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Zeiss Supreme Zoom Radiance: Hello Blue Flares
- Author: Sam Jorgensen
Zeiss & Cine Visuals Present: Zeiss Supreme Radiance Zoom
Cinematic Heritage
Zeiss supplies what filmmakers want and prepares for the future of what they may need. With the rise of Full Frame as well as the desire for vintage glass, Zeiss took a look at their optics and went to work. In 2018, Zeiss brought the Supreme Primes to the world. Clean, modern, and filled with technical mastery. These lenses were designed with Full Frame coverage, just at a time when the desire and need for this was budding. Zeiss has always been on the edge of innovation, both leading the world forward with new technologies while listening to the needs and desires of filmmakers. However, at this same time a different longing grew in the film world. Cinematographers looked to the past for inspiration and their hearts wished for the beautiful look of the films they grew up with. A desire for more characteristics in the optics they used grew. Many turned to vintage glass for the solution, however many had outdated mechanical designs. Rehousing is always an option, but can be difficult to source glass and expensive to design custom new housings. The ever-innovative Zeiss went to work.
In November 2019, the Zeiss Supreme Prime Radiance were announced at Camerimage. An explosive moment. Supreme Primes had already quickly gained a reputation for their beauty and reliability. The Supreme Prime Radiance brought that soulful character into the lens with advanced T* blue coatings. These emphasized the classic Zeiss blue flares and highlighted characteristics. The major key to these lenses was how they could be paired with the original Supreme Primes for a clean look that could also match a more expressive look with the same base. A brilliant and well-needed pairing for the industry.
Yet, that was not enough. The need for zoom lenses is ever present. Both zooms and primes offer different benefits for different situations. However, the difficult part is finding zooms that can match the primes for those times when a zoom is needed. Such was the case with the release of the Zeiss Supreme Prime Radiance. In late 2024, Zeiss announced that not only one, but three zooms would be released to match the primes. 15-30mm, 28-80mm, and 70-200mm. The Zeiss Supreme Zoom Radiance Trio gave filmmakers the same iconic look of the Primes, now in flexible zoom options. A wide-angle, a mid-range, and a telephoto zoom. The Supreme Zoom Radiance rounds out the Supreme Radiance line and gives full flexibility for cinematographers in their work.
Image Fidelity & Focus
Zeiss Supreme Radiance Zooms have a prime-like quality about them. Zoom lenses are incredibly complex to craft. Often, there are certain points in the overall range that have better sharpness than others. A bit of softness, especially at the ends of the zoom range, is not uncommon. However, in order to make a zoom that truly matched their zoom counterparts, Zeiss worked diligently for years to re-create the Supreme Radiance Primes as a flexible zoom lens option. From end-to-end of the focal range the image maintains the same sharpness. However, the sharpness is not clinical as many modern lenses suffer from. There is a gentle balance to them that handles the bridge between sharpness and natural expression. Embedded in these lenses are an organic rendition that brings gentle focus falloff from center sharpness that helps bring a roundness to the image in the most subtle way that feels pleasing to the human eye.
Part of the T* blue coatings, the Supreme Radiance line has a bit more color separation than their regular Supreme counterparts. Skin tones are cared for with more warmth and smoothness giving an organic, natural feeling to the subjects. People feel warmer and with a gentler, smoother quality. However, areas of the image that lean cooler and pushed farther in that direction, giving a pleasing contrast across the image. Additionally, the overall contrast in the image is strong without being overbearing, creating an excellent image that has both the flexibility for change in post or beautiful presentation right out of the gate.
