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atlas CINEMA LENSES
Atlas Lens Co. was founded to make the anamorphic characteristics of classic cinema optics accessible to modern productions, focusing on practical, affordable designs. Cine Visuals carries the Orion Anamorphic Primes, the Silver Edition variant, and the Mercury Anamorphics.
- Full Frame LF/VV | AnamorphicThe Mercury series brings Atlas anamorphic design to full-frame with a 1.5x squeeze factor. Warmer streaking flares and a different image circle give it a distinct rendering compared to the Orion line.
- Super 35 | AnamorphicThe Orion set is a 2x anamorphic prime series designed for Super 35 coverage, built with modern mechanics and a controlled optical profile. Deep blue streaking flares and ovular bokeh define its rendering.
- Super 35 | AnamorphicThe Silver Edition uses a revised coating that replaces the Orion’s blue streak with neutral flares that take on the color of the light source. This shifts the rendering closer to traditional anamorphic behavior.
What are Atlas Cinema Lenses Known For?
Dan Kanes and Forrest Schultz founded Atlas Lens Co. in 2016, motivated by a desire to bring the anamorphic character of New Hollywood-era optics within reach of independent productions. The reference points were lenses like the Panavision C Series, Cineovision, Technovision, Nipponscope, Kowa Cine Prominar Anamorphics, Todd AO, JDC, and the Lomo Square-Front Anamorphics — the glass behind a generation of larger-than-life imagery. Those lenses are expensive, mechanically demanding, and largely inaccessible for smaller projects. Starting in a shared garage in Glendale, Kanes and Schultz developed a modern anamorphic alternative, and in 2018 the first Atlas Orion Anamorphic set launched with clean, affordable optics that retained a distinctly anamorphic character. The response was immediate, and the Orions became closely associated with the surge in anamorphic shooting that followed.