For anyone with a curiosity about cinema optics, The Cine Lens Manual is the definitive filmmaker's guide to the design, implementation, and history of motion picture optics. Authors Jay Holben and Christopher Probst share more than 60 years experience as cinematographers, educators, and technical journalists, creating a manual for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the cinema lens. This hardcover offers a comprehensive examination of the cine lens, with a deep dive into the art and science behind creating a cinema lens.
Cinematographers, directors, VFX artists, camera assistants, animators, historians, students, and rental house technicians will all benefit from the clear, easy to understand concepts, explained in simple language. Extensively illustrated, this manual examines the history and evolution of the cinema lens and motion picture formats.
- Jay Holben is an independent director and producer in Los Angeles. A former and “recovering” cinematographer, he is an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers, the chair of the ASC’s Motion Imaging Technology Council’s Lens Committee, and a technical contributing editor for American Cinematographer magazine. He has authored over 500 articles on the art and science of cinematography and is an international lecturer on the subject as well as serving as a faculty instructor for the Global Cinematography Institute, a school started by the late Academy Award winning cinematographer, Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC. He is the author of two previous books on cinematography, including "A Shot in the Dark: A Creative DIY Guide to Cinematic Lighting on (Almost) No Budget" and "Behind the Lens: Dispatches from the Cinematographic Trenches". He is the director and producer of "Before the Dawn".
- Christopher Probst, ASC is a working cinematographer and an active member of the American Society of Cinematographers. He is also a self-professed lens junkie and an all-things technical geek. He served as the technical editor of American Cinematographer magazine for over 20 years and has taught/lectured about cinematography for the ASC’s Masterclass, the Camerimage festival and the Global Cinematography Institute. Best known for his ASC Award nominated work on director David Fincher’s Netflix series Mindhunter, his extensive body of work in music videos spans hundreds of clips for artists such as Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Billie Eilish, Shakira, Lana Del Rey, Kelly Clarkson, Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Pussycat Dolls, Jay-Z, and Muse. In this arena alone, his work has amassed more than 35 billion views on YouTube. He has also shot thousands of commercial ads for clients such as Apple, Samsung, FOX Sports, Turkish Airlines, LG, Johnnie Walker, Adidas, Lexus, Mercedes, Infiniti, BMW, and Ford. Probst is well versed in narrative and has photographed the feature films "Detention" for Sony Pictures, "Fire with Fire", and the sci-fi actioner, "Beyond Skyline".
- A primer on cinema lenses
- Introduction to optical design
- Investigation of advanced optical design and early photographic lenses
- Examination of optomechanical design
- Evolution of motion picture formats
- History and genealogy of 140 years of purpose-built cinema lenses, detailing more than 300 series
- Modifying existing lenses for use in cinema or to creatively custom-tune their performance
- Testing and evaluating lenses
- Care and maintenance of cinema lenses