The Great Joy 85mm T2.9 1.8x anamorphic lens is the fourth anamorphic lens from this relatively new optical company. It joins the existing Great Joy 35mm T2.9 and 50mm T2.9 1.8x that both offer almost-full-frame coverage, as well as the 60mm T2.9 1.33x lens. The lens is available for EF, PL, E, L and MFT mounts.
Great Joy is offering amber flare, blue flare and ‘no-flare’ coating options of this 85mm, so users will be able to choose the profile they prefer. In contrast to other anamorphic lens makers, Great Joy has differentiated itself by making moderate design choices with subtle flare.
The angle of view you get from this lens depends a great deal on how you choose to use it. Technically the angle of view we associate with an 85mm focal length remains in place for the vertical aspect of the image, but the 1.8x anamorphic effect will widen the horizontal view to something like that which we’d expect from a 47mm lens. If you’re using an APS-C or Super 35-sized recording area, the vertical view becomes like a 125.5mm lens and the horizontal view like that of a 70.5mm. On a Micro Four Thirds camera the effects are roughly equivalent to 170mm vertically and 94mm horizontally. Your mileage may vary, depending on what effect you’re hoping to achieve.
For this mini-review I used the lens on the full-frame Panasonic Lumix S1H and S1R, and the Micro Four Thirds Lumix GH6.
If you would like to know more about shooting with anamorphic lenses and how they work see our article How Does Anamorphic Photography Work?
