AWARDS
THEWINNERS
LENSES Investing in glass is a well-known maxim, and it works! Cameras tend to be upgraded far more often than lenses, so buying optics wisely is a key decision, as they can deliver for many years to come. As always, the lens categories were some of the most hotly
are very few affordable E-mount lenses on the market that are so wide, yet offer a distinctive look when shot wide open, thanks to the fast maximum aperture. Lens accessories can alsomake a huge difference to the look of your films, and this is certainly true for our runaway winner in the Lens Accessories category: the Schneider-Kreuznach True-Streak filter. The True-Streak filter is available in lots of different options designed to recreate the classic anamorphic streak effect, without the use of expensive anamorphic lenses. Traditionally, the blue True- Streak filters were used to create this effect, but Schneider also offers eight other colour options to choose from. The quality is unsurpassed and typical of the high calibre of Schneider-Kreuznach filters. Zoom lens Sigma 18-35mm T2 Cine Prime lens Tokina Firin 20mm f/2 FE AF Lens accessories Schneider-Kreuznach True-Streak filter
In the Prime Lens category, it was a real battle between two lenses very much at different ends of the market. In one corner was the evergreen Zeiss CP.3 XD 50mmT2.1 manual focus cinema prime, and in the other corner, the AF-equipped, budget-friendly Tokina Firin 20mm f/2 FE AF lens. Last year, the Zeiss took the honours, but this year the ProMoviemaker Award for Prime Lens goes to the Tokina Firin. It’s one of the few AF wide-angle primes for Sony E-mount and performs well for its price of just £599/$699. It is very portable, yet still has a high-quality, modern optical design necessary for such high-resolving cameras. The lens uses the same glass as Tokina’s 20mm f/2manual focus lens, but autofocuses using an ultrasonic motor. Where it does excel is optical quality, thanks to its use of two aspherical and three super-low dispersion elements, which cut down all types of distortion, as well as offering high resolving power. The colours are very natural and the images show good contrast. At very narrow apertures or even wide open, the details are excellent. It’s a lens you can use at any aperture you like without worrying toomuch about image degradation, even at the edge. There
contested. It’s a battleground where top-quality optics face up squarely to budget glass that offers incredible value for money. For the ultimate in flexibility and speed, a single zoom lens can replace a set of prime lenses, but this is often a compromise in terms of optical performance andmaximum aperture. That’s not the case for the winner in our ZoomLens category this year: the Sigma 18-35mmT2 Cine, which came first for a second consecutive year. Like any proper cine zoom, the Sigma is parfocal and has a very fast maximum aperture, virtually zero distortion and a total lack of focus breathing. The fast T2maximum aperturemeans it can replace primes, as it offers a shallow depth-of-field and stunning image quality. The images are high-resolution, crisp and contrasty, without being too ‘digital’. It controls flare well, has smooth bokeh, plus no obvious aberration or vignetting. The Sigma 18-35mmT2 is a stunning lens for filmmakers who want flexibility.
BELOW The victorious Sigma 18-35mm T2 zoom, Tokina 20mm E-mount prime and True-Streak filter
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