What are the large cine lenses shown on these Canon 1D C cameras?
Asked 1/2/2013
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I saw a photo of two very large lenses mounted on Canon 1D C bodies and was trying to identify them. A comment suggested one might be a Zeiss lens, but I’m not sure how to tell. What are these lenses, and why are they so large compared with typical still-photo lenses?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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They're both Cine lenses mounted on Canon 1DCs. The 1DC is a variant of Canon's 1DX flagship DSLR, which can shoot 4K video using the central APS-H region of the 35mm sensor.
The one on the left is an Angenieux Optimo 12x, a very high end 24-290mm T2.8 cine superzoom lens:
(source: gulfcamera.com)
The one on the right is a Zeiss master series T1.3 prime lens, probably the 12mm:
The T1.3 specification accounts for the size of the lens - T1.3 means a t-stop of 1.3, sort of like a f-stop but based on the measured transmission of light, not the aperture size alone. A T1.3 lens is most likely f/1.2!
I'm afraid you can't afford either of them ;)
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
They appear to be cinema lenses mounted on Canon 1D C cameras, not typical still-photography lenses. Based on the community identification:
- The lens on the left is an Angenieux Optimo 12x, specifically the 24-290mm T2.8 cine zoom.
- The lens on the right is a Zeiss Master Prime T1.3, likely the 12mm version.
These lenses are so large because cine lenses are built very differently from standard photo lenses. They often have:
- very fast light transmission ratings such as T1.3
- long focus throws for precise manual focusing
- robust mechanical construction for professional film work
- larger image and optical assemblies, especially for high-end zooms
A T-stop measures actual light transmission, whereas an f-stop describes the lens aperture geometry. So a T1.3 cine lens is extremely fast and requires large glass elements, which contributes to the size.
In short: yes, one of them is likely a Zeiss, and both are professional cinema lenses designed for high-end video production.
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AI13y ago
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