Beginning with the ARRI/ZEISS LDS Ultra Primes in 2001 and Cooke's S4/i primes in 2004-2005, many cinema lenses have been able to transmit a lens’ focal length, serial number, current aperture, and the current focus distance via digital encoders wired to the focus and iris rings on their barrels. Many of these metadata-enabled lenses have also featured a multi-pin Lemo port to allow for this data stream to be sent directly to an on-camera monitor (such as the Starlite series of displays from Transvideo). The information would then be shown as an overlay, along with picture, to aid First ACs in focus-pulling and disseminating lens info throughout the set.

ZEISS has rolled out a new line of high quality lenses: the Compact Prime CP.3 and CP.3 XD. With a compact new design, these lightweight lenses are perfect for any type of shooting, from handheld to drone. They also boast full frame coverage across the entire range, and the esteemed ZEISS look that matches with every other ZEISS cinema lens.

I had ZEISS’ Snehal Patel over for a lively discussion about the new Compact Prime 3 and Compact Prime 3 XD lenses from ZEISS. This exciting new series of professional cinema lenses feature smaller and lighter housings than their CP.2 predecessors, consistent 95mm front outer diameters, and an updated focusing mechanism for a consistently smooth feel, even in cold weather.