News
Sigma Aizu Prime: Character on a Character
A selfie with the amazing full frame Sigma AIZU Prime 75mm T1.3, “wide open with a wrench.”
T1.3-T22; 46.3 mm image circle; Close focus: 2’5″; 13 iris blades; PL Mount or Sony E-mount; Compact; 95 mm front diameter; lightweight at less than 4 lb.
/i and eXtended Data via standard contacts in mount and external 4-pin Lemo.
The AIZU Prime Line core set is shipping now: 25, 27, 32, 35, 40, 50, 65, 75 mm, all T1.3.
Additional focal lengths are in the works: 18, 21, 100, 125 mm, all T1.3. read more…
Cooke Panchro/i 65 on Fujifilm GFX ETERNA 55
Cooke Panchro/i 65 prime lenses have an image circle at least 60mm Ø, so they elegantly cover the Fujifilm GFX ETERNA 55’s largest sensor mode: GF 4:3 (1.33:1), Open Gate, 3840×2880, 43.8 x 32.9 mm (54.78 mm Ø) image area. There are two GRAB buttons on the camera to get still frames in the same resolution as the camera is recording video. That’s how these two frames of Fujifilm’s John Blackwood were grabbed. fdtimes.us/panchro65-eterna read more…
Otto Nemenz 1941 – 2025
Today would have been Otto Nemenz’s 84th birthday. He passed away on November 1 at his home in Maui. This story is very difficult to write. If anyone has additions, anecdotes, corrections or more photos, please add comments or send.
Otto was a friend, mentor and colleague. We spoke on the phone every couple of weeks. His office was often the first place to visit on landing in LA. The second destination was the Otto Nemenz table by the window at Chinois on Main restaurant, opened by fellow Austrian Wolfgang Puck in 1983. read more…
Euro Lens Summit – London 2025
The European Lens Summit returned for its second year at CVP’s Brentford facility on July 12 and 13. Bianca Halpern wrote the following. Picture this: An event focused entirely on Cinema Optics, where you can talk one-on-one with cinematographers, camera assistants, rental house staff, lens technicians, lens designers and users… read more…
Garrett O’Brien Waltzing with Brando
Los Angeles architect Bernard Judge published his memoir Waltzing with Brando: Planning a Paradise in Tahiti in 2011. It is the amazing story of a young Los Angeles architect who winds up working for Marlon Brando in the 1970s at the actor’s atoll in the South Pacific.
The movie Waltzing with Brando is now playing in theaters. It is scheduled to be released on streaming services in November. Written and directed by Bill Fishman, adapted from Bernard Judge’s book, the movie stars Billy Zane as Marlon Brando and Jon Heder as Bernard Judge. Garrett O’Brien was the cinematographer. Here is an interview with Garrett. read more…
Nikon ZR Camera
Here’s the new Nikon ZR camera — a slim, stylish, lightweight, Full Frame collaboration from Nikon and RED. The ZR records internal 6K REDCODE RAW with its 24.5 Megapixel sensor and has an enormous rear display.
With the flip of a switch, the camera goes seamlessly from Video to Photo mode. Its partially stacked CMOS sensor may be familiar to users of Nikon’s Z6 III—but this is a lighter and even smaller camera for cinematographers craving internal R3D, N-RAW, ProRes RAW or ProRes recording, with 15+ stops of dynamic range,.
The new 12-bit R3D NE RAW codec supports Log3G10, REDWideGamutRGB gamut and RED color science. read more…
Tags: Nikon, Nikon ZR Camera, Red
IBC 2025 Brief Debrief
Brief bursts of sunshine punctuated daily rain with drenching gusts during IBC 2025 in Amsterdam. The pre-party was Fujifilm’s GFX ETERNA 55 launch at the Amsterdam EYE Film Museum. IBC began on Friday September 12 and lingered through Monday. 43,858 visitors arrived from 170 countries. Click any image below to begin slideshow. Hover for caption:
Next FDT goes online Friday Sept 12
The 112-page Film and Digital Times PDF goes online here on September 12 at 10:00 am Amsterdam time. Go to fdtimes.com for in-depth articles about all the latest new cameras, lenses, lights and products. Download using the links at the top left of the page.
The 64-page IBC 2025 Print Edition will be distributed when the show opens.
