a blog by Matthew Duclos
2024 is coming to a close, the holidays are around the corner and Laowa is the lens manufacturer that just keeps giving. Just in time for gift giving season the Laowa Nanomorph 60mm Macro Anamorphic is a perfect stocking-stuffer for the special Lens Geek in your life.
The Nanormorph 60mm fits in so well with the rest of the line up and truly makes me wonder why it took so long for a macro addition like this to be added. Let’s dive in and get a close up look.
ARRI has introduced the Ensō Prime series, a collection of large-format cinema lenses tailored for high-end digital productions. These lenses are built to deliver outstanding optical performance while offering flexibility in design and creative control for cinematographers. With focal lengths ranging from 10.5mm to 250mm, the Ensō Primes cover a wide range of shot requirements, making them a versatile addition to any production. The core set, which includes 18mm, 24mm, 32mm, 47mm, 75mm, and 105mm lenses, all feature T2.1 apertures and LPL mounts for compatibility with ARRI’s LDS-2 and Cooke /i lens metadata systems.
Continue reading “ARRI Introduces Ensō Primes”
On Wednesday, October 30th, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, ARRI is hosting an open house at their Burbank location to showcase their brand-new Ensō Prime Lenses. This hands-on event will be a must-attend for cinematographers and filmmakers looking to get their hands on these new optics from Arri.
Continue reading “Explore ARRI’s New Ensō Prime Lenses at Burbank Event”
Duclos Lenses is excited to announce the availability for pre-order of three new lenses in the NiSi Athena Prime series: the 18mm T2.2, 40mm T1.9, and 135mm T2.2. These lenses expand the Athena Prime range, offering cinematographers enhanced creative flexibility and compatibility with mirrorless cinema cameras.
Continue reading “NiSi Adds 18mm, 40mm, and 135mm Primes to Athena Line”
In the ever-evolving world of cinematography, where innovation meets tradition, Tokina Cinema has made a bold leap with its latest creation – the Vista-P lenses. Departing from the conventional pursuit of perfection, these lenses offer cinematographers a unique blend of vintage aesthetics and cutting-edge resolution. The Vista-P Prime series introduces a perspective shift, not just in the final imagery but also in the process of lens tuning.
Continue reading “Tokina Announces Vista-P Primes”
Cooke is on a roll with their latest product rollouts and the new SP3 are no exception. Named after the classic Speed Panchro primes from Cooke, it’s safe to say this is the latest version of that concept. The”3″ in SP3 indicating it’s the third line to inherit what created nearly 75 years ago. The new set will consist of five prime lenses in an all-new super compact, lightweight housing aimed at mirrorless camera systems.
Continue reading “Cooke SP3 Primes: A New Line of Compact Cine Primes for Mirrorless Camera Systems”
NiSi has just announced its latest offering in the world of cinema lenses: the ATHENA series. These compact, full-frame prime lenses are designed for filmmakers who demand exceptional optical performance, smooth operation, and versatile compatibility with various camera systems.
Continue reading “NiSi Doubles Down With New ATHENA Primes”
Just ahead of the IBC show in Amsterdam, Leitz Cine has unveiled their latest line of cinema lenses, the HUGO Primes. A set of 8 high-speed prime lenses in a fairly compact body. The focal length and maximum aperture may look a bit familiar, and for good reason. Let’s take a closer look at what Leitz has been working on.
Continue reading “Leitz Cine Reveals Hugo Line of Primes”
Rokinon announced their XEEN refresh back in September 2019 with only a few focal lengths. As promised, they’ve added two highly anticipated focal lengths to the XEEN CF line – a 16mm T2.6 and a 35mm T1.5
Continue reading “Rokinon Adds 16, 35 to XEEN CF Line”
The new XEEN CF primes feature a brand new compact, lightweight body and the same glass XEEN owners have come to appreciate. Rokinon is a perfect example of how a lens can evolve over time. Their new CF line is the culmination of customer feedback over the course of nearly a decade. Throughout this post, we’ll take a quick look back at the evolution of the Rokinon line and preview their upcoming CF line of cinema primes.
Continue reading “Rokinon Refreshes With New XEEN CF”
Originally reported by Jon Fauer at FDTimes, Servicevision has announced a new line of spherical large format primes, the Ultrascorpia 70, during IBC 2018. Fauer reports the lenses will be “light, small, and fast”. The look that these lenses will provide will be “silky smooth, film-look, excellent for digital sensors” said Andres Valles, owner of Servicevision.
Continue reading “Servicevision Announces New T1.4 FF Primes”
Just ahead of IBC, Sigma Cine has announced three brand new focal lengths to be added to their already well-rounded lineup of affordable high speed cinema primes, a 28mm T2.5, a 40mm T1.5, and a 105mm T1.5, bringing the total set count to ten lenses. Continue reading “SIGMA Adds 28, 40, and 105mm High Speed T1.5 Primes to Cine Lineup”
Yep. We did it again. Last year the folks at ShareGrid, Old Fast Glass, a brilliant, talented crew, and myself came together to test a wide variety of vintage lenses to give the cinematography world a sort of sampling, flight, if you will, of the various vintage lenses and what sort of characteristics you can expect with when using them. It’s been shared thousands of times and utilized in who knows how many pre-production meetings to determine the visual aesthetics as it pertains to lenses for a specific project.
So what’s next… ANAMORPHIC! The subject that baffles so many with a shroud of mystery. Optics designed to provide a wider field of view when bound by a specific format, fashioned by unsung geniuses from around the world – some a shining beacon of optical engineering superiority, and others a trophy of intentional flaw for the sake of introducing artifacts and characteristics that, to the average viewer, carries a subconscious nostalgia, lending honesty and legitimacy. But most importantly… They’re beautiful! Continue reading “The Ultimate Anamorphic Lens Test”
Zeiss pulled the veil of their long anticipated update to the Compact Prime line which will officially be called the CP.3 and CP.3 xD. The new line will consist of FF35 primes ranging from 15mm to 135mm in a lightweight, compact cinema housing. The new lenses will feature high performance optics at affordable prices with a couple of features not yet seen in the Sub-$5K market. Let’s take a look at the details of Zeiss’ new cinema primes.
Sigma has just announced the development of a 14mm T2 and 135mm T2 prime lens. Based on the Sigma ART line of optics, these two new primes will join the already impressive 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm . This news comes as no surprise to anyone who follows Sigma. The photo version of these lenses which were released earlier this year, seem like they were designed specifically to join the Sigma Cine family. They’re a welcome addition and render the Sigma Cine Primes a powerful option for cinematographers. Continue reading “Sigma Fills Out Nicely with 14mm and 135mm Cine Primes”