CW Sonderoptic, sister company to Leica Camera, has introduced two new lenses in the Leica Summicron-C cine lens family, the highly anticipated 40mm T2.0 and the previously unannounced 15mm T2.0. These lenses bring the growing Leica Summicron-C family of primes to 11 focal lengths, all T2.0.
When director of photography Julián Apezteguia, ADF (La Asociación de Autores de Fotografía Cinematográfica Argentina — Argentinian Society of Cinematographers) got the chance to work with director Pablo Trapero for the second time, on the director's latest film El Clan — a dark story set in the 1980's about a family of kidnappers and murderers — they used a full range of Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses to give the film a “strong optical personality.”
Fujifilm North America is introducing the Fujinon PL 20-120mm Cabrio XK6x20 zoom, designed for the video production and PL cine markets. The lens features a T stop of T3.5 end-to-end, a 20-120mm focal range at an affordable price. It is also equipped with a unique detachable servo drive unit, making it suitable for use as an ENG-style or standard PL lens.
Cinematographer Adam Stone and director Jeff Nichols have been close collaborators since film school and share the same sensibilities, particularly with their preference for the anamorphic format. “Not knowing any better, we shot our first low-budget indie, Shotgun Stories (2007), in widescreen,” Stone said. “That film did better than expected, and we attributed some of its success to the format—widescreen added a weight and elegant stateliness to the story.”
Cooke Optics has unveiled a specially manufactured set of anamorphic lenses called Anamorphic/i SF. The new lens range, which is complementary to the acclaimed Anamorphic/i series, offers a coating that gives cinematographers even more options for anamorphic character.
Cooke Optics' ZGC, the American distributor for the multi-award winning manufacturer of precision lenses for film and television has appointed Rich Eilers to the role of director of sales, effective February 29.
Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, ASC used a series of 10 Cooke S4/i focal lengths to shoot Gabriele Muccino's latest feature Fathers and Daughters, starring Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried. Hurlbut's lens package for the Canon EOS D500 and MōVI digital 3-axis gyro-stabilized handheld camera gimbal included the Cooke S4/i 14mm, 18mm, 21mm, 27mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, and 135mm lenses. Fathers and Daughters, a Voltage Films and Busted Shark production of a Voltage Pictures Film, marks the ninth feature film Hurlbut has shot with Cooke lenses.
Tokyo-based video production company Ellroy decided to see for themselves if zoom lenses from FujiFilm, for all their undoubted functionality, fall short when compared to single-focal length PL mount cine lenses in terms of image quality.
Panavision has reached a distribution agreement with German rental facility Ludwig Kameraverleih to provide filmmakers in the region with Panavision’s extensive range of spherical and anamorphic lenses, including the popular Primo 70 series for larger sensor digital cameras.
It’s an understatement to call Cooke Optics’ chairman and owner Les Zellan a digital cinema pioneer. In 2000 when he first introduced the idea of metadata technology in lens manufacturing, only a small number of people believed that digital cinema technology would ever truly replace film as Hollywood’s production medium of choice. At the time, the American Society of Cinematographers was actively campaigning against the idea of replacing film projectors with what were derisively called video projectors. Much has changed, of course, but Zellan still talks in the wary manner of pioneers who understand that, even though they’ve overcome some challenges, there are still more to face.
