Today, Atlas Lens Co. announces the launch of its Mercury Series 1.5x front anamorphic cinema lenses – marking a significant milestone in its mission of making cinematography more interesting, more personal, and more rewarding for creative image-makers everywhere.
The Mercury Series features full-frame coverage, a 1.5x squeeze ratio with enhanced bokeh, a significant reduction in physical size and weight, a more dynamic geometric optical personality, and warmer vintage tones than the Atlas Orion Series – all while providing the same modern, mechanical conveniences demanded by professionals.
“Mercury Series is yet another achievement towards the Atlas Lens Co. ethos of putting the world of cinematography in the hands of each image-maker. We’ve tested Mercury with several of our cinematographer, director, and filmmaking friends all over the world and the response has been astounding. We’re thrilled to introduce the Mercury Series – opening a new era in making your cinematography more interesting, more personal, and more rewarding,” said Dan Kanes, CEO, Atlas Lens Co.
The introduction of the Mercury Series is a significant addition to the Atlas Lens Co. catalog of anamorphic cinema lenses since the debut of the Orion Series 2x anamorphic lenses in 2017 and the Orion 21mm, and the world’s widest front anamorphic cinema lens in production. The addition of the Mercury Series to the Atlas lineup of anamorphic lenses will provide more image-makers with new and distinctive choices for their cinematic toolkit.
“We really wanted to push the boundaries of the Mercury Series in optical and product design, balancing vintage character with modern sensor performance. This is a lens made for making movies, with an undeniably cinematic quality the second you attach it to a camera. The image Mercury produces provides classic anamorphic barrel distortion, smooth bokeh transitions, and a pleasant separation of foreground and background objects – all while being about half the size and weight of most pro anamorphic lenses. We designed these lenses to support every cinematographer in their lifelong pursuit of expressing their image-craft.” said Forrest Schultz, President, Atlas Lens Co.
Features and Specifications
The Atlas Mercury Series is optimized for use with both film and digital sensors,
providing professional features such as:
● Full-frame sensor coverage with 1.5x anamorphic coefficient
● Aperture of T2.2 – T2.3 for Mercury Series
● Exceptional optical performance with vintage geometric personality
● Golden streak flares, pleasing barrel distortion, near-zero chromatic aberration
● Lightweight and compact: Half the size and weight of most pro anamorphic lenses
● Arri PL mount for use on professional cinema cameras and mirrorless cameras via pl adapter
● Standardized gears and diameters with 95mm front diameter
● Focal lengths: Initially offering 36mm, 42mm, and 72mm. 54mm, 95mm, and one additional telephoto
focal length to be announced in 2023
● Pricing: $5995 MSRP for each Mercury 36mm, 42mm, and 72mm; $17,985 for a 3-lens set with special
preorder pricing available
Example Production Stills
Feature Details
Full-Frame Anamorphic. Imaging area of 36.7mm x 25.54mm covers full-frame sensors as well as 16:9 / 3:2 / 4:3 sensors, with easy delivery to 2:1 / 2.25:1 / 2.66:1 / 2.4:1.
1.5x Anamorphic Coefficient. In addition to the ease of supporting multiple delivery aspects, the Mercury Series 1.5x optical design allows for many of the visual characteristics image-makers love about the traditional 2x cinemascope format (oblong oval bokeh, barrel distortion, shallow depth of field) while also allowing for a meaningful size and weight reduction in the overall physical product design. This results in an ideal balance of compact size, weight, optical performance, and professional-focused usability across a variety of productions.
Optical Personality. Mercury Series features exceptional optical performance with character, color, and clarity while embracing the geometric personality of vintage front anamorphics: Pleasing barrel distortion (more so than Orion Series), painterly oval bokeh, and dynamic golden streak flares with the added benefits of zero mumping, excellent close-focus, and near-zero chromatic aberration.
Lightweight and Compact. Half the size and weight of most pro anamorphic lenses, the Mercury 42mm is 2.3lbs / 1.1 kg in weight and 4.4 in / 11.2cm in length.
Versatile and Easy to Use. Mercury’s robust, reliable mechanical design emphasizes professional usability with many on-set conveniences that come standard with all Atlas lenses. Arri PL mount makes it at home on professional cinema cameras as well as any mirrorless prosumer camera via PL adapter. Unified focus and iris position makes switching focal lengths on set quick and easy. Standardized gears and 95mm outer diameter allows for native use with various matte boxes and filters.
Focal Lengths. Mercury Series launches with the 36mm, 42mm, and 72mm with the 54mm, 95mm, and one more additional focal length released in 2023 for a total of 6 focal lengths. More details to be announced.
Availability. The Mercury Series is available for preorder at an MSRP of $5,995 each for the 36mm, 42mm, and 72mm, and $17,985 for a 3-lens set on the Atlas website. Mercury Series will also be available for in-person demos at the IBC 2022 Show in Amsterdam (booth 12.C44) September 9-12, 2022, or by appointment at the Atlas Lens Co. headquarters in Glendale, CA. For questions about preordering the Mercury Series or to book a live demo, please contact info@atlaslensco.com.
Pricing. The Mercury Series will be priced at $5,995 each for the first three focal lengths (36mm, 42mm, and 72mm) and $17,985 for a 3-lens set. Discounted preorder pricing will be available for early adopters at $4,995 for one lens and $14,595 for a 3-lens set. Preorder deposits open at $995 for a single lens and $2,495 for a 3-lens set through December 31, 2022 – with incremental preorder deposit increases through September 2, 2023, the end of the Mercury preorder window. For more information about preorders, pricing, deposits, and order windows, please visit https://atlaslensco.com/mercury-series/ or contact info@atlaslensco.com.
