SIGMA Aizu Cinema Prime Lenses – A Talk With Kazuto Yamaki-san

At Cine Gear, we caught up with Kazuto Yamaki-san, SIGMA’s owner and CEO, to discuss their ambitious new Aizu Prime cinema lens series. This ground-up redesign marks SIGMA’s serious commitment to the professional cinema market.

The new SIGMA AIzu T1.3 large format prime lenses were unveiled just a few days ago, and they’ve received a warm welcome from DPs and rental houses alike. The aesthetic look they provide, coupled with their daring yet competitive price of $8,299, is definitely marking a new era for SIGMA.

From Photo Heritage to Pure Cinema Design

SIGMA’s new Aizu Prime series marks a significant shift in the company’s approach to cinema lenses. Unlike their previous cinema offerings, which were adaptations of existing photo lenses, the Aizu Primes boast entirely new optical designs meticulously crafted for cinema use.

Two-and-a-Half Years in Development

The Aizu Prime project began two and a half years ago, with SIGMA taking an unusually comprehensive approach to the development process. Rather than developing lenses individually, the company designed the entire set from the beginning, optimizing the manufacturing process by bringing all focal lengths into development simultaneously.

This holistic approach allowed SIGMA to share optical design assets across the range while maintaining consistency throughout the series.

The Challenge: T1.3 in Compact Form

The primary technical challenge for the Aizu Primes was achieving T1.3 across the entire range while maintaining compact, lightweight designs that meet modern production demands. Balancing maximum aperture performance with portability proved to be the most demanding aspect of the development process.

Complete Focal Length Range

The Aizu Prime series will eventually comprise 12 lenses, with eight currently available and four more to follow. The complete range spans: 18mm, 21mm, 25mm, 27mm, 32mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65mm, 75mm, 100mm, and 135mm.

When asked about the staggered release, Yamaki-san cited engineering resource constraints as the reason for not launching all 12 lenses simultaneously. They prioritized the most commonly used focal lengths for the initial release.

Mount Options and Future Plans

The Aizu Primes are available in PL mount and Sony E-mount configurations. Interestingly, Yamaki-san revealed significant customer interest in having an L-mount option following the announcement, though they remained non-committal about specifics.

What do you think about the new SIGMA Aizu Prime lenses? Would you like to try them out whenever possible? Please share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.