Rokinon has been stirring up the lens market for a couple of years offering very affordable options for photographers and cinematographers alike. They just began shipping their lovely Xeen Cinema Primes recently and already have a new product line to announce, designed specifically for mirrorless systems. A 21mm f/1.4
The 21mm will have a maximum aperture of f/1.4, a great speed for such a wide angle prime lens. Comprised of eight elements in seven groups with a 9-bladed aperture assembly, it will be available in Sony E, Canon M, Fuji X, or Micro 4/3 mount. I’ll be comparing this lens directly to the Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Milvus in a future post.
The 50mm will benefit from an ultra fast f/1.2 maximum aperture. With nine elements,two of which are aspherical, in seven groups, and a 9-bladed aperture configuration. Also available in Sony E, Canon M, Fuji X, or Micro 4/3 mount. I’ll be comparing this lens with the new Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Milvus as well as the Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 in a future post.
While these particular models are intended for still photography, this is relevant here because a cine version with standardized gears, clickless aperture, T-stop markings, and proper focus scales is immanent. This is also a welcome approach to the mirrorless market considering the mirrorless mount options of the current Rokinon Cine DS primes is simply a large, chunky extension to take up the slack between a reflex system mount and the shallow flange of a mirrorless camera. Picture a Rokinon 85mm T1.5 Cine DS lens – now add two inches of material at the rear of the lens and top it off with a metal lens mount… As it is right now, the Sony E mount version of the Rokinon Cine DS primes is essentially a permanent mount adapter affixed to the lens… I do enjoy direct mount lenses for mirrorless cameras, but not when it’s an after-thought.
These two new mirrorless lenses are a great step forward with their lightweight, compact design that provides a native mount option for mirrorless cameras. The only downside is that they’re not intended for 35mm full frame cameras. As it always is in the world of optics – everything is a compromise.
Expect the cine versions of these primes to show up over at http://www.ducloslenses.com in a few months. If you simply can’t wait or you don’t care about the cine version, you can purchase the still photo versions at the following links to support this site:
“Immanent” means inherent: the correct adjective is “imminent”.