DZOFilm Pavo 28mm 2x Anamorphic T2.1 PL & EF Mount (S35) Neutral

Horizontally, the DZOFilm Pavo 28mm 2x Anamorphic T2.1 PL & EF Mount Neutral frames like a 14 mm spherical lens, yet vertically it keeps the perspective of the 28 mm engraved on its barrel. That split is why it usually forms the wide end of a 2x anamorphic Super 35 lens package: a hotel lobby, a car interior or a crowded bar fills the scope frame without the stretched faces a very short spherical lens gives at the same width.

The 31.5 mm image circle suits the taller recording areas anamorphic capture relies on. ALEXA 35 in 3.3K 6:5 (26.4 mm diagonal) sits well inside it and de-squeezes to 2.4:1, so a 2.39:1 master costs almost no crop; its 4.6K open gate, at about 34 mm, falls outside. Close focus is 0.4 m from the sensor plane. That covers a hand on the wheel in a car commercial, or a product insert, with no diopter.

With the neutral coating, flare streaks take on the colour of their source, so sodium street lamps stay amber and LED practicals stay white. Streaks are restrained and usually appear only if a hard light sits in or just outside frame. As the shortest focal length in the series, the 28 mm adds a slight swirl toward the edges and mild barrel distortion, a vintage trait to plan around on architecture. Its 14-blade iris (other Pavo primes use 16) keeps defocused highlights oval, while vermilion ink in the engravings tells the Neutral version apart from cobalt-marked Blue lenses on a busy cart.

PL comes fitted and an EF bayonet ships in the box, so one lens covers a rented PL body and an in-house EF camera; DZOFilm states no shims are needed after the swap. A rear back-focus ring, locked by a T6 Torx screw, corrects ±0.2 mm on the camera: set T4, turn the ring until a distant star chart is sharpest at infinity, retighten. Focus rotates 270°, the iris 79°, and the 0.8 MOD gears sit where they do on other Pavo primes, so motors and matte box stay put between lenses. Scales are metric. With no data contacts, lens metadata for VFX is logged by hand. Light enough for gimbals and car rigs, it also reaches full-frame bodies through the optional Marlin 1.6x Expander as roughly a 45 mm, at a cost of about 1.5 stops.