DEFINITION June 2018

FEATURE LOOK OF LENSES

1. ARRI SIGNATURE With the Alexa LF camera recently

option. Despite the large-sensor coverage, the front diameter of the S7, at 110mm, is no larger than the S4, and the S7 range maintains a T2.0 minimum aperture. The company’s Panchro/i Classic primes, a resurrection of its widely-adored Speed Panchro lenses, were also shown at NAB, with the 135mm seen in public for the first time. 3. NISI F3 Chinese manufacturer NiSi has been manufacturing filters for a decade, rising to prominence in the west more recently. NiSi’s filters are coated on the outside of the glass as opposed to enclosing the filter between two glass layers, an approach that’s admired for its near-ideal neutrality. The F3 series therefore comes a surprise, launched at NAB as a full set with pre-orders being taken. The 35, 50, 75 and 100mm lenses are each a T2.0, with the 25mm at T2.1, and all with full-frame coverage. With consistent layout and a choice of mounts, the range bears close comparison to Sigma’s primes. The lenses are so new that qualified opinions are hard to find. Mike Tapa, of UK distributor MTF Services, tells us that during

NAB 2018, “they had a couple of American kids that went out and shot a few bits and bobs and showed that the following day on their stand. Nobody’s shot anything serious with them... To me they seemed to give quite pleasing flares.” Pricing, either way, is keen. “The 25 and 100 are £2499 excluding VAT. All the others are £2099 and you can get the set for £9999... It’s a bit of a no-brainer.” 4. SCHNEIDER XENON Schneider, with its Xenon series, is a more established player in the world of full frame lenses, recently adding the wide 18mm option to the range. Cinematographer Adam Beck, an owner, shot a feature with them in January on pro sports, including ice hockey. Having used the lenses on gimbal and drone, Beck admires their size and weight. “They’re very consistent. I think the heaviest is the 18mm, which is point seven of a pound heavier than the 35, 50, 75, and 100, which all weigh the exact same at 2.6lb.” Beck leverages the larger coverage of the Xenon lenses on the RED Dragon: “I try to shoot everything 6K, for downsampling purposes.”

announced, ARRI’s Signature Primes should come as no surprise. Cinematographer Bill Bennett, ASC, was among the first to work with them on the motocross montage Joy Ride . Pushing £20,000 apiece, the Signature Primes are an option for the high end. Thankfully, that’s where the most skilled focus pullers are found, since Bennett warns that, “there’s been a tendency in digital production to wing it, to not do any rehearsals, not give the focus pullers any time to make marks.” That, he concludes “would be a mistake, on these large format cameras.” 2. COOKE S7/I AND PANCHRO/I CLASSIC Cooke’s really-big-chip option emerged in June 2017, with the announcement of the S7/i Full Frame Plus lenses. With eight focal lengths so far listed, the 16, 21, 27, and 65mm S7 lenses were shown at NAB 2018 on the Alexa LF, Sony Venice and RED Weapon 8K cameras. The range is priced to compete with ARRI’s Signature series, continuing Cooke’s inclination toward the high-end

DEFINITION JUNE 2018

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