PRONEWS AWARD 2024 / Vol.03
PRONEWS AWARD 2024 – New lenses for filmmakers accelerate mirrorless compatibility
For this year’s PRONEWS AWARD 2024 in the lens category, the biggest focus was mirrorless compatibility for lenses for filmmakers. At Inter BEE 2024, Nikon exhibited new products for filmmakers for the first time, with Z mount and Fujifilm GF lenses. ZEISS announced the “Nano Prime” for E-mount with electronic contacts, and Canon released an RF lens for both still images and videos. Competition is intensifying as each company strengthens its mirrorless compatibility.
Due to the popularity of Sony’s FX3 and FX6, the use of E-mount cameras in filmmaking is on the rise, and Canon, Nikon, and Fujifilm are following suit by making a full-scale entry into the film market.
Another point of interest is the vigor of the cinema lens market. LAOWA in particular has announced an overwhelming number of cinema lenses, leading the market. 2024 has been a year of a rush of new product releases. The industry is clearly being divided into three groups: “long-established lens brands,” “Chinese lens brands,” and “domestic lens brands,” and it will be interesting to see how the balance of power will change in the future.
Below are the finalists in the lens category.
Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM
Release date: December 13, 2024
The first large-aperture standard zoom lens with a constant maximum aperture of F2 has been released for the α lens. When you hear “a standard zoom lens with a constant maximum aperture of F2,” many people will imagine that it will be a large and heavy lens. However, this lens is compact enough to defy expectations. There is almost no difference in size or weight compared to the original 24-70mm F2.8 GM. The size is surprising. Compared to its rival, Canon’s “RF28-70mm F2 L USM,” which weighs about 1,430g, this lens is overwhelmingly lighter at about 918g.
The lens is made up of 20 elements in 14 groups, and is generously made up of three highly aspherical XA lenses, three Super ED glass elements, and one ED glass element. In addition, a newly designed circular aperture unit with 11 blades is used, which maintains a highly circular shape even when stopped down two stops from the maximum aperture. In effect, it has the performance of four F2 prime lenses (28mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 70mm) condensed into one.
This lens has high resolution even at full aperture and produces beautiful bokeh. It is a versatile lens that can be used in a wide range of scenes, including portrait photography, snapshots, and landscape photography. It is a lens that combines high performance and practicality.
Thypoch Simera-C
The Thypoch brand, which appeared in 2023 and has been making waves in 2024, initially attracted attention with its Simera and Eureka series of M-mount lenses for still photography under the theme of “reviving the classics in the modern era.” It was a big surprise when the Thypoch brand released the full-frame cinema lens “Simera-C.”
The biggest feature of this lens is that it is compact and lightweight, while being compatible with full-frame cameras and boasting a bright T1.5 aperture. It is based on a stills lens, and its excellent image quality is retained. It is also reasonably priced, making it a very attractive option. The lineup includes five lenses: 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm.
Another excellent feature is that the heights of the focus gears and aperture gears are all uniform. Furthermore, the aperture blades are an astonishing 16 pieces, and the design allows you to enjoy beautiful circular bokeh even when the aperture is open. Although it is compact, it uses a 0.8 MOD gear pitch for both the focus ring and aperture ring, and the arrangement of the lens rings is uniform across the entire lineup. This makes it highly compatible with follow focus systems and various cinema accessories, which is a major attraction.
ZEISS Nano Prime
In 2023, Cooke shocked the industry with the announcement of the SP3 cinema lens for mirrorless single-lens cameras, and ZEISS has now taken a new step. ZEISS has released a cinema lens for Sony E-mount designed exclusively for full-frame mirrorless cameras. Lenses and bodies in the cinema camera industry are steadily moving in the direction of mirrorless cameras, which are becoming increasingly smaller and lighter.
Until now, ZEISS lenses have been classified as either photographic lenses that pursue high image quality or cinema lenses such as the Supreme Prime and CP.3 series. However, the Nano Prime has appeared as something in between these two. It is a new option that combines ease of use with high image quality.
The Nano Prime is a manual focus lens available in six different sizes: 18mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm. It achieves a consistent T1.5 across all focal lengths and is color-matched to the ZEISS Supreme Prime, its top-end cine lens. What’s more, it’s roughly half the weight and size of the Supreme Prime, yet offers the same image quality and maximum T-value.
The 12-blade aperture design creates a beautiful circular bokeh effect, and the 95mm front diameter makes it versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of filters, and it also has an 86mm screw-in filter thread, making it a very versatile lens.
LAOWA Ranger Super 35 series
Release date: August 30, 2024
LAOWA released the popular cinema zoom lens “LAOWA Ranger FF” in 2023, but has now announced a new zoom lens that supports Super 35 while maintaining the same high quality. This is the “LAOWA Ranger S35” series. The lineup includes three lenses: 11-18mm T2.9, 17-50mm T2.9, and 50-130mm T2.9, which achieve a constant T2.9 across all focal ranges. These three lenses cover an 11x zoom range from 11 to 130mm and are a great match for the FX30 and gimbals.
The biggest feature of this series is its incredible compactness. It is said to be smaller than a smartphone, and LAOWA claims it is “the world’s smallest Super 35mm PL mount cine zoom lens.” It weighs only 750-850g, making it very portable.
The native mount is PL, but it can be changed to a variety of mounts such as Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Leica L, Nikon Z, and Sony E-mount. In addition, the positions of the zoom ring, aperture ring, and focus ring are consistent across all models, allowing smooth lens changing during shooting. This versatility and functionality are a big attraction for filmmakers.
Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z
Release date: November 29, 2024
Canon released the RF24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z in 2023 as the first in the Z series of zoom lenses for both still photography and video production. This lens attracted attention for its design that does not extend the lens when zooming and its accessories for motorized zoom. This year, the RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z was released as the second in the series. Canon, which already has the RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM in its lineup, has added the RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z.
The RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z is equipped with image stabilization and AF functions, as well as a clickless manual aperture, just like the previous model. The optical image stabilization function is effective at 5.5 stops. However, the biggest difference is that it is compatible with the optional power zoom adapter. This adapter can be easily attached to the side of the lens using a mounting screw. In addition, the lens is available in two colors, black and white, expanding the range of choices.
Canon is also expanding its “VCM Lens Series” equipped with a voice coil motor (VCM) that supports both still and video shooting. It has built a system with both zoom lenses and prime lenses in mind for video production, enhancing convenience in video production sites. This initiative is attracting a great deal of attention in the field of video production.
ARRI Ensō Prime Lens
Release date: December 2024
ARRI has announced the new Ensō primes, a cinema lens aimed at low to mid-budget projects. These lenses are smaller and lighter than the ARRI Signature primes, and can be used with a new set of rear elements. They are designed to give you more creative control with the Ensō Vintage Elements, which are six rear diopters that allow you to adjust the bokeh and flare characteristics of the lens. They also support lens metadata via ARRI’s LDS-2 system and Cooke /i technology.
The full lineup consists of 14 lenses: 10.5mm T2.8, 14mm T2.5, 18mm T2.1, 21mm T2.1, 24mm T2.1, 28mm T2.1, 32mm T2.1, 40mm T2.1, 47mm T2.1, 58mm T2.1, 75mm T2.1, 105mm T2.1, 150mm T2.5, and 250mm T2.8. All lenses except the 10.5mm, 14mm, 150mm, and 250mm achieve a T2.1 aperture.
Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art
Release date: June 20, 2024
The new Sigma product that attracted the most attention in 2024 is the SIGMA 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art. This is the world’s first full-frame F1.8 zoom lens, available in two versions: L-mount and Sony E-mount. This lens, which can be said to be a full-frame version of the legendary APS-C lens 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art, boasts image quality comparable to 28mm, 35mm, and 45mm prime lenses, and is highly regarded as a zoom lens. In addition, even in full frame, it weighs only 960g, making it easy to carry.
Sigma also exhibited a prototype of the 28-45mm T2 cine zoom lens with AF functionality at IBC 2024. Attention is focused on future developments to see whether new products based on this lens will be released that have autofocus functionality while also taking advantage of the characteristics of a full-fledged cine lens.
PRONEWS AWARD 2024 Lens Category Finalists
- Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM
- Thypoch Simera-C
- ZEISS Nano Prime
- LAOWA Ranger S35 series
- Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z
- ARRI Ensō Prime Lens
- Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN | Art
PRONEWS AWARD 2024 Lens Category Gold Award
Canon RF24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z
The introduction of the Canon RF mount large aperture zoom lenses “RF24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z” and “RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Z” had a major impact on the photography and video industry. Both lenses feature a parfocal design, image stabilization, and a remote zoom attachment, creating a hybrid lens system that is ideal for both still photography and videography.
In 2024, the full-frame cinema cameras “EOS C80” and “EOS C400” will also be released, and in combination with Z series lenses, they will provide an attractive system that can handle a wide range of shooting scenes, including events, documentaries, and weddings. These new products have been highly praised, especially by professional photographers, and have the potential to revolutionize the workflow of many filmmakers.
PRONEWS AWARD 2024 Lens Category Silver Award
Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art
It is a groundbreaking lens, the world’s first F1.8 zoom lens for full-frame cameras. We gave it a Silver Award in anticipation of the upcoming release of the cinema lens “28-45mm T2.”
This is the full-frame version of Sigma’s large-aperture standard zoom lens for APS-C, the 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art, and is a long-awaited lens for wedding photographers and videographers. It combines the characteristics of three prime lenses, 28mm F1.8, 35mm F1.8, and 45mm, in one lens, making it highly convenient for videography. It is unfortunate that it does not support RF mount and that linear focus ring support is limited to LUMIX, but as a unique lens, its presence will not be shaken.
