{"id":11146,"date":"2026-02-08T16:02:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/?p=11146"},"modified":"2026-02-08T18:33:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T18:33:57","slug":"suarez-lenses-peppe-badalamenti-suarez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/suarez-lenses-peppe-badalamenti-suarez\/","title":{"rendered":"Suarez Lenses: Peppe Badalamenti Suarez!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\ud83c\udfa5 SICA Special Technical & Lens Premiere Event \u2013 Detailed Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hosted by Southern India Cinematographers’ Association (SICA)<\/p>\n

The SICA technical and knowledge-sharing event held at Prasad Lab Theatre witnessed excellent attendance and vibrant participation from cinematographers and students.<\/p>\n

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The programme was formally inaugurated by National Award\u2013winning cinematographer P. C. Sreeram, ISC, whose presence added exceptional prestige to the gathering.<\/p>\n

Event Details<\/strong><\/p>\n

Venue: Prasad Lab Theatre, Saligramam, Chennai<\/p>\n

Date & Time: Sunday, February 8, 2026 | 2:00 PM \u2013 6:00 PM<\/p>\n

Host: Southern Indian Cinematographers Association (SICA)<\/p>\n

Opening & Welcome<\/strong><\/p>\n

SICA President \u2013 Karthikraaja<\/p>\n

warmly welcomed the gathering and set the tone for an evening focused on technology, collaboration and creative evolution.<\/p>\n

SICA Treasurer \u2013 Sakthi Saravanan<\/strong><\/p>\n

coordinated the technical flow of the event and later led the hands-on demonstrations.<\/p>\n

Nirav Shah- Vice President<\/strong><\/p>\n

introduced the international guest to the SICA members and positioned the session as a rare opportunity to interact directly with a lens designer and cinematographer.<\/p>\n

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\ud83c\udf1f Agenda Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Felicitation of Tamil Nadu State Award\u2013winning cinematographers<\/p>\n

2. Premiere presentation of custom-tuned SU\u00c1REZ Beauty Lenses<\/p>\n

3. Hands-on technical session with Blackmagic URSA 17K 65 camera and Leitz Thalia 65 lenses<\/p>\n

(Courtesy: RCS Media Equipments Rental)<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfac Guest of Honour & Technical Presenter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peppe Badalamenti Su\u00e1rez<\/p>\n

Founder \u2013 LVX<\/p>\n

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Peppe introduced himself to the SICA community and delivered a deeply personal and emotional presentation titled:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Story Behind the Glass\u201d<\/p>\n

Images and video references were projected through a DCP projector, allowing members to directly observe optical behaviour, texture and flare character on a theatrical screen.<\/p>\n

The Philosophy Behind SU\u00c1REZ Lenses<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peppe shared that the SU\u00c1REZ lens collection is dedicated to his mother and carries a profound personal meaning.<\/p>\n

The word \u201cSU\u00c1REZ\u201d originates from Hebrew roots \u2013 \u201cShua Resh\u201d, meaning:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe leader who answers the cries for help.\u201d<\/p>\n

This philosophy directly connects to LVX\u2019s vision as a socially-driven company, positioning lens design not merely as engineering, but as a human and healing process.<\/p>\n

He openly spoke about:<\/p>\n

His life struggles<\/p>\n

And how filmmaking and lens design became a personal healing journey<\/p>\n

\u201cDesigning lenses has been a very personal journey \u2013 full of mistakes, challenges and beautiful moments, just like life itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

LVX, meaning \u201cLight\u201d in Latin, represents not only optics, but hope, recovery and creative renewal.<\/p>\n

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Technical Development Process \u2013 SU\u00c1REZ Beauty Lenses<\/strong><\/p>\n

The SU\u00c1REZ lenses are built on the optical foundation of Canon Sumire lenses.<\/p>\n

Peppe and his team spent nearly one full year studying:<\/p>\n

modern cinema lenses<\/p>\n

vintage optics<\/p>\n

classic projector lenses<\/p>\n

inside their own projector evaluation room before finalising the design language.<\/p>\n

Key optical design goals:<\/p>\n

Lower acutance and contrast without losing resolution<\/p>\n

Richer colour presence with added warmth at the diffusion point<\/p>\n

Extremely smooth focus roll-off for creamy subject separation<\/p>\n

Balanced halation that complements bokeh behaviour<\/p>\n

Strong control over geometric distortion<\/p>\n

A deliberately \u201ccosmetic\u201d and beauty-oriented rendering style<\/p>\n

Core Technical Specifications (Presented)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Image circle: 46.7 mm (full-frame \/ large-format coverage)<\/p>\n

