ULTIMATE GUIDE TO LENSES
from Canon’s top-of-the-range L lenses and house them in a cinema-style body. They come complete with a servo zoom that takes an optional handgrip, which is ideal for the ENG-style, run-and-gun operator. Of course, to get the lens down in price there has to be some compromises, and that’s in the relatively modest maximum aperture of T4.4. The Canon 18-80mm T4.4 is an ideal, do-all lens for the majority of shots required by documentary makers using Canon’s cinema cameras. It works seamlessly with the functionality of these cameras, making it even easier to use.
Also making a big impact on the market has been Fujifilm, with its two manual cine zooms available in Sony E, Fujifilm X and MFT mounts. Fujifilm’s MK zooms use technology from the firm’s broadcast cine lenses, retaining the optical quality but at lower weight, cost and size. The lenses are the £3558/$3299 MK18- 55mm and £4088/$3499 MK50-135mm, which both feature a consistent and very fast T2.9 speed right through the whole zoom range. The MK lenses are an ideal match for cameras like the popular Sony FS7 and FS5, and can be used on the full- frame A7 series if the camera is used in crop sensor mode. Optional extras from after-market manufacturers include motorised zoom and wireless focusing kits. Fujifilm have focused on the new lenses, retaining the cine lenses’ famed low distortion and excellent optical performance right across the whole image through the zoom range. Both of the lenses have a macro function that lets you focus as close as 0.38mwith the MK18-55mm, and 0.85m with the MK50-135mm at the wide end. They come bundled with a zoom lever for fast adjustment of focal length, too, and a dedicated lens hood. There is also a backfocus adjustment to match the lens to your specific camera. Manufacturers Sony and Canon mix advanced electronics with the style and feel of a cinema zoom lens. Sony’s full-frame 28-135mm f/4 G PZ OSS and
Super35 18-110mm f/4 G OSS PZ lenses have the standard triple ring set-up but use advanced electronics to counter focus breathing and zoom shift as well as drive the focus and zoom rings, rather than a purely mechanical system. Canon has a lightweight cine servo zoom lens in EF mount, the 18-80mm T4.4 at £4699/$5225, plus another £429/ $474 for zoom grip, which is a must-buy for the functionality it adds. And it’s been followed up by a 70-200mm T4.4, which retails for £6053/$6542. What Canon has done with the new T4.4 zooms is borrow the optical technology
IMAGES All-manual cine zooms – such as those by Fujifilm, Zeiss and Sigma – are loved by purists. But servo zooms like the Canon (right) offer advantages for ENG use
43
SPRING 2020 PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook