Sigma Aizu Prime Lens Japan Premiere Event Held

President Yamaki talks about the essence of Made in Japan

At the start of the unveiling event, CEO Kazuto Yamaki gave a speech, announcing that the Aizu Prime was announced to the world on June 4th in Los Angeles, USA. Yamaki explained that the name comes from Bandai Town in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, where Sigma lenses and camera products are manufactured, and that the product is manufactured in Aizu.

Although Aizu Prime imports electronic components such as memory from overseas, most of the processing is done in-house at the company’s own factory. Approximately 70% of the cooperating companies are concentrated in Fukushima Prefecture, and the rest are mostly in the northern Kanto and Tohoku regions, with over 90% of the lenses being manufactured in eastern Japan. The development department, the Aizu manufacturing factory, and the cooperating companies work closely together to make repeated fine adjustments, and each and every lens is produced under strict quality assurance.

President Yamaki stated that Aizu Primes were developed with the aim of being a lens that the industry can trust and that will set a new standard for the future of video and filmmaking, and that it gives him great joy to see amazing work being created with these lenses.

Dedicated cine lens design opens up new horizons in imaging expression

Afterwards, Toshinari Fujii, in charge of cine, gave a product introduction. According to him, the opportunity for Sigma to enter the cine lens market was that the still zoom lens “18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art” released in 2013 had received high praise in North America, and the company realized that it was being re-housed and sold as a cine lens. In response to this situation, the company began developing cine lenses based on existing still lenses.

The initial concept was to provide filmmakers with a new option while keeping costs down by designing a new mechanism for a cine lens while maintaining the optical performance of a still lens.

The influence of the FF High Speed Prime

Initially, Sigma was aware that photographic lenses would be used in film production, but did not expect them to be introduced to many rental houses and used in high-end film production like cinema lenses are today. However, today, 11 lenses, centered around the “FF High Speed Prime,” are used by many rental houses and production companies, and according to the company’s research, this series has captured the top share of the domestic rental house market as a single lens lineup.

While existing lenses are widely used, Sigma considered the need for further product development. The company explained that its early cine lenses were offered at an affordable price range, but were also used in high-end productions such as “Top Gun: Maverick,” which led the company to reconsider what an ideal cine lens should be, which resulted in the development of the “Aizu Prime.”

The Aizu Prime’s Most Notable Feature

The biggest feature of the Aizu Prime is that it is designed specifically as a cine lens. Whereas most of the company’s cine lenses to date have been re-housings of photographic lenses, Aizu Prime’s optics and mechanisms have been developed from scratch specifically for cine lenses. The lineup will be the world’s first large-format compatible T1.3 series, with eight lenses scheduled to be available this year, specifically with focal lengths of 25mm, 27mm, 32mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65mm, and 75mm. These lenses are compatible with a variety of sensor formats, not just large format, such as Super 35mm, full frame, and Vista Vision, and aim to meet a wide range of needs in video production.

However, it is recognized that the focal lengths on the telephoto and wide-angle sides of cameras equipped with large sensors that have recently appeared are insufficient. Since there is a large difference in depiction for every 1mm, especially in the wide-angle range, the company plans to add focal lengths of 18mm, 21mm, 100mm, and 125mm in the future, aiming to ultimately offer a lineup of 12 lenses.

Aberration Suppression Technology

In the development of the Aizu Prime, particular emphasis was placed on the aberration suppression technology that Sigma has cultivated through the development of photographic lenses. During the development of the Aizu Prime, a major goal was to suppress the adverse effects of purple chromatic aberration, which is likely to occur in high contrast areas, on image quality.

Additionally, unified matching between lenses is also an important design concept. If aberration correction is performed only on certain lenses and correction is insufficient on other lenses, inconsistencies in image quality can occur when changing lenses or shooting with multiple cameras, so the Aizu Prime series, which is designed exclusively for cinema lenses, was designed with the ultimate goal of recreating a unified look across the entire lineup.

In actual footage shot with the Aizu Prime, a uniform look was observed even when lenses of various focal lengths were used. Even when moving the focus from wide-angle to telephoto, a uniform depiction without any shift was achieved, as if it had been cropped with a digital zoom. This is believed to be the result of collaboration between the company’s highly skilled engineers and the Aizu factory.

Functional and Capable

With the Aizu Prime, Sigma has strengthened not only its imaging performance but also its functionality as a cine lens. In addition to the “/i Technology” that was previously featured in the “FF High Speed Prime Line,” this model also uses “ZEISS eXtended Data.” This data is output via mount communication or a 4-pin LEMO terminal. The encoder used inside the lens has also been improved in performance compared to the “FF High Speed Prime Line,” and the design takes into consideration its use in VFX production.

