FEATURE | LENS SPEC I AL
RIGHT A grab from DOP Jon Joffin’s short using the Zeiss Supremes
“At the end of the day people have a choice. So to the question, ‘why do I need this?’ I say you absolutely don’t! It’s just a different flavour.” A LARGE FORMAT TREND To get to the crux of this argument, we needed an authoritative voice that bridges the manufacturers and sits in a privileged position; that person is Matt Duclos. His specialist lens company, Duclos Lenses, works across all the brands, with all the lens makers and, of course, filters those relationships to its customers. “Large format is definitely a trend, but I don’t know if it’s one that is going to stick. I think right now, it’s a matter of resolution,” says Duclos. “Everyone wants higher and higher resolution, and Netflix is kind of driving that trend because it has its own requirements. To get certain resolutions on certain cameras, you have to use a large format sensor. If you want to shoot Arri for Netflix, you have to use its LF or an Alexa 65 camera; you have to use red Monstro, so use 8K and 6K, and that’s driving that trend. “That results in tonnes of data and a lot of that gets thrown away. In terms of formats, if the requirements are set by someone like Netflix, which bases it on resolution and not on size, then if Super 35 sensors become commonplace with 6K or 8K resolutions, I don’t see why these productions would not use a Super 35 8K sensor. “So if they really want to shoot Arri and they come out with a Super 35 8K sensor,
If Super 35 sensors become commonplace with 6K or 8K sensors, I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t use them
then that’s the camera they will use; not the LF. They don’t have to deal with all that data, they don’t to have to deal with a larger camera and a larger package.” Duclos concedes that a large format camera and lens package does give you a bit more flexibility with shallower depth-of- field and similar field of view, but thinks for digital cinematography it gives you limited options. “For a short time, it was a way to stand out from the crowd. But if full-frame becomes the standard, it’s just going to be the next ‘vanilla’, it’s not going to give anyone a leg-up anymore,” he adds. WHAT’S NEW IN LARGE FORMAT? So there are some naysayers or experts reserving judgement and let’s face it, new formats like 3D were treated in the exact
same way. However, there is a lot of new glass crowding the market. Here, we’ll try to wade through it. In addition to the Raptor macro lenses, IB/E premiered its first line of Raptor primes at Cine Gear Expo. This project was initiated by the steady demand and many requests for a set of wide-angle lenses that would allow to expand the DP’s creative possibilities, while using Raptor lenses. Designed with the latest large sensors in mind, the compact Raptor primes will cover full-frame sensors and consist of eight primes, with focal lengths of 18mm, 28mm, 40mm, 50mm, 60mm, 80mm, 110mm, 140mm, offering a T-stop of 2.2. In comparison to the Raptor macro lenses, it is believed that the Raptor primes have a cam that allows you to precisely focus in the range of 10m to infinity, while Raptor macros are specialised for closer focusing capabilities. Concerning size, you can expect all Raptor primes to be of similar size to the Raptor macro 60mm lens. With close focus between 1’2” to 3’6”. Canon launched its Sumire LF lenses at this year’s NAB Show and the pitch was unlike any we had seen from the company; it was almost apologising for the lenses not being as sharp as Canon lenses usually are. Most people also didn’t know how to say Sumire, but in a brilliant marketing move, Canon acknowledged this at Cine Gear Expo by bringing out t-shirts with ‘SOO MEE RAY’ on them in the style of the Run- DMC logo. Props to them. We caught up with UK cinematographer Tania Freimuth who was one of the first to try the new Canon lenses out. “I prefer to shoot wide open, using 35mm, 50mm and 85mm, but there’s also a 14mm, 20mm, 24mm and 135mm in the range. I haven’t put them in front of a lens test chart, but what I saw to my eye – shooting between T1.5 and T2 – was a really gentle roll off from
LEFT DNA LF X – an uncoated
version, which will be distinguished with an ‘X’ marking on the lens
46 DEF I N I T ION | JULY 20 1 9
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