It doesn't take a long conversation with filmmaker Hans von Sonntag to discover he's passionate about his art and his kit. He obsesses about all the technical details of every shoot to ensure he's using the right equipment to tell the story. So when he says the Canon EOS C700 FF and Canon Sumire Prime cine lenses delivered exactly the look he wanted to the standard he demanded, on a shoot with particularly challenging lighting conditions, you know Canon's kit hit the spot.

His knowledge and love of lenses, especially – everything from rare and exotic retro glass right through to the latest cinema primes – makes Hans a most particular DOP who knows exactly what he wants. This is thanks to years of experience of shooting and now also lecturing in filmmaking.

He's a mine of information when it comes to bokeh, flare, resolving power, aberrations, colour and everything else a lens has to offer. He also edits many of his own films, to ensure complete control of the look he's after to tell the story. That means any new lenses have to be good to impress him, and Hans was certainly impressed with his time using the Canon Sumire Prime series cine lenses. "They have a distinctive, vintage look that's ideal for certain projects," Hans says.

The opening scene sees the couple hitchhiking in front of some of the peaks on the island, and is a real-world demonstration of the unique properties the Canon CN-E35mm T1.5 FP X lens, shot wide open, can offer. "On the long shot there is a distinct difference in depth of field compared to other lenses," Hans says. Many lenses would flatten such a shot, he explains, but the Canon Sumire Primes deliver a distinct three-dimensionality, which directors love because it draws the viewer more into the picture.

Using the camera's built-in ND filters to drop the light levels, Hans fully explored the unique look of the lenses in terms of sharpness, dimensionality and the gentle fall-off of focus.

"Some lenses perform the same at all apertures. But the Sumire Prime lenses change their behaviour according to the aperture," he says. "When you set the iris wide open, the perceived sharpness remains but there is much more forgiveness around skin tones compared to some lenses, which lose all their sharpness.

"The Sumire Primes don't flare like old lenses, which you have to keep in shadow," he says. "When you point them at a light source, they do exhibit a distinct flare that's quite vintage-y, so it fits with the look."

Hans also praises the light weight of the Sumire Prime cine lenses, their rugged build quality, and their ease of use thanks to the consistent sizing, especially the consistent 300-degree focus throw that proved very smooth, with just the right resistance.

But he keeps coming back to the look they gave. "In some shoots, you want something with a gritty feeling and need lots of flares, rather than specific sharpness," says Hans. "That's brilliant for these kinds of lenses.

"These lenses are kind of a modern interpretation of the best vintage lenses out there. They deliver plenty of sharpness but they still have this, well, vintage personality, and that is what many, many of us are after."