Zeiss Unveils Horizon Anamorphic

ZEISS has introduced Horizon Anamorphic, a new family of full-frame 2x anamorphic cinema lenses spanning seven focal lengths from 35mm to 200mm. The range pairs a pronounced oval bokeh and heightened sense of spatial depth with an all-new, internally motorised platform aimed at speeding up modern production workflows.

"With Horizon Anamorphics we bring the next chapter of ZEISS cinema optics to life by combining cutting‑edge technology with a refined image that preserves the human, cinematic feel," explains Christophe Casenave, Head of Business Unit Cinematography at ZEISS.

Engineered for creative flexibility, Horizon starts from a neutral baseline look that readily accepts filtration, LUTs and varied lighting without imposing a fixed aesthetic. A proprietary look‑tuning back element, fitted via the ZEISS Interchangeable Mount System (IMS), can be swapped using eight screws to modulate sharpness, contrast and overall character, while maintaining scale integrity and calibration.

A key differentiator is seamless system integration: whisper‑quiet, highly reliable focus and iris motors are built into the lens housing, with ARRI and Preston control compatibility over serial and LBUS connections. Factory‑calibrated absolute encoders store complete lens scales on board, providing a single, consistent metadata source and removing the need for re‑mapping or external motor re‑rigging. Dual on‑barrel displays and touch panels enable quick checks and direct control of focus and iris values.

"Horizon marks a new reference platform that integrates lens motors, data and ecosystem compatibility and by that enables faster, end‑to‑end production workflows," Casenave adds.

The optics are designed for VFX‑heavy shoots, with low distortion, stable colour and minimised aberrations to support clean keying, tracking and CG integration. All seven lenses share a 114mm front diameter for balanced use on handheld setups, gimbals, drones, cranes and car rigs. A fast T2.3 across the set (T2.9 at 200mm) delivers shallow‑depth anamorphic results in challenging light. Built‑in processing and memory are intended to support future enhancements, including broader ecosystem interoperability, extended metadata and the potential for autofocus.

Availability: the 40mm, 50mm and 75mm Horizon Anamorphic lenses are slated to ship in September 2026 via authorised ZEISS cinema dealers. The 35mm, 100mm, 150mm and 200mm focal lengths will follow in 2026 and 2027.

zeiss.com/horizonanamorphic