Vid-Atlantic 58mm CineMorph Anamorphic Looks Filter Kit with 52/58mm Step-Up Adapter (Bokeh Only)

This 58mm Anamorphic Bokeh Filter from Vid-Atlantic is designed to partially create the effect of a scene or image that has been recorded with an anamorphic lens and then displayed using a complementary reverse-projection lens. This can give an elongated, elliptical shape to otherwise circular, out-of-focus highlights within the frame to create a visually dramatic effect that is reminiscent of many wide-aspect-ratio movies recorded on film.

If an image or footage is captured with an anamorphic lens for the primary purpose of obtaining a greater aspect ratio than what is possible when only using spherical lenses on a 35mm format, the direct result will appear compressed and distorted. Projecting this compressed and distorted footage or imagery through a reverse-anamorphic projection lens allows elements within the scene to be viewed in their correct proportions. A complementary effect of this process after it is completed is the creation of elongated, elliptical highlights from out-of-focus point light sources through the frame.

Many cinematographers and photographers find this effect desirable, and the Vid-Atlantic 58mm Anamorphic Bokeh Filter is intended to allow such highlights to be easily reproduced when using optics that do not have an anamorphic design. It features a built-in, plastic diaphragm that is protected by a layer of optical glass. When used with a recommended lens, the diaphragm's own elliptical aperture can reproduce the type of out-of-focus highlights that are associated with a traditional anamorphic process while minimizing vignetting. For 35mm film, full-frame digital, or APS-C digital cameras, a recommended lens provides a single focal length that is 50mm or greater and can be set to an f-stop ranging from f/0.95 to f/2.8. To help ensure that the desired highlights are not clipped, this 58mm Anamorphic Bokeh Filter is intended for use with lenses that have 46 to 62mm front filter threads, while lenses with 62 to 82mm front filter threads can instead use a separately available Vid-Atlantic 77mm Anamorphic Bokeh Filter.

A lightweight, aluminum-alloy step-up ring is included, which can be used to adapt this filter on lenses with 52mm filter threads. Step-up or step-down rings for recommended lenses with filter threads other than 58mm or 52mm are separately available.

This filter is most effective for pictures where the light sources used to generate the out-of-focus highlights feature a significant degree of contrast from the rest of the image. Both its diaphragm and protective glass are mounted within an aluminum-alloy filter ring that can be rotated to adjust the overall orientation of the elliptical effect.