iPhone Anamorphic Lenses

Dec 2

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Is anamorphic actually worth it on a phone? Time to put the new Beastgrip 1.33 Mark II to the test.

So first, what is an anamorphic lens?

Many anamorphic lenses are just ordinary spherical lenses with additional glass elements that compress or "anamorphize" the output. This makes the lens larger, reduces light transmission and can introduce additional distortion.

I always thought they were kind of gimmicky because most of the marketing revolved around the blue anamorphic light streak when you shine a flashlight into the lens. Don't get me wrong, if you like that and you want this lens for that, yes it will give you that flare!

When I was in Vancouver and I shot a bunch of test footage with the anamorphic lens I don't think a single one of them had the anamorphic cliche flare in it but all of them still gave a totally different vibe than just filming with your regular phone.

For a thorough guide on how to get the most out of your iPhone Camera, check out our iPhone Filmmaking Guide!

The lens I primarily use and have tested out is the Beastgrip 1.33x MK2 Anamorphic but there are many others you can choose from.

The biggest debate when it comes to filming with any mobile filmmaking accessory is how much extra effort you have to put in to film with that piece of gear? Because if it's worth bringing a big cinema camera or mirrorless camera to an outing or job, you kind of understand you’re going to bring batteries, lenses, etc.