GEAR GROUP | LARGE FORMAT
XENON FF PRIMES Schneider
XEEN
Verdict The build of the Supremes is what you would expect from a high-end motion picture lens and a beautiful gentle roll-off on the focus. Raw mode which is probably where you notice it sticking out from the rest of the camera technology on the market. The ability of the Supreme Primes to resolve and be used at T1.5 also gives another string to your bow as a cinematographer.” ZEISS SUPREMES The ZEISS Supreme Prime lenses are designed for cinematic large-format sensor coverage, making them the ideal choice for current and future camera systems. At T1.5 the ZEISS Supreme Primes demonstrate their unsurpassed craftsmanship in tricky low-light environments. A very smooth transition between in-focus and out-of-focus areas characterise the unique look of the ZEISS Supreme Prime lenses. This adds richer texture and greater depth to the image. DOP Balazs Bolygo was an early user of the lenses, “I’ve used these lenses on the new Sony Venice and have to say that the pairing is a fantastic cinematic combination. The colour rendition, 6K resolution and large sensor of the Venice with the ever so soft, organic quality of the Supremes creates beautiful images in every circumstance. I’ve tested them in various scenarios: on beaches at sunset, available light in urban scenes, product shots and interviews; so far I cannot fault them. The flare, I have to say, has a really unique quality, contained but with a slight softer halo-like glow which is very photographic. And the bokeh, all round and even – it’s probably the nicest of the lenses I have used to date. “I’ve shot the Venice in full resolution
CINEMA PRIMES
Verdict At these prices you should definitely include the XEEN lenses with their fast apertures in your research for shooting in large-format. Samyang lenses have found niches in the professional video world; for instance The Grand Tour shooting team, as they did with Top Gear , use them for on-car video capture. But when Samyang wanted a superior brand which would be appreciated by the TV drama and movie world, it came up with a completely new one – a bit like when Toyota wanted to compete with Mercedes with the Lexus. So, in 2015, XEEN was created to introduce to the video professional the skills of this Korean company when it came to high-end cinema optics. And all credit to Samyang, as this market is not easy to enter into as there are quite a few incumbents which have been around for decades. The new XEEN brand was guided by feedback from professional directors of photography, and Samyang was bullish about the quality of the glass in the lenses, saying, “They were created to deliver the quality demanded by commercial and artistic productions. A masterpiece of design, a culmination of Samyang’s expertise in optical engineering.” If you look at the specifications against price, then Samyang is justified in its praise for XEEN. With an initial set of eight lenses you are getting a bright T1.5 aperture with the 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm. The 135mm isn’t bad either with T2.2. All eight lenses make this list by virtue of their coverage of full-frame (36x24mm) and good performance for 4K.
Verdict The lenses are supplemented with the Xenon FF Prime Cine-Tilt set which we think are a world’s first for cine primes covering full-frame. Schneider markets its Xenon FF Primes as versatile enough to work with an array of cameras and accessories in 4K, but we’re more interested in the FF part of the name. These compact lenses provide 4K (4096 × 2304 pixels) resolution and cover the full 43.3mm image circle usable on Canon 5D and Sony A7 cameras as well as some of the new large-format cameras. The Xenon FF Prime family currently includes 18mm T2.4, 25mm T2.1, 35mm T2.1, 50mm T2.1, 75mm T2.1 and 100mm T2.1 focal lengths. These German-made optics offer great image quality yet are ruggedly built to withstand the daily rigours of a working set. Each compact lens offers an all-new optical and mechanical design. The circular 14-blade aperture is engineered for a smooth and consistent bokeh. The precision constant volume focusing design ensures that breathing is minimised. And with a 300 ° barrel rotation, the manual focus markings offer accuracy and repeatability. Additionally, all lenses are colour- matched for consistency. Engineered for compatibility with industry standard cine-style accessories like follow-focus rigs and matte boxes, the Xenon FF Primes feature identical external dimensions and positioning of focus and gear rings in each focal length. To accommodate filters and other accessories, each lens has a 100mm front diameter and a standard 95mm thread.
NUMBER IN LENS
6
NUMBER IN LENS SET
WILL BE 13
NUMBER IN LENS SET
8
MOUNT RANGE
18MM – 100MM
T-STOP RANGE
FOR CURRENT SET 1.5 WILL BE 15MM – 200MM
RANGE
14MM – 135MM
PL/EF/F/E
COVERAGE
36X24MM
58 DEF I N I T ION | NOVEMBER 20 1 8
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