{"id":147171,"date":"2021-01-12T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=147171"},"modified":"2021-01-11T15:43:06","modified_gmt":"2021-01-11T21:43:06","slug":"photo-vs-cinema-lenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/photo-vs-cinema-lenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Take Your Production to the Next Level: Photo vs. Cinema Lenses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From size and weight to price range, let’s examine the pros and cons of the photo lens versus the cinema lens.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may have shopped around B&H a few times and noticed a different classification of lenses\u2014cinema lenses<\/a>. What makes these lenses so different from the photography lenses you\u2019re used to? Why are their apertures listed in T-stops and not F-stops? Plus, why are they so dang expensive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should you think about getting into these lenses? Let\u2019s break it down!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What Is a Cinema Lens?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Cinema<\/a>
Cinema lenses are perfect for shooting a movie or high-end video. Image via ME Image<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cinema lenses are pretty much what the name suggests. These lenses are built for shooting movies or high-end videos. Standard lenses are built for photography and have been co-opted for video, whereas cinema lenses are built from the ground up with the features for a film set in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll find many features and differences between the two different styles of lenses\u2014everything from the size and weight to the materials and mechanics. Manufacturers create photography lenses<\/a> for easy use by a single person who operates the camera and adjusts the necessary functions of a lens. On a lot of professional movie and video sets, you\u2019ll have a small team of two or more people working in unison with hands on the camera. During any given take, one person may handle the focus while another manages the framing, and possibly someone else adjusts the exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can get even more complicated if you involve special effects<\/a>, gimbals<\/a>, steadicams<\/a>, or drones<\/a>. This is where the specialty cinema lenses come into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Size<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With a quick glance at a cinema lens, you\u2019ll notice a big difference right off the bat. Some cine glass can be gargantuan. Most cinema lenses<\/a> are much larger than their photography counterparts. Cinema lenses also use higher quality materials, such as an all metal casing, much larger glass elements, and materials made to last years, if not decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The standard 50mm prime you\u2019re used to shooting still with may come just a few inches off the camera, Meanwhile, a cinema version could be four inches or longer and weigh a few pounds. This larger size and weight isn\u2019t just to scare away smaller, lighter lenses with intimidation. Cine lenses are built to last and take a beating. The larger housing is a bit more rugged and can stand the test of a difficult film set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Digital<\/a>
Cinema lenses are built to take a beating. Image via gnepphoto<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cinema lenses that are made as a part of a set will also all be sized similarly. When the crew needs to change a lens, a lot of the gear attached to the lens will need to be moved, reattached, or adjusted. If all the lenses, gears, and filters match up perfectly between lenses, all the accessories<\/a> attached can go right back to where they were with the previous lens.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Focus<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Size also comes into play with the focus operations of a cine lens. It’s easy to notice the large geared rings alongside a cine lens. These rings directly operate the focus and aperture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re probably familiar with the focus ring on any lens you have. In case your auto-focus<\/a> isn\u2019t quite hitting the mark, you can make little adjustments manually to lock it in where you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike photo lenses, cinema glass doesn’t have autofocus capabilities. The focus is handled directly by a person, which gives the operator the flexibility to change the focus on the fly and hit the marks they need to. If you\u2019ve ever tried to manually focus a photo lens, you may have also been able to cover the entire focus range with just a couple dozen degrees of motion\u2014going from minimum focus distance to infinite in a quick flick of the wrist. The large focus throw of a cine lens allows the focus-puller to make the smallest changes and finesse the focus as needed. This large focus throw also affects the size of the lens. You need larger housing for a wider throw.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cinema<\/a>
Finesse the focus needed with the large focus throw of a cine lens. Image via gnepphoto<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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 Aperture<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A crew member on set will also control the aperture<\/a>, as mentioned above. Rather than having the camera itself control the lens\u2019s aperture setting\u2014like on your DSLR\u2014it’s controlled right on the lens itself. Additionally, instead of having hard increments like 2.8, 3.5, 4, the aperture ring will be \u201cdeclicked\u201d and have a smooth operating motion. Now, you\u2019ll be able to fine-tune the exposure rather than the lens limiting you to hard stops.\u00a0

You\u2019ll also see markings on the lens that indicate the current level of opening. This is where the unique T-Stops<\/a> come into play. T-stops are similar to F-stops on a standard photo lens. They’re referring to the same mechanism\u2014the aperture\u2014but in two different ways. F-stop strictly refers to the size of the opening in reference to the lens\u2019s focal length. The \u201cT\u201d in T-stop refers to the amount of light actually transmitted.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Video<\/a>
The T-shop refers to the amount of light transmitted. Image via gnepphoto<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pricing<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ready yourself for some serious sticker shock if you\u2019re comparing the typical price range of professional photo lenses versus what you can find on a Hollywood film set<\/a>. A set of primes in Sony\u2019s G-Master<\/a> line might set you back a few thousand. Not cheap, but a common price range for professional quality glass. A set of cinema lenses from Zeiss<\/a> could be worth more than a home in most of the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sony<\/a>
Sony vs. Zeiss price ranges. Image via Sony<\/a> and Zeiss<\/a>, respectively.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The cost of Hollywood level glass is high for a few reasons. As mentioned above, the size and materials used to make these lenses is of much higher quality and size than your typical photo lens. In turn, this makes these lenses inherently more expensive to produce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A portrait lens might have a great lifespan of a few years and last you multiple body upgrades. However, cinema-level glass can last decades and is expected to be a workhorse. Many of the higher-end (they get even more expensive) kits may not even be available for purchase. Commonly, film productions simply rent the lenses they need for the duration of the production period, rather than outright purchasing them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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