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New Angenieux Type EZ Series shown at IBC

15 September 2016

New Angenieux Type EZ Series shown at IBC

 

I guess I never thought I'd see this - an Angénieux zoom lens attached to a Sony FS7.  Truth be told, it wasn't until I was flying home last Saturday that I found out how much the Type EZ's were going to be (and thus a realistic proposition for our customers) that I had to find out more.  So I flew back out again on Tuesday to spend some time with the lenses and learn more.

So hold on, we've got Canon's CN-E18-80mm T4.4 L IS lens arriving in October/November and we've just ordered Zeiss lovely Lightweight Zoom 21-100mm LWZ.3 lenses in both EF and E Mount.  Oh and I've forgotten the recently announced Sigma Cine Zooms!  So do we really need more and can our customers really afford or justify an Angénieux?

Let's answer the first point here.  All four lenses ranges do differing jobs.  The Sigmas, assuming they price them sensibly, will appeal to those on a budget who need the flexibility and value they offer but can live with their downsides (breathing and not being parfocal).  I see the Canon lens being used a hell of a lot for corporate and docs work using the AF on the front of something like a C100 Mk II - I truly think that combo will start replacing the camcorder for a lot of our clients.  The Zeiss is a lot faster at T2.9 (okay it ramps up to 3.9) but again, I think that will find work for similar work but at a higher level.  The Angénieux EZ lenses are T2 throughout the zoom range on Super 35mm (T3 with full frame).  For those wanting zoom flexibility but a fast lens, these will very tempting and come on, who doesn't secretly want to use one?!

As we've worked through the four, clearly there's an increase in cost and yes the Angénieux are the most expensive but not as much as you'd think (dread!).  We're looking at these as for the first time ever - I truly think we can price them at a rate that is reachable for our customer base.

The very clever part about this lenses is their modular design.  Not only can the mount be changed, the rear lens group can be exchanged between S35mm (up to 30mm image diagonal), and FF/ VistaVision formats (up to 46mm image diagonal).  That means we can cover PL, EF and E Mounts either Super 35mm or Full Frame - all with the same lens.  What that means as a hire company is we can ensure they go out which in turn means I can buy more!

So let's go through the two models.

The Angénieux Type EZ-1 is a standard zoom lens with a zoom factor of 3x. When configured for S35mm cameras, the focal range and aperture are set to 30-90mm F1.9 / T2. By exchanging the rear lens group, the lens becomes a 45-135mm F2.8 / T3 covering an image circle up to 46mm diagonal.

Angenieux EZ-1

The Angénieux Type EZ-2 is a wide zoom lens with a zoom factor of 2.7x. When configured for S35mm cameras, the focal range and aperture are set to 15-40mm F1.9 / T2. By exchanging the rear lens group, the lens becomes a 22-60mm F2.8 / T3 covering an image circle up to 46mm diagonal.

Angenieux EZ-2

Both lenses are built in a full metal casing, with internal thermal drift compensation, which allows focus to remain constant when the temperature changes. Focus / Zoom / T-stop can be controlled precisely due to the wide rotation angle of the 3 control rings, which are also equipped with cinema industry standard gear teeth. The lens size remains consistent across the zoom range due to the internal focusing & zooming mechanism.  We can easily configure these lenses to support different imaging formats (S35 or FF/VistaVision), and different lens mounts (PL, EF, or E).  In fact, so easy is it to change the mount that we may well offer the option of hiring with multiple mounts.  Don't believe me?  See below - 

 

Hireacamera stocking Angénieux, ay?  Funny old word isn't it?  Lenses are due to start shipping next Spring and I have a meeting after Photokina to finalise things.