Great Joy Rounds Out Its Budget Anamorphic Line with an 85mm T2.9 1.8X Lens

Great Joy completes its affordable anamorphic lens set with a 1.8x constant squeeze factor.

Anamorphic wide-screen lenses provide a cinematic production value, but due to their limited availability, can be a rather expensive option for low-budget cinematographers. But that’s changing with companies like SIRUI and Venus Optics offering budget anamorphic lenses.

The new Great Joy 85mm T2.9 1.8x lens is now available to order, which creates a three-lens set with impressive results. Let's dive in a bit deeper to see what this lens has to offer to budget creatives. 

The First Set of Three

With its third budget anamorphic lens released this year, Great Joy has added the 85mm T2.9 1.8x lens to a set that includes a 50mm T2.9 and a wide-angle 35mm T2.9, which were released earlier in the year. 

With a 16-bladed aperture that has a maximum aperture of T2.9, the 85mm lens has a focus ring rotation of 238 degrees and an Iris rotation of 84.3 degrees. This large aperture offers a typical oval bokeh that is both cinematic and pleasing. Great Joy also claims that the overall design offers well-controlled lens breathing.

The angle of view of the lens is 16.2 degrees (84.2 mm) vertically and 44.8 degrees (45.5mm) horizontally, allowing for coverage of a full-frame image circle and even supports use on Vista Vision cameras with sensors as large as 40.96×21.6mm.

The lens has a constant squeeze ratio of 1.8x and is built with a full metal body, geared focus, and iris rings. The lens contains 18 elements organized in 15 groups, with six different lens mount options, including Canon EF or RF, Panavision PL, Sony E, Leica/Panasonic L, or Micro Four-Thirds. This is a nice touch that will give users a variety of cameras to choose from.

Although these won't be interchangeable, so make sure you pick a mount you plan on sticking with. 

The EF and PL versions also have a protruding lens element which makes using optical elements or drop-in filters impossible. Cameras with built-in ND filters are also not supported, which is a bummer. But when you take, you have to give. 

Where to Send Your Money

The 85mm lens is available in three different lens flare configurations—a blue flare, an amber flare, or no flare at all. 

Great Joy is listing the 85mm T2.8 1.8x Anamorphic lens as a launch-day special for a budget-friendly price of $1,445. After that, the full retail price of the lens is planned to be $1,700.

There’s no word if there’s a discount on the three lens set, but the 35mm and 50mm T2.9 anamorphic lenses are being offered for $1,329 each.

A three-lens pelican-style case is also available for $139. 

Users can receive a 15% early bird discount by signing up for their email notification at the GreatJoy website here or at their IndieGoGo announcement page. The lens is scheduled to ship starting in January 2023, with early bird orders and then additional batches shipping a month later.

Are you a fan of Great Joy? Already using its lenses? Let us know what you think in the comments!