What is the maximum speed of the Cinefade effect?

The maximum speed for a 5-stop transition is under 1 second.

The speed of the Cinefade effect is dependant on the lens, motor and operator. Lenses with iris rings that are stiff require more force from the motor and may result in a slower operation. Weak motors or settings with low torque may also affect the speed of the Cinefade.

The iris motor usually follows a linear movement whereas the Motorised Polariser follows a non-linear movement, which is fast at first and then slows down over the 90 degree rotation from full transmission. Synchronising the two motor together so there is no change in exposure is achieved by limiting the speed of one motor and therefore the Cinefade effect is only as fast as the slowest motor.

It is possible to unlink the motors and snap the hand unit control to achieve a maximum Cinefade speed, which may result in an exposure bump that can be corrected in post. Alternatively it is also possible to speed up the effect in post-production, as was done in a Huawei commercial shot by DP David Procter.

Please feel free to contact us for more details or if you have any further questions.