Interview with SIGMA President Yamaki about the birth of the “Aizu Prime Line”

President Yamaki:

Since announcing our cinema lenses in 2016 and entering the market in 2017, we have been aiming to contribute to the filmmaking market. The full-frame compatible high-speed lenses we have offered so far were initially developed at a low price for owner-operators. However, it became clear that these lenses were being used in more feature films than expected, that is, in full-scale film production sites. In response to this situation, we realized the importance of developing full-scale cinema lenses from scratch. After reviewing our goals since entering the market and realizing the need for products that can meet higher demands, we started planning this new cinema lens in 2022. And now, we are pleased to announce the results of that work.

Yamaki:

Yes, that’s right. In this product, the optical and mechanical design have all been rebuilt from scratch for cinema use. This means that rather than reusing a conventional design, we designed it specifically for cinema to meet the rigorous demands of filmmaking.

Yamaki:

In the world of cinema, some people want sharp depictions, while others value expressions that highlight the characteristics of the lens. In order to meet these diverse needs, we have made the most of our cutting-edge technology. This has resulted in a lens that is compact and lightweight while still offering excellent depiction performance.

In addition, all of these products are manufactured at our Aizu factory (Japan), ensuring high reliability. In this way, we aimed to establish a new standard for cinema lenses that filmmakers can use with confidence.

Yamaki:

From the beginning of the project, a maximum aperture of T1.3 was set as the target. With existing high-speed full-frame lenses achieving T1.5, achieving T1.3 with the same or smaller weight and size was recognized as an important factor in product differentiation and performance improvement.

Yamaki:

The reason we were able to achieve this size while still achieving a brightness of T1.3 is not because of a single specific technology, but because of the accumulation of a variety of technologies over many years. In particular, the know-how we have cultivated in the field of consumer still lenses in terms of how to design lenses as compact as possible has made a major contribution.

Specifically, we have achieved the overall compactness by designing each element of the lens to be as thin as possible and by making full use of various other design technologies. This can be said to be the culmination of the technologies we have cultivated up to now.

Yamaki:

The focal length lineup of this cinema lens has been carefully constructed to meet the diverse needs of filmmaking in particular. Close focal lengths not often seen in general still lenses, such as 25mm and 27mm, and 32mm and 35mm, are included to provide a detailed look at the classic focal lengths that filmmakers are familiar with.

Yamaki:

Several considerations were made before deciding on the design. In the cinema lens industry, many manufacturers express their individuality through colorful designs. Initially, a more flashy design was considered in line with this trend.

However, we received feedback from users, especially from Hollywood producers, who said that our clean and modern designs are highly regarded. In modern society, there is a tendency to prefer simple designs over decorative ones, and this direction was supported.

In the end, we adopted the policy of embodying a design that we feel is “beautiful,” without being influenced by the trends of other companies. As a result, we have completed a product that follows the basic design tone but is full of ingenuity in every aspect.

Yamaki:

The current price setting has been changed from the initial development plan. Since it was developed from scratch specifically for cinemas and production numbers would be limited, the price was originally considered to be set 20 to 30 percent higher than the currently announced price.

However, during the development period, it became clear that the film industry was affected by strikes and other events, and many companies were facing financial difficulties. In light of this situation, it was decided to keep the price down so that partner companies such as sales agents and rental houses could easily introduce it. This decision was made with consideration of contributing to the industry as a whole.

Yamaki:

This pricing was achieved through a strategic decision. It may seem expensive, especially when converted into Japanese yen, but it has been evaluated by the market as “cheap” when converted into US dollars.

In the current economic climate, there are voices within the industry saying that they do not have the financial strength to make large investments of $20,000 or $30,000, so the price of this product has been very favorably received. This can be said to be the result of accurately grasping market needs and achieving an affordable price.

Yamaki:

The introduction of eXtended Data was the result of considering various opinions from the market. There were both voices saying that this function should not be used and voices saying that it should be used.

However, because new cinema lenses are not a field in which new products are frequently introduced, it was necessary to take a long-term perspective and aim for a lens set that would become the industry standard. As it was predicted that the importance of data utilization would increase in the post-production process several years from now, the decision was made to support metadata recording functions such as eXtended Data and /i Technology. This can be considered a strategic decision that looks ahead to future changes in workflow.

Yamaki:

This is because it has been determined that the PL mount is the mainstream in the current market, especially for products like this lens. Also, the E mount, which has seen market expansion in recent years, has now been added to the lineup.

As for the L mount, we have decided not to introduce it this time, as we do not currently have a full-fledged L mount cinema camera. However, we will keep a close eye on future requests from the market and changes in the situation, and will consider supporting the L mount.

Yamaki:

For this particular announcement, lenses ranging from 25mm to 75mm were unveiled, however, we plan to expand our lineup in the future. Specifically, we are developing 18mm and 21mm wide-angle lenses, and 100mm and 125mm telephoto lenses, and although it will be difficult to release these this year, we aim to announce them next year or later. We plan to consider future developments while closely monitoring the market response to the lenses announced this time and the new AF Cine Line. Our goal is to establish a solid position in the cinema lens industry, and to that end, we plan to continuously announce new products.