LockCircle announced a new set of Prime Circle XT-F cine-style lenses with Nikon F-mount based on the Zeiss ZF.2 product line. Here are the Prime-Circle XT-F lens highlights:
- Still photography high-end lenses meet professional cine-style features.
- Superb Carl Zeiss ZF.2 optical performances for true cinematic images.
- Ultra Lightweight design, engineering and precision grade CINE-MOD manufacturing.
- Ergo-Gear, innovative follow-focus gear featuring also handheld ergonomics grip (photo/video ergonomics)
- Front Mount with 95mm size mount for professional cinematographers matte-boxes and accessories
- Nikon F-Mount stainless steel heavy-duty bayonet.
- Exclusive SIDE INDEX VIEW for easy to read focus/aperture settings! Focus and Aperture scales on the side like cinematic lenses.
- Innovative X-Circle Cine-Lock stainless steel heavy-duty bayonet with improved (positive) locking mount for cine-style focus work.
- X-Circle Side Index View and Cine-Lock features for Nikon F-Mount available (no aperture simulator interference with Nikon camera bodies with de-clicked aperture gear)
- Front Mount with circular engraved micro-lines matching each different ZF.2 front mount for superior flare and reflection control.
- Full coverage Full-Frame 24×36 with ZF.2 18mm f/3,5 and 15mm f/2,8
- Side Code Barrel with engraved lens size – immediate lens coding for production crew reports
- PRIME-CIRCLE XT-F is designed by a cinematographer on the field to improve shooting quality!
- Aperture ring de-clicked and dampened with special grease desgined to work Nikon camera bodies.
- Dedicated matte-box with sliding compensating base (MAT-BOX) available.
- Custom Flight – Cases in several solutions.
Press release:
In the last years the HDSLR revolution opened a new choice for the beloved and worldwide diffused Nikon F- Mount! Nikon is facing seriously to the HDSLR movie quality opening the “sensor race”……such a great time for Nikon users looking into movie productions! The PRIME CIRCLE XT-F project took off into the vision of shooting movies with the latest Nikon HDSLR cameras! Real cost effective lenses was missing in this new wave of filmmaking or digital storytellers: before still-photography lenses, not performing mechanically for filmmaking or real expensive cinematography exotic primes lenses.
PRIME CIRCLE XT-F is combining the two concepts: great still-photography lenses with the technical vision of cinematography primes to offer a new dimension in shooting moving images.
PRIME CIRCLE XT-F starts from cine-modding ZF.2 world class optics by Carl Zeiss, built by the most advanced technology and manufacturing for still photography and tuned-up to reach improved functionality and cine-style shooting ergonomics. The optics offer incredible sharpness, contrast and color matching between all lens sizes plus a magical “bokeh” to design the “emotional” drive into the story: incredible optics to design emotions on the screen! Digital sensors feel more cinematic with this wonderful set of lenses.
PRIME CIRCLE XT-F lenses series design has an ultra-lightweight Ergo-Focus gear for follow-focus, featuring also an extra-grip ergonomic ring when using the camera on the run in hand-held focus mode (or still photo mode), a Front Mount 95mm standard (all the lens sizes) ring-mount for matte-boxes and cine-style accessories, plus an aluminum cap with clear graphics displaying the lens size and f/aperture.
The PRIME-CIRCLE XT-F Front Mount is designed to match exactly the ZF.2 lenses and the circular grooves offers the best solution to prevent internal reflections and flares when using large flat surface optical filters in matte-boxes: a solution used in expensive cinematography primes lenses.
The PRIME-CIRCLE XT-F Front-Mount is designed to offer full-frame 24X36mm coverage with ZF.2 18mm f/3,5. and 15mm f/2,8! The X-Circle F-Mount stainless steel heavy-duty bayonet features “Side Index View” for focus and aperture scales on the side (cine-style) of the lens barrel and the sophisticated F-Mount Cine-Lock Bayonet for cine-style locking of the lens on the camera. A real important step ahead to cinematographers demanding for precise follow-focus work with F-Mount cameras. The PRIME-CIRCLE XT-F are custom mounted ZF.2 lenses offering “in-house” assembling by professional and passionate technicians. The XT-F Custom Series also offers a “Side Code Barrel” displaying with clear graphics the lens size for immediate coding of the lens mounted on the camera! Another solution inspired by cinematography primes! On movie production sets the lens size has always to be reported into the “camera shooting log form”, that’s why the lens size is displayed clearly on the side of the PRIME-CIRCLE XT-F lens barrel. Aperture ring de-click and dampening for a wonderful “shift on the fly” manual exposure control! Also aperture simulator ring on the camera has “no interference” innovative design. An aluminum custom cap with enhanced graphics for front lens size coding and rear professional lens cap is supplyed with the lens. PRIME CIRCLE XT-F Custom Lens focal lengths: 2,8/15mm 3,5/18mm, 2,8/21mm, 2,0/25mm, 2.0/28mm, 1,4/35mm, 1,4/50mm, 1,4/85mm, 2,0/100mm Makro, 2,0 50mm Makro…and really soon the APOchromatic 2,0/135mm. Several different XT-F PRO Kits will be available with PRIME-CIRCLE custom flight-cases (also hand baggage size) for tough protection during transportation. An innovative matte-box (MAT-BOX), that covers the 18mm/3,5 angle of view on Full Frame 24X36, featuring Sliding Compensation of ZF.2 lenses was designed to match perfectly the PRIME CIRCLE XT lenses. PRIME-CIRCLE XT-F Custom Lens can be ordered now, delivered worldwide after 3 to 4 weeks.
