Sirui’s New $599 Saturn V2 Anamorphic Lenses Rotate for Vertical Video

Sirui has announced the Saturn V2, a new full-frame anamorphic lens series that supports both horizontal and vertical shooting orientations through its rotating design.

The new generation of Saturn anamorphic lenses builds upon the legacy of the popular original Saturn lenses, while introducing new features and promising improved performance. Arguably the biggest change is the new rotating anamorphic mechanism.

The new 90-degree rotation system lets filmmakers quickly swap between horizontal and portrait orientation video recording while maintaining the same squeeze ratio and classic anamorphic look. This design effectively rotates the entire optical structure within the lens.

When used traditionally, the 1.6x squeeze ratio anamorphic lenses enable 2.8:1 video when recording in 16:9 format and 2.4:1 when shooting Open Gate 3:2 video. When rotated 90 degrees, 9:16 video becomes 0.9:1 and 2:3 becomes 1.07:1, enabling filmmakers to create deliverables for a wider range of formats and use cases.

Sirui is kicking off the Saturn V2 series with a trio of cinema prime lenses, each covering full-frame image sensors and coming in E, L, and RF-mount designs. The widest lens is the 35mm T2.9, followed by a 50mm T2.9, and finally a 75mm T2.9. All the lenses have unified focus and aperture ring positions, 120 degrees of focus throw, and 62mm filter threads.

The 35mm T2.9 lens has 18 elements in 13 groups, the 50mm lens has 17 in 12, and the 75mm has 15 in 11. All have 10-bladed apertures ranging from T2.9 to T16. All three lenses are manual focus, as expected, and can focus as close as 0.9 meters (three feet).

Although each all-metal lens is a slightly different length, ranging from 100.9 millimeters (3.97 inches) to 112.2 millimeters (4.42 inches) for L-Mount and RF-mount, with the E-mount versions slightly longer, they are all sufficiently similar in size and weight that videographers should not need to reconfigure a gimbal. Lens weighs range from 437 grams (0.96 pounds) to 507 grams (1.12 pounds) across L-Mount. The E and RF versions are heavier, though the gap between the lightest and heaviest is similar.

“The Sirui Saturn V2 represents the next step in Sirui anamorphic lens development, combining the visual character of the Saturn series with a new workflow designed for the evolving demands of modern filmmaking and content creation,” Sirui says.

Pricing and Availability

The Sirui Saturn V2 lenses are now available in E, RF, and L-Mount versions for just $599 per lens, or $1,699 for the three-lens set, including the 35mm T2.9, 50mm T2.9, and 75mm T2.9.

A Nikon Z-mount version is also in development, and Sirui says it will be ready by its second production batch.

Image creditsSirui