Last Updated on 04/05/2013 by Felix Esser
There are news announcements and then there are news announcements. Some get us all excited, and some leave us indifferent. And then, there are news announcements. Today’s is one of the latter, and these are the ones that makes us go, “what the heck?!?” Apparently, a hitherto unknown company by the name of ‘LockCircle’ has decided that what filmmakers need is a remote control which they can use to annoy their cameramen with. Because their just-announced product is a series of lenses with a remote controllable aperture. Yup. And they come with a remote control that looks like a PocketWizard.
In their press release, LockCircle writes that, ” [t]he Prime Circle XE System is a complete range of innovative prime lenses with electronic aperture and wireless control up to 300 ft.” While the lenses look just like your common everyday cinema lens, the “aperture can be controlled wirelessly directly from the d.o.p. chair in front of the control monitor.” I am sure this is what filmmakers all over the world have been waiting for all these years, but were afraid to ask for. Right?
However useful this feature may be, the remaining specs of the Prime Circle XE Systems are quite impressive. The lenses come with focal lengths raning from 15mm to 135mm and feature Carl Zeiss optics, cine-style focus scales on both sides of the lens barrel, and 95mm front mount across all the lenses sizes. For starters, the lenses will be available in Canon EF-mount, with Micro Four Thirds versions to follow shortly.
The remote control unit (which is in fact not a PocketWizard–it only looks like one) has an integrated rechargeable battery for up to 18 hours of continuos shooting, and offers LiveView On/Off, a focus function recalling wide open aperture for precise focus check, and a start/stop Rec button. Furthermore, the integrated OLED display “can be checked in total sunlight or in total darkness!” (sic! They actually put an exclamation mark behind that sentence.)
Neither price nor availability of these exclusive filmmakers’ tools have been disclosed yet. Our guess: if you have to ask, you won’t be able to afford them anyway. Because you can’t even afford a proper cameraman, obviously.
Via dpreview.
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