What Even is a ‘Cinema’ Lens, Anyway?

If you, like me, are prone to idly perusing the catalogs of your favorite camera store searching for the next bit of kit to add to your collection, you’ve probably stumbled into the “Professional Video” section and been absolutely bowled over by how much money one can spend on literally anything in this category. In the still photography field, the most cutting-edge flagship mirrorless camera tops out at around the $6,000 mark. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a lot of money, enough to put such equipment out of reach for all but the most passionate or affluent of enthusiasts, or working professionals who stand to expand their capabilities, and therefore make more money, from the purchase. Aside from some flavor of storage media and a lens to go with it, that $6,000 is really all you need to spend to end up with a fully functional top-of-the-line setup that is only limited by the skill of the user.

Not so in video land. Take the entry-level Sony FX3, the smallest full-frame Sony body designed specifically for professional video use. Its list price at the time of writing is $3,899. Not too bad, right? Ah, but now we get into the exciting world of peripheral video gear. There are as many ways to rig out a video camera as there are uses for one, but I can say from personal experience that the costs add up very quickly. Building out a small video or hybrid camera for professional video can easily cost as much as the camera body, between a camera cage, an external monitor, an external shotgun and/or lavalier microphone system, a follow focus (a motor and control that allows the focus to be adjusted without physically handling the lens) and/or remote trigger, a large V- or Gold-mount battery to run everything off of, power and video cabling, and a rail system to hold everything together.

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