Xelmus teases ultra-wide Aura 16mm 2x anamorphic lens at NAB 2026

Xelmus turned heads at NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas with a lens that sounds almost contradictory: a 16mm 2x anamorphic for Super35 sensors built to deliver an estimated 150-degree field of view. In a category where anamorphic glass usually lives in the medium and long focal lengths, the Aura 16mm aimed at the opposite end of the frame, promising the stretched, cinematic signature of anamorphic image-making without forcing the camera into a tighter, more portrait-driven perspective.

That is the real story here. A lens like this is not about novelty for its own sake, but about giving directors of photography a way to keep anamorphic streaks, oval bokeh and horizontal compression while opening up cramped interiors, wide exteriors and scale-heavy blocking. Xelmus founder Oleksandr Anpilohov called it a “crazy-wide” tool meant to unlock new creative levels for directors of photography and directors. The prototype was still 3D-printed in parts, which made clear this was a proof of concept rather than a finished shipping lens.

Cinematographer Markus Förderer tested the lens on the show floor and said the front astigmatizer focusing system and special coatings held contrast together even with bright sources in frame, while still producing the classic anamorphic flare behavior. Xelmus also tied the concept to its familiar Aura look: waterfall-style bokeh, low barrel distortion, controlled breathing and retro-inspired veiling glare. That combination matters because ultra-wide anamorphics can easily become gimmicks if the optics fight the frame; here, the pitch is personality without giving up too much discipline.

The Aura 16mm also extends a family that already includes 20mm, 30mm, 40mm, 50mm, 60mm Macro, 75mm, 100mm and 135mm lenses, building on an Aura S35 plan that had been described as an eight-lens set from 20mm to 135mm. Earlier release planning put the first A set at 30mm, 50mm, 75mm and 135mm, with shipping slated for July 1, 2025, and a B set of 20mm, 40mm, 60mm Macro and 100mm set for preorder by the end of 2025.

The wider context also matters. Xelmus, based in Kharkiv, Ukraine, first entered the anamorphic prime scene in 2019 with the Apollo line, which later grew to nine focal lengths after 24mm T2 and 180mm T2.8 were added. The Aura 16mm prototype, discussed online as a $21,000 lens, looks like the company’s boldest step yet: a statement piece for commercials, music videos, narrative work and experimental shoots that want a broad frame without losing anamorphic identity. If it ships, the “world’s widest” label will matter less than the kind of scenes it finally makes possible.