Posted by Top Teks on 25th Apr 2017
ZEISS CP3 & CP3 XD Lens Family
ZEISS announce new cine lens family giving Hollywood Technology to everyone
New ZEISS CP.3 XD Cine Lens Family: "Hollywood Technology for Everyone"
The ten compact prime lenses provide metadata and enable the correction of distortion and shading. For the first time, even low-budget productions can employ visual effects.
No matter if it is Star Wars, Harry Potter or Avatar: these days, just about every film features special effects. For many small film productions, having visual effects in their movie would be a dream come true. Unfortunately, making the image fit the look of the footage has required expensive tools – until now. At the NAB Show in Las Vegas, ZEISS presented new metadata technology that makes this possible: the company has equipped its new ZEISS CP.3 XD compact lens family with ZEISS eXtended Data.
ZEISS eXtended Data supports and enhances /i-Technology
What exactly is this? "ZEISS eXtended Data is the first metadata technology which stores the lens distortion and shading – for every single frame," explains Christophe Casenave, Product Manager at ZEISS. "Moreover, all /i-Technology metadata is recorded, including the focus distance, aperture value and depth of field, which is supported by most cameras." This makes the technology ideal for working with visual effects: by using the metadata, it just takes a few clicks to modify the image generated on the computer to fit the lens characteristics, and to then splice it together with the footage to create a realistic image. Distortion and shading can be corrected or even amplified in post-production.
"It used to be that only big blockbusters could take this approach," says Casenave. "Cine lenses that provide metadata are relatively expensive and, up until now, distortion and shading had to be manually measured – a time-consuming and expensive process." However, since ZEISS has incorporated the technology into its compact CP.3 XD cine lens family, low-budget productions can now take the same approach to creating their own special effects. "With ZEISS eXtended Data, we are offering Hollywood technology for everyone, providing small film teams with new creative opportunities."
An end-to-end solution: cooperation with Ambient and Pomfort
With the ZEISS CP.3 XD, ZEISS not only offers the lenses with metadata, but has also given thought to storage and processing. It has teamed up with partners in the industry: the company Ambient has developed the MasterLockit Plus system together with ZEISS. It records all metadata along with a time code in case the technology is not supported by the camera. "This way everyone can work with ZEISS eXtended Data, no matter what equipment they use," says Casenave.
Thanks to the cooperation with the software developer Pomfort, distortion and shading can be modified on the set in real-time using the Pomfort tool LiveGrade Pro. The film crew already gets a sense of what the final look will be during the shoot. The film clips and lens data can be consolidated and organised with Silverstack, Pomfort's file manager.
ZEISS plans to further expand the new metadata technology in the future. "Our customers will then be able to upgrade to the new version, making the CP.3 XD a long-term investment," says Casenave.
The ten compact prime lenses provide metadata and enable the correction of distortion and shading. For the first time, even low-budget productions can employ visual effects.
No matter if it is Star Wars, Harry Potter or Avatar: these days, just about every film features special effects. For many small film productions, having visual effects in their movie would be a dream come true. Unfortunately, making the image fit the look of the footage has required expensive tools – until now. At the NAB Show in Las Vegas, ZEISS presented new metadata technology that makes this possible: the company has equipped its new ZEISS CP.3 XD compact lens family with ZEISS eXtended Data.
ZEISS eXtended Data supports and enhances /i-Technology
What exactly is this? "ZEISS eXtended Data is the first metadata technology which stores the lens distortion and shading – for every single frame," explains Christophe Casenave, Product Manager at ZEISS. "Moreover, all /i-Technology metadata is recorded, including the focus distance, aperture value and depth of field, which is supported by most cameras." This makes the technology ideal for working with visual effects: by using the metadata, it just takes a few clicks to modify the image generated on the computer to fit the lens characteristics, and to then splice it together with the footage to create a realistic image. Distortion and shading can be corrected or even amplified in post-production.
"It used to be that only big blockbusters could take this approach," says Casenave. "Cine lenses that provide metadata are relatively expensive and, up until now, distortion and shading had to be manually measured – a time-consuming and expensive process." However, since ZEISS has incorporated the technology into its compact CP.3 XD cine lens family, low-budget productions can now take the same approach to creating their own special effects. "With ZEISS eXtended Data, we are offering Hollywood technology for everyone, providing small film teams with new creative opportunities."
An end-to-end solution: cooperation with Ambient and Pomfort
With the ZEISS CP.3 XD, ZEISS not only offers the lenses with metadata, but has also given thought to storage and processing. It has teamed up with partners in the industry: the company Ambient has developed the MasterLockit Plus system together with ZEISS. It records all metadata along with a time code in case the technology is not supported by the camera. "This way everyone can work with ZEISS eXtended Data, no matter what equipment they use," says Casenave.
Thanks to the cooperation with the software developer Pomfort, distortion and shading can be modified on the set in real-time using the Pomfort tool LiveGrade Pro. The film crew already gets a sense of what the final look will be during the shoot. The film clips and lens data can be consolidated and organised with Silverstack, Pomfort's file manager.
ZEISS plans to further expand the new metadata technology in the future. "Our customers will then be able to upgrade to the new version, making the CP.3 XD a long-term investment," says Casenave.
| ZEISS CP.3 XD | ||
| Focal length | Recommended retail price (GBP exc VAT) | Available from |
| 15 mm/T2.9 XD | £5,563 | September |
| 18 mm/T2.9 XD | £5,041 | September |
| 21 mm/T2.9 XD | £4,345 | September |
| 25 mm/T2.1 XD | £4,345 | September |
| 28 mm/T2.1 XD | £4,345 | October |
| 35 mm/T2.1 XD | £4,345 | September |
| 50 mm/T2.1 XD | £4,345 | September |
| 85 mm/T2.1 XD | £4,345 | September |
| 100 mm/T2.1 XD | £5,041 | September |
| 135 mm/T2.1 XD | £5,563 | September |
| ZEISS CP.3 | ||
| Focal length | Recommended retail price (GBP exc VAT) | Available from |
| 15 mm/T2.9 | £4,263 | September |
| 18 mm/T2.9 | £3,741 | July |
| 21 mm/T2.9 | £3,045 | June |
| 25 mm/T2.1 | £3,045 | June |
| 28 mm/T2.1 | £3,045 | October |
| 35 mm/T2.1 | £3,045 | June |
| 50 mm/T2.1 | £3,045 | June |
| 85 mm/T2.1 | £3,045 | June |
| 100 mm/T2.1 | £3,741 | September |
| 135 mm/T2.1 | £4,263 | September |