Most "anamorphic lens hire London" searches lead to the same two places: a handful of budget anamorphics on peer-to-peer sites, or a phone call to a rental house that never shows you what it stocks. If you are shooting a feature, a series or a high-end commercial, neither is much help when you want to see the actual glass before you build a package.
That is why I am pleased to say Hawk London is now on LighRent. Hawk London is a full motion picture rental house in Stratford, East London, and part of the global Hawk and Vantage family, the people who design and build Hawk anamorphic lenses. Its catalogue is now listed on LighRent: 190 items, covering Hawk and Vantage anamorphic and spherical lenses, cinema cameras, filters, grip and the eight Studio Wayne McGregor spaces. Every item is price on request. You send dates and production details, and Hawk London comes back with a quote.
I'm Swain Joshua, founder of LighRent. I filmed at Hawk London in October. The frames marked as mine are from that visit; the rest are Hawk London's and Studio Wayne McGregor's own photos, credited under each one. The specs come from Hawk London's own public pages. No prices are given here. Hawk quotes every job.
Why Hawk London matters for anamorphic lens hire in London
Anamorphic lenses squeeze a wider field of view onto the sensor, which is then de-squeezed in post. They give you the oval bokeh, the horizontal flares and the wide frame people mean when they say "it looks like a film". The squeeze ratio decides how strong that look is. A 2x lens gives the classic widescreen look on a 4:3 or open-gate sensor. A 1.3x lens gives a subtler anamorphic feel on 16:9 sensors without heavy cropping.
Most London houses carry a few anamorphic sets. Hawk London carries the Hawk range itself, alongside Vantage spherical primes and a wide choice of other anamorphic, vintage and rehoused glass. Some things are hard to find anywhere else in the city:
- Every major Hawk series in one place. Class-X, V-Lite, V-Plus, V-Series, C-Series, Hawk65, V-Lite16, MiniHawk and MHX, plus the Vintage '74 versions.
- Both 2x and 1.3x squeeze. You can test both looks on the same camera before you commit.
- A building made for prep. Hawk London's About page lists dedicated areas for camera testing and equipment prep, four short-form prep bays, a lens projection room, a lens technician lab and a camera maintenance room.
- One family behind the glass. Hawk London describes itself as "part of the global Hawk and Vantage family". Its credits page lists productions shot on Hawk glass, including Dune: Prophecy and Shōgun.
You can browse everything on the Hawk London profile, or jump straight to cinema prime lenses on LighRent.
The Hawk anamorphic lens families you can request
This table follows the squeeze and type labels on Hawk London's optics page. Hawk publishes the squeeze ratio for each series. Focal lengths and T-stops vary by set, so ask Hawk for the exact focal lengths when you request a quote.
| Series on LighRent | Squeeze | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Hawk Class-X anamorphic primes | 2x | Prime |
| Hawk Class-X anamorphic zooms | 2x | Zoom |
| Hawk V-Lite anamorphic primes | 2x | Prime |
| Hawk V-Lite Vintage '74 | 2x | Prime |
| Hawk V-Lite 1.3x and V-Lite Vintage '74 1.3x | 1.3x | Prime |
| Hawk V-Plus primes | 2x | Prime |
| Hawk V-Plus zooms (and Vintage '74 zooms) | 2x and 1.3x | Zoom |
| Hawk V-Series | 2x | Prime |
| Hawk C-Series | 2x | Prime |
| Hawk65 and Hawk65 Vintage '74 | 1.3x | Prime |
| Hawk V-Lite16 | 1.3x | Prime |
| MiniHawk | Hybrid (1x) | Prime |
| Hawk MHX | Hybrid (1x) | Prime |
A few notes to help you pick:
- Vintage '74 versions. Vantage describes the V-Lite Vintage '74 as a revised version of the original V-Lite, with a coating that accentuates flares and the anamorphic effect. Hawk London also lists Vintage '74 versions of the V-Plus zooms and Hawk65. Choose them for a period look or a less clinical image.
