Film and Digital Times Mid-Year Cine Gear 2010 Edition (issue 32+33) is now online for subscribers.
We will be all over Cine Gear.
Visit us at Booth # 126 for a complimentary paper copy.
See you there: June 4-5.www.cinegearexpo.com
Archive for the 'Lenses' Category
Many of you know Stuart Rabin, who was a lens technician at Clairmont Camera and Panavision before founding his independent lens repair company in Tarzana, Focus Optics. (www.focusoptics.com)
Stuart has completely redesigned the venerable Nikon 14-24 T2.8 zoom, reversed the focus marks so they travel in the “cine direction” we are used to, and put on a PL mount. Minimum focus is 1 ft. Focus travel is 126 degrees and has an anti-backlash spring for focus accuracy. Front diameter: 110 mm. Weight 3 lbs. Length: 138 mm. Price: around $15,000.
We just learned from designers Stuart Rabin and Ken Robings that the Ruby might fit directly onto Canon EOS cameras with a PL to Canon adapter — no PL modification to camera needed. Further testing today. Band Pro is the exclusive worldwide distributor for Ruby lenses.
Although 3D is one of the major themes of NAB, the abundance of new lenses is certainly remarkable.
In addition to the new Arri/Fujinon Aluras (18-80 T2.6, 45-250 T2.6), there are four other new Fujinon HK (for momentary lack of a better name) PL zooms: 14-45 mm T2.0; 18-85 mm T2.0; 24-180 mm T2.6; 75-400mm T2.8-3.8. I saw them being set up in Fujinon’s booth C-7425 and at Band Pro C-10308.
Also at Band Pro, we’ll see Stuart Rabin’s new Ruby wide zoom, and news that they are exclusive US distributors of the FGV PL Canon 7D. We’ll see new primes from Schneider C10337. The new set of Compact Prime 2 lenses with interchangeable mounts will be at the Zeiss booth C6345. More Cooke 5/i and Panchros at Cooke C5347, and some new surprises at Angenieux C6037.
And now for something completely different. While the world has busily been drilling and dremeling to install PL mounts on Canon EOS bodies, ZEISS just revealed a new iteration of Compact Primes, to be introduced at NAB 2010. The picture above is a prototype (no focus or aperture scale). You can see the Canon EF mount, and the cine-style barrel and gearing. The final version will be similar in appearance to the current Compact Prime PL mount lens. Additional photos and info forthcoming. This preliminary information is not official and subject to minor changes.
The Compact Prime II set, as the new lenses will be called, were made in response to the high level of interest in using HDSLR cameras for filmmaking. It helped that ZEISS made similar lenses for both worlds. The ZF series of lenses are smaller in diameter and lack focus gears. The Compact Primes have all the right moves for PL cine cameras, but don’t fit on Canon cameras without modification. So, now ZEISS has combined the best of both: Compact Prime lenses for use with EF-mount (Canon EOS) cameras. These new lenses feature a bayonet mount for a direct fit to the EF-mount and do not require any modification of the camera or lens. Since the optics are based on the ZEISS SLR “Z” lenses, they cover the full still frame 24 x 36mm image format without vignetting. The new Compact Prime II lenses will have an interchangeable mount system that can be easily changed from EF mount to PL mount by a lens technician equipped with collimator. This design lets you use the same set of lenses on both PL mounted cine/digital cameras and HDSLRs.
ZEISS Compact Prime II
- covers full frame still format, 24 x 36mm sensor
- lenses will be available in both EF and PL mount versions, with interchangeable mount systems
- manual focus with smooth travel
- barrel dimensions are identical and lenses feature internal focusing
- each lens weighs between 2.0 – 2.2 pounds
- support bracket is included for additional lens stability
- 300 degree focus rotation
- 14-blade aperture
- geared for standard follow-focus
- calibrated focus scales
- 8 focal lengths available, from 18 mm to 85 mm
- estimated list price for a set of 6 lenses is under $20,000. Lenses will also be sold in a custom 3 lens set, or individually
- shipping May 2010
By the way, the picture below of two 18 mm lenses shows the difference between the current ZF (left, the Nikon mounted version of the Carl Zeiss DSLR lens) and a current Compact Prime.
