Fujinon announced the Premista 19-45mm T2.9, a lightweight wide large-format cinema zoom lens. The new 19-45mm T2.9 joins two other Fujinon Premista lenses, the 28-100mm T2.9 and the 80-250mm T2.9, to make a well rounded three lens set. Fujinon developed the Premista series designed to cover large-format sensors.

Premista Shoot Out

Following the example of some notable cinematographers, Roger Deakins comes to mind, who mostly shoot on prime lenses; the industry as a whole leaned more to prime lenses thinking the choice could, in some way, help their cinematography. If it’s good enough for Deakins, it’s good enough for me, or that was/is the mindset.

Fujinon manufactures zoom lenses. So you can see why the zoom lens manufacturer wants to break the prime lens=success myth. In a shoot out, shown below, Fujinon and the Premista Zoom Lenses faced off against a nameless ” High-End Large Format Primes.” You can watch the results below to see what you think. I think the Premista does a great job and shows cinematographers that maybe a zoom can be just as good as a prime lens. Of course, I could just be speculating because Fujinon also showed off the Premista’s against a “modern cinema zoom.”

19-45mm Size/Weight

One of the apparent differences between a Zoom and Prime is the size of the actual lens. The Premista 19-45mm T2.9 is a short, lightweight wide-angle lens that may fit nicely on Steadicams, cranes, and anywhere space may be tight.

The 19-45mm T2.9 measures 230mm long, whereas the 28-100 and 80-250mm come in at 250mm. The 19-45 weighs in at 7.3 lb, which is slightly less than the 28-100mm and 80-250mm.

All three of the Premista lenses have a 280° of focus rotation and a 114mm front diameter. The 19-45 has a close focus of 24″. The lens also sports a 4-Pin LEMO Data port for compatibility with ZEISS eXtended Data and Cooke /i Technology.

Price

The Premista 19-45mm is listed to be released in early 2021. We do not have a price for the 19-45mm yet, but the 28-100 and the 80-250mm come around $39,000ish.