You might recall the name NiSi from when the company announced its F3 Cinema Primes in 2018. The lenses made a splash because of their price point ($10K for a 5 lens kit), but it's uncertain how many are in circulation today. There aren't that many use cases available online.
Early on there was speculation that the F3 lenses—"F" standing for full-frame and "3" standing for series 3—were based on the now-defunct Bokkelux lenses, and that sentiment is very much true. DIYPhotography published an article clearing up the confusion, stating that NiSi bought Bokkelux, so anything they do with the lenses is a moot point.
NiSi has now introduced its first wide-angle spherical still lens in the form of a 15mm F4.
Optically, the lens has 12 elements in 10 groups with one aspherical element and two extra-low dispersion elements to limit chromatic aberration and distortion. Something unique about the lens is its 10 blade aperture, which produces a 10 point sunstar, even at F4. The manual focus lens can slow down to F22 and features a common 72mm filter thread to add ND or polarizing filters. It has separate rings for focus and aperture with markings to one side.
The lens covers full-frame sensors up to a 43.2mm image circle while providing a 112° field of view. For close-up work, the lens has a 7.8" (0.2m) minimum focusing distance and a maximum magnification of 0.13x.
Credit: NiSi
We've seen an uptick in wide-angle lenses as of late, especially from brands like Laowa and Meike. It'd be interesting to watch if NiSi aims to cement itself in the world too.
The 15mm F4 is available for pre-order now for $579 and has options for Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, and Sony E-mount. The expected delivery date is February of this year.
I spent 12 years of my life going to Catholic School, so it shouldn't be surprising to learn that one of my favorite movies of 2024 was Conclave.
This papal thriller had all sorts of plot twists and turns and some of the best character development and character arcs I've seen in any recent movie.
Another thing that has everyone talking about the film is its controversial ending. There's a lot to unpack with this one, and that's exactly what we will do today.
We'll explain the Conclave ending, go over its plot, and discuss its meaning.
Let's dive in.
The Plot of 'Conclave'
Conclave
via FilmNation
The film Conclave was directed by Ed Berger and written by Peter Straughan. It was based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris. The movie stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini.
At the opening of the movie, we learn the Pope has died, and that the College of Cardinals is going to gather together for a Papal Conclave, to decide who's going to be the next Pope.
These Cardinals come from all over the world to do this, and there is high tension between them, and between all the people in St. Peter's Square, anxiously awaiting whoever will be the next Pope.
Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), the Dean of the College of Cardinals, is tasked with overseeing this process.
The conclave becomes a battleground for the future of the Church, with four cardinals emerging as the leading contenders. Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) of the United States, a charismatic figure, embodies the liberal wing and seeks to carry on the legacy of the late Pope.
His primary challenger is Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria, a social conservative who advocates for a return to traditional values.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) of Canada represents a more moderate path, hoping to find common ground and maintain unity within the Church.
Finally, Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco of Italy stands as a staunch traditionalist, determined to uphold the Church's historical doctrines and resist any attempts at modernization.
The clash between these four figures and their contrasting visions sets the stage for a tense conclave.
As they begin the proceedings, Janusz Woźniak, the Prefect of the Papal Household, comes to Cardinal Lawrence and tells him that the late Pope demanded Tremblay's resignation on the night he died.
This piece of information is investigated by Lawrence, but Tremblay denies it. It also fuels the campaigning that the Cardinals who hope to become Pope start to do, with Bellini telling his supporters his goal is to prevent Tedesco from becoming Pope.
With all this craziness going on, Lawrence is surprised by the arrival of Archbishop Vincent Benitez of Kabul. He was named in secret by the Pope himself and wants to take part in this conclave.
As the voting for the new Pope gets underway, each of the main Cardinals begins to have disqualifying things dug up about them.
We learn Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria fathered a child with a Nun from his country. And that Tremblay actually flew that Nun to Rome in order to embarrass him. As Lawrence digs into Tremblay's misdeeds, he also finds out that Benitez was close with the Pope, who was going to fly him in for a medical procedure which didn't happen.
There are so many things swirling around Lawrence that he gets more and more stressed. We learn that he wanted to retire before the Pope died and that the Pope refused to accept his resignation.
Lawrence confesses this to Benitez, who then starts to vote for him to become Pope. And Lawrence only gains votes when he delivers a passionate eulogy for the Pope.
This distresses Bellini, who now loses votes and has no path to victory, distressing his followers.
Lawrence begins to realize they may lose to Tedesco and not have the future of the church they want. And also, they could still lose to Tremblay, who seems to have made a mockery and is openly campaigning.
In his fit of not knowing what to do and having a crisis of faith, Cardinal Lawrence opens the late Pope's chambers to do research on Tremblay because his story doesn't add up and it feels like something is going on behind his back.
Inside the Pope's apartment, Lawrence finds proof that Tremblay has been bribing and blackmailing other Cardinals for votes. When he exposes this, Tremblay is effectively shut down from the possibility of becoming Pope.
Back in the chambers, voting begins again but a bomb explodes out in the square. It rocks the Cardinals and the proceedings. Tedesco blames Islam and Muslims and gets nasty. He taps into all the hatred that has been boiling up.
But in that moment, Benitez butts in and says violence should not be met with violence. He gives a passionate speech about the way religion should function that really inspires everyone in the chambers.
The College of Cardinals then overwhelmingly elects Benitez on the seventh ballot, and he chooses the regnal name of Innocent XIV.
This is a relief to Lawrence, who thinks Benitez will be great for the job. But as everyone realizes, he gets some news and goes to confront Benitez.
We learn that Benitez is intersex, and only found out when he was going to have an appendectomy. He was raised male and lived his life as such, with no one else being aware.
The late Pope knew this fact and didn't care. He supported Benitez when he chose not to undergo further surgery to "correct" his intersex status. In fact, the late Pope gave him the advice to embrace his identity as God's creation.
As the movie ends, Benitez heads out to address the people as the new Pope, and Lawrence returns to his post, with his crisis of faith finally handled. He's not going to retire but instead stay there to help usher in the new era of the Church.
The Ending of 'Conclave' Explained
The movie Conclave has some complex themes about faith and doubt that run through its course. And it challenges the audience to make their own assumptions about the inclusive and compassionate future of the Catholic Church (as presented in the film).
Basically, the movie is about divine will. We want to think the Pope is picked by God, but we see the campaigning and backbiting that goes into it. Still, ultimately we feel like the right person won. So again, the movie asks you to choose if you think God has a hand in it.
This highlights the faith and doubt we all have, and which we see all the Cardinals have gone through. Lawrence is unsure what his role here should be and ends with faith he should stay on.
Benitez doubted who he was and if he should change, but found faith that God made him a certain way and that he shouldn't have to change that.
There is also a deep seed of humanity in all of this. As humans, we're flawed and have our own issues, no one is above this fact. But to connect with the divine, we have to push past our flaws and open ourselves for signs from above.
Summing Up The Ending of Conclave Explained
At the end of the day, this is one of the deepest movies of the year. It adds so many layers to the story and challenges the audience to engage with the dogma they see on screen.
Did you see this movie, what are your thoughts about the story?
Credit: NiSi
