ROUND TABLE
Definition: What recent innovations in lens technology have had the biggest impact? Dennis Meyer: The advancement in simulation tech has revolutionised the lens design process, enabling us to create and test designs in a virtual environment – a ‘virtual twin’ – before they are physically manufactured. Another major innovation is the advancement in metrology, or measurement technology. This has allowed us to ‘close the loop’ with the virtual twin and simulation. By being able to measure and verify our designs with advanced accuracy, we can ensure that the physical product matches the virtual design as closely as possible. These innovations have enabled us to deliver products faster and at a lower cost, without sacrificing high standards. For example, in the development of ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance lenses, we were able to engineer the flare look using simulations. This allowed us to create a unique and high-quality lens family in a more efficient and cost- effective manner. Luke Cartwright: Adaptable mounts within the mirrorless market, meaning endless possibility with your chosen camera brand. From the cinema and broadcast perspectives, though, the technology we’ve integrated into our premium broadcast and latest Duvo cinematic lenses have had a positive impact. We have Remote Back Focus technology, which means the back focus can be adjusted from the ERD-50 zoom demand or a robotic panel. But, from an optical perspective, we can use it to flatten out the optical performance where natural peaks and troughs form in a parfocal zoom lens, creating a sharp image anywhere in the range at all times. Seth Emmons: The lens market seems to have pivoted away from innovations in technology, instead placing more importance on aesthetic character – particularly historical character. For decades, the job of lens designers was to make faster, smaller, more efficient lenses, but that’s not what DOPs are chasing these days. Uniqueness, style and creative options are often prioritised over technical performance.
Def: Are you seeing any notable trends with customers and in the broader market? Sundeep Reddy: The creative process in the industry has seen huge changes over the last decade and a half, with filmmakers primarily shooting on digital cameras, larger formats, fast lenses, a variety of lens looks, lighter and smaller lenses for handheld work, VFX-filled productions and – more recently – the ever-growing need to shoot in virtual production environments which require metadata from the lenses. All of these requirements and more have pushed ZEISS to constantly innovate and keep abreast with trends. At ZEISS, we actively listen to market feedback, allowing us to plan well ahead. It’s fair to say we’ve been ticking most of the boxes well before they become trends. LC: I’ve mostly noticed the move towards mirrorless in the professional cine market. The cameras and lenses are notably cheaper than your conventional cinema-style kit, but also have a much smaller footprint and weight. This means shooting possibilities can adapt and change without the need of large, heavy equipment to support the system. We see many renowned companies introducing lightweight zooms and primes for the mirrorless cine market, and many smaller or up-and-coming companies coming in with amazing glass for a fraction of the cost. Another trend is the uptake in lightweight cinematic broadcast-style lenses, which we have answered with our Duvo range. This workflow we see in live production and sports recently, where large-sensor cameras are used with broadcast-style lenses complete with typical OB trucks, is a positive change in shooting everyday sports and live events. We have seen a big uptake in the use of our Duvo range, which now has the 14-100 alongside the 24-300 and groundbreaking 25-1000. SE: While there are still many DOPs who favour clean lenses and prefer building their looks more exclusively with lighting, set design and so on, the voices of those who want to start with a lens that has a strong look and then build on top of that are drawing more attention. This has created a trend which has
Dennis Meyer Systems & development engineer – technology & innovation for cine products, ZEISS
Sundeep Reddy Product manager, digital cinema products, ZEISS
Luke Cartwright Product manager – optical devices, Fujifilm UK
Seth Emmons Director of communications, Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
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