Nikon Inc. has posted a development notice, not a ship date. The company is building a NIKKOR Z CINEMA T1.9 VV series of nine cinema lenses, and the only focal length named so far is the NIKKOR Z CINEMA 50mm T1.9 VV.
The headline is the coverage circle. Nikon says this will be the first NIKKOR series with an image circle large enough for the RED V-RAPTOR [X] VV sensor — 40.96 × 21.60mm, which is wider than a 36 × 24mm full-frame chip. The lenses will also have a “highly precise” autofocus mechanism. Price, the other eight focal lengths, and availability are not in the notice. Specs and release dates are listed as subject to change.
A dedicated cine line, not another hybrid zoom
Nikon has talked about dedicated cinema glass since the RED deal. Last year’s Z Cinema tease and the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ were the holding pattern: one power-zoom hybrid marked in f-stops. This series is named in T-stops, aimed at cinema and high-end production, and explicitly built for the larger-than-full-frame VV format used on the V-RAPTOR [X].
Full-frame is 36 × 24mm. RED’s VV sensor is wider and shorter. The diagonal is still larger than FX (~46.3mm vs ~43.3mm), which is why a stills-era NIKKOR Z image circle is not automatically enough. Nikon is saying these nine will cover that chip natively.
The official photo — Nikon warns the production lens may look different — shows a 50mm T1.9 barrel with geared focus and iris rings, an A/M switch, an IRIS LOCK, a gold mount ring, and a focus scale in feet. That is a cine housing, not a stills prime with a video mode. Do not take the render as a final spec sheet.
Nikon’s close is the same synergy line it has used since buying RED: filmmakers should expect more from Nikon and RED together. This notice is the first time that promise has a series name, a T-stop, a count of nine, and a named 50mm.
Via Nikon Inc..