Band Pro Unveil New Leica Lenses At IBC

At IBC in Amsterdam, visitors to the Band Pro stand were able to take a closer look at the Leica Summilux-C lenses on various PL mount cameras such as Sony SRW-9000PL, Arri Alexa and the new RED EPIC.
Ted Schilowitz from RED provided live demonstrations of a working EPIC camera and Leica Summilux-C lens during the show.
Band Pro announced the market entry of Leica camera into the motion picture industry at NAB earlier this year and said that much anticipation had been generated about these new cine lenses as a result.
The Leica team had to make sure that the lenses were compatible with all major PL mount camera suppliers. After much internal and external testing, the feedback was clear.
Alfred Schopf, Former CEO of ARRI camera and now CEO of Leica Camera AG in Solms, said: "We are happy to announce that our Leica Summilux-C Lenses show exceptionally good optical performance on all PL mount 35mm electronic cine cameras. To put it simply, these lenses show brilliant pictures on every camera tested."
The groundbreaking new Leica Summilux-C PL mount primes are designed to deliver ultra-high optical performance for film and digital capture.
The T1.4 primes employ a unique multi-aspheric design and high-precision cine lens mechanics to provide unmatched flat field illumination across the entire 35mm frame and suppression of colour fringing in the farthest corners of the frame with no discernible breathing.
All Leica Summilux-C lenses share a uniform length, 95mm threaded lens front, advanced distance focus scales, and similar location of focus and iris rings - which allow quick interchange of lenses in a bust production environment. Lightweight yet rugged, the mount is manufactured from high-strength titanium. Leica Summilux-C lenses weigh between 1.6-1.8kg (3.5 and 4 lbs).
The ramp-up of volume production is running at full speed and delivery is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2010 for the first eight focal lengths (18, 21, 25, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100mm) of the lens series.
(KMcA)