Anamorphic Lenses

Hyperion Optics specializes in custom anamorphic lenses design and production. We are experienced in creating custom solutions for unique applications such as projection and anamorphic photography. Generally speaking, these lenses are special systems that effectively change the aspect ratios when projecting the image onto the camera sensor.

Compared to a more common type spherical lenses, which project images onto the sensor without causing an aspect ratio change, anamorphic lenses compress along the longer dimension and require subsequent stretching in post-production or at the projector for the output image to be properly displayed.

With our high quality achromatic cylindrical lenses production capability, we are able to meet the challenging and demanding anamorphic design performance, please refer to our cylindrical lens fabrication capability. Note that in some cases, custom achromatic cylindrical lenses are extremely thick in CT, and oftentimes material availability would be a manufacturing obstacle. Hyperion’s production team is able to cement singlet parts on a real-time alignment device to avoid thickness unavailability of certain materials.

Here is a great sample of how anamorphic projection lenses can contribute to enhancing image quality: 

We begin with a cinemascope screen. Here we’re displaying a 2.35 or 2.40 film, notice the top and bottom black bars.

The first step is to electronically stretch the image vertically. This process is either called ‘vertical stretch’ or ‘zoom’ or ‘anamorphic mode’. The vertical stretch feature can be found in many projectors and Blu-Ray players. We have taken the active illuminated pixels in the black bars and scaled them back into the image. This process increases the overall on-screen luminance or brightness. Once vertically stretched, everything on screen looks tall and skinny - compare the image below with the image above. 

The first step is to electronically stretch the image vertically. This is either called ‘vertical stretch’ or ‘zoom’ or ‘anamorphic mode’. This feature can be found many projectors and Blu Ray players. We have taken the active illuminated pixels in the black bars and scaled them back into the image. This process increases the overall on screen luminance or brightness. Once vertically stretched, everything on screen looks tall and skinny- compare the image below with the image above.

Finally, we take the optical expansion of the vertically stretched image to restore the geometry and to fill the entire cinemascope screen with the active image. The result below is an image that is 78% larger than the original. Now compare the top and bottom images.

Highlights of Hyperion Optics’ anamorphic design

• Expected aspect ratio control
• Sharp image quality, tested and verified MTF according to system requirements
• Excellent achromatic feature
• Design fit for 2.35, 2.39 and 2.4 aspect ratio
• Theatrical cinema projection design available

ADVANTAGES OF ANAMORPHIC LENSES:

Anamorphic lenses takes full advantage of the performance of the projector to show a broader view and to bring about a more comfortable viewing effect.

Why use anamorphic lenses:

Anamorphic lenses can deform the projection image through the lens to meet the need of a wider screen. It allows for a wide range of scenes to be compressed into the standard frame area.

How the anamorphic lens works:

Add a set of oval compression lenses to the lens, and the film will be vertically stretched to fit the size of 35 mm. At the time of the screening, all we need to do is to use the opposite oval to magnify the lens, and we could recover the original film of 2.35:1.

The difference between spherical and anamorphic lenses:

1. The curvature radius of the spherical lens is the same everywhere, but the curvature radius of the anamorphic lens is different from the center to the edge of the lens; and the curvature radius of the edge is usually longer.

2. A zoom lens of multi-slice spherical lens combination can easily produce barrel distortion at the wide angle end, and pillow distortion can be easily generated at long focus end.