NiSi, a manufacturer of high-quality filters and lenses, has recently unveiled a limited-edition series of prime lenses, the Athena Tuned. These lenses are a unique twist on the popular Athena series, offering a more vintage-inspired aesthetic.
A Nod to the Past
The Athena Tuned lenses are designed to evoke the character and charm of classic cinema lenses. By carefully tweaking the optical formula and coatings, NiSi has achieved a softer, dreamier image with lower contrast and subtle flares. This vintage aesthetic, characterized by blooming highlights and a slightly muted color palette, can add a touch of nostalgia and romance to any project, making them ideal for period pieces, indie films, and commercials.
A Closer Look
The Athena Tuned lenses offer a range of features that contribute to their unique cinematic look. Tuned optical elements (including altered air gap spacing between elements) and specialized coatings produce a softer, dreamier image with subtle blue and purple flares, adding a touch of magic and atmosphere to a scene, especially when shooting with wide apertures. Lower contrast and blooming highlights create a classic cinematic look, which can be particularly useful for achieving a nostalgic or timeless feel in your footage.
The sleek silver anodized finish sets these lenses apart from the standard black finish of the original Athena series, adding a touch of luxury to your filmmaking kit. Covering a range of focal lengths from 14mm to 85mm, these lenses offer flexibility for various shooting scenarios, from wide-angle landscapes to tight portraits. The rear filter mount allows for the use of additional filters, such as ND filters or creative filters, to further customize the image. Minimal focus breathing ensures a consistent field of view during focus adjustments, making it easier to achieve smooth focus pulls and transitions. The lenses are designed to be balanced and easy to use, making them ideal for handheld and gimbal work.
50mm Flare Comparison
35mm Flare Comparison
A quick preface to this comparison – We performed this test with a preproduction model of the 35mm Athena Tuned and therefore want to clarify that there could be changes in the finalized version that customers receive. NiSi has stated that production models will have enhanced flaring characteristics as well as slightly altered bokeh to better match the rest of the set.
While these might not be the final versions, these preproduction models do offer a great view of what direction the Tuned are leaning towards. Personally, I quite like the look of the the 35mm. If NiSi produces other Tuned models in the future, perhaps we can name one the “Duclos Athena Tuned.” Just throwing that out there.
Limited Edition and Exclusive Availability
The Athena Tuned lenses are a limited-edition product, with only 199 sets available worldwide. This scarcity, combined with their unique optical characteristics, makes them a highly sought-after item for cinematographers and collectors.
Pricing and Availability
The Athena Tuned lenses will only be available as a 5-piece set, including the 14mm T2.4, 25mm T1.9, 35mm T1.9, 50mm T1.9, and 85mm T1.9.
Pricing for the 5-lens does come at a slight premium at $6,798.00 compared to the normal Athena kit at $5,798.00. Considering the added R&D and limited availability we feel the premium is at least justified.
Tech Chart
| LENS | Mount | T-Stop | Filter Thread | Focus Rotation | Image Circle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14mm | PL | T2.4-22 | 77mm | 300° | 46mm |
| 25mm | PL | T1.9-22 | 77mm | 300° | 46mm |
| 35mm | PL | T1.9-22 | 77mm | 300° | 46mm |
| 50mm | PL | T1.9-22 | 77mm | 300° | 46mm |
| 85mm | PL | T1.9-22 | 77mm | 300° | 46mm |
In Conclusion
The NiSi Athena Tuned lenses represent a bold step forward for the company, offering a unique blend of technical excellence and artistic flair. While their limited availability and premium price tag may restrict their appeal to a niche market, they undoubtedly provide a powerful tool for filmmakers seeking to elevate their work. For those who prioritize a distinctive cinematic look and are willing to embrace the vintage aesthetic, the Athena Tuned lenses are a compelling choice.
