ZEISS has unveiled its new Horizon Anamorphic series, a new lineup of full-frame 2x anamorphic cinema lenses that were designed to deliver a distinctive look along with a fully integrated motorized system that eliminates the need for external focus or iris motors.
Spanning 35mm to 200mm across seven focal lengths, the Horizon lenses are claimed to incorporate a pronounced oval bokeh and stretched sense of spatial depth.
One Lens, Multiple Looks
The Horizon series is said to be engineered with a neutral baseline look designed to encourage versatility, accepting filtration, LUTs, and diverse lighting approaches without imposing a baked-in feel. ZEISS is utilizing a proprietary look-tuning back element, which is an optical integration that allows users to achieve a more nuanced lens look. Mounted via the ZEISS Interchangeable Mount System (IMS), it alters sharpness, contrast, and overall character with a simple eight-screw swap, while preserving scale accuracy and calibration.
Built-in Motors
The quiet and reliable focus and iris motors are built directly into the lens body, offering compatibility with ARRI and Preston lens control systems via serial or LBUS connections. Factory-calibrated absolute encoders store all lens scales within the lens. This creates a single consistent source for metadata, eliminating the need for re-mapping scales or re-rigging motors between setups. Dual displays and touch panels directly on the lens barrel allow quick focus and iris checks.
This is a big deal, and finally we are seeing some innovation in the lens space. Having in-built motors simplifies setup and removes cabling and other issues when using traditional motors.
Despite having built-in motors, the lenses weigh between 2.42 kg | 5.34 lbs and 3.25 kg | 7.17 lbs depending on the focal length.
Claimed low distortion, stable color, and minimized aberrations make the Horizon lenses well-suited to VFX-intensive productions requiring clean keying, tracking, and CG integration. All seven lenses share a consistent 114mm front diameter to support balanced handheld, gimbal, drone, crane, and car-rig operation.
They also feature a fast T2.3 stop across the full-frame coverage set (T2.9 at 200mm), providing shallow-depth-of-field anamorphic even in challenging lighting conditions. Built-in processing and on-board memory are designed to support future expansions including broader ecosystem compatibility, extended metadata capabilities, and potential autofocus integration.
Pricing & Availability
The 40mm, 50mm, and 75mm Horizon Anamorphic lenses are scheduled to ship in September 2026 through authorized ZEISS cinema dealers, with 35mm, 100mm, 150mm, and 200mm focal lengths following in 2026 and 2027.
There is no current indication of pricing.
