Article: Why We Need Cinema Lenses

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Consistent accurate focus marks - the big one.
Parfocal.
Often faster, but not always (t-stops vs f-stops is mostly irrelevant in the digital age).
Better/longer focus throw.
Geared for follow focus / zoom motor / FIZ use.
Stronger mount - no shifting during focus and superior durability.
Color matched - of debatable importance since zooms and primes from different manufacturers are often mixed.
Consistent size from lens to lens within a set - both body size and front diameter (not all cine lenses meet this goal, especially older ones).
Lack of breathing (not the case with all older cine lenses, especially zooms).
Internal focus (again not attained by older cine lenses).
All manual/mechanical operation including aperture.
Clickless aperture - much less important than the internet claims.
Everything else that comes with expense but not necessarily with cinefication, including sharper images @ wide open aperture.

Did I miss anything?
As mentioned, if you can afford cinema lenses you should probably be shooting with a real movie camera, not a DSLR.

Sorry for jumping the gun, 20 hours is too long for me to wait for ANYTHING lol ;)

[Moseph]

Did I miss anything?

More iris blades
Body size consistent means no readjusting the follow focus gears
More travel in the focus ring more more precise focus pulling

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Body size consistent means no readjusting the follow focus gears

Consistent size from lens to lens within a set - both body size and front diameter (not all cine lenses meet this goal, especially older ones).

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More travel in the focus ring more more precise focus pulling

Better/longer focus throw.

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More iris blades

Everything else that comes with expense but not necessarily with cinefication, including...

[TheDingo]

...Should budget and crew size be a factor in this discussion ? ( Cine lenses are not usually compact or light weight )

[David W. Jones]

...Should budget and crew size be a factor in this discussion ? ( Cine lenses are not usually compact or light weight )

How does the old joke go... Something like, how many ACs does it take to put on a cine lens.

[morgan_moore]

On the fora I like to push the other argument !

Now I know sometimes in business you have to just buy the right tool

Over the years I have bought some tools, a 4002.8 when I was photographing football as a 'kid', a Sound Devices recorder when doing a series of interviews with a DSLR, a hasselblad H and lenses for my photographic studio, what about a proper cine zoom ??

With my FS100 I have been ripping myself apart with still lenses

Bad focus travel , growing zooms that hit the filters in your matte box, pinging nuns knickers.. it all sucks

I can see and feel every little thing that makes cine glass wonderful

Now its to me an economic decision.

You and your crew have X hours in the day and Y dollars in the bag

Every move of a follow focus, readjustment of the matte box, bum focus pull - it all costs you in your day

Reduces the productive footage shot - cine lenses save money

Now I really thought about this, but it seems that 98% of shoots have other things that they could spend their money on

Better art, more time, a better location, more lights and grip

Honestly I think cine lenses just don't add up on a lot of shoots.. of course they do on some

A well selected set of old still glass really is, however, a very good choice in many circumstances

S

[Andrew Luczenczyn]

dont forget constant F-stop throughout the zoom range!!

[Rick Burnett]

dont forget constant F-stop throughout the zoom range!!

That's not just on cine lenses, my Tokina 11-16 and Sigma 17-50 both have constant F-stop through zoom.

[nothing]

dont forget constant F-stop throughout the zoom range!!

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Everything else that comes with expense but not necessarily with cinefication, including...

That's not a cinema lens feature, that's just a non-crap lens feature - and according to Canon, not a requirement for cinema lenses at all! I disagree with them on this point and believe it severely cripples the Canon 30-300 cinema lens.

[Barry_Green]

That's not just on cine lenses, my Tokina 11-16 and Sigma 17-50 both have constant F-stop through zoom.

So do the Lumix 7-14, the Olympus 16-35 and 35-100, the forthcoming Lumix X 12-35 and 35-100, and some of the Nikons (I think the 17-35 and 17-55 are both fixed 2.8 throughout). I'm sure there are many more.