Highlights of AFC Micro Salon 2010. Full report coming soon. Click here for full-screen slideshow.
Here are instructions on attaching Matthias Uhlig’s MBF Filmtechnik PL to Canon EOS adapter on an Angenieux Optimo 24-290.
Here’s a slideshow of the PL Mystery Primes that were premiered at Band Pro’s Open House on December 17, 2009. More details behind the mystery will be revealed soon.
more about “Mystery Primes“, posted with vodpod
Left to right: Michael Bravin, Amnon Band, Mystery Primes, Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Gerhard Baier
At Band Pro’s popular annual Expo and lavishly catered party this afternoon, the big surprise was the unveiling of a totally new set of PL mount prime lenses. They are all T1.4, and the big news is how lightweight and small they are: 95mm front diameter, and about 3.8 lbs each. Continue reading…
The lensmakers in Leicester have been working overtime. Cooke surprised us at IBC with a new series: The Cooke 5/i. There will initially be 9 lenses in the series: 18, 25, 32, 40, 50, 65, 75, 100 and 135mm, all T1.4-T22.
Read about our tests of 100mm pre-production samples of the new 5/i and Panchro/i lenses, along with a Cooke S4/i 100mm.We have framegrabs of portrait, night and magic hour shots.
There’s a discussion of the new Panchro/i set of 6 lenses: 18, 25, 32, 50, 75, 100mm, all T2.8-T22
We included tables with specs, weights, dimensions and details.
The race is on to put a PL mount on Canon 5D, 7D or any Canon EOS SLR. Problem is, PL lenses have a 52mm flange focal depth. Canon lenses have a 44mm depth. Fortunately, both mounts have a 54mm diameter. Unfortunately, if you stick most PL lenses into a Canon mount, it will hit the mirror and lots of internal electronics. That’s because most PL lenses have elements that protrude behind the rear lens mount flange.
Pawel Achtel from S 33°44.033’, E 151°10.114’ (near Syndey, Australia) has done the first successful transplant of a PL mount onto a Live View Canon 50D, which has an APS-C size 22.3 x 14.9mm sensor. Warning: Do Not Attempt. This was done by highly obsessed, trained professionals and we at Film and Digital Times are not responsible or liable for any damage you cause or warranties you may void. I mean, can you imagine bringing this gutted EOS 50D into your Canon authorized service shop? “Ah, I seem to be having a little trouble with my mirror shutter,” is not going to cut the mustard.
Pawel is an accomplished, award-winning underwater and wildlife cinematographer. He designs a lot of the equipment he uses, and it helps that he has degrees in Engineering and Science. The PL on DSLR project began when Pawel, a self-confessed “Glassoholic,” wanted to mount his personal set of ZEISS Master Primes onto his Canon EOS 50D for a timelapse project. He likes Canon DSLR cameras for timelapse because of their low noise and high image quality. The first stop was Doug Underdahl of Long Valley Equipment, who attached and precisely set the 52mm flange focal depth of a Cinevate PL lens mount to the Canon 50D. That worked only with the 75mm Master Prime (second picture from top right). The rest of the set has rear elements that protrude into the mirror, preventing optical viewing.
But no one wanted to dissect the Canon’s mirror and optical assembly to make room for the rest of the Master Prime set. So Pawel, armed with Dremel Tool and special sticky silicon to cover the sensor and shutter during surgery, used “brute force and good luck” to yank the mirror, box, viewfinder assembly, and contacts out of the body. “It’s a bit tricky when you don’t know what’s in there,” he says modestly.
To keep all the particles of plastic, metal and glass from contaminating the camera and sensor, Pawel operated in a negative pressure environment, made with “bits of plumbing and a vacuum cleaner.” Without mirror or finder, Pawel’s Canon 50D DSLR is not really an an SLR, so it’s more a rangefinder camera that he can focus and frame using Live View.
First machine shop to mass produce PL mounts for Canon cameras wins the FDTimes Ron Dexter Award. Please let us know.
Links: www.achtel.com www.longvalleyequip.com
