squeezes your image to give you that true widescreen anamorphic look.
Below are two sets of images shot and exported directly from the iPhone. One shot with Sandmarc's Anamorphic Lens, and one without.
This lens can change how your photo or video looks, and how you need to frame your subject. If you're an avid iPhone photographer and you're looking to make your photos look a bit different, this anamorphic lens from Sandmarc is a great buy.
Where to buy
The Sandmarc Anamorphic Lens for iPhone can be purchased from Sandmark directly for $159.99.
Amber Neely
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
4 Comments
I wonder if those screenshots from the movies were a deliberate dig at Abrams' perchance for lens flares, or whether there literally isn't a scene with a lens flare in those 2 movies!
It's a pity that Zeiss stopped their Exo Lens for iPhones. They were really good.
That said, I am pretty interested in this anamorphic lens. I'll probably pick it up soon.
disregard.
Anamorphic has nothing to do with artifacts like bokeh or lens flare...these are occasional artifacts created as part of the anamorphic process, which stretches a widescreen image to fill a film frame during capture and unstretches it during projection. It’s a process designed to capture a 16:9 (or wider) widescreen image using non-widescreen-shaped film stock.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic_format?wprov=sfti1