Cinematography Salon Kicks Off Cinegear LA 2026

The annual Cinegear LA Kickoff is less an event than a reunion. On Thursday, June 4, people found each other between the lens cases and the light stands. Drinks came courtesy of Mad Mikey B behind the bar, DJ Smiles worked the turntables, and the conversations ran long enough that a few people seemed to forget the show floor opened in the morning.

Most of the night, though, the gear did the talking.

An impromptu lens bar ran the length of one table:

• Illuvision brought their dream lenses.
• Nisi showed the Aureus primes.
• Freestyle set out their Minolta Rokkors.
• V35 Project had their Canon Flex Zooms.

Sony had their Rialto 65 out for hands-on time, the hot item of the evening.

Nanlux was showing off their new Matrix 2500c. And at the photo booth, our friends at TCP Insurance and Atlas Lens Co. kept a steady line going all night.

None of this happens without the generosity of our sponsors, some of whom, like Sony, have shown up for the better part of a decade. The night was presented by Sony and Nanlux, with TCP Insurance, Ascentium Capital, Atlas Lens Co., V35 Project, Illuvision, Nisi, Tilta, and New Life Cine, and hosted by Freestyle Cinema Rentals, who opened their yard and made it home for the night.

A special thanks to Topher Hammond, who oversaw the organization of the whole night, and to everyone who lent gear and a hand during setup: Lightforce Rentals, Justin Usami, Zach Morrison, Gabrielle Milman, Kyle Thor, and the Freestyle crew of Michael Barnett, Seth Gregory, and Jesse Germann.

These nights run on community. If you want to help us keep putting them on, join us on Patreon.

Thanks to everyone who came out. See you on the floor, and next June.