A lot of readers have been emailing questions about Cooke /i Technology and ARRI LDS on the new Sony PMW-F3.
Here’s what the PL mount looks like (above). Notice the gold-plated lens data 4-pin contacts at 12 o’clock and 3 o’clock. They’re the same contacts you’ve seen before on Arricams, Alexa Plus, Sony SRW-9000PL and other cameras.
(Above left) Cooke /i lenses have contacts that normally mount at 12 o’clock. They also have 4-pin cable connectors for cameras without lens data contacts. (Above right) The ZEISS/ARRI Master Primes and Ultra Primes have LDS contacts normally positioned at 3 o’clock.
Lens data is gaining importance in post production and 3D. It provides frame by frame information as metadata for each image–providing detailed descriptions of the lens, serial number, focal length, T-Stop, focus distance and much more. This speeds up production (fewer camera notes to keep by hand) and is a great asset in post production for compositing, 3D, match-moves, and more.