BLAZAR CATO Full-Frame 2x Anamorphic Lens Set – First Look

Silver flares is awesome, it's great they are going this route ! Also, 40mm 2x on full frame it's pretty wide, but I would love to see something like a 65/70mm option as well

I prefer blue personally... hmmm should I wait or get the Remus?

Not bad, actually fairly good. but I think unified front diameter would be necessary.

Thumbs up for silver flares!

Silver flares FTW! Also, I would like to see a 27mm T2

Silver is the best in my opinion.

Would love to see E-mount soon.

Wait! Johnny, what mic and software are you using? Would you mind sharing? The audio is great! haha

I’m not sure this Cato set is actually a set. It seems the only thing the different lenses of the series have in common is the color of the lens housing. Everything else, T-Stop, Image circle, outer diameter, filter size is all inconsistent…. And we haven’t even gotten to the image yet.

I want to like them, but they need to be refined to be more consistent.

L mount

need those blue flares

Kudos to Blazar team's (disrupting and democratizing) innovation in bringing 2x (and 1.5x) full-frame lenses. Congrats. I think the challenges to both consumers (buyers) and Blazar may be:
1. Pricing - does "affordable" price mean below US$1500 (similar to GreatJoy 1.8x or Sirui FF), or $5000 range (similar to DZOfilm, laowa, viltrox) or something else?
2. Characteristics and style - softness vs. sharpness, vintage vs. modern, etc.
3. Consistency - consistent t-stops, image circle (vignette?), focal length, etc.
4. Target market and audience

My 2c. The key attractions to me are (1) relatively smaller size and lighter weight compared to competitors - 1kg weight vs ~2kg competitors (2) vintage style, (3) PL/EF mount and FF, and (4) hopefully real affordable price. My concerns or hesitation are on (1) the impact of the smaller image circle, e.g. vignette, (2) softness, (3) the availability of additional focal lengths, and (4) pricing- my wishful thinking - below $1200

It would be great to have a blue flare option as well

28mm

But a 35mm if it close focus is better

Amazing! Hope the ef mount is compatible with speed boosters. Silver flare is great. !

If these 2x are as great as the Remus I’ll get both sets

Amber flare with purple secondary would be dope or even reverse that

Wider than 40mm in 2x anamorphic on a full frame is pretty wild tbh.
40 is plenty.

75mm T2.4 or faster would be epic - It's such a nice focal length for 2x. IMO 95mm fronts on all lenses would be epic for matteboxes. Different sizes does make it harder to shoot run and gun sometimes.

aMAxing, are you into squarespace though?

Blazar are killing it. Love my Remus set

Looking forward to seeing footage from these. 40mm 2x full frame is plenty wide enough for me. I have the 35mm 1.8x and generally use it on crop as it's so wide.
The amber/blue Remus flares are surprisingly neutral much of the time, I've even added orange/blue streak filters to them to increase the colour when needed. I'd want to add colour to the Cato if possible, hopefully the silver flare will take on the colour of the light source.
Consistency across the set will be key, and a unified front diameter would be better for sure, but if these make images anything like the Remus I'll be keen to get a set.

Only silver flares are an option for me. That’s why I didn’t by the Remus previously. So Silver is crucial for me. And it will be great to see 35mm and 24mm. ✌🏻 peace

Not much inovation is happening. I want to see a 1.5x or 2X with auto-focus. That would be interesting. I know elitists will argue about this, but the time will come when everybody will want lenses with AF, is just a matter of time.

great to know the Remus will have silver flares soon. I was this close to compromising with amber. lol!

Already wanted to sell my sirui Venus set before knowing about these but now they really need to go!

Ia it front or rear anamorphic ?

Silver flare all the way!😊

shooting 2.4:1 crop with anamorphics??

if this is available in amber flare has many flares and is affordable i ned that thing!

i think 40mm 2x is already crazy wide and super wide anamorphics loose so much characteristics ... idk... i really do not need it 40 2x and 100 2x that would be all i need

I saw someone post that the image circle for the 50mm is 28x24 and the 40mm is 24x20? The 85 and 125mm is 36x24? Why would they have different image circles and also that would mean that they're not really full frame?

40mm on a 2x its wide. I don’t think the presenter realized that.

Blue flare gang reporting in. Though the look and quality of the flare is more important. A single streak isn’t very interesting regardless of color.

I was going to buy the remus but I think I will wait a bit till we see more results from the cato I like their glass but I wonder if the cato will suit my taste more or no

blue flare please!!! can't beat a classic IMHO

I'd love to test between the 50 and 85 with a view to sticking with one lens. Choice: 50mm lens with FOV of 25mm, or 85mm lens with FOV of a standard lens (on FF, open gate). Theoretically, I think the ideal would be 75mm with FOV of 35(ish), ie. a bit wider FOV than a standard lens, but not much. Testing seems critical but I lean toward the 85mm. (Not a fan of coloured flares)

How much?

@CineD, do you know any image quality or characteristics about the 2 demo cato lens?
1. Sharpness vs. softness - are they sharper than Remus?
2. Characteristics - Cameron Mackery shared in the facebook posts about edge distortion. The interviewee indicates similar CA and barrel distortion characteristics.

Thanks

😍😍😍

I wonder if the 40mm and the 50mm are not very close together when both are cropped to 2.4:1. The 40mm has a smaller image circle, so it would have to be cropped even more, resulting in a very similar outcome to the 50mm. What do you think?

So happy to hear it'll be neutral flare. I hate that most companies push super artificial blue or amber flares. It always looks bad.

I like how you managed to show zero demo footage in a 8 minute long video. Top notch.

Sarah is soooo much fun to talk to! She's ultra cool!! ;-)

Wider them 40mm but in the main time 90% in Hollywood movies are filmed on the 50mm anamorphic. Great Joy was a different company and Blazer just used the lenses. Oh man...

is there a reason to use it on apsc? xh2s user here

So glad that Blazar will extend neutral flair coatings across the Remus line. Blue and Amber gave me pause. I will wait until the full set is available in Silver! Thank you!

They should release 1.8x 100 mm