Blazar launches Remus II 50mm T2.4, opening a sharper second generation of its full-frame anamorphic primes

Blazar has unveiled the Remus II 50mm T2.4, the opening lens in a second generation of its Remus 1.5x full-frame anamorphic prime series. As the company's announcement puts it, "Blazar has recently unveiled the second generation of its popular Remus 1.5x full-frame anamorphic series, starting with the Remus II 50mm T2.4." The first-generation Remus primes arrived in December 2023 as a 3-lens lineup spanning 45mm, 65mm and 100mm, and built a following among filmmakers who wanted an anamorphic character on full-frame cameras without paying cinema-lens prices. The 1.5x squeeze is Blazar's recipe for bringing that widescreen look — oval bokeh included — to full-frame sensor sizes.

In the company's words, "This reengineered version promises to produce sharper images, inherits the oval iris design from the Mantis series, and comes with a stylish gold metal finish." Blazar says the design has been revisited specifically to deliver sharper optics than the previous generation, and the move to a Mantis-style iris is the most visible mechanical change beyond the new gold dress.

Sharpness has been the sore point of the range. Although these lenses require precise shimming to perform at their best, sharpness was one of the most popular complaints levelled at the first-generation Remus. Shimming — spacing a lens to fine-tune its position relative to the sensor — is a fiddly but routine step when mounting anamorphic primes, and it makes inconsistent results harder to forgive. For a range that trades on character, softness threatened to undo a lot of goodwill, and the reworked optics read as a direct answer to that criticism.

The iris is where the new lens borrows most visibly from Blazar's other line. Inside there are still 16 aperture blades, but they are now arranged to create an oval aperture, the same approach used on the Mantis 1.33x series, which should result in a smoother, richer bokeh. Where a spherical lens produces round out-of-focus highlights, the oval arrangement pushes that rendering toward the elongated shapes audiences associate with anamorphic footage, so carrying the Mantis iris across is more than a cosmetic gesture. Oval highlights have long been part of the anamorphic appeal. The compromise is speed: the Remus II 50mm is rated at T2.4 rather than the T2.0 of the first-generation optics, a slightly slower maximum aperture that comes with the redesign.

Blazar lists the new prime as covering the 36x24mm full-frame format, with the build language the series is known for: an 80mm front diameter, 77mm filter threads, a 150° focus rotation and a weight of 716g/1.57lbs. Those figures keep the Remus II in compact, workable territory for handheld and gimbal work. The gold metal finish is the eye-catcher, and it should make the new lens easy to spot on a crowded cart — a small thing, but one that signals Blazar intends this generation to look like an upgrade, not a running change.

As for availability, the new Blazar Remus II 50mm T2.4 is available to pre-order from B&H for $799 until September 25th. After that date, the official retail price of $899 will take effect.

With the 50mm described only as the starting point of the second generation, further Remus II focal lengths look like a matter of time. If the template holds — Mantis-derived oval irises, sharper optics and that gold finish — the rest of the lineup will be worth watching, particularly for shooters who warmed to the original Remus but wanted more bite in the fine detail. For now, the 50mm T2.4 offers a first look at where Blazar is taking one of its most popular lines.