- 1.3x sets (V-Lite 1.3x, Hawk65, V-Lite16). These suit 16:9 sensors, large-format 65 cameras (Hawk65) and Super 16 (V-Lite16), where a 2x squeeze would crop too much.
- Hybrids (MiniHawk, MHX). Hawk labels these as hybrid primes at 1x, so there is no squeeze to undo in post. Vantage describes the MiniHawk as a compact, lightweight hybrid with oval bokeh for Super 35. That gives you some anamorphic character without the de-squeeze workflow.
Beyond Hawk's own glass, Hawk London also lists other anamorphic sets on LighRent: Cooke Anamorphic 2x and 1.8x, Atlas Orion (2x) and Atlas Mercury (1.5x), Caldwell Chameleons (1.79x), Blazar Mantis and Viltrox Epic (both 1.33x), and Xelmus Apollos (2x).
Spherical primes, vintage glass and cine zooms
Not every shot needs a squeeze. Hawk London's spherical range is just as deep, and you can mix it into an anamorphic package for inserts, VFX plates or a second unit.
| Group | Examples listed on LighRent |
|---|---|
| Vantage spherical primes | VantageOne, VantageOne PU, VantageOne4, VantageOne4 PU |
| Modern spherical sets | ARRI Signature, Zeiss Supreme Prime, Zeiss Master Prime, Zeiss Ultra Prime, Cooke S4 Mini, Leitz/Leica Thalia, Leitz Hugo, Leitz/Leica Summicron-C, Tribe7 Blackwing7 |
| Rehoused vintage (TLS) | Canon K35, Cooke Speed Panchro, Zeiss Superspeed, Zeiss B Speed, Super Baltar, Kowa FF, Leica R, Canon FD |
| Cine zooms | Angénieux Optimo 17-80mm T2.2, Angénieux Optimo Ultra 12x, Angénieux EZ-1 and EZ-2, Canon 11-165mm T2.5 S16 |
| Specialist | Optex Excellence probe set, DZO X-tract 18-28mm probe, Optex macro set, Moy macro, tilt and swing set, Lensbaby Composer Pro |
Hawk London also lists Vantage filters and diopters. That includes Vantage Blue-Vision, which Hawk describes as giving a "distinctive blue horizontal streak". It adds an anamorphic-style flare to spherical lenses. There are also Vantage spot, slide, strip, slender and squeeze diopters, plus Tiffen, Schneider and ARRI FSND filters. Browse them all under filters.
Cinema cameras at Hawk London
A lens package is only half the job. Hawk London lists its cameras on LighRent too, and they are all price on request. The specs below are taken from Hawk London's cameras page.
| Camera | Format (as listed by Hawk London) | Frame rate / notes |
|---|---|---|
| ARRI ALEXA 35 | 4.6K Super 35 | 0.75–120 fps, 17 stops dynamic range |
| ARRI ALEXA 35 Xtreme | 4.6K Super 35 | Up to 660 fps, ARRICORE codec |
| ARRI ALEXA Mini LF | 4.5K Large Format | 0.75–100 fps, 14+ stops |
| ARRI ALEXA Mini | Super 35 | Compact and lightweight |
| Sony Venice 2 | 8.6K Full Frame | 1–120 fps, 16 stops; Rialto extension kit also listed |
| Sony Venice | 6K Full Frame | 1–120 fps, 15+ stops |
| RED V-Raptor | 8K VV | 17+ stops |
| RED Komodo-X | 6K S35 | 1–80 fps (240 fps at 2K) |
| DJI Ronin 4D | 6K and 8K Full Frame | 4-axis stabilisation, LiDAR focusing |
| Sony FX3 | Full Frame, Cinema Line | RAW output |
| Blackmagic URSA 17K 65mm / Fujifilm Eterna 55 | 65mm large format | Large-format options to pair with Hawk65 |
| ARRICAM LT/ST | 35mm film, 4-perf / 3-perf | Spherical or anamorphic 1.3x / 2x |
On LighRent you will also find the support kit that turns a body into a working camera: ARRI and Preston wireless focus, SmallHD monitors, Teradek wireless video, O'Connor and Cartoni heads, Easyrig, dollies and track, and a Technocrane listing. Start with digital cinema cameras, then add the rest from the Hawk London profile.
