Giuseppe Avenia, REC Cine Noleggio’s owner, and Alessandro Gallo, head of cameras, sent us to meet TIM ARASHEBEN, founder of Masterbuilt Lenses. Tim is in Rome to present a new set of Masterbuilt lenses called “Legacy”. Tim, can you introduce yourself and give us an overview of the Masterbuilt brand?
I started as a camera assistant and operator, and I owned many lenses. I used to modify them for some cinematographers. There came a time when some DPs made a request: they said to me: what if you designed a set of lenses that met the requirements we like? So we started Masterbuilt in 2019. I developed the first series with six focal lengths, and I kept going back and forth with different versions, showing them to DPs, who would give me feedback, until I created what is now the first set of Classic Masterbuilts. It was a process of many, many failures and essentially one small success!
What’s your favourite lens from the past? Which lenses have inspired you?
The first series of Zeiss Super Speeds comes to mind, made nearly 50 years ago! Even today, people are fascinated by them. They have a splendid consistency. They don’t cover full frame, but when it comes to lens quality, the Zeiss Super Speeds are marvellous. I was also inspired by the first series of Panavision Primo spherical lenses, produced in Canada in the early 1980s. Panavision was the first manufacturer to develop a range of 10-12 focal lengths that were consistent with each other. All with the same aperture, excellent close focus, and similar characteristics. We must pay homage to these two lens series, the Zeiss Super Speeds and the Panavision Primos, for their consistency, balance, and range of focal lengths. They made lenses an indispensable tool for the cinematographer. Even today, both are in high demand by cinematographers and used in many projects, especially for their consistency and balance.
It’s interesting to see where you come from, how you started with one set and then decided to develop a different series. Why did you choose to create a different series instead of maintaining an identical look?
Digital sensors are now so advanced that they’re becoming homogeneous. This means cinematographers are beginning to lose their identity or uniqueness. Therefore, the lens becomes crucial. With film, identity was created through photochemical processes: Vilmos Zsigmond, for example, could overexpose the film or push its development. Then there are people like Tom Siegel, who used cross-processing or similar techniques. That was their palette, their brush. In the ’90s, filters became very popular, and the image was manipulated using colour filters like Straw or Antique suede, or perhaps Promist. Now, with digital, the sensors are so good that everyone starts on the same level, so the lens has become the most important element for the cinematographer. With different lens series, we offer the DoP various look options. They can mix them or stay faithful to a single series, but this creates versatility that allows them to adapt to different types of projects: feature films, TV series, adverts or music videos. This way, they can achieve different looks, while maintaining a balanced and consistent DNA. They always know there’s a Masterbuilt touch, which can be found in the bokeh, the lens characteristics or the way it reacts to flare.
How do you achieve the various looks? There are countless ways – does it depend more on the glass formula, the number and design of the elements, or the coatings?
It’s a mix of everything; it’s all about finding the balance. For example, if you rearrange the elements, their structure and groupings, you might achieve a softer or sharper image or a softer or sharper background. Then, when you look at the coatings and polishing, you’ll find different levels of flare and contrast. Everything is cause and effect, so you have to work on all aspects together. It’s like an orchestra – everything needs to move in harmony to find that balance.
I suppose we can say that your lenses are not extremely expensive, so they’re affordable and very usable for us cinematographers. Where do you produce your glass and mechanical parts so that you can keep Masterbuilts in that price range?
We unconventionally handle this aspect. We design, produce and manufacture everything in Los Angeles [Tim clarified that the actual glass comes from Japan, ed.], which, financially, works to our disadvantage. We operate on a very low margin, but our focus is on building a brand for a dedicated group of users.
Of course, it’s not just about the price. It’s also about the quality of your lenses, as well as their consistency and usability.
Nowadays, people look at lenses on Instagram or YouTube, checking out various lens tests. Trends come and go, but then there are lenses with a ‘shock factor’. These lenses are neither consistent nor balanced, and you can’t use them to shoot an entire film or TV series without running into problems that the cinematographer would need to work around. While these striking lenses might grab attention on social media, they can become a hindrance. At Masterbuilt, we prioritise consistency. It’s about finding a balance, so that day after day, a cinematographer can rely on our lenses for different projects, and they continue to deliver exactly what’s needed. The character of the image remains intact – it’s not overly sharp, but balanced. It still works well for visual effects, which is crucial. Consistency is what matters to us.
