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World’s lightest 4 00 mm f/ 2 .8 lens and fingerprints. There’s a drop-in filter slot that accepts 40.5mm filters, and an optional
Sony has proven it’s serious about pros with a 400mm f/2.8 prime lens that’s the lightest of its type, and lighter than some rivals’ 300mm f/2.8 optics. It’s the first large aperture super-telephoto prime to join the E-mount line-up and fits FE-mount bodies like the A9 and A7R III and also Super35 cinema cameras such as the FS5 and FS7 –making it ideal for wildlife or sports shooters. The lens will ship in September, priced at £10,500/$16,250. The light 2.9kg/6.4lb weight of this lens is thanks to an optical design that includes three fluorite elements, with a reduced number of elements deployed at the front of the barrel, as well as use of magnesium alloy components. The lens has two newly developed high- speed Linear Motors that Sony claims gives a five-times improvement in moving-subject tracking performance. There is an 11-blade circular aperture for smooth bokeh, and the lens is compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters. There is a lightweight carbon fibre hood, built-in optical stabilisation and the lens is dust and moisture resistant with a front element coated with fluorine to resist dirt
circular polarising filter will be available. Sony has also revealed a free firmware upgrade for its A9 camera to make it fully compatible with the new 400mm lens. Sony users used to be hampered by a lack of lenses, but many manufacturers now offer optics in the E-mount fitting. Sigma recently made its ART range of primes available in a Sony mount, and Tamron has launched a 28- 75mm f/2.8 zoom to fit the cameras. Zeiss is widening its range of Batis lenses to include a new 40mm f/2 model, and there are newmanual focus models available from Samyang and Voigtländer as well as more budget brands Laowa and Neewer. Sony is believed to be working on more pro-level lensesin E mount, such as a 200- 600mm zoom, 500 and 60mm f/4 primes using the same technology as the new 400mm lens, a 24mm f/1.4 and a 135mm lens. www.sony.co.uk
BIG GUN STEALS THE MEDIA PRODUCTION SHOW Canon’s full-frame C700 cinema camera got its first UK showing at the Media Production Show in London’s Olympia and wowed the crowd, especially as it was rigged up with accessories for professional moviemakers. For those with less deep pockets, the Kinefinity range was on show, including the Terra 4K and Mavo Super35 cameras. Their stand was always crowded as punters checked out the hardware and footage from both cameras on high-resolution monitors. The Chinese-made cameras offer RED-style modularity at a fraction of the cost. And still with cinema cams, the BlackMagic Ursa Production camera – like a cheaper, stripped-down Ursa Mini Pro – was also a big hit. There weren’t many new products revealed at the show, as many manufacturers showed off their products that had been unveiled at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. But you can rely on British lighting firm Rotolight to pull something out of the bag and so they announced the launch of the NEO 2 Explorer Kit. It’s a portable, lightweight three-light kit ideal for owner-operator cameramen on a budget. Now held in a new lightweight case rather than Rotolight’s older hard cases, the kit is far more portable and comes with light stands, colour filters, and power supplies for the three heads for £1200/$1400.
VITEC KEEPS IT BRITISH British tripod giant Vitec has opened a new purpose-built
66,000-square-foot factory in Bury St Edmunds, where they have been based since 1964. It’s the design home of the company’s brands including Autocue, Autoscript, O’Connor, Sachtler and Vinten, and has a carbon-fibre cell for the manufacture of the award-winning camera tripod, the Flowtech. Vitec was started in 1910 by William Vinten and went on to invent groundbreaking cameras, supports, cranes, dollies and pan- tilt camera heads. Early on, the BBC standardised on Vinten equipment, a partnership that remains strong. www.vitecgroup.com
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PRO MOVIEMAKER AUTUMN 2018
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