Frequently asked questions about Ensō Prime lenses and Ensō Vintage Elements
ARRI Ensō Prime lenses are designed for large-format/full-frame cameras, but they work just as well with Super 35 sensors, and they perform spectacularly on cameras with both small and large pixel pitches.
The native Ensō look can be described as sharp and true, yet soft and natural. Most of all, though, it is versatile, because the Ensō Vintage Elements allow many different looks to be achieved via quick and easy external lens tuning.
The Ensō Extenders 1.4x and 2x are high-performance optical devices which are optimized for the Ensō Prime 250 mm. They deliver their best optical performance with just this lens. We can only guarantee mechanical clearance for this lens, so please don’t use the extenders with any other lenses.
When you use the extenders with the Ensō Prime 250 you must remove any rear Element attached to the back of the lens and put it onto the rear of the extender.
No, none of the 14 Ensō lenses require an optical image rotation. They render images the right way up.
The Ensō Core Set is supplied in a total of three cases. Two of the cases each contain three lenses, and the third case contains the Ensō Vintage Elements Kit.
Ensō cases are made out of high-impact polyethylene (PE-HD) and withstand even the most extreme physical stress. They also meet special civil and military packing standards, such as the ATA 300 (category I) of the aviation industry, which states that a container must still be functional even after 280 drop tests. Ensō cases are also rated according to the IP54 standard (IEC 60529).
Yes, you can swap the scales either by ordering the required scales and a certified lens technician can do the job, or you can send the lens to ARRI Service to have the scales changed.
Ensō lenses are equipped with ARRI’s LDS-2 Lens Data System, with high data rates and absolute encoders for fast initializing. Ensō lenses also support Cooke /i for the use of Ensō lenses on third-party cameras supporting Cooke /i.
The magnification ratio of a lens is the ratio of the size of an object as projected onto the camera’s image sensor (image plane) versus the size of the object in the real world. For example, if a lens has a magnification ratio of 1:4 an object appears at ¼ of its original size on the camera’s sensor. Most Ensō lenses can focus to a magnification ratio of 1:4.
Yes, Ensō lenses have the same color profile as Signature Primes and Zooms, giving you the ability to use Ensō lenses and Signature lenses interchangeably on set.
No. LPL is ARRI’s new standard for the digital era. It is designed around the specific needs of digital cameras and will not work on film cameras. LPL’s reduced flange depth allows for high-performance lens designs across multiple formats.
Yes. All Ensō Vintage Elements can be used with any of the 14 Ensō lenses and also with the Ensō Extenders 1.4x and 2x.
No. Ensō Vintage Elements do not fit mechanically on the back of Signature lenses. In addition, Signature lenses do not have an interface to read out the chip that is built into the Vintage Elements.
Yes. Signature Impression V Filters fit mechanically on the back of Ensō lenses.
Please check with the suppliers of your third-party LPL mounts and adapters for non-ARRI cameras.
Diopters are traditionally positioned in front of a lens to reduce the minimum object distance (MOD). ARRI’s Ensō Vintage Elements have a different purpose. Attached to the built-in rear magnetic filter adapter of Ensō lenses, they alter the aesthetic look of the lenses.
Bokeh is affected by the Ensō Vintage Elements, but it is particularly noticeable in background highlights, which get more of a ‘donut’ effect (bright around the edges) with negative Elements, and more of a ‘bauble’ effect (brighter in the center) with positive Elements. In general, the positive Elements have a nostalgic, glamorous feel, with swirly bokeh, glowing skin tones, and softer backgrounds, while negative Elements have a grittier look, with inward-pulling bokeh and intense, vibrant backgrounds.
The different looks of the Ensō Vintage Elements can be achieved for both large format and Super 35, as the Elements affect the entire image (from the center to the edges of the frame). When using Ensōs on S35 cameras, only the center of the lenses’ image circle is used. Optical effects that increase towards the edges of the frame are more pronounced when using a large-format camera. Depending on the strength of the desired effect, it makes sense to use a stronger Vintage Element for S35 cameras compared to large-format cameras.
When using the Vintage Elements with Ensō lenses, some basic parameters of the lens system will change. Like using a very weak extender or reducer, the focal length of the base lens, as well as the image circle and the aperture, will be slightly altered. When using the strongest Ensō Vintage Element, the change in focal length is about +/-10% of the actual focal length, while the impact on the aperture is about ¼ of a stop. The change of focal length and aperture gradually decreases with weaker diopters.
With the next SUP of the ALEXA 35, this change will be reflected in the metadata. The correct information will be displayed on the camera overlay and stored in the clip metadata as well.
Yes. This is necessary to ensure that the position of the installed chip in the Vintage Element matches the position of the corresponding contact block on the lens when attached. The witness marks on the Vintage Element and the LPL mount indicate how to align the Vintage Element to the back of an Ensō lens.
Ensō Vintage Elements introduce a certain degree of field curvature and spherical aberration to the lenses, which makes them look rather like vintage lenses. You can gradually tailor this effect with the different strengths of the Vintage Elements.
Compared to Signature Impression V Filters, the core sharpness in the center of the image is higher, but the fall-off towards the edges of the frame is much steeper and the result in image degradation is stronger.
We are working with special coatings to control flaring, ghosting, and veiling glare. Flares are subtle without becoming a distraction.
Yes, the effect is still visible even if the lens is stopped down. However, the effect is most obvious when working at open aperture. As soon as the lens is stopped down, the effect gradually decreases.
With positive Vintage Elements at open aperture (T2.1), you don’t have to shim the lenses at all. You can easily swap between the different positive Vintage Elements with lens scales remaining accurate. Even if you stop down the lens you don’t have to adjust the shimming, since changes to the focus and iris scales will be automatically compensated for in-camera with the next ALEXA 35 SUP.
In case you want to use the negative Vintage Elements at a T-stop of T2.1, you must shim once with a 3 mm shim, which is included in the Ensō Vintage Elements Kit. After shimming you can also easily swap between the different negative Vintage Elements with lens scales remaining accurate. Also, in case of the negative Vintage Elements, you can stop down the lens without any need to adjust the shimming, since the changes to the focus and iris scales will be compensated for automatically in-camera.
Unfortunately, this is not possible because the shims should have a thickness of 3 mm. Shimming the camera mount with this thickness would lead to increased instability of the camera mount.
The use of additional glass elements on the rear side of the lens results in a shorter flange focal distance. We have managed to compensate for this back focus shift with a special optical design of the positive diopter elements.
If you don’t shim the lens, the focus scales won’t be accurate anymore and with some lenses you won’t be able to reach infinity focus. But in case you don’t need accurate focus scales, and you also don’t need to reach infinity, you can still use all Vintage Elements. However, just keep in mind that the diopter effect will be stronger than it would be if you shim the lens properly.
If the LDS contact block is not shimmed, metadata won’t be transmitted from the lens to the camera.
