Daniel Anguiano (AMC), a cinematographer based in Mexico City, works across advertising, music videos, and feature films. Growing up in both Mexico and Europe, he has a cross-cultural visual aesthetic that balances precision and improvisation. Although his professional work is often in highly controlled environments, his personal creation remains rooted in observation and street photography.

In this conversation, Daniel shares his creative philosophy, his connection with wide-angle lenses, and his experience using the Thypoch Simera 21mm for both motion picture and still photography.

Daniel Anguiano was born in Mexico City and grew up in Paris, France, Mexico City, and northern Mexico. After completing his undergraduate and master's degrees in Paris, he returned to Mexico City in 2012. Since 2016, he has been working full-time as a cinematographer, photographing commercials, music videos, short films, and feature films. In June 2025, he officially became an active member of the Mexican Society of Cinematographers (AMC).

When working on a professional set, Daniel seeks complete control: every element within the frame - from lighting, camera movement, performance to pacing - is meticulously designed. The birth of a single image often requires a large team and complex technical coordination.

In contrast, personal shooting away from professional sets gives him a sense of freedom. With no crew and no limitations, he becomes the sole creator of the image. Street photography has become his primary mode of expression, allowing him to capture moments of real life while still striving for cinematic composition and lighting.

First Encounter with Thypoch

Daniel first encountered Thypoch while looking for new lenses to experiment with. What really caught his attention was the Simera 21mm—a lens initially available only in Leica M Mount, which is his dedicated system for still photography. This made him realize that this lens deserved serious attention.

At the same time, Thypoch launched a cine version of the same optical design, which perfectly aligned with his way of working across both photography and cinema, further deepening his interest.

The Uniqueness of the 21mm Perspective

For Daniel, the 21mm focal length occupies a unique position in filmmaking: between 18mm and 24mm, offering a wide field of view without being overly exaggerated. It is particularly suitable for opening establishing shots and shooting in tight spaces, allowing him to get close to the subject while preserving the full spatial relationship.

In still photography, the 21mm can capture both open environments and極 close-up portraits. While wide-angle portraits can sometimes feel unconventional or even slightly oppressive, Daniel sees this as a quality to be understood and actively used, rather than avoided.

Visual Qualities and Composition

Compared to his commonly used 28mm lens, the Simera 21mm has a noticeably wider view, accommodating more information in a single frame to make the image more complete and narrative-rich. He notes that while the 21mm is highly versatile, it remains a relatively underutilized focal length.

Using a Leica M camera also poses unique composition challenges: the optical viewfinder only shows 28mm frame lines, and using a 21mm often requires estimation, an external viewfinder, or relying on the rear screen of a digital body for composition. For Daniel, this process is part of the creation itself. The uncertainty of framing, combined with the awareness of space still existing outside the frame, brings a sense of anticipation and fun.

The Simera 21mm has a minimum focusing distance of 0.23m, but his Leica MP has a minimum focusing distance of only 0.7m. Therefore, he believes that close-range wide-angle is better suited for cameras with electronic viewfinders, making close-up precision composition easier.

Optical Performance on Film

For the past year, Daniel has shot exclusively on film with his Leica MP. He particularly enjoys pairing aspherical lenses with film: the precise optical performance contrasts beautifully with the natural grain of film.

The Simera 21mm delivers sharp, clean rendering, and distortion is excellently controlled even at close distances. In his photos, film grain becomes the dominant texture, creating images that are clear without being cold or clinical.

A Creative Tool

As a creative tool, Daniel describes the Simera 21mm as both familiar and full of possibilities. The lens build and handling feel intuitive, and practical designs like the depth-of-field scale are highly friendly for hyperfocal shooting at apertures like F11; the de-clicked aperture ring also allows it to be used directly for video shooting.

In terms of price, he considers the Simera 21mm an extremely cost-effective choice. The rendering style is remarkably close to his Leica lenses, with differences almost indistinguishable. More importantly, this lens encourages him to get closer to the subject and intervene more directly in space, opening up brand new creative possibilities for him.