Welcome. Good day and good afternoon. Thank you for joining us. You are here today as specially invited guest to experience a first in the future of Sigma lens technology: the unveiling of a new cinema lens born from unmatched dedication in Aizu, Japan, designed with working cinematographers in mind. There's something symbolic about unveiling them at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, a place that honors cinema's history while we talk about its future. We're grateful to you for being part of this. You'll meet two accomplished cinematographers who shot with these lenses and see how they performed in real-world production. I'd like to thank Sigma America President Mark Amir Hamz and the entire Sigma team. My name is Horge Himenez, and I'm honored to be your host. This is a tribute to the soul of lensmaking, the poetry of precision, and the artistry of visual storytelling through glass. To begin, I'm honored to introduce a visionary leader who has made it his mission to elevate image making through optical excellence. Under his leadership, Sigma redefines what's possible as masters of optics. Please give a round of applause for Sigma CEO, Mr. Kazuto Yamaki.
Thank you, Hoh. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining. I am Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of Sigma. I'm excited to introduce our new cinema lenses. Before that, let me explain our company. Sigma is a family-owned business founded in 1961 in Tokyo by my father, Mihiaki. As a family-owned company, we can take a long-term perspective, focusing on highest quality and technical innovation rather than short-term profit. Sigma specializes only in imaging devices—cameras and lenses—because we love photography and film. We manufacture all products in a single factory in Aizu, Japan, ensuring the highest craftsmanship and quality control. Aizu is 300 km north of Tokyo, an area of natural beauty, rich history, and traditional culture. It's known for clean water from Mount Bandai, which is essential for polishing glass elements. Winters are harsh, with heavy snow, which has instilled a disciplined lifestyle in the people. They wake up early to clear snow. I live in Tokyo but visit the factory twice a month. I love the snow scenery, but the factory staff are tired of it. The people's focused attitude contributes to our high-precision manufacturing. Aizu is also known as the city of samurai. The first lord established 15 mottos in 1668, the first demanding absolute loyalty to the Tokugawa Shogun. People took it seriously for over 200 years. During the civil war, they resisted the new government despite little chance, leading to tragedy. I see that samurai spirit today in the people's loyalty and dedication, which contributes to our manufacturing capability. We started manufacturing in Aizu in 1973 and have accumulated technology over 50 years, making our factory a world premier lens producer. Every product achieves first-class quality with minimal variation. Now, please enjoy a movie from our Aizu factory.
Thank you very much for your kind attention. Now I'd like to introduce our brand new cinema lens: Aizu Prime. It's a set of prime lenses named after the place where our factory is located. Aizu Prime is the world's first T1.3 prime line for large format cinema cameras. The T1.3 aperture provides low-light capability, strong focus fall, and silky autofocus, delivering unprecedented beautiful imagery. The image circle of 46.3mm covers full-frame and larger formats like ARRI Alexa LF open gate and VistaVision. The set includes 12 lenses: 18mm, 21mm, 25mm, 27mm, 32mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65mm, 75mm, 100mm, and 125mm, all at T1.3. We start shipping eight lenses this year from 25mm to 65mm, with the rest to follow. Each lens has a new optical design for cinema, delivering a modern clean look with amazing resolution and natural bokeh. Our state-of-the-art technology minimizes chromatic aberration. Each lens has consistent color and rendering for streamlined post-production. They are designed for close-up shooting. We have a special team called the Ghostbusters who reduce flare and ghosting while maintaining natural flare for aesthetic character. Despite the fast aperture, each lens is compact and lightweight, weighing 1.6 to 1.7 kg. They have 270-degree focus rotation and are compatible with Zeiss extended data. The price is $8,299 each. I hope this line enables new visual expression. Also, an update on our AF cinema lens: we announced the 28-45mm T2.0 AFC frame at IBC 2024. After positive response and feedback, we decided to change some parts, so it's still under development but should launch later this year. Additionally, we started development of the 28-105mm T3.0 AFC full-frame lens with a wider zoom range and high autofocus performance, suitable for single-person operation to full-scale film shooting. We have a working sample here for you to try. Thank you for your attention.
