Video
Anamorphic
A lens or shooting format that horizontally compresses a wide image onto a standard sensor using an optical element, then de-stretches it in post to produce a wide cinematic aspect ratio. Produces distinctive oval bokeh and horizontal lens flares.
Anamorphic lenses use a cylindrical optical element to squeeze a wider horizontal field of view onto a standard sensor. A 2x anamorphic lens compresses the horizontal dimension by half, capturing a 2:1 wider scene than a spherical lens of the same focal length. When the resulting footage is de-squeezed in post-production — stretched back horizontally by the squeeze factor — it produces a wide cinematic aspect ratio such as 2.39:1 or 2.66:1. This allows cameras with standard 4:3 or 16:9 sensors to produce ultra-wide cinematic footage without cropping.
Micro Four Thirds has an active anamorphic lens ecosystem partly because the M43 sensor's 4:3 native aspect ratio works well with anamorphic shooting. A 2x anamorphic lens on a 4:3 sensor, when de-squeezed, produces a 2.39:1 aspect ratio — exactly the CinemaScope standard. This allows the full sensor area to be used for anamorphic shooting without the vertical crop required on 16:9 sensors. Panasonic GH-series cameras have historically been popular among anamorphic shooters for this reason, and Panasonic added a dedicated anamorphic video mode to the GH5 and later bodies.
Anamorphic lenses produce visual characteristics that are difficult to replicate digitally: elongated horizontal lens flares from bright light sources, oval or elliptical bokeh from circular highlights, and a distinctive rendering of focus fall-off. These characteristics are associated with the visual language of cinema and are sought by filmmakers who want footage with that aesthetic. Native M43 anamorphic lenses are available from Sirui, Laowa, and Vazen, among others, in addition to adapted vintage anamorphic glass from Kowa, Lomo, and others.