Handling & Adaptability
In order to create a nice range to match with the Primes, the Zeiss Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses cover a total focal range of 15-200mm. Each zoom has its own area that it specializes in. The 15-30mm is a zoom that is a workhorse on the wide angle range. Flexibility in this range is sometimes overlooked. Zoom lenses’ main on-set advantage is their ability to quickly change focal lengths for the frame, without a lens swap. However, sometimes the wide end of the range can be neglected with many high-end zooms prioritizing the telephoto end or only going into the early 20mm range. Having the 15-30mm is highly advantageous for quickly capturing wide shots that would otherwise require a lens swap or complicated camera movements, saving time and energy on-set. Next, is the 28-80mm. A more traditional focal range for zooms. From the end of wide angle lenses to the beginning of telephoto lenses, this mid-range zoom mostly prioritized normal lenses. As many shots live in this range, this is a reason many zooms are designed with a similar range. Other zoom sets, such as the Sigma Zooms which are excellent lenses, but they separate their focal range right in the middle of the normal range. Sometimes, this central cut-off can be cumbersome as much of the lens swaps with a prime would happen in that middle range, causing assistants to swap between the two zooms anyway. With the Zeiss Supreme Zoom Radiance, each zoom is focused on a specific range that saves time on set. With that final range being the 70-200mm – the telephoto zoom. In a similar manner to the wide angle 15-30mm zoom, the 70-200mm prioritizes one end of the range of lenses without dipping too much into the normal range. For moments where the cinematographer knows they are doing a telephoto shot, this gives them the true flexibility to find the frame in this range. These focal ranges, together as a trio, are an incredibly well-thought out design on the part of Zeiss.
Each zoom has a front diameter of 114mm. A great size for camera assistants to work with. These match the 18mm and 135mm of the Supreme Prime Radiance. The rest of the primes in the set have a 95mm front diameter. For workflow, this is a dream. Across 14 separate lenses with the combined prime and zoom lenses there are only two front diameters that a camera assistant needs to work with. Five lenses with a 114mm and nine with 95mm front diameter. With this, the Supreme Prime Radiance Zooms are incredible for on-set workflow. Both the 15-30mm and 28-80mm have a length of 7.80”. For a telephoto lens with this many glass elements in them, with such high quality care and detail, the 70-200mm measures an impressive 9.10”. Each lens weighs between 6.50 and 7.10 lbs, giving them an added bonus of being lighter than many zoom lenses of this equivalent quality. In essence, the Zeiss Supreme Zoom Radiance are excellent for user-friendly and efficient workflow.
Image Circle
Zeiss Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses have been crafted to match the modern era. Full Frame is on the rise and both high-end and mid-range cinema cameras now contain large format sensors. Inspired by VistaVision, Full Frame sensors typically need a 43.3mm image circle to completely cover the sensor without vignetting. Such cameras with this size are the ARRI Alexa Mini LF (perhaps one of the most widely used cameras in production today alongside its S35mm sibling, the Alexa35), the Alexa LF, the Sony’s Burano, FX9, FX6, FX3, Venice 1 & 2 as well as the RED Raptor VV – amongst others. Even traditional VistaVision motion picture film shot with previously archived Beaumont cameras have surged in popularity in recent years with movies like “The Brutalist” and “One Battle After Another”. Zeiss is aware of the needs of filmmakers and have brought Full Frame coverage to the Zeiss Supreme Zoom Radiance. Each zoom has an impressive 46.3mm image circle, more than enough to cover Full Frame. This ensures that the lenses are both present and focused on the moment as well as future proofed for ever developing cameras, such as the new Fujifilm Eterna 55 with its medium format sensor (available for rent here at Cine Visuals). Zeiss Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses have the designs to solve the problems of today by looking for inspiration from the past while making themselves a viable and beautiful lens for years to come. Impressive innovation on the part of Zeiss.
Flare & Bokeh
When light sources interact with the lens, deep blue flares scan across the image. Zeiss worked hard to bring these flares into the image to create an artful rendition. These flares are reminiscent of the blue Zeiss flares of the B-Speed and Super Speed days but have their own modern take on them. Dazzling circles spread across the frame without overwhelming it. Zeiss purposefully tested and crafted these flares to bring an artistic touch to the Supreme Radiance line while giving cinematographers strong control over the image. Flaring is contained into strong, saturated blue rings with highly translucent centers that maintain a touch of that added coolness. Bokeh is handled gently. With large bubbly bokeh wide open that quickly become contained once stopped down. A strength of many Zeiss lenses is their deep focal plane separation. This creates sharp subjects that are backdropped by painterly bokeh. This creates a beautiful rendition of colors that highlight the subject.
These lenses are available for rent at Cine Visuals. For inquiries or testing appointments email info@cinevisuals.com or call (323) 244-2552.