E-cinema lenses from Fujinon

By Eldar Kalmykov

Review contents:
Television lenses of the third millennium beginning Television lenses Lenses from “Optics-Elite” Lenses from Angenieux New lenses from Canon E-cinema lenses from Fujinon Fujinon lenses for TV journalism and TV production

With arrive of digital technology in cinema production the sharp necessity in high-quality lens is appeared. At the end of 1990 the Fujinon Company has issued the line of HD Cine Style lenses for electronic cinema. These lenses have got the most high estimations from leading directors and companies, concerning with E-cinema. However the modern technologies develop so speedy that the requirements to lenses quality are constantly increased. In accordance with request of specialists the Fujinon Company for E-cinema has issued the new line of the Cine Super E lenses.

The new lenses are suitable, practical and have a stylish exterior, as well the best optical and mechanical features. All of these are manual control, a system of the internal focusing, bloomed optics and allow executing the cinematographic shooting on the base of the HD-camcorders with 2/3" matrix. The Cine Super E line was submitted for NAB 2003 exhibition. This series comprises eight lenses with constant focal lengths: Cine Super E Prime (HAeF5, HAeF8, HAeF12, HAeF16, HAeF20, HAeF34, HAeF40, and HAeF54) and four zooms Cine Super E Zoom (HAe3×5, HAe5×6, HAe10×10, HAe12×9.5).

Fujinon also issued the zooms of Cine Compact C series (HA10×5B, HA13×4.5B, HA15×7.3, HA17×7.8B). Several HA10×5B lenses (together with lenses of other models) were chose by George Lucas and his company Lucasfilm Ltd./Industrial Light & Magic for shooting of the film “Star wars. The Episode 2: Attack of the clones”. They were used in creation of different visual effects, for chromakey shootings in motion astir and miniature scenes.

The Cine Super E lenses

Cine Super 10 lenses

Their features:

• They intended for 2/3" CCD cameras;
• High optical characteristics under big aperture;
• Constant T-No value in all range of the focal length change;
• Clear and high-contrast picture;
• Minimized breathing effect;
• All models are adjusted under color rendering;
• Angle of focus ring rotation is raised to 280°;
• Advanced mechanism of the back focus adjustment;
• Clear engraving of adjustment rings;
• Compatibility with all existing cinematographic accessories;
• 11-leaf diaphragm;
• Full servo control.

All lenses to this series were developed on exclusive technology for digital camcorders specially. Fujinon uses its own technologies already in step of development of color separation prism blocks, which are an integral part of the modern video camera. These units are fixed between lens and CCD. A color separation prism separates the light flow to blue, green and red components.

Color division prism unit

In digital HD cameras the sensor diagonal size is about 11 mm, but in lens for 35 mm cameras this size is 27.26 mm. Ratio of these values is approximately 1/2.5. The lenses of Cine Super E series were designed with take into account the requirements of the cinematographers and have such vision field angle, as in majority of present-day produced lenses for 35 mm cameras. Thereby any operator will be able quickly to get accustomed to HD format.

All Cine Super E lenses have high optical features even at great aperture values. Under low values of the field depth these lenses allow to get the clear picture. All lenses of this series are optimized in T-No relative whole values and have different aperture values, from T1.5 to T1.8. When the shooting conditions are changing (for instance under illumination lowering or deterioration of weather) it is possibility to change T-No value, using several lenses during shooting. This vastly increases the creative possibilities of the operator during work with sharpness depth. Taken into account the increasing popularity of HD and 24p equipment, the lenses of Cine Super E series can solve many tasks, appearing in the field of cinema production.

In usual lenses when scaling it is occurring the change of T-No value. Under digital shooting this is inadmissible. All four Cine Super E zooms have a constant value of the relative aperture in all range of the focal length change, from “wide” position to “tele” position.

