At this rate, we won’t have any products left to announce during NAB. CW Sonderoptic, Leica’s sister company that manufactures their cine lenses, has announced the addition of two new prime lenses that really round out and fill the gaps in the Summicron-C line of lenses. Taking up the wide end we’ll see a nice, fast, 15mm. And then, to prove that they’re really listening to their customers, the coveted 40mm is added right in the middle of the range. A favorite focal length of many cinematographers that gives just a tad more reach than a 35mm, but doesn’t quite punch in to the tight field you would get with a 50mm. Beautiful!
There really aren’t many surprises here. The specs are very similar to the rest of the Summicron-C line with a maximum aperture of T2.0, front diameter of 95mm, and of course, uniform gear positions. The differences, aside from the obvious focal length, reside in the finer details. The 15mm weighs in at a hefty 4.1 lbs and is slightly longer at 4.6″ – similar to the 135mm, almost a pound more and half an inch longer than the other primes. No surprises with the 40mm. Similar size and weight to the rest of the “normal” focal lengths.
“With the recent popularity of the Leica Summicron-C lenses in the high-end feature film, television and commercial markets, we received many requests to add more focal lengths,” said Gerhard Baier, Managing Director of CW Sonderoptic. “Highest on the wish lists were the classic 40 mm and a very wide lens. The decision to go with a 15mm is a nod toward one of Leica’s most iconic and popular still photography lenses, the 15mm R lens. Although this is a brand new optical design, we are constantly inspired by Leica’s timeless image quality when designing for motion pictures.”
CW Sonderoptic already has their Cron-ducks all lined up (11 of them to be exact). A working prototype of the 40mm will be available for fondling at NAB while the 15mm will simply be a mockup (I’ll fondle it as well) during the show. Delivery for the 40mm is expected to be June 2016 with a price tag of $15,100 (pre-order here). We’ll have to wait a bit longer for the 15mm which is expected to roll out in October 2016 with a price tag of $17,100 (pre-order here). The Summicron-C primes have become quite popular in the industry as the go-to set of standard speed primes. I have no doubt that these two new lenses will be in high demand and fit nicely into all the sets that are currently out there, working day in and day out. As usual, if you want to get your hands on these new lenses, get in touch with Duclos Lenses and schedule a demo.
On a related note, we’ll be posting our Pre-NAB Roundup next week with daily updates at the end of each day during the show. Make sure you subscribe via email to get the updates delivered right to your inbox.