Resolution capability: suitable for 8K capture<\/p>\n

Focus design: internal focusing with near-zero breathing<\/p>\n

Focus rotation: approx. 300\u00b0 for precise pulling<\/p>\n

Aperture range: T1.3 \/ T1.5<\/p>\n

Resolution profile: high centre resolution with carefully designed fall-off<\/p>\n

Controlled distortion to preserve facial and spatial integrity<\/p>\n

Distinct Visual Character Observed<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the projection and tests, members noted:<\/p>\n

A very organic image structure<\/p>\n

Smooth and graceful edge fall-off<\/p>\n

Controlled yet expressive flare streaks<\/p>\n

Balanced halation that never overwhelms highlights<\/p>\n

A subtle and pleasing magenta bias in skin tones<\/p>\n

Strong and consistent rendering for both dark and fair complexions<\/p>\n

Peppe described the philosophy as:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cImperfection is beauty \u2013 but it must be well balanced.\u201d<\/p>\n

The goal is not clinical sharpness, but emotionally readable images that still maintain technical reliability.<\/p>\n

Beyond Glass \u2013 A Human & Creative Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peppe spoke about:<\/p>\n

storytelling through light<\/p>\n

imagination and drawing as the earliest tools<\/p>\n

directing stories even at home without a camera<\/p>\n

and how lens design became his new obsession to \u2018show the light\u2019 he believes in<\/p>\n

He emphasised:<\/p>\n

Lenses should not only capture light \u2014<\/p>\n

they should capture what exists within the human soul.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd01 Anamorphic Experience & Research Background<\/p>\n

He briefly discussed his long engagement with classic anamorphic systems, including:<\/p>\n

Bell & Howell<\/p>\n

Kowa<\/p>\n

projector-based optics<\/p>\n

Nikkor elements<\/p>\n

and clarified that:<\/p>\n

SU\u00c1REZ lenses are intentionally designed as a different category \u2013<\/p>\n

not vintage replicas, but a new emotional-cosmetic optical class.<\/p>\n

His overall research and experimentation spans nearly 10 years.<\/p>\n

Collaboration with India<\/strong><\/p>\n

A key announcement during the talk:<\/p>\n

Peppe expressed strong interest in collaborating with Indian cinematographers and productions and clearly stated:<\/p>\n

less individual branding<\/p>\n

more collaborative lens development<\/p>\n

His long-term vision:\u00a0Every film should have its own customised lens identity.<\/p>\n

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Hands-on Testing Session<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following the presentation, SICA Treasurer Sakthi Saravanan invited members to physically test the SU\u00c1REZ lenses.<\/p>\n

Several cinematographers including:<\/p>\n

Loganathan Srinivasan<\/p>\n

Naga Saravanan<\/p>\n

along with many other SICA members participated actively.<\/p>\n

Practical tests focused on:<\/p>\n

against-light behaviour<\/p>\n

flare response<\/p>\n

fall-off profile<\/p>\n

centre resolution<\/p>\n

facial rendering under mixed light sources<\/p>\n

Sakthi Saravanan personally conducted extensive checks for:<\/p>\n

flare structure<\/p>\n

fall-off design<\/p>\n

highlight handling<\/p>\n

resolution consistency across the frame<\/p>\n

Observations from the Floor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Members consistently observed:<\/p>\n

distortion-free images<\/p>\n

interesting and controllable flare streaks<\/p>\n

skin tones carrying a distinct flavour and separation<\/p>\n

natural rendering for both darker and lighter skin tones<\/p>\n

pleasing highlight behaviour without aggressive bloom<\/p>\n

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Closing Note<\/strong><\/p>\n

The SICA event at Prasad Lab Theatre successfully blended:<\/p>\n

international lens innovation<\/p>\n

emotional storytelling philosophy<\/p>\n

and practical on-screen evaluation<\/p>\n

into one cohesive professional learning experience.<\/p>\n

The evening stood out not merely as a technology showcase, but as a rare interaction where optical engineering, personal life journey and cinematic emotion met on the same stage \u2014 reinforcing SICA\u2019s commitment to continuous learning and global collaboration for Indian cinematographers.<\/p>\n

Article drafted by<\/p>\n

CJ Rajkumar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Author\/ Cinematographer<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\ud83c\udfa5 SICA Special Technical & Lens Premiere Event \u2013 Detailed Summary Hosted by Southern India Cinematographers’ Association (SICA) The SICA technical and knowledge-sharing event held at Prasad Lab Theatre witnessed excellent attendance and vibrant participation from cinematographers and students. The programme was formally inaugurated by National Award\u2013winning cinematographer P. C. Sreeram, ISC, whose presence added […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"2.8.1","language":"ta","enabled_languages":["en","ta"],"languages":{"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ta":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11146"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11146"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11170,"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11146\/revisions\/11170"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesica.in\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}