All About Anamorphic - Drones and Camera Tips

If only we could shoot everything in anamorphic!
Hope you enjoy the video!

00:00 Introduction
00:13 Part 1—What is Anamorphic?
02:16 Part 2—Why not use a wide angle?
02:44 Part 3—Different Ratios of Anamorphic Compression
03:25 Part 4—Equipment
04:15 Part 5—How to Edit

Free drone registration labels:

Our Other Channels

Our courses

Get Pilot Institute Gear

The benefits of shooting with an anamorphic lens are many. First of all, you get that classic widescreen look that you see in so many movies. This is because anamorphic lenses were originally developed for use in Hollywood in the 1950s and 60s. The wider aspect ratio gives your footage a more cinematic feel, which can really make your work stand out. Anamorphic lenses also give you a shallower depth of field, which can help you isolate your subject and create a more visually interesting image.

One of the most iconic and sought-after looks of anamorphic lenses is the flare they produce. Unlike your traditional spherical lenses, anamorphic lenses tend to produce horizontal flares that are both colorful and dramatic, adding a unique cinematic quality to the footage. This effect can be especially stunning when the sun is in the frame, creating a beautiful halo-like effect that can add a sense of warmth and atmosphere to your shots. While flares can be seen as a technical imperfection in some lenses, with anamorphic lenses, the flare is often embraced as a key aspect of their distinctive visual style. Some lenses produce a warm orange flare while others are blue.

Now, you might be wondering, can’t you just use a wide-angle lens to get a similar effect? Well, the short answer is no. While wide-angle lenses can certainly give you a wider field of view, they don’t produce the same unique look that you get from an anamorphic lens. Wide-angle lenses also don’t compress the image horizontally.

It’s worth noting that not all anamorphic lenses have the same amount of squeeze. Some anamorphic lenses compress the image horizontally by a factor of 1.33, while others compress it by a factor of 1.5 or even 2.0. This can have a big impact on the final look of your footage, so it’s important to choose an anamorphic lens or adapter that matches the look you’re going for. Keep in mind that the higher the squeeze ratio, the more pronounced the widescreen effect will be. However, a higher squeeze ratio can also result in a more distorted image, so it’s important to find the right balance for your specific project.

So, what do you need to shoot with an anamorphic lens? Well, first of all, you’ll need an anamorphic lens itself. These can be quite expensive, but there are also anamorphic lens adapters available that can give you a similar effect at a fraction of the cost. Several years ago, we tested the Moment Anamorphic adapter for the Mavic 2 Pro. While the results were great, it was a little too heavy to be reliable and the gimbal would often lose balance, leading to a lot of frustration.
Freewell now has a kit available for the Mini 3 Pro, which is a lot easier to attach, and even allows you to record portrait footage, due to the Mini 3 Pro’s abilities.

Finally, let’s talk about how to edit your anamorphic footage in post-production. If you’re using Final Cut Pro X, you’ll need to do a few things to make sure your footage looks the way it’s supposed to. First of all, you’ll need to set your project to the correct aspect ratio. This can be done by going to the Project Properties and setting the aspect ratio to 2.35:1 or 2.39:1.

You’ll also need to “de-squeeze” your footage to stretch it back out to its correct aspect ratio. This can be done by selecting your footage in the timeline and going to the Inspector panel. From there, go to the “Spatial Conform” section and select “Custom” from the drop-down menu. Then, set the “Horizontal Squeeze” value to 2.0, which will stretch your footage back out to its correct aspect ratio.

[CarolinaAirshots]

Good info. I thought about getting the anamorphic lens for my M2P but I heard the gimbal wasn't really strong enough to carry it well so I opted out.

[AlienDrones]

Cool content! Not sure if it's worth the hassle on a drone or not. I'm trying to get used to the vertical format, but the vertical flare added to it pushes me over the edge and seems to trigger me. 😎😎

[vonheise]

I suppose that this will be desired by some, however, I think it is a lot of work to get it right, and I am not sure how much of the sensor size get used. I get my best results with less width and more height, but I suppose it depends on what your story or end goal is.

[itsthehumidityyall]

I have an anamorphic lens for my Air 2.

[Baleur]

I just dont understand this, and never have.
Having black bars REMOVING content isnt a plus in my book.
I understand the aesthetic and cinematic aspect of it, i get the nostalgia of watching movies in 16:9 on your 4:3 analogue TV and seeing the black bars, essentially "burning in" the idea of the black bars as making something "feel" like a movie.
But i just dont agree anymore. I want my full 16:9 screen or tv to show full uninterrupted content.
I want to see the sky and the ground. Not a cropped version, artificially cropped for no other reason than placebo filmic feel.