In the world of professional cinematography, efficiency is currency. Every moment spent adjusting gear is a moment lost from capturing the perfect performance. Zeiss, a name synonymous with optical perfection, understood this principle when they created the Zeiss Compact Prime CP.3 Series. This is not just a collection of individual lenses; it is a meticulously engineered system designed to provide the legendary Zeiss cinematic look in a package that streamlines your on-set workflow. At Unicorn Films, we know that a fast, hassle-free set is a creative set, which is why we are proud to offer this perfectly matched set of lenses for hire to filmmakers in Delhi-NCR.
The image from a CP.3 lens is unmistakably Zeiss. It carries a legacy of optical excellence, delivering a picture that is sharp, crisp, and rich with contrast. The color rendition is vibrant yet natural, creating a clean, three-dimensional quality that makes images pop. A key feature across the entire set is the advanced lens coating and light-trapping technology that minimizes flares and ghosting, ensuring a clean image even in high-contrast situations. Furthermore, every lens in the series is designed to cover full-frame sensors, making them the perfect partner for modern cinema cameras like the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF, RED V-RAPTOR, and Sony VENICE. The smooth, circular bokeh, a result of a sophisticated 14-blade iris design, renders out-of-focus areas beautifully, allowing you to isolate your subject with cinematic grace.
What truly sets the CP.3 series apart is its brilliant mechanical design, engineered for on-set speed.
True to their “Compact Prime” name, these lenses are significantly smaller and more lightweight than many traditional cinema primes. This compact form factor unlocks a new level of creative freedom. Their reduced size and weight make them the ideal choice for modern filmmaking techniques. They are perfectly suited for use on gimbals, drones, and Steadicam rigs, where balance and weight are critical factors. This versatility makes the CP.3 set one of the most popular rental choices for everything from music videos to high-end corporate films.
For productions requiring the highest level of technical integration, the CP.3 series is also available in an XD (eXtended Data) version. This advanced system features a Lemo port that outputs a continuous stream of frame-accurate lens metadata, including lens distortion and shading characteristics. For a Visual Effects team, this data is invaluable, dramatically simplifying the process of tracking a shot and integrating CGI seamlessly with the live-action footage. By offering this technology, Unicorn Films ensures even the most technically demanding productions are fully supported. Renting the Zeiss CP.3 series is a choice to embrace both legendary image quality and intelligent, modern design.
| Feature | Description | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Lens Type | Matched set of professional cinema prime lenses. | Ensures a consistent look, color, and character when changing between different focal lengths. |
| Sensor Coverage | Full-Frame (36 x 24 mm) coverage on all lenses. | Perfectly compatible with modern large-format cinema cameras from ARRI, RED, Sony, and Canon. |
| Uniform Design | Standardized 95mm front diameter and consistent focus/iris gear positions. | Allows for extremely fast lens changes on set without reconfiguring the matte box or follow focus. |
| Form Factor | Compact and lightweight construction for a cinema prime. | Ideal for use on gimbals, drones, and Steadicam rigs where size and weight are critical. |
| Aperture | Most lenses in the set feature a fast, consistent maximum aperture of T2.1. | Excellent for low-light shooting and achieving a shallow, cinematic depth of field. |
| Iris Design | Features a 14-blade iris diaphragm across the entire range. | Creates smooth, pleasing, and consistently circular bokeh in out-of-focus areas. |
| Focus Throw | A long 300° of focus ring rotation. | Enables highly precise and repeatable focus pulls, essential for professional cinematography. |
| Mount System | Features a user-interchangeable mount system (PL, EF, E, MFT, F available). | Provides maximum versatility to use the lenses on virtually any professional camera body. |
| Data Technology (XD) | Optional XD versions provide real-time lens metadata (distortion, shading, etc.). | A critical feature for high-end visual effects workflows, simplifying the post-production process. |
| Optical Quality | Legendary Zeiss optics with advanced coatings for sharpness, contrast, and color fidelity. | Delivers the clean, crisp, and vibrant “Zeiss look” that is renowned in the industry. |
The primary advantage is speed and efficiency on set. Because all the lenses have the same front diameter and gear positions, your crew can swap lenses in seconds without needing to re-adjust the matte box, filters, or follow focus motor, saving valuable production time.
The Zeiss look is often described as being very sharp and crisp, with high contrast, vibrant but natural colors, and a clean, almost three-dimensional quality. It's a very precise and high-fidelity look, popular in commercial and narrative filmmaking.
Yes, they are one of the best choices available. The "Compact Prime" design means they are significantly smaller and lighter than many traditional cinema primes, making them easy to balance on gimbals and light enough to fly on many professional drone setups.
Yes, the entire CP.3 series is designed to cover full-frame and large-format sensors, making them a perfect rental choice to pair with modern cameras from ARRI, RED, Sony, and Canon.
Absolutely. The CP.3 lenses feature a user-interchangeable mount system. When you rent from Unicorn Films, we can supply the lens set with the native mount you need for your camera, whether it's PL, Canon EF, or Sony E-mount.
