With Zeiss Lens Gears you can turn camera lenses into cinema lenses in a flash. This is one of the surprises at Zeiss’s booth in Las Vegas. You’ll also find there new cinema bundles and two Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic lenses.
Zeiss went to las Vegas presenting a variety of product innovations in line with the theme Capture Cinema. Alongside the established lens lines Compact Primes and Compact Zooms, Zeiss is showing their new accessory for HDSLR shooters. The Zeiss Lens Gear rings come in four different sizes – mini, small, medium and large – and are just perfect for achieving precise results with a follow focus system on set. The all-metal rings are compatible with all Milvus, Otus and Loxia lenses. In addition to the Zeiss lens gears, the Zeiss Otus and Milvus lenses are now available in a cine set presented in a hard transport case. All three Zeiss Loxia E-mount lenses can also be purchased in a set with a soft transport case.
The Zeisss Lens Gears are made of premium aluminum with a hardened surface coating. They slide onto the lens and are attached to the focus ring of the lens simply by turning two opposing rings. “This means the Zeiss Lens Gears can be attached in a flash – and you don’t even need any tools to do so,” explains Christophe Casenave, Product Manager at Zeiss Camera Lenses. “They fit on the different lenses of various diameters precisely and securely,” continues Casenave. “Using a follow focus system enables accurate focusing. In combination with the Zeiss patented de-click feature of the Loxia and Milvus lenses, Zeiss lenses are equipped with functions resembling those of a full-fledged cinema lens.” This now allows customers to achieve professional results with the camera lenses and makes any handling difficulties a thing of the past.
The ZEISS Lens Gears are supplied with a rubber-covered band, the GumGum, which features an adhesive surface. This means the inner diameter can be reduced accordingly, thus supporting further lenses. The GumGum also protects against scratches and other damage to the focus ring of the lens. The new accessory will be available from 21 April 2016. The recommended retail price of the individual Zeiss Lens Gear rings is between $179 and $209.
New cinema bundles
According to Zeiss, ambitious filmmakers have now a choice of “three different compact and high-quality lens solutions as a cine bundle. Each set includes a custom transport case. A solid hard case (IP67) with pre-shaped inserts for both the three Zeis Otus and the six Zeiss Milvus lenses. A compact and lightweight carrying case is available for the Zeiss Loxia lenses and features matching inserts to safely transport the lenses, and a suitable inlay for a camera from the Sony Alpha 7 series. “All lens families are impressive on account of their exceptional image quality and workmanship, and as such are suitable for long-term use. Thanks to their high resolution and contrast rendition, all lenses in these sets are very well suited for use on modern cameras with high-resolution sensors. The Zeiss Otus lenses are therefore the right choice for cameras such as the RED WEAPON with resolutions of up to 8K,” says Casenave. Lenses purchased in a set of three, says Casenave, cost approximately ten percent less than lenses purchased individually.
Two new Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic lenses
The Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic family of lenses was also expanded in time to NAB 2016, to include two additional focal lengths. Visitors to the Zeisss booth can exclusively try out the Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic MA28/T1.9 and the Arri/Zeisss Master Anamorphic MA180/T2.8 for the very first time.
Unveilled in 2013, the Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic family continues to grow. The set previously comprised seven focal lengths and will now see two new additions: the Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic MA 28/T1.9 and the Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic MA 180/T2.8. “The two extreme focal lengths can be used with any aperture and deliver superior image quality right into the corners. As with all other focal lengths in the Master Anamorphic lens family, the two new focal lengths fit right in with the shape and weight of the other Master Anamorphic lenses,” says Anna Rausch, Project Manager at Zeiss Camera Lenses. The Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic MA 28/T1.9 boasts extremely low distortion and the Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphic MA 180/T2.8 a very short minimum object distance of a mere 1.5 meters. Both lenses are impressive on account of their natural color rendition of skin tones. At the Zeiss booth visitors can try out the two new lenses.