Clint Milby & Jake Fruia
For years we’ve celebrated Zeiss still lenses being used for video, doing so ourselves even before HDSLR Shooter/INDIE Shooter began. So it was with great anticipation that we spoke with Zeiss’ Snehal Patel at their ASC hosted release event to learn more about the new Supreme Prime cinema lenses that turned the industry on their ear when they were announced just a couple weeks ago.
Bill Bennett, ASC calls Zeiss Supreme Primes “Gorgeous”
Bill Bennett, ASC and Vice President of the ASC help coordinate some of the test setups at the clubhouse with four different cameras available for attendees to test. Bennett tested some of the focal lengths recently on an Arri Alexa LF and called them, “absolutely gorgeous”. Surprising for some Zeiss shooters, he called the lens warm, which differs from previous lenses. Bennett, an owner of a full set of Zeiss Ultra Primes, says he will be adding the new Zeiss Supreme Primes to his arsenal as soon as they are available.
Consistency is one of the key elements offered by the ZEISS Supreme Prime lenses: that means consistent coverage, color rendering, aperture, size, weight and ergonomics. All the lenses across the family cover full frame and even bigger sensors with an image circle of 46.2 mm. The Supreme Prime lenses are color matched across the full range and most feature a fast T-stop of T1.5.
The small front diameter of 95 mm on almost all lenses and standardized positioning of the focus and iris rings across the whole family facilitate fast and easy equipment changeout. The compact and lightweight design means you enjoy easy and comfortable handling. The ultra-smooth focus rotation of the Supreme Prime lenses even in extreme temperatures allows for small motors to make sure you have an easy setup that’s enjoyable to work with.
Cinematic large-format coverage and high speed
The ZEISS Supreme Prime lenses are designed for cinematic large-format sensor coverage, making them the ideal choice for current and future camera systems. At T1.5 the ZEISS Supreme Primes demonstrate their unsurpassed craftsmanship in tricky low-light environments.
Aesthetic focus fall-off and elegant bokeh
A very smooth transition between in-focus and out of focus areas characterize the unique look of the ZEISS Supreme Prime lenses. This adds richer texture and greater depth to the image.
A versatile look and gentle sharpness
The ZEISS Supreme Primes possess a look, which ensures freedom in creating the look you want to achieve. Especially when capturing crucial textures such as skin tones, the unique quality of the ZEISS Supreme Prime lenses is a gentle sharpness that renders a crisp but organic look.
Efficiency and reliability throughout the entire production
The unique ZEISS eXtended Data technology offers lens metadata critical for VFX-intensive productions and workflows on set. The frame accurate information about focal length, focusing distance, T-stop and depth-of-field enables the camera assistant to work more precisely and eliminates guesswork for the DIT. The ZEISS specific distortion and vignetting data makes shooting grids redundant and accelerates compositing and stitching in post-production.
Made in Germany, used and maintained around the globe
ZEISS Cinematography lenses are designed and manufactured at ZEISS headquarters in Oberkochen, Germany. The lenses are assembled manually and engraved with individually calibrated scales. Serviceability is a top priority starting in the initial stages of the development process. ZEISS has built up a global service network in the recent years with authorized service stations offering service according to factory standards in the US, Europe and Asia.
Technical Data
| Release | Aperture | Close Focus | Length | Front diameter | Weight | Horizontal Angle of View | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Prime 15 mm T1.8 |
2020 | T1.8 to T22 | tbd | tbd | 114 mm | 4.5‘‘ | tbd | tbd | tbd |
| Supreme Prime 18 mm T1.5 |
2020 | T1.5 to T22 | tbd | tbd | 114 mm | 4.5‘‘ | tbd | tbd | tbd |
| Supreme Prime 21 mm T1.5 |
Q3 2019 |
T1.5 to T22 | 0.35 m | 13.7‘‘ | 119 mm | 4.7‘‘ | 95 mm | 3.7 | 1.5 kg | 3.3 lbs | 79.5° | 59.8° |
| Supreme Prime 25 mm T1.5 |
May 2018 |
T1.5 to T22 | 0.26 m | 10‘‘ | 119 mm | 4.7‘‘ | 95 mm | 3.7 | 1.42 kg | 3.13 lbs | 70.8° | 52.3° |
| Supreme Prime 29 mm T1.5 |
May 2018 |
T1.5 to T22 | 0.33 m | 13‘‘ | 121 mm | 4.8‘‘ | 95 mm | 3.7 | 1.61 kg | 3.55 lbs | 64° | 46.8° |
| Supreme Prime 35 mm T1.5 |
May 2018 |
T1.5 to T22 | 0.32 m | 13‘‘ | 119 mm | 4.7‘‘ | 95 mm | 3.7‘‘ | 1.40 kg | 3.09 lbs | 55° | 39.6° |
| Supreme Prime 50 mm T1.5 |
May 2018 |
T1.5 to T22 | 0.45 m | 18‘‘ | 119 mm | 4.7‘‘ | 95 mm | 3.7‘‘ | 1.22 kg | 2.69 lbs | 39° | 27.5° |
| Supreme Prime 65 mm T1.5 |
Q2 2019 |
T1.5 to T22 | 0.6 m | 2‘ | 121 mm | 4.8‘‘ | 95 mm | 3.7‘‘ | 1.63 kg | 3.59 lbs | 30.5° | 21.3° |
| Supreme Prime 85 mm T1.5 |
May 2018 |
T1.5 to T22 | 0.84 m | 2‘9‘‘ | 119 mm | 4.7‘‘ | 95 mm | 3.7‘‘ | 1.42 kg | 3.13 lbs | 24° | 16.7° |
| Supreme Prime 100 mm T1.5 |
December 2018 |
T1.5 to T22 | 1.1 m | 3‘9‘‘ | 119 mm | 4.7‘‘ | 95 mm | 3.7‘‘ | 1.7 kg | 3.74 lbs | 20.4° | 14.2° |
| Supreme Prime 135 mm T1.5 |
Q3 2019 |
T1.5 to T22 | 1.35 m | 4‘5‘‘ | 146 mm | 5.7’’ | 114 mm | 4.5‘‘ | 2.3 kg | 5.4 lbs | 15.6° | 10.9° |
| Supreme Prime 150 mm T1.8 |
Q4 2019 |
T1.8 to T22 | 1.5 m | 4’11 | 146 mm | 5.7’’ | 114 mm | 4.5‘‘ | 2.3 kg | 5.4 lbs | 13.7° | 9.5° |
| Supreme Prime 200 mm T2.1 |
2020 | T2.1 to T22 | tbd | tbd | 114 mm | 4.5‘‘ | tbd | tbd | tbd |
For more information on the new Zeiss Supreme Prime lenses, be sure to visit www.Zeiss.com
You can also find out more from Zeiss’ Lenspire website, Lenspire.Zeiss.com
For more information on Bill Bennett, ASC and his work, visit www.WFB4.com
You can follow Bill Bennett, ASC on twitter @CineBill
