TRIED AND TESTED With successful testing on a variety of camera models, the HZK24-300mm has proven to be very versatile
weight – it was like night and day. Then, the optical performance throughout the zoom range was noted by not only U2’s production, but the operators as well. So far, it’s been really well-received. “It’s lightweight, has a long focal length, is a good T stop and compact. Everything’s combined into one lens; it really fits the bill. The stuff they have got going on inside Sphere is all top-of-the- range – seven camera positions, all Sony VENICE 2s, all with Fujinon glass but one. This includes FUJINON HZK25-1000mm, ZK19-90mm and HK75-400mm. Vis-A- Vis and the team there are constantly pushing the envelope of technology in these live shows.” Jim Marks, FUJIFILM technical product specialist and a professional filmmaker, has been testing Duvo HZK24-300mm for a different use case. “I’ve got it on my Sony FX9. A lot of what I do is solo, or maybe with a crew of two or three. I have this saying with Luke: ‘one lens to rule them all’,” he laughs. “The Duvo really is in that sense because you put it on your camera, lock it on, support it and can do anything with it. “We have a broadcast-style lens here which gives us a look that could be for narrative cinema, documentary or sport. It can do both a wide and tight shot. Going back and forth all day long
is not a problem. The picture quality also reassuringly matches the standard set by Fujinon’s cinema glass.” “This was the first thing they picked up on in Las Vegas,” agrees Cartwright. “The lens’ position in Sphere is a hero shot. It’s at the back of the standing audience; able to go from a wide shot with the audience across the bottom of the frame. Or, it can pin into a body-length shot of the performer – but there is no fluctuation in performance all the way through the zoom. “Typically with a parfocal zoom lens, there will be a drop-off at a certain focal length; it’s minor and just physics, but you can’t get around it. Yet, with the electronic back focus, we can measure those pitfalls and automatically adjust the back focus to keep everything in line. It’s immediately noticeable at events like this. This is technology you just wouldn’t have in a pure cinema lens. “There’s a broadcast servo drive unit built onto the side, which cinema glass won’t normally have. You get a whole host of integration features, so you don’t need external motors for focus control; there’s no third-party devices needed.” “We did a very quick test where we went to CVP and tried the lens in combination with different cameras,” Marks notes. “We got data passthrough
on the REDs, Sony VENICE and ARRI LF. So whatever camera you’re shooting on, you’re able to get that integration. “I’ve got cinematographers wanting to look at this lens for narrative work because of its speed and the different cameras you can put it on. In fact, I came up with a brand-new word: cinecast. It’s a cinematic broadcast lens, very quick and good fun. It’s a lens that takes all the difficulties out so you can concentrate on the framing – the fun bits. That’s the great thing about it.” “On the whole live events side, this lens is pushing boundaries,” concludes Cartwright. “Having a pre-production model at such a high-profile show is massive. When people realise that the whole outfit is Fujinon glass, it makes a real statement.”
More information: cvp.com
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