Fujinon has announced the development of the Premista 19-45mm T2.9 lightweight wide cinema zoom lens. This new 19-45mm T2.9, along with the other two lenses in the Premista series, is designed to cover large-format sensors.
Once this lens becomes available, Fujinon will have three large-format cinema zoom lenses that cover ranges from 19mm out to 250mm. All three lenses cover a 46.3mm image circle.
The three lenses in the Premista series are:
In some ways, the Premista series is mimicking the focal ranges of some of the S35 Fujinon ZK Cabrio lenses. The ZK Cabrio zooms come in focal ranges of 14-35mm T2.9, 19-90mm T2.9, and 85mm-300mm T2.9-4.0. There is also a longer 25-300mm T3.5 to T3.85 lens as well.
It will be interesting to see if Fujinon eventually makes a longer focal length zoom, as currently, I don’t believe there are any cinema zooms that cover large-format sensors that exceed 250mm at the long end.
What is it for?
The Premista 19-45mm T2.9 is a short, lightweight wide-angle lens that will be suitable for Steadicams, cranes, and environments where space is tight, or where large vistas need to be captured.
Size & Weight
The 19-45mm T2.9 is slightly shorter (230mm) than the 28-100 and 80-250mm (250mm) and it weighs in at 3.3 kg (7.3 lb). Both the 28-100 and 80-250mm weigh 3.8 kg (8.3 lb).
Other Notable Features
Just like all of the Premista lenses, the 19-45mm has 280° of focus rotation and a 114mm front diameter. The lens has a close focus ability of 24″ (60.96 cm).
The lens also features a 4-Pin LEMO Data port for compatibility with both ZEISS eXtended Data and Cooke /i Technology.
Fujinon claims that the 19-45mm T2.9 produces images with natural and beautiful bokeh, outstanding high resolution, accurate color rendition, and controllable flare with minimal ghosting for capturing high dynamic range. The lens shows very little distortion throughout the entire zoom range, lightening the burden of correcting footage after shooting, and allowing high-quality cinematic images to be created more efficiently.
Price & Availability
The Premista 19-45mm is scheduled for release in early 2021. There is currently no indication of pricing, however, both the 28-100 and the 80-250mm retail for $38,800 USD and $39,800 USD respectively.
The Premista series are high-end cinema zooms and they are more likely to be a rental house item than anything an owner/operator purchases.
