Moving Still Media

Something great is coming soon from Zeiss.

The first time had to do a dozen takes on a difficult jib-mounted camera move was the moment I decided the endless rotation of the Canon focus ring was not going to work for my filmmaking. On each take the focus puller would spin the ring to quickly hit a precise mark near infinity, and each time the ring went past the end of the cameras focus range, resulting in all the focus marks being thrown off and needing to be reset with the talent.

So I researched alternate lens options for the 5D camera, and found a solution to this and much more with the Zeiss ZE lenses. In addition to stopping firmly and precisely at the beginning and end of the focus range, the Zeiss lenses are built like tanks with zero play in the focus ring and a perfect amount of smooth rotation (not too loose like the Canons, not too stiff like the old manual Hasselblad lenses I have tried). It seems there is something to be said for the mechanics of a lens built specifically for manual focus, rather than auto focus with a manual fallback.  DP Shane Hurlbut does a thorough comparison with the options, and the Zeiss lenses perform extremely well in their price and size category.

Then I discovered more wonderful aspects of these lenses. The sharpness, color, and detail of the Zeiss glass is legendary and holds up, even with the more economically priced ZE and ZF models. The focus range also allows for more focus precision. Very small rotations on the Canon and Nikon rings move the plane of focus a significant amount. The Zeiss rotation range allows for a more micro adjustment within the same ring rotation. It’s simply far easier to manually focus these Zeiss lenses than the Canon or Nikon glass. So much so, that I have taken to using these manual focus lenses for much of my still photography with no decline in in-focus captures, but a more fun and exciting interaction with the camera.

Now comes news from Zeiss for filmmakers (via Cinema5D).  The company will be releasing a new Canon-mount compact prime lens line in a few months.  These will be made in Germany with what sounds like better glass than the outsourced manufacturing in Japan of the ZE and ZF lenses currently made with the Canon and Nikon mounts. And the handling and functionality will be designed even further with filmmaking in mind.

Looks like pricing will be around three times the cost of the ZE and ZF lenses, which is still an economical price for high quality motion production.

[Update: additional thoughts have now been posted on Vincent Laforet's blog]

Zeiss Press release:

Dear Cine & Video Colleagues,

This is a preannouncement of a new cine lens from Carl Zeiss that will be formally launched at the NAB show in April 2010. The information below is preliminary and subject to minor changes prior to the launch. In response to the high level of interest in using DSLR’s for filmmaking, Carl Zeiss has modified its Compact Prime lenses for use with EF-mount cameras.

These new lenses feature a bayonet mount for a direct fit to the EF-mount and do not require any modification of the camera or use of intermediate optics. Since the optics are based on the awarding winning ZEISS SLR lenses, they cover a full 24×36 image format without vignetting. In addition, the lenses feature an interchangeable mount system that can be changed to a PL mount at any point in the future. This design allows the filmmaker to graduate to any number of existing or future cine cameras and still utilize the same set of lenses.

The level of versatility, image quality and value is unprecedented for cine style lenses and brings a professional caliber tool to a wide range of filmmakers. ZEISS Compact Prime II

lenses will be available in both EF and PL mount versions
interchangeable mount system allows for easy upgrade
cine style ergonomics
manual focus with well damped resistance
barrel dimensions are identical and lenses feature internal focusing
each lens weighs between 2.0 – 2.2 pounds
support bracket is included for additional lens stability
300 degree focus rotation
14-blade aperture
geared for standard follow-focus
calibrated focus scales
8 focal lengths available from18mm – 85mm
estimated list price for a set of 6 lenses is under $20K. Lenses will also be sold in a Custom 3 Lens Set or individually.
shipping May 2010