Sirui IronStar Anamorphic Lenses Promise Cinematic Quality or Under $1,000

Jul 28, 2025

Jeremy Gray

Three professional camera lenses with focal lengths of 35mm, 45mm, and 60mm are displayed upright side by side against a white background. The lenses feature focus and aperture rings with labeled markings.

Sirui, makers of excellent photographic lenses, unveiled the IronStar series of anamorphic cinema lenses for full-frame cameras. The trio of lenses all feature fast T1.9 apertures and 1.5x squeeze ratios, enabling the capture of CinemaScope-style widescreen ratios (2.39:1 and 2.65:1).

Like other anamorphic lenses, the new IronStar primes squeeze a widescreen image onto a typical 3:2 full-frame image sensor, capturing a wider field of view compared to a traditional lens with the same focal length. Some cameras include in-camera anamorphic desqueezing, so filmmakers can “preview” what the final super-wide image will look like, which makes using anamorphic lenses much easier.

Compared to spherical lenses, the IronStar anamorphic primes capture 1.5 times more horizontal information, which can be “desqueezed” during post-processing to appear natural. At a fundamental level, anamorphic lenses enable filmmakers to utilize more of their sensor while maintaining a very wide aspect ratio.

Close-up of a person's tattooed hand holding a professional video camera with a 45mm lens, set against a blurred green forest background. Orange cables are attached to the camera.

A person holding a professional video camera with a large lens, filming close to the ground among green leaves and branches outdoors.

When recording 3:2 open gate video, a 1.5x anamorphic lens allows for 2.25:1 video recording. In 16:9 mode, it can capture a 2.66:1 widescreen aspect ratio.

Anamorphic lenses also have a distinct look, including oval bokeh and streaky flare, which, given how many high-budget movies and television series are shot using anamorphic lenses, affords videos a more “cinematic” quality. Like many anamorphic lenses, Sirui is offering its IronStar primes in different flare variations: blue or neutral.

A close-up view of a 35mm T1.9 IronStar anamorphic camera lens, showing focus, aperture, and anamorphic ratio markings, with a metallic finish and gear rings for manual adjustments.

A blue hard case labeled "SIRUI" is displayed next to three silver and black camera lenses standing upright in a row.

Sirui promises its new lenses deliver a “perfect blend of vintage character and modern optical performance.” The IronStar series, all of which have a consistent front diameter (95mm) and identical aperture and focus ring positions, comes in 35mm T1.9, 45mm T1.9, and 60mm T1.9 primes. However, Sirui says it is working on another trio of IronStar 1.5x anamorphic lenses: 75mm, 100mm, and 135mm primes. The company does not say if these will offer similarly quick apertures.

While each lens has a different optical formula, they all feature special aspherical, HRI, and ED glass elements. The 35mm T1.9 has 20 elements in 16 groups, while the 45mm and 60mm primes have 19 elements in 14 groups. All three promise “near-zero focus breathing during focus shifts,” and each lens promises strong close-focusing performance. The three manual focus lenses have a 270-degree focus throw.

Sample Images

A row of gondolas is moored along the canal in Venice, Italy, with historic buildings and stone steps bathed in warm sunlight, and a sign that reads “Gondole S. S. Trinità.”.

Rows of colorful, old European buildings with varied windows and shutters under a clear blue sky, seen from a low angle. A blue canopy partially covers the lower left corner.

A grand, historic building with ornate columns and arches is shown at sunset, with sunlight creating a lens flare across the image. The sky is clear, and architectural details are highlighted in the warm light.

A person with tattoos and a green wristwatch is photographing with a DSLR camera outdoors near a light stone building, under a clear blue sky.

Gondolas are moored on calm water at sunset, with their curved prows and wooden posts silhouetted against the hazy, golden sky. The distant shore and buildings are visible in the background.

Gondoliers navigate traditional gondolas with passengers along a canal in Venice, Italy, surrounded by historic buildings under a clear sky.

A rustic wooden house with a stone base sits on a grassy hillside under a clear blue sky. A winding path leads to the house, with a ski lift and playground visible nearby.

Pricing and Availability

The Sirui IronStar 1.5x Full-Frame Anamorphic Lenses are available to purchase beginning today, July 28, on Kickstarter at an exclusive launch price of $999 per lens. The lenses will retail for $1,199. There is also a three-lens kit for $2,999, $600 off the retail price of $3,599. The lenses have interchangeable PL and EF mounts.

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 Image credits: Sirui