SIGMA has announced its new Aizu Primes, which they are claiming are the world’s first large-format cinema lenses to have a constant T1.3 aperture across all focal lengths. The lenses will be available in either PL or Sony E mount.
All of the lenses cover a ⌀46.3mm image circle, ensuring full coverage not only for full-frame and Super 35 formats, but also for the latest large-format cameras such as the ARRI ALEXA LF Open Gate and VistaVision.
Filmed by Kanamé Onoyama
Director Interview
Love is a universal theme, yet it takes countless forms. In this project, I aimed to capture its essence through a sequence of short, emotionally impactful scenes within a five-minute film. This was more than just a lens performance test-it was an exploration of how the lens would resonate with human emotions. Love is complex. It can be passionate, familial, platonic, unfulfilled, or even transform into hatred or jealousy. This film weaved together these different facets, challenging the Sigma Aizu Prime Line to capture the subtlest nuances of human emotion.
This project was to balance cinematic beauty with the realism of improvised performances. The primary shooting style was handheld, with other styles selectively used where needed. Depending on the scene, we shot on 35mm film for a classic cinematic look. Having the Sony Venice 2 as a main camera, for travel sequences, the Sony FX3 allowed for spontaneous filming without special permits, making full use of natural light and ambient sound for immersive storytelling.
The crew was kept to a taxi-sized team, with additional assistants or technicians brought in only for larger equipment needs. This approach ensured efficiency while capturing a wide variety of locations and subjects in a short time.
Director DP: Kanamé Onoyama
Editor: Julie Gaufreteau
Editor: Vincent Fleischmann
Editing House: Everest
Studio Mastering: 42
According to SIGMA, the Aizu Primes combine modern sharpness with an organic and naturally soft look.
The lineup will eventually consist of 12 focal lengths ranging from 18mm to 125mm. The initial release includes 8 lenses with focal lengths from 25mm to 75mm.
All lenses in the Aizu Prime lineup feature an optical system developed specifically for cinema applications. The lenses are said to have modern sharpness, but still provide an organic look. Distortion and focus breathing are claimed to be minimized.
The Aizu Prime Line is designed as a system to cover a wide range of focal lengths from 18mm to 125mm. Initially, 8 core lenses ranging from 25mm to 75mm are being released, followed by 18mm and 21mm wide-angle lenses, and 100mm and 125mm telephoto lenses.
SIGMA states that all the lenses have consistent color balance, contrast, and flare characteristics.
The Aizu Prime lenses are relatively lightweight, weighing in at between 1.6-1.7kg / 3.5-3.7 lbs, allowing them to be used on a dolly, Steadicam, or gimbal and handheld operation.
The Aizu Prime lenses support ZEISS eXtended Data, offering real-time lens metadata during shooting. It also enables the export of distortion and shading correction data, streamlining workflows for VFX productions.
Specifications
Price & Availability
The lenses will retail for $8,299 USD each. The first 8 lenses in the series will be available in August.
