We’ve been watching the rise of cameras like the Alexa 265, Fujifilm Eterna (Fujifilm’s medium format cinema-sensor system), and the Blackmagic URSA 65, along with a growing number of brands introducing dedicated Medium Format lenses and cine systems. You guys at Old Fast Glass are pretty much the North Star of our community, what do you predict will happen with Medium Format over the next few years?
I think we should address the naming conventions, because it might be confusing to anyone who isn’t familiar with both still photography and cinematography naming conventions. “Medium Format” comes from the stills world and refers to 6x6 (56x56mm), 6x7, 6x8, 6x9, and 645 film cameras and lenses, that use 120 film. The negatives are many times larger than “Full Frame,” which has become the most common name for the 135 film format (35mm film with a 24x36mm image area). Thanks to ARRI (sorry to call you out ARRI) many are now calling Full Frame cinema “large format,” which is actually smaller than “medium format!” In the still world “large format” typically refers to 4x5” and 8x10” cameras. I just want to put that out there, because some people are referring to all these new larger sensor cameras and lenses as “Large Format” and some are referring to them as “Medium Format.” As long as we understand that these new sensors are much larger than our industry standard FF/LF/VV digital cameras.
From my perspective as a cinematographer, and rental house owner, there are two big issues with this approach. Most medium format lenses...
Let’s talk about the Ancient Optics Statera
There are not as many spherical lens options for Medium Format as there are for FF and S35. There are even fewer Anamorphic options. Maybe 3 or 4 viable options currently. So we're excited that some of the STATERA focal lengths are a viable option with these new larger sensors. STATERA Anamorphic are new lenses that were originally designed for FF sensors like Alexa Mini LF and Sony Venice. Their look is inspired by 1970s anamorphic lenses like Cineovision, Todd AO, Xtal Xpress, etc. However, they are higher resolution, have better edge performance, focus much...
