CVP launches free-to-attend European Lens Summit

CVP has announced the launch of a new event dedicated to lens technology, the European Lens Summit. The free-to-attend event is the first of its kind in Europe and has been designed to offer thought-provoking discussions, highly technical workshops, masterclasses, and in-depth clinics on the capabilities and science of glass. The event will take place on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 May, at CVP’s newly refurbished Brentford facility in West London.

The European Lens Summit (ELS) is being produced in partnership with US reseller and rental house Koerner Camera, which has been hosting the Pacific Northwest Lens Summit, a small, focused event curated specifically for cinema optics since 2017. The event was the incarnation of an idea: What if there was a smaller, more focused event just for cinema optics, without the often overwhelming nature of a larger trade show?

“One of the key concepts behind the Summit is that we are catering to the technical side of the industry,” said Ivailo Velinov, head of technical for CVP. “There are plenty of events, talks, and webinars that focus on the creative aspects of cinematography lenses, but the Lens Summit provides a unique opportunity to spend time with master lens technicians, get hands-on experiences with the latest cinema lenses and optical accessories from the biggest brands in the industry – with one of the most important factors being that we are able to offer visitors access to a wealth of knowledge for free!”

The knowledge-based event is an excellent opportunity for cinematographers, lens technicians, camera assistants, rental firms, owner-operators, and other experts in cinematic glass to interact and engage with leading cine optics professionals, network with their peers, and take a deep dive into the technical side of cinema lens technology in a sales-free environment.

Small, focused sessions are designed to enable in-depth discussion, and the programme includes topics such as ‘Cine Optics, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’, a detailed look at the journey of cine optical evolution over the past 140 years of motion pictures, presented by Jay Holben. Holben is an ASC associate member, chair of the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council’s Lens Committee, contributing technical editor for American Cinematographer Magazine and co-author of The Cine Lens Manual, and is indicative of the calibre of speaker the event has attracted.

Additional sessions include Tech Talks on anamorphics, evaluation, collimating and servicing, coverage, formats, and filters, as well as technical training from key vendors such as Angénieux, Chrosziel, and Zeiss. Other sessions encompass interactive demos and workshops on rehousing and vintage lenses.

“Our Brentford facility provides the perfect setting for ELS as we are utilising our state-of-the-art engineering and technical workshops – the lens projection room, lens engineering, etc – to host seminars, technical talks, demos, and training. The sessions and seminars in those rooms are designed around specialist lens tools too, allowing us to provide unique access and insight that you simply couldn’t get anywhere else,” added Velinov.

CVP plans to make the European Lens Summit biannual, and to run it in alternate years to the Pacific Northwest Lens Summit, with the next ELS already pencilled in for 2025. For more information on the programme and exhibitors of this forthcoming ELS, and to register your interest, visit CVP’s website.