In addition, the focus ring has a rotation angle of 270°, a significant increase from the 180° of the conventional “FF High Speed Prime Line”. This improves the precision and convenience of focus operation. Furthermore, all of the indicators displayed on the lens are produced through a time-consuming process of engraving the metal, preparing the base, and applying multiple coats of phosphorescent paint, and the lens is designed to provide users with a lens that is easy to use.

Honoring the Aizu, Fukushima Factory

The name “Aizu Prime” was adopted in honor of Aizu, where the factory is located, and its rich nature and clean water. All Sigma lenses are produced in Aizu, but the decision to name the lens “Aizu Prime” carries a special meaning for the company. Due to its high quality, this lens is a product that the company can present with confidence, and the name “Aizu Prime” and the quality of the product can be better understood by experiencing it for yourself, Sigma explained.

Sigma engineers talk about lens development

Sigma optical designer Yutaka Uemura and mechanical designer Koji Hoshi, both were involved in the design of the “Aizu Prime,” took to the stage at the Japan Premiere Event explain the lens details.

Sohei Kitayama, the facilitator, introduced Uemura, who is in charge of optical design, and Hoshi, who is in charge of mechanical design. Uemura has about 30 years of experience in optical design, and was involved in the design of the 14mm and 28mm lenses that became the basis for the “FF High Speed Prime.” Hoshi explained that he is in charge of all parts of the lens other than the glass, especially the mechanical design, including the focus mechanism.

Uemura emphasized that “consistency of depiction” was the top priority in the development of the Aizu Prime. In video production, while each developer has their own preferences for depiction, consistency in depiction such as color, tone, and resolution for each focal length is an important factor for many creators. He explained that this is a different approach from conventional still lens design, in which each product is optimized as it is developed.

Color Tone Design of the Aizu Prime

Specifically, the depiction he was aiming for was a warm, unified color tone, and a balance between resolution and smooth depiction. Uemura explained that rather than simply pursuing resolution, he purposely left certain aberrations to create a smooth, tasteful depiction. Kitayama asked about the difficulty of achieving both conflicting elements, resolution and aberrations, to which Uemura replied that this was achieved by developing each lens with a clear target depiction. He said that he intentionally left in the aberrations that give the lens its “flavor.”

The Aizu Prime uses a large-diameter spherical lens. It is about twice the size (50-70mm in diameter) and nearly four times the volume of a typical aspherical lens. Uemura explained that the large-diameter spherical lens is able to achieve a bright F-number of T1.3 while still providing extremely high-performance imaging, which is the culmination of the ultra-precise processing accuracy and manufacturing technology of the Aizu factory over many years.

Aspherical lenses generally have the problem of being prone to ring-shaped bokeh, but Sigma has been continuously experimenting and developing high-performance aspherical lenses to achieve beautiful bokeh that takes advantage of the strengths of the T1.3. Sigma emphasized that this is a unique strength of Sigma, as they can carry out everything from design to development and manufacturing in their own factories.

Efficient Mechanical Design

Hoshi pointed out that one of the key points in the mechanical design was that it achieved a compact size similar to that of the “FF High Speed Prime” while increasing the maximum aperture from 1.5 to 1.3. This was made possible because, while the “FF High Speed Prime” was originally designed as a rehousing system, the “Aizu Prime” had a dedicated optical system, which eliminated the need for parts that would be generated during rehousing, allowing for more space to be secured. By maintaining the front lens frame diameter at 95mm, they also took into consideration ease of lens changes and handling.

As a mechanism for improving operability, he explained that taking into consideration the weight of the focus system, they adopted bearings to achieve a smooth operation feel without feeling any torque.

Kitayama summarized the technical details of the Aizu Prime that were introduced in the session, and concluded the session by encouraging visitors to try out changing lenses in the preview area at the venue and experience the unified depiction and beautiful bokeh.

Aizu Prime paves the way for the future of video expression

 

In the preview corner, we were able to try out the Aizu Prime. We paid special attention to the blurring of the background when a person was standing, and the expression of the foreground blur, which is often an issue with regular lenses. We were particularly impressed by how beautiful the blurring of the foreground was.

The specific impact this lens will have on the market is yet to be measured, but it is not just price competition; the fact that it is equipped with ZEISS eXtended Data seems extremely important. At present, if you are asked “If you could only take one set of lenses with you to a movie set, which would it be?”, you might tend to choose high-end lenses made by other companies such as Master Prime or Supreme Prime. However, the Aizu Prime looks set to stand alongside competing lenses like the Supreme Prime. I got the strong impression that Sigma is trying to enter the high-end market in earnest.