The Cine Super E lenses allow to get the clear high-resolution picture and practically without distortion. The Cine Super E lenses have the transmission to inflexions MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) ratio more than 92% in the centre of the frame. On field of the frame MTF forms more than 84% (under maximum aperture). From MTF value are in straight dependence the following parameters: brightness, contrast and frame resolution, as well as a band of the color signal transmission.

The high quality of the picture in Cine Super E lenses is reached due to application of fluorite glass and clarifying cover EBC (Electron Beam Coating), which provide the high value of modulation transmission ratio MTF, good resolution in picture corners and natural color rendering, as well as high resolution in blue part of spectrum. In Fujinon lenses are used the low dispersion glasses from calcium fluorite (CaF2) and special glasses with high refraction factor and exceedingly low dispersion. Fujinon produces CaF2, using specially designed crystallization process.

When guidance on sharpness and distance change to object than the change of the vision field angle is occurring. This is a so-called breathing effect. Presence of compensating function in Cine Super E lenses enables to synchronize the functioning of scaling and focus mechanisms, saving herewith a necessary vision field angle value.

All lenses from this series provided by clear engraving of scaling, focus and diaphragm values. The ring scale can have a sectoring in foots or in meters. Consequently, such lenses will have different marking, for instance, NAEF5-F (the scale in foots) or NAEF5-M (the scale in meters). They are equipped by rings for adjustment of focus, scaling and diaphragms with 0.8 gear module. This allows using them with existing cinematographic focus control units and compendium system. The location of adjusting ring of focusing lens group on zooms (the ring diameter is 160 mm) and on Prime lenses (the diameter of the front lens and rings is 95 mm) is the same. This excludes the necessity to use the additional units for adjusting of lenses position. Consensus of lenses of Cine Super E series on color rendering enables to change them in process of the shooting without over-adjustment of the camera color features.

The whole line of Fujinon lenses for E-cinema is completely compatible with existing cinematographic facilities of scaling/focus control and with remote control systems such as Chrosziel, Arriflex, Optex MicroForce and others.

Back focus adjustment mechanism

6- and 11-leaf diaphragm

CINE SUPER E lenses are equipped by mechanism of the back focus.

The back focus is easy adjusted by means of servo control systems.

Servo control systems for Cine Super E lenses

The Cine Super E Prime and Cine Super E Zoom lenses are provided by 11-leaf diaphragm. Such diaphragm allows to skip the greater amount of the light in lens (even on peripheries of the frame), than 6- or 8-leaf diaphragms.

Due to this the defocusing objects it is possible to make in frame more clear and get the 3D picture. Moreover, such diaphragm weakens the light beam, directed in lens from point source of the light.

The Fujinon Company offers the different accessories for control of Cine Super E lenses. Here is the servocontrol system for mechanisms of scaling, focusing, diaphragm and back focus, as well as computer system of the visual checking, allowing operator to see on monitor several parameters simultaneously: T-No value, distance to object of the shooting, focal length and vision field angle.

Today is complicate to visualize more or less serious European or American cinema studio or TV company, not equipped by techniques for electronic cinema. The high-quality optics is an integral part of this equipment. And not accidentally for shootings of the film “Star wars. The Episode 3” George Lucas has chosen the Fujinon lenses.

Consolidated table, showing interconnection of the vision field angle with focal length for different lenses
Vision field angle (in horizontal direction)	88°	77°	62°	54°	51°	44°	35°	33°	27°	18°	16°	14°	10°	5,5°	4,8°
The lenses for 35 mm cinema cameras
	12.5	15	20	24	25	30	37	40	50	75	85	100	135	250	285
The lenses for HD camcorders with 2/3" CCD
	5	6	8	9.5	10	12	15	16	20	30	34	40	54	100	114
The Fujinon lenses of Super E series
Prime	5 T 1.7		8 T 1.5			12 T 1.5		16 T 1.5	20 T 1.5		34 T 1.5	40 T 1.5	45 T 1.6
Zooms	5…15, T 1.6
		6…30, T 1.8
					10…100, T 1.8
				9.5…114, T 1.6