Another round of applause for Sigma CEO, Mr. Kazuto Yamaki. Thank you. And now we're going to watch a film from a cinematographer whose body of work is visually poetic—documentaries, music videos, and major productions like Crazy Tiger, Top Boy, Say Nothing, and The Conselected. A member of the French Society of Cinematographers, his use of natural light drives emotional landscapes. Please enjoy the film by Kaname Onoyama, AFC.
Wow. At this time, I'd like to invite Kaname Onoyama, AFC. Come on up. Please introduce yourself. What can you tell us about this emotionally heartwarming film we just saw? Start with the title. What do you wish our audience to know?
Thank you very much for coming today. I feel privileged to be part of this event and lens testing project. I'm a cinematographer based in Paris. I was introduced to Sigma through a rental company, Vizet Paris. They told me about the new lenses—T1.3 compact full-frame high-quality cinema lenses. I immediately thought they would be incredible for performance and useful for capturing emotions. I work on narrative projects, music videos, commercials, documentaries. Every project starts with choosing the right camera and lens. There's no one good lens for everything. I wanted to test how this lens captures emotions. I collected diverse materials and realized the common theme is love. I pitched a film about love, with diverse characters and locations. I shot in LA, Paris, and Japan, meeting many people. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing that. It came across very well in the film. I found it interesting that you chose to make a film about emotion because these lenses capture that well—the close-ups, intimacy. You depicted different scenes and landscapes very well. We'll talk more in Q&A. Thank you for sharing that emotionally touching piece. All right, we'll see some BTS. Next, I'd like to introduce a cinematographer whose work includes The Tick, Sneaky Pete, Hunters, Millers and Marriage, and Long Bright River. A member of the ASC, his visual language is immersive and confident. Please welcome William Rexer, ASC.
Thank you. So, what we're about to see are three scenes from Ed Burns' latest movie, revisiting Brothers McMullen from 30 years ago. Same cast with next generation. He allowed us to use this. Still cutting the film, so these are rough scenes, unmixed, uncolor corrected. You'll see how the lenses work in a romantic comedy. We were not wide open, usually at a 2.8/4 split for depth of field. We used Alexa 265 with a Kipon 1.3 adapter. You'll see many characteristics. Watch the footage and we can talk.
Thanksgiving dinner dialogue: 'Looking freaking bird or what? Nice.' Conversation about Patty's boyfriend, family dynamics, and arrival of guests. Includes 'Santa Baby'.
Romantic scene: 'Seriously, dude, you're going to make me cry.' Exchange of love confessions and dancing.
Behind-the-scenes explanation: using 65 and 75mm lenses for the dance work, black glimmer glass, green tag to protect lenses. Asks about challenges capturing movement.
Fan of previous Sigma lenses. Noted magical contrast in the 65mm, three-dimensionality. Tested with Tim Norman, consistently felt more depth.
Sigma team also noticed the look; guest mentioned impressionism with soft subject and beautiful falloff.
Used Kipon adapter at T4, rarely wide open. Police made them remove lights, had to adapt quickly with 45 minutes for the scene.
Asked if losing lights changed the director's vision.
Originally wanted darker foreground with three-quarter backlight, but had to compromise.
Thanked speakers and CEO, introduced Q&A, invited them on stage.
Handed mic, started session.
Acknowledged Kazuto's presentation, noted Sigma's dedication and Ghostbusters team for flare control. Asked inspiration behind new cinema lens line.
Existing lenses were rehoused still lenses. After 2017, high-end projects used them, motivating us to create a dedicated cinema lens from scratch.
Asked about specific needs addressed for filmmakers, referenced Instagram live with a cinematographer, then opened question to panel about how these lenses stand out.
Tested 15 lens sets with 5 camera bodies. Narrowed to four sets through blind tests with director. Emotional response led to Sigma winning out. Used similar process with earlier lenses; in Budapest they beat competitors for a candle-lit film.
Asked Konami for his thoughts.
Started testing in Paris, then rushed in LA with Sony FX3. Lens compactness allowed stealth shooting. Fred optician confirmed optical quality. Later tested on Venice 2; skin texture natural, flare enhanced emotion. Loved the new focal lengths (27, 32, 75).
