Spexman Anamorphic Lens

Because the Spexman Anamorphic is a custom product optimized for the Valerion Pro2 and MAX, there are no guarantees it will work, or perform optimally, with other brand projectors.

The Pro has not been tested in house, but more than likely, the Spexman Anamorphic for the Pro2 will work for the Pro as well—as far as we understand, they share the same physical dimensions and the same stock lens.

Though they share the same physical dimensions as the Pro2, the stock lens on these projectors has a much shorter, non-adjustable throw ratio. Because of this, in its current form (optimized for the MAX/Pro2), the Spexman Anamorphic will not work with these projectors. If there is enough demand, foreseeably, modifications can be made and a separate lens design can be executed for this series.

No, the optics will simply not allow this to happen successfully.

Anamorphics’ image quality is optimized the longer the throw ratio is. In fact, most anamorphics are not recommended for throw ratios less than 1.6. And so, the Spexman Anamorphic is designed to perform best with the stock optical zoom in its fully zoomed out position (the stock 1.5). Some zoom is possible, up to about 1.3.

1.344

We recognize that the answer to this question will aid in precise projector placement. However, as the final design has not yet been reached, we do not want to provide an answer that may change in the future. The moment we finalize the design, we will let you know.

Initially, we were only going to offer one barrel option for the Max, but in the survey, many stated that they will use their Max ‘table mounted’ with minimal lens shift. Thanks to this input, two barrel options will be available (we truly listen to our respected enthusiasts). One for traditional ceiling mounted Maxes with vertical offset(much like the Pro2), and one for ‘dead on’ mounting. In keeping with our original goal, these are custom solutions, and to stay in the theme, two barrel versions are necessary for the Max to achieve maximum optical performance. To stay within price point and to optimize the optics as stated, we are not able to maintain the entire vertical shift range for the Max. There still will be some wiggle room.

The ‘straight on’ barrel is designed to have the centre of the lens even with the centre of the screen, with about +/- 20% of shift available. The ‘offset’ barrel is set such that, when ceiling mounted, the centre of the image is ~45% of the image height lower than the centre of the lens, with the ability to move the image down further by about 10% and upwards by about 15%, which will allow some placement flexibility. The image quality is the same for either barrel configuration.

Both the optical material and optical coatings have been tested to endure 80 degrees Celsius temparatures. Even after 12 hours of continuous use with the Max at high laser power, the barrel is simply 'warm' to the touch(~ 35-40 degrees)--no where near the 80 degree ceiling.

To our knowledge, unfortunately, not yet. We have been told that they are working on it and understand how vital it is.

Update as of November 20:

We received a new firmware that Valerion is avidly working on. It includes the two requisite anamorphic modes. These options are available via HDMI input only (not built-in apps) and work for video discs and files in SDR and HDR. Dolby Vision does not currently allow aspect ratio control.

Approximately 3.4% (measured via luxmeter), leaving a net image brightness gain of about 30% (for 2.39:1 material).

There is a small shift towards ‘warm’ of about 100K.

No, sequential contrast remains unchanged.

Our goal is to have a ‘perfected product’ available sometime in Q1 of 2026.

We will do our best to ship to wherever we possibly can to get the Spexman Anamorphic into enthusiast’s hands worldwide. (Please do keep in mind that we have no control on duty policies of various countries).

We know many have wondered where the price point will be for this lens. As mentioned from the get go, one of the main goals of this project was to offer an affordable custom anamorphic lens solution. By affordable, the goal was to keep it under $1,000. And it is interesting that this seems to be the ‘wished for’ price point from the majority of those that have responded to the survey we sent out—to whom we are thankful. We are hoping to have the final price somewhere between $500 - $1,000. While we cannot at this stage give an exact price, we hope this ‘spread’ is helpful. Finally, yes, we are hoping to offer a special discount to those who have shown early interest and support in the project.

When the lens is ready for release, it will be offered through the spexman.ca website only (at least, initially). The lens will also be advertised on the Valerion website, which will take one directly to the spexman.ca website.