Definition: anamorphic lens

A movie camera lens that horizontally squeezes a wide screen image into a standard 35mm frame. When projected, an anamorphic lens stretches the 35mm frame horizontally and fills a wide screen. This lens allowed the movie industry to make wide screen films with the same 35mm equipment. A 2:1 anamorphic lens squeezes 100% more into the frame than a normal lens. The term comes from the Greek "anamorphosis," which means to "reshape." See anamorphic DVD.




An Anamorphic Frame