What are Master Primes and Compact Primes

Mark has written a very informative Comment in the Master Prime post, I decided his Comment is worth a Post on its own, so I am copying his Comment there to here

Master Primes are in a completely different league from Compact Primes. Compact Primes are entry level optics for about $4000 per lens. Master Primes run about $20,000 per lens and were developed with Arriflex, to their specific needs. Master Primes are only PL mount, so they will fit any cine, or video camera with a PL mount. They cover a Super35mm(S35) frame, which is 18.7 x 24.89mm.

Master Primes are a fast T/1.3, are highly corrected optically and mechnically corrected so that there is no breathing. The ergonomics are standard to the film industry, including gears for iris and focus. They also have the LDS, Lens Data System, another film industry standard. LDS can tell the Assistant the focus, DOF and T/stop. LDS also talks to the camera, so that if there are any in camera iris/shutter ramps, they can be performed more easily since the camera knows the lens focal length and settings.

The CP.2 lenses are great and the interchangeable mounts are genius. This will go a long way to make folks like me happy to use a 7D and get great looking results.

The Compact Primes are basically modified Zeiss 35mm still camera lenses. But to make them cine friendly, new lens barrels were designed and the optics were corrected to reduce/remove lens breathing. The front diameters have been enlarged so that the lens barrels have a longer throw and to make the focusing throw even.

Compact Primes cover the larger 35mm still format, 24x36mm. Most people rent equipment, because all this stuff is too damn expensive to own.

Zeiss new area in cines lenses for HDSLR

Zeiss is going to introduce a series of compact prime CP.2 cine lenses for your EF mount (Canon) and F mount (Nikon) HDSLR. For those of you looking into producing professional movies, you don't need astronomical budgets to be spent on a Red anymore. You can simply get a HDSLR for less than $3000 today and a Zeiss CP.2 lens which costs.... Mmmm..... hopefully still a 4-figure number, and you are good to go!

Following is the Zeiss booth demo video at the NAB by captured Michael Britt
(used by us without permission, sorry!)

Zeiss Compact Primes CP.2 at NAB 2010 from Michael Britt on Vimeo.

Also the news at dpreview

Thanks to Eric for the direction.