Beauty First

The use of modern photography lenses for beautiful cinematography is rare, mostly because many modern photo lenses lack a distinct and artistic character, instead prioritizing sharp images that can feel devoid of life. The Leitz THALIA lenses, based on the sublime Leica S medium format lenses, are an exception to the rule. The S lenses are designed to capture people above all else and the way THALIA lenses render faces evokes the iconic portraiture that medium format is known for. Add in Leica’s unrivaled skin tone rendering, just warm enough to add a divine spark of life, and the THALIA lenses stand apart as a set that puts beauty front and center of every frame.

Many cinematographers have pulled away from modern cinematography lenses in order to introduce aberrations that take the edge off digital sensors. The THALIA lenses deliver many of these characteristics without some of the drawbacks associated with vintage lenses like difficult-to-control flares and limited availability of replacement parts. Like many older lenses, they exhibit a field curvature that brings the viewer’s attention to the center through a gradual falloff of contrast and resolution toward the edges. The images created by THALIA lenses are clear and detailed without feeling overly sharp as witnessed by their beautiful, smooth skin tones. And the newly designed circular iris keeps the bokeh smooth and beautiful through all stops while maintaining structure in the out-of-focus details.

Ready to Tell the Bigger Story

The Leitz THALIA lenses offer a large potential image circle that covers up to ARRI Alexa 65 or 65 mm film. While these larger capture formats accentuate the dimensionality of the images as even more aberrations and curvature are translated to the sensor, the sensual nature of the lenses comes through on any camera or format.

The wide range of 10 focal lengths in the THALIA series, starting at 24 mm and continuing to 180 mm, makes them unusually broad for larger format lenses, which helps to better service productions on all formats. The ability to swap between PL and LPL mounts, both with /i metadata contacts, further demonstrates their format flexibility.

Included in the THALIA series are 3 macro lenses. The 24 mm, 55 mm and 120 mm all have 1:2 macro capability. There’s no need to slow down production with diopters or mix and match lenses for insert shots, product work, or extreme close ups.

The 90 mm THALIA-T is a standout lens with a truly unique character. Based on an optical design of the 1935 Leica Thambar lens, the THALIA version also creates a dreamy softness that can make portraiture instantly feel like George Hurrell’s old Hollywood work, rich with beauty and glamor.