Hi Matthew. You know better than anyone that photographers/cinematographers have been inundated with so many affordable lenses to choose from nowadays…many of which are made in China. I’m always hesitant to buy anything made in China for my commercial photography business — I just can’t afford to have something fail mid-production. Having said that, what are your thoughts, image quality aside, regarding life span/build quality of Chinese made cinema lenses? (I’m shooting more and more video for my clients.) Can the Chinese lenses from Nisi, Laowa, Meike etc be considered “one and done lenses” or is that title still reserved for “buy once cry once lenses” from brands like Zeiss, Cooke, Arri, etc? Thank you in advance for your thoughts!
This is a great question that I get often. The answer isn’t as simple as it used to be. A decade ago I would have told you that you were better off going with a reputable brand and that the brand name and price was a ticket to the “cry once” train.
Sadly, that’s not the case anymore. The influx of affordable, sometimes “cheap”, cinema lenses has dragged then entire industry down. In an effort to remain competitive, well established brands have turned to Chinese OEM manufacturers and simply slapped their top-shelf branding onto cheaper, inferior lenses in order to offer something competitive in the market.
This is not to say that you can’t still find a great value in some of the newer, more affordable lenses coming out of China. In fact, the shift in the industry has allowed these smaller operations to experiment and bring new, interesting lenses to market. There’s no question that the quality simply isn’t the same as it was a decade ago.
There are exceptions to this shift such as Sigma who has kept their entire design and manufacturing process under one roof in their sole factory in Aizu Japan. Very, very few other brands can claim that sort of commitment and ability to control quality.
I have a full-length article in the works that dives into this topic much more that I’ll be releasing soon (hence the lengthy comment reply). Stay tuned!
Matthew! I can’t thank you enough for your thoughtful, quick reply! I certainly understand the major players in the lens world exploring less expensive manufacturing solutions in China etc. Why I consider that acceptable? We know who to hold responsible and where to get any necessary repairs. The new names that pop up just have me thinking that their items, though perhaps initially good, and filling a void, should be considered “disposable”. A great example of a “pop up” lens company is IRIX — I was just researching them last night. A Polish guy founded IRIX, mailbox in Switzerland, manufactured in South Korea by Samyang? I wouldn’t want to invest my money in a company that is just “private labeling” other’s “stuff”. Strikes me their motivation is not making lenses — it’s capitalizing on the video revolution? I could be way wrong. Not being able to trace a true history of a brand makes me wary. What you’re doing so wisely at Duclos is putting a face behind a name/brand — I prefer to trust a human vs a brand. Funny you should bring up Sigma (a brand with a provenance). Sigma is the brand I’d most likely buy a cine lenses from. I know their evolution from “just okay” to very well respected. I own and use a couple of their still lenses and couldn’t be happier — they’re just inconvenient to use for video. 5x the cost for a cine version sometimes makes sense, sometimes doesn’t (video is only about 10% of what I do). If I were to spend $4,500 for a rehoused Sigma still lens then why not just spend $10 for a Cooke? (my projects don’t warrant a Cooke). Such a rabbit hole! I’m based in Cincinnati, Ohio — renting good glass is an option — just not very convenient. Thank you again, Matthew! I sincerely appreciate your reply. Please keep up the great work!
My pleasure. If you’re in the Cincinnati area, you must know the guys at The Camera Department. If not, you should definitely pop in and say ‘Hi!” to Mal and Ben. They run a great operation out there and are the type of people that make our industry great.
Hi Matthew. Yes! I’ve met and talked to Mal and Ben a few times. They both couldn’t have been more generous with their time and knowledge — great guys! I wish I had opportunity to need their services — the ratio and scope of video that I do just hasn’t required me to do so…yet. I also wish I had a pressing need to buy “real” cinema lenses — I’d buy them from you. I don’t promote that I do video but a few of my still clients are wanting more and more video. Most of what I’ve done, and anticipate doing simply needs a relatively close focusing, but not necessarily macro, 35 to 50 prime that covers full frame in an E mount. I’d do a PL but with shooting an FX6 I don’t want the extra adapter hanging off the front. “Character” isn’t a prerequisite as most of what I do is very product oriented commercial photography/video with some editorial talent video sprinkled in. Hmmm…sounds like Sigma’s 40mm cine is just right? Thank you again for your time and replies, Matthew!