Blazar Sentinel Anamorphic Zoom Announced – 35-60mm, 1.33X Squeeze, Full-Frame Coverage, 970g

Lens News

by Nino LeitnerJune 16^th, 2026

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Blazar is moving into anamorphic zoom territory for the first time with the Sentinel 35-60mm 1.33X T2.2 Full-Frame Anamorphic Zoom, a single lens that covers the wide-to-medium range without a swap. At 970g, full-frame coverage, four mount options, and a $1,099 introductory price, it targets the run-and-gun independent crews that have driven Blazar’s rise.

Blazar, the brand previously known as Great Joy, has built a reputation among independent filmmakers and documentary shooters for making anamorphic glass affordable across an unusually broad range of squeeze ratios and form factors. The Sentinel marks the company’s first zoom in that catalog, and it lands as a logical extension of a lineup that already spans 1.33X, 1.5X, and 2X primes, autofocus options, and ultra-compact bodies. For anyone who has assembled a Blazar kit over the past two years, the pitch here is straightforward: keep the anamorphic character, lose the lens changes.

One zoom in place of a prime set

The core argument Blazar makes for the Sentinel is the elimination of a familiar trade-off. Working anamorphic typically means carrying several primes and swapping them as coverage needs change, or abandoning the format altogether when speed matters. A continuous 35-60mm range maps onto the focal lengths most used in narrative and documentary work, letting operators move from wide environmental framing to intimate medium shots without breaking to rebuild the rig.

The 1.33X squeeze is the gentler end of the anamorphic spectrum. Applied to a 16:9 capture, the 1.33X factor de-squeezes to a 2.39:1 widescreen frame, which makes it a natural fit for the 16:9 and 17:9 sensors most mirrorless cameras shoot. On a 4:3 open-gate capture, the same squeeze resolves closer to 16:9, so the wider cinemascope frame comes from the 16:9 pairing rather than 4:3. Blazar has leaned on this same ratio across its Mantis, APEX, and Beetle lines, all of which target shooters who want oval bokeh and horizontal flares without the vertical resolution demands of a true 2X squeeze. The Sentinel keeps that signature look: oval out-of-focus highlights, streaking horizontal flares, and stretched specular detail, captured in a single body. Flares come in amber, drawn through a 16-blade iris.

Aperture, coverage, and close focus

The Sentinel opens at a fast T2.2 at 35mm and ramps to T2.8 at 60mm, a variable behavior consistent with professional cinema zoom design. Blazar notes that aperture markings are calibrated at 35mm, so T-stop values at other focal lengths should be treated as reference points rather than exact figures, a caveat worth keeping in mind for anyone metering carefully across the zoom range.

Coverage is built for 36x24mm full-frame sensors, with Blazar stating there is no vignetting and no crop penalty at any focal length. Close focus comes in at 2.72ft (0.83m), which is workable for detail, product, and tighter documentary framing without losing sharpness or anamorphic character. The focus ring offers a 200-degree rotation, generous enough for precise manual pulls. These remain manufacturer figures for now; how the lens holds up on breathing, edge performance, and flare consistency across the zoom is the kind of thing we would want to confirm in real-world testing.

Built to stay on a gimbal

Weight is where the Sentinel makes its clearest practical case. At 970g, it stays under one kilogram, which keeps it viable for gimbals, handheld rigs, shoulder mounts, and travel-oriented setups where every gram counts. That positioning lines up with how Blazar has framed much of its recent catalog, including the ultra-compact Beetle series, as gear built for crews who move fast and shoot light. The E-mount version measures 153.1mm in length, with a consistent 80mm front diameter and a 77mm filter thread.

The Sentinel ships in Sony E, Canon RF, Leica L, and Nikon Z mounts, covering essentially the full spread of mirrorless bodies common on independent sets. The four-mount launch is broader than several of Blazar’s recent introductions and should make the lens easy to slot into mixed-camera kits.

Where it sits in the Blazar lineup

The Sentinel arrives into a deep anamorphic catalog. Blazar’s Mantis 1.33X full-frame primes use an oval iris to push a stronger look from a 1.33X squeeze, while the APEX line brought autofocus to the format. On the higher-squeeze side, the company offers the Remus 1.5X series, the sharper, more modern Viper 1.5X full-frame primes, the recently announced Talon 1.5X autofocus system, and the 2X CATO set. The Sentinel is the first time the company has packaged that anamorphic character into a zoom rather than a fixed focal length, which is the genuinely new element here.

Pre-orders open June 23, 2026 at an introductory price of $1,099, a $200 saving on the $1,299 standard retail price, with Blazar noting that quantities at the pre-order price are limited. The lens will be available at blazarlens.com and through authorized Blazar retail partners. For full specifications, see the Blazar Sentinel product page.

A full-frame anamorphic zoom under one kilogram for around a thousand dollars is a first at this price point. Would a single 35-60mm replace a chunk of your prime kit, or does the variable T-stop give you pause? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!