Sirui Expands IronStar Anamorphic Series With Three Telephoto Primes
Last July, Sirui announced IronStar, a new series of 1.5x anamorphic lenses for full-frame. The 35mm, 45mm, and 60mm primes all shared a fast T1.9 aperture and sub-$1,000 price tag. Sirui has today expanded this series to include 75mm, 100mm, and 135mm primes.
The new releases are slightly different than the initial trio, as they are not all T1.9 cinema primes this time around. The 75mm lens is still T1.9, but the longer 100mm and 135mm lenses are both T2.8. The Sirui IronStar 100mm T2.8 is also a macro lens, offering close focus at just 0.3 meters (0.98 feet).
The move to slower apertures on the 100mm and 135mm primes ensures they continue to offer the same front diameter and control layout as the rest of the IronStar series. All six lenses have a 95mm front diameter and identical focus and aperture control ring positions. The new 100mm T2.8 Macro lens is noticeably longer than the rest, but otherwise looks identical to its siblings.
“The introduction of 75mm, 100mm, and 135mm lenses completes the system, forming a fully expanded ecosystem that provides comprehensive support for both commercial and artistic cinematography,” Sirui says.
The company adds that the new 75mm lens is “suitable for dialogue scenes and storytelling shots, offering a natural and balance perspective. Ideal for portraits and close-ups with pleasing compression.”
Sirui says the 100mm is, as expected, a good choice for macro and close-up work, which can be useful not only for narrative purposes but also for food, product, and other commercial filmmaking.
The 135mm lens promises “strong compression and excellent subject separation,” which Sirui says is great for “isolating details and subjects from busy backgrounds in narrative films.”
Since the Sirui IronStar series lenses are all 1.5x anamorphic primes for full-frame cameras, they can deliver very wide, cinematic video aspect ratios when de-squeezed. When recording 3:2 open-gate video, 1.5x lenses enable 2.25:1 video recording. In a 16:9 recording mode, they can capture video with a wider 2.66:1 aspect ratio.
Like other anamorphic lenses, the Sirui IronStars promise oval-shaped bokeh and streaky lens flare. Although Sirui did not confirm it in its press release, it is expected that these lenses will be available with either neutral or blue flare characteristics, like the other three IronStar lenses. Likewise, the new lenses are likely to come with interchangeable PL and EF lens mounts and an aggressive price point, though it is not yet clear whether the three new ones will hit the same $999 price as the first three IronStar lenses. Sirui expects the IronStar 75mm T1.9, 100mm T2.8 Macro, and 135mm T2.8 lenses to be available in the second half of this year.
Image credits: Sirui