Our 80-page Worldwide Print Edition ships this week. read more…
Abraham Martinez on Optimo Primes and The Lincoln Lawyer
Abraham Martinez was Cinematographer on Season 2 and Season 4 of The Lincoln Lawyer. Here is an interview about his use of Angénieux Optimo Prime lenses. There are 12 lenses in the Angénieux Optimo Prime lens series (18, 21, 24, 28, 32, 40, 50, 60, 75, 100, 135, 200 mm). They are all T1.8, except the 18mm T2 and 200mm T2.2. Optimo Primes are compact and lightweight and, best of all, you can custom tailor the look with Angénieux’s IOP system. Abe begins: “The subjective and technical performance of lenses in alignment with the story speaks for you as an advocate for your show. You’re translating the script. You stand in the gap between the rental house and the director, using a certain kind of language and grammar…” read more…
Stijn Van der Veken, ASC, SBC on ALEXA 35 Xtreme
Stijn Van der Veken, ASC, SBC was one of the first people to try ARRI’s new ALEXA 35 Xtreme with the new ARRICORE codec and higher slow motion speeds. “We all know what chopped vegetables look like when they drop on a cutting board at 240 fps,” Stijn said. “But this is another and very practical use of the camera. Maybe you don’t need to go all the way to 240 fps, but you have that option without dialing down your resolution. You don’t have to reboot the camera. Changing frame rates is quick and easy. The ALEXA 35 becomes more versatile.” read more…
Charles Bergquist on ALEXA 35 Xtreme
Cinematographer Charles Bergquist has worked as a Phantom high-speed technician. “Without high-speed cinematography, we wouldn’t be able to glimpse these events, artistically or technically. Here, Charles discusses working with the ALEXA 35 Xtreme on his short film “Mirage.” The maximum frame rate was 660 fps. The lenses were ARRI Signature Primes with the 350P ARRI Impression Filter. https://fdtimes.us/mirage read more…
ALEXA 35 Xtreme on Extreme Sailing
Elias Maria, BVK filmed NATURE OF SPEED with ARRI’s new ALEXA 35 Xtreme slow-motion cameras, that “crank” up to 660 fps, on 69F foiling carbon fiber monohulls that sail up to 65 km/h. That caught the attention of this obsessed fast sailor who wanted to hear more from Elias and Henning Rädlein, ARRI Group VP Product Marketing. Here’s the interview. read more…
Claudio Miranda ASC, Dan Ming, Nobu Takahashi and Sony Team on F1
This is an in-depth discussion about the making of F1—with the following cast of characters:
Claudio Miranda, ASC, Cinematographer on F1; Dan Ming, First Camera Assistant / Systems Engineer on F1; Nobu Takahashi, Head of Sony’s Cinema Line Division; Tanya Lyon, Sony Cinema Line Marketing North America; Shunjiro Nishi, Sony Mechanical Engineer; Koji Morioka, Sony Mechanical Engineer; Kenji Sasaki, Sony Mechanical Engineer and F1 Camera Support; Kohei Suganuma, Sony Electrical Engineer; Keita Yasui, Sony Public Relations. read more…
20th Anniversary of FDTimes
The very first edition of Film and Digital Times appeared at Cine Gear Expo 2005. It was a 16-page newsletter at the beginning of the digital age of film with a 235 camera on the cover.
Visit FDTimes for the 20th time! We are in Stage 30 at Cine Gear Expo 2025: Booth S3039-3. @cine_gear_expo read more…
Angenieux honors Dion Beebe at Cannes
For the 12th year in a row, Angénieux honored a prominent cinematographer at the Cannes Film Festival. Dion Beebe, ASC, ACS received the Pierre Angénieux Tribute on Friday, May 23, 2025 in the Buñuel Theatre of the Palais des Festivals. Dion’s credits include: “Memoirs of a Geisha” (Best Cinematography Oscar and a BAFTA in 2006), “Chicago, “Collateral,” “Miami Vice” “The Little Mermaid,” etc. We spoke about film, style, career, Cannes, cameras and lenses. read more…
FDTimes April 2025 & NAB Editions
Film and Digital Times will be at NAB Show 2025.
Get a free copy of the FDTimes NAB Edition at our booth N1372 in the North Hall, or in the FDTimes Publication Bin near the North Hall entrance, or at many booths throughout NAB Show 2025 in the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Meanwhile, download a free online PDF edition.
Subscribers, your high-res printable PDF is also here.
And worldwide print editions will be in the mail. (They are the same as the NAB Edition.)
See you soon! read more…
CP+ 2025 Imaging Show Japan
CP+ 2025 (International Camera and Photo Imaging Show) ran from Feb 27 – March 2 on Yokohama’s waterfront in the beautiful Pacifico convention center. It is described as “the world’s largest photo, camera and imaging equipment show.” Organized by the Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) of Japan, 125 companies exhibited and more than 50,000 visitors attended. New product launches and announcements included SIGMA, Panasonic LUMIX, Fujifilm, Petzval, RED, ZEISS, Cosina, and many more. read more…
SIGMA BF Beautiful Fun
BF stands for Beautiful Foolishness. The new SIGMA BF is also Beautifully Fun, Beneficially Fast, Bellissima Fashionista, Bravely Functional.
But in Italy, I am also called a BF. Buona Forchetta. The Good Fork. Someone who likes to wield a big fork over a fine meal. So named by Jacques Lipkau Goyard and Elisabetta Cartoni.
Here in Japan, Masako Misako calls me Film and Delicious Times. And so, BF the person takes BF the camera for a day of street and restaurant photography in Tokyo. read more…
BSC Expo 2025 Slideshow
BSC Expo 2025 was the location for the latest working pre-release Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 and a FUJIFLM ETERNA 65 under glass. Dominick Aiello got measurements and had Wooden Camera accessories ready for the yet-unreleased camera. So did Vocas.
Cooke showed a prototype Panchro/i 65 prime. Leitz rebranded THALIA to THALIA 65 and had a super wide 20mm prime. Geck0-Cam also had a hot-off the assembly bench 65mm Ayana prime.
RED DIGITAL CINEMA showed V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X cameras with Nikon Z Mount and the new cinematized Z Mount NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ.
Nanlux premiered their incredibly bright new EVOKE 5000B (5K COB LED).
And lots more… read more…
Tags: BSC Expo 2025 Slideshow
FDT at BSC
Film and Digital Times February 2025 Worldwide Edition goes online at 9am EST February 12. Print editions are in the mail.
A Special BSC Expo Print Edition will be distributed at BSC Expo London.
See you there — at BSC Expo 2025 in Battersea Evolution, London. Lots to see. Register now.
Friday 14 Feb 10am to 7pm.
Saturday 15 Feb 10am to 5pm.
Many new products to see. More than 160 exhibitors. Bigger Picture cameras and lenses. Panel discussions and demos. As always, this is one of the best shows of the year. read more…
