Perfect simplicity combined with maximum functionality was what we had in mind when we designed our new small and lightweight range of Hawk V-Lite Anamorphics.
The challenge we set ourselves was not an easy one. Until now no small anamorphic lens has offered the image quality of a full-size lens: Shooting steadicam or handheld always required a compromise between ease of handling and lens performance. This uncomfortable trade-off we wanted to make a thing of the past.
None of the proven approaches to lens design, however, would lead us to the intelligent reduction combined with the full-blown quality we aspired to. So we began to explore undiscovered ways to design and manufacture lenses that were both small in size and grand in performance. What we came up with was a design concept that fascinated us as both simple and elegant: What if we used cylindric lenses with an extremely small radius? This would let us minimize the aerial distance between the lenses and pack them tightly into a small, short housing.
Once we had ensured that such deeply curved lenses could be manufactured, optical calculations went into full force. "To achieve a minimum lens size I did some intricate finetuning", explains Chief Optical Scientist Dr. Anatoly B. Agourok. "Not only did I optimize the shape of the optical elements, I also managed to reduce their number. Plus, I used ultra-thin glasses with a high refractive index and set even stricter manufacturing tolerances than I usually do."
The result of our efforts is a range of strikingly compact, lightweight anamorphic lenses. Reduced to their very essence they are the smallest anamorphic lenses on the market right now. Still they offer the same stunning performance as our new-generation primes Hawk V‑Plus Anamorphics. At long last, DoPs and camera operators have the choice of working with a small lens which is just as good as its full-size counterpart.
As an additional plus, both ranges, Hawk V‑Plus and Hawk V‑Lite Anamorphics, come up to the market virtually at the same time. This coincidence is due to the fact that we had to open up new manufacturing capacities for the V‑Lites. So from now on filmmakers can combine both ranges without the slightest loss of quality.
Not only do the V‑Lites offer an image quality previously unseen in a compact anamorphic lens. They also are a pioneering achievement as they are modularily structured and support both classical and upcoming film and sensor formats. Two interchangeable cylindric groups with different compression factors make the V‑Lites a future-safe investment and an excellent choice for any and all shooting scenarios. Knowing observers will note that this truly avantgarde feature is realized for the first time ever - in the smallest anamorphics on the market so far.
Hawk V‑Lite Anamorphics. Perfectly Hawk.
Detailed technical information available in December 2007.
Six new primes
