LENSING A LEGACY

The optics look good for a European focus on lens technology as the brand-new European Lens Summit is set to unite the industry’s glass experts and enthusiasts in London from 20-21 May.  

The inaugural European Lens Summit is a chance for cinematographers, lens technicians, camera assistants, rental firms, owner-operators and experts in cinematic glass to interact and engage with leading cine optics experts, network with their peers, and take a deep dive into the technical side of cinema lens technology. The event, the first of its kind in Europe, offers thought-provoking discussions, highly technical workshops, masterclasses and clinics on the capabilities and science of glass. 

US reseller and rental house Koerner Camera has been hosting the Pacific Northwest Lens Summit since 2017, a small, focused event just for cinema optics. In partnership with Koerner, leading cine, broadcast, and pro video solutions provider CVP is bringing the Lens Summit across the pond this year, hosting the event at an ideal location: its own newly refurbished facility in Brentford, London. 

According to Ivailo Velinov, Head of Technical for CVP, it’s a chance to really focus on the practical side of cinematic optics. “We see lots of talks, events, and webinars that focus on the creative aspects of cinematography lenses,” says Velinov. “But one of the main goals and ideas behind the Summit is to cater for the technical side. 

“We’re trying to avoid having too many ‘creative’ discussions about the look or feel of the glass, and this time dive into how these optical tools actually work instead,” he adds. “How is it made? What’s the history behind it? How do we work with them today; how do we inspect, evaluate, take them apart, and build them up again. It’s something that doesn’t really get covered elsewhere.” 

Unique venue 

The Brentford facility is a manufacturer-approved, state-of-the-art Authorised Service Centre serving all of Europe. Along with space for a small exhibition, networking and socialising, CVP’s high-end engineering departments for lens and camera repairs, testing and custom-built work will host part of the Summit. So, as well as being able to chat with some of the foremost cine optics experts in the world at the European Lens Summit, the technical support team at CVP is also able to offer hands-on assistance. Trained and approved by industry giants including Sony, Angénieux, Zeiss, Cooke Optics, Leitz, Sigma and Fujinon, to name a few, this specialist team has a wealth of knowledge and expertise with direct experience in production and testing and can advise on all aspects of a lens or associated technology. 

The facility is dominated by a warehouse, stocked with the latest cinema lenses and optical accessories from the biggest brands in the industry – CVP holds more than 40,000 product lines. The full production ecosystem can be accessed on site: cameras, recording equipment, gimbals/stabilisation, drones, lighting, storage, in fact, anything to do with shooting. 

“Brentford provides the perfect backdrop for ELS,” says Velinov. “We invested heavily to ensure its equipped with everything our customers need – from resources for pre-sales consultancy to test and evaluate kit, to having quick access to the full production ecosystem; available for those ‘just in time’ requests, and the capability to locally service and repair kit when anything goes wrong enabling our customers back on the job with minimal downtime.  

“We are utilising our state-of-the-art infrastructures – the lens projection room, lens engineering room etc. – to host seminars, technical talks, demos, and training workshops. As the sessions in those rooms are designed around specialist lens tools, we’re excited to give access to the unique parts of lens engineering that utilise those tools which you can’t show in a functional manner anywhere else.” 

Hearts of glass 

There are Tech Talks on anamorphics, evaluation, collimating and servicing, coverage, formats, and filters, as well as technical training from the likes of ARRI, Angénieux, Leitz and Chrosziel. Other sessions include interactive demos and workshops on rehousing and vintage lenses, as well as selecting lenses for different production scenarios. Typical of the calibre of the scheduled speakers is the esteemed Jay Holben, ASC Associate member, leading the session ‘Cine Optics, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’. 

The numbers attending these sessions and talks will be kept small, to enable in-depth discussion, and although the sessions are exclusive, they’ll be repeated each day to allow as many ELS attendees as possible to benefit. 

CVP is fully cognisant that a very niche group will attend and has planned the Summit accordingly. “We’ve designed the programme for lens technicians, people within kit rooms of rental houses, first ACs, second ACs, and last but not least, DoPs, to enable them easy access to enhance and share their knowledge of lenses and also keep on top of the latest trends and technology,” says Velinov. “There are so many demands placed on these departments, with multiple jobs and often limited resources, it can be challenging to step away to spend time with the technical representatives of individual lens companies or with engineers and specialists who deal with the variety of gear that they work with daily. The people doing these roles want something that goes the extra mile. 

“What our guests will also witness at the ELS is the ability to have all this kit condensed in a smaller area to easily assess and compare. Let’s say the latest lens projectors” he continues. “It’s not like going to a tradeshow, where you have to go to one hall for Chrosziel, then walk for 10 minutes to see Denz, and another 15 minutes to see another brand; here they’re all in the same environment and that environment is specifically made for this kind of kit. Nor will you have 50 people around you, it’s a very condensed crowd who are there for the same reason. The seminar hosts will take the time to go through the processes, explain and train them how to utilise the kit, as well as answer any questions. You just can’t find this sort of experience anywhere else: online manuals can only do so much, it’s hard to find any in-depth videos walking you through this kit, and emailing with questions isn’t always the most practical approach.” 

It’s also about networking. As Velinov says: “We’re giving attendees an opportunity to meet industry peers, people who can help each other, or just expand their own network. 

“Of course, we also want to ensure that people understand who CVP is, what CVP offers, how well we know the industry and how we understand the crowd’s actual needs,” he adds. 

Legacy for lenses  

Although this is the first such UK event with a focus on lenses, it will certainly not be the last from CVP. The plan is to run the European Lens Summit on alternate years to the Pacific Northwest Lens Summit, but going forward the company is planning more events throughout the year, to be hosted at Brentford or its other creative space in Charlotte Street, Central London, and the brand new flagship showroom on Great Titchfield St, Fitzrovia. European customers don’t even have to travel that far: CVP has just set up a brand-new showroom, warehousing and engineering space in Belgium. 

Finally, although CVP is a leading reseller, the European Lens Summit isn’t a sales event. “It’s about providing knowledge to this industry, giving back to all those people who have made us who we are today,” says Velinov. “We are putting a lot of effort in to make sure that this is the best it can be, and to make sure that as soon as people leave the summit, they’ll think, ‘I wish this lasted another five days.’”  

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This article was paid for by CVP.