Kowa Cine Pominar Spherical Primes, are Japanese cinema lenses from the 1960s. These are impressive lenses with one of the most amazing combinations of characteristics.
Please note, the 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm all cover or nearly cover Alexa LF, and other Full Frame sensors. So please ask us about coverage/format for your particular shoot.
They are sharp on center, with medium/low contrast. So you can get sharp images, but you retain more detail on your shadows and highlights. This also makes them very flattering on your subject. Their bokeh is very special, with enough character to make the lenses stand out from modern options, but not so busy that it distracts from your subject. What really sets them apart from almost every other lens set, is their signature gold and amber lens flares, thanks to their gold single-layer coatings. They flare like nothing else. And since the lenses are slightly cool in color, when properly white balanced, their flares have a rich saturated amber tone that is beautiful, never distracting, and contrasts blue skies really well. Nothing else flares like Kowa Prominars.
FEATURE FILMS shot with it:
I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) - PANAFLEX MILLENIUM XL
The Godfather: Part II (1974) - MITCHELL BNCR
Straight Outta Compton (2015) - RED DRAGON
Out of the Dark (2014) - ARRI ALEXA STUDIO
La ritournelle (2014) - RED EPIC X
Outrage (2010) - ARRI 535B Rocky (1976) - PANAFLEX
They are appropriate for almost any shooting situation, from commercials and music videos, to feature films. One of the most notable projects that used Kowa Prominars is the FX TV series ‘Atlanta.’
