LVX Badalamenti Cinema Optics is a boutique Italian/Latin American manufacturer. They are now offering the LVX AURORA V2 series for preorder. The LVX V2 are rehoused and optically tweaked Tokina Vista prime lenses. The company offers the lenses in two versions: V1 (already available) and V2. The versions will differ by the level of character. The V1 lenses will produce moderate vintage character while the V2 will produce a heavier more optically “flawed” look, or we could call it “Vintage” about 30% more than the V1. Unique lenses are a common sight these days. Some originate from old stills optics stocks, readily available and affordable. There are several new attempts at creating the desirable “vintage look”. Relatively new manufacturers, such as Sirui (and others) make some interesting anamorphic and spherical lenses aimed at somewhat rough image rendering. There are also some prominent lensmakers that produce special series. Canon’s “Sumire” is one example. SIGMA also makes a Classic line of its Cine Art series with older coatings, Tokina have the Vista P line, and there are several other approaches. The path taken by LVX opts for the rehousing of Tokina Vista lenses, as well as tweaking its optical construction to achieve specific rendering. Look and rendering As with most optics that emphasize a unique look, describing it is tricky. Rendering is not measurable, it has no numerical value, and test charts fail to describe it. One must look at samples for reference. It’s not a systematic comparison by any means, and...
Published By: CineD - Tuesday, 23 January, 2024