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MPB is the best way to bag a cinema optic that will give service for decades Holy grail lenses for less
C ameras come and go, but quality lenses pay back for years or even decades. And nowhere is this more true than in the holy grail of lenses – manual-focus cinema primes or zooms. These are the optics that have shot every major blockbuster and TV drama since the dawn of cinematography, and give very real advantages when shooting movies. These wonders of engineering and build quality offer lots of advantages over the AF primes that many filmmakers start with. Improvements include optical quality, faster maximum apertures, lack of focus breathing and axial shift when zooming, as well as click-less and consistent T stops. Ever wondered why your exposures at f/2.8 on one AF lens is different to the same settings on another? That’s because f/stops are based on a mathematical formula, whereas T stops are a measurement of the actual light hitting the sensor. Perhaps the greatest benefit of a cine optic is its feeling when manual focusing, as these lenses have a large focus throw that’s manually connected to the moving
elements inside the lens housing. This gives a far more controllable, tactile feel, instead of the fly-by-wire sensation of an AF lens. There are also often hard stops at each end of the focus scale, while AF lenses have focus rings that just keep on spinning round. And when using a follow-focus device, a cine prime is even better. It’s all these reasons why cinema lenses are often much more expensive than AF lenses new, but are also very hard to get hold of used. Most filmmakers hang onto their prized cine glass for years, enjoying the quality, look of the footage and feel when operating. However, used equipment powerhouse MPB is one of the very few places to have significant stocks of used cine lenses, and all are at keen prices compared to new. At the time of writing, there was a choice of 59 cinema primes and zooms in stock at MPB’s UK base. That’s a massive choice that you won’t find anywhere else. The stock currently includes cine lenses from 9mm to 300mm in focal length, from Canon, Sony, Zeiss, Fujinon, Sigma, Red,
NEWCOMER LENSES Irix might be a new player in the cinema lens market but MPB has regular stocks
“Perhaps the greatest benefit of a cine optic is its feeling when manual focusing, as these lenses have a large throw”
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