Studio Wayne McGregor: eight spaces in Stratford
Hawk London also lists the Studio Wayne McGregor spaces on LighRent: "eight distinctive spaces across three floors" for filming, photography, rehearsals, events and production. That means you can prep lenses and shoot tests in the same part of East London. The dimensions below are from the studio page.
| Space | Size (as listed) | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Studio 1 | 18m × 15.6m × 5.6m (3.6m to beams) | Natural light through a feature ceiling aperture |
| Studio 2 | 13m × 11m × 4m | Small photo shoots, green room, second location |
| Studio 3 | 15.6m × 15.6m × 5.6m (3.6m to beams) | Four mirrored doors, full blackout available |
| Gallery Space | 37m × 17m × 11m | Large-scale filming, photography and events |
| Obsidian Terrace | 6.23m × 4.66m | Wardrobe, make-up, production office |
| Wooden Stairs | 10.73m × 1.04m | Small photo shoots, alone or with other spaces |
| Albers Room | 5m × 6m × 3m | Meetings, table reads, break-out |
| Terrace and Airstream caravan | Terrace 6.38m × 3.48m; caravan 5.45m × 1.61m | Interviews, private green room, break-out |
See all eight under studios on LighRent.
How to hire Hawk London kit through LighRent
Hawk London kit is all price on request, so there is no basket total and no card payment at the start. Here is how it works:
- Find the item. Browse the Hawk London profile or a category such as cinema prime lenses. Each listing shows the series, a photo and the area: Stratford, East London.
- Send a request. Tap Request and add your dates and production details: the type of job, camera, format and any lens or support kit you are pairing it with. The more Hawk knows, the faster you get an accurate quote.
- Get a quote. Hawk London prices each job for your dates and package, and you get the quote back on LighRent.
- Confirm and prep. Once you agree the quote, you arrange collection and prep with Hawk. For a lens package, book time to test the glass on your camera.
Two things to know before you request:
- Bring your own insurance. Hawk London works with productions that hold their own equipment insurance. Have your certificate ready, because a quote for cinema glass assumes it.
- Renters on LighRent are ID-verified. That gives rental houses confidence about who they are quoting, and it keeps the process quick for you.
Is Hawk London right for your shoot?
Hawk London is built for high-end features, series and commercials. Here is an honest view of where it fits.
Pros
- The full Hawk anamorphic range (2x, 1.3x, hybrids and Vintage '74) from the family that makes it
- Vantage spherical primes and a deep spherical, rehoused and zoom range for mixed packages
- Top-tier cameras: ALEXA 35, Mini LF, Venice 2, V-Raptor, plus 65mm options
- Prep and test facilities, and studio spaces in the same part of Stratford
- Every item listed on LighRent with photos and categories, so you can plan before you call
Cons
- No published prices. Every job is quoted, so you cannot compare costs instantly.
- Productions need their own insurance, which rules out many small or one-person shoots.
- It is a cinema house, not a creator shop. Hawk London does not carry lighting or small consumer kit.
When to use LighRent's smaller kit instead. If you are a creator, a small crew or you need an iPhone, a compact camera or a light, you are better served by other LighRent owners. Hawk London and LighRent refer work both ways. Hawk sends smaller and iPhone requests to LighRent, and LighRent sends high-end cine lens and camera jobs to Hawk. For phones and creator kit, browse phones and tablets. For a music-video take on anamorphics at a smaller scale, read our guide to music video camera equipment hire.
If you are planning a shoot that needs anamorphic glass in London, start with the Hawk London profile on LighRent, pick your series, and send Hawk your dates. Swain Joshua, founder of LighRent