Angenieux 35mm Optimo Film Lenses Enhance New Era of Production at TV Globo

“Angenieux’s Optimo zoom lenses on the 35mm digital cameras really give us a measurable upgrade in the quality of the images,” said Marcos Senna, Engineering Manager for TV Globo. “The optical performance of the lens is incredible and they harmonize perfectly with the camera, both on location when we do hand-held shots and in staged studio productions.”

Recognized globally for their production of telenovelas and other compelling television content, TV Globo purchased 17 Angenieux Optimo 35mm film lenses, including the Academy Award® winning 15-40mm and 28-76mm lenses and the industry standard 24-290mm model, after completing a rigorous series of field tests on them. Mr. Senna notes that TV Globo had previously rented the Angenieux 24-290mm zoom lens for a shoot. Globo had also used Angenieux large format zoom lenses when they first purchased their digital cinema cameras and were impressed with the quality and performance of the lenses.

“We evaluated various manufacturers’ lenses during the test period, based on our criteria of optical features, performance, weight and handling,” said Mr. Senna. “The Optimo lenses met all of our needs and, taking into consideration our previous good experiences in using them, we concluded that the Angenieux lenses were best suited to support our pioneering digital cinema operations.”

Telenovelas, which are popular Latin American programs, have also become very popular globally and Brazil is one of the largest television exporters in the world. TV Globo’s massive studio complex in Rio de Janeiro is home to the production of approximately 2,500 hours of programming (equal to more than 1,200 feature-length films) each year, including telenovelas, serials, reality shows, comedies and children’s entertainment shows.

Along with the telenovela “Passione,” the new Angenieux lenses have also been used in TV Globo’s production of the original television medical drama, “A Cura” (The Cure), filmed on location in the interior of Brazil. For both productions, Mr. Senna notes that the precision of the Angenieux lenses significantly reduced the number of common issues regarding procedural decisions and constraints such as lighting or blocking that are inherent in location shooting.

He says, “We do a lot of hand-held shooting when on location and the 15-40 and 28-76 lenses are perfect for this type of production because they weigh less than 2 kilos. In addition, filming on location and shooting in different countries can be rugged. In all circumstances and under all conditions, the Angenieux lenses performed brilliantly.”

Mr. Senna adds that studio productions have also been enhanced with new angles, focus pulls and more sophisticated action sequences using the Optimo 24-290 zoom lens. And because of the zoom range of the lens when it’s used on a crane, they can do a full day of production with a single lens which saves enormous amounts of valuable time.

The Angenieux Optimo 24-290mm zoom lens offers constant superior levels of optical performance across its entire zoom range as well as impressive contrast and color reproduction that rivals the highest performing prime lenses. The design of the Optimo 24-290mm lens completely eliminates breathing and ramping and its focus engravings are large and precise, making focus pulling easier for camera operators. The minimum object distance for the Optimo 24-290mm zoom is 1.22m/4ft and the lens weighs in at 11kg/24.25 lbs.

Weighing only 4.4 pounds, the Optimo 15-40mm Hand Held Zoom Lens has a range of 15-40mm (diagonal 31.1mm), a minimum object distance (MOD) of two feet and offers constant superior levels of optical performance across the entire 2.7X zoom range. An extremely fast aperture speed of T2.6 provides a very narrow depth of field and allows shooting across a vast lighting range. The lens features mechanics designed for precision and durability and incorporates an exclusive optical design to avoid breathing. It’s contrast and color reproduction rival the highest performing prime lenses.

The Optimo 28-76mm Lens features an extremely fast (f/2.4) and consistent aperture speed of T2.6 throughout the zoom range, for improved shooting across various lighting conditions. Along with impressive contrast and color reproduction, the sophisticated design of the Optimo 28-76 incorporates an exclusive optical design to avoid breathing. Features designed for the professional user also include a 320-degree focus rotation with more than 25 witness marks for maximum accuracy. The lens is available with both PL and Panavision mounts and features a range of 28–76mm (2.7X zoom ratio) and a close focus range of 0.6m – 2 feet.

About Angenieux

Angenieux offers a full complement of high precision lenses for a wide range ofbroadcast and video production applications, including: Optimo Series Lenses for themost demanding HDTV and 35mm production applications; High Definition (HD) Series cine-style, wide angle and studio lenses; High Resolution (HR) Series for all-purpose ENG lenses including economically priced HD-e series; Studio and Sports/Outside Broadcast (OB) lenses.