Lenses have historically garnered higher attention within the motion picture film world than in television production. The cine lens has long been recognized as the central image creator and primary arbiter of the special look sought for different program genres. A broad lingua franca has emerged in attempts to describe such looks. Directors of photography and assistant camera operator speak of the personality of a cine lens. This discussion has intensified in the digital cinematography era. Four next-generation cine zoom lenses and six prime lenses are central to the first phase of the Canon Cinema electro-optical system (EOS) digital cinematography system. This paper focuses specifically on the primary considerations in the new cine zoom lens designs. All of the lenses have been designed to meet optical specifications that conform to contemporary 4K-resolution digital production standards. Reducing size and weight were prime design imperatives, which escalated the optical design challenges. The contemporary cine lens is bound up in complex technologies. The multidimensional performance aspects of the optical image projected by the lens onto the camera image sensor are inextricably tied to the multiple variables inherent to these remarkably complex optical systems. The paper describes contributions of separate optical performance parameters to the personality of the cine zoom lenses in the context of attempting to meet, to the degree possible, recommendations of international directors of photography for a cinematic aesthetic. The introduction of unusual optical design strategies to achieve these requests is outlined. Recognition of the growing application of high-performance cine zoom lenses as variable prime lenses became a central imperative to the design of the four cine zoom lenses—in terms of both their collective focal ranges and the unusually high-performance goals set for each.
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