The Sirui 40mm T1.8 1.33x is Anamorphic AF

The Sirui 40mm T1.8 1.33x is Anamorphic AF

Over the past year, a fresh batch of exciting lenses has emerged, adding new flavors to the ever-evolving lens industry. While these releases have certainly stirred the pot, as the saying goes, the technique you use can make all the difference in the final dish. Now, Sirui enters the scene with their bold campaign for the 40mm T1.8 1.33x AF Anamorphic Prime, leaving us to wonder: Will this new ingredient enhance the overall recipe, or will it be a flavor that fades into the background?

Don’t worry there are no more references to food going forward.

Continue reading “The Sirui 40mm T1.8 1.33x is Anamorphic AF”

Sirui Nightwalker 16mm & 75mm T1.2 Primes

Sirui Nightwalker 16mm & 75mm T1.2 Primes

Enter the Void

Sirui has expanded its Nightwalker lineup with two new additions designed to enhance the creative capabilities of filmmakers and content creators alike. With a plethora of mount options including: Sony E, Canon RF, Fuji X, Micro Four Thirds, and L-Mount versions, these primes appear to be the Swiss army knives of the affordable compact cine lens category.

Continue reading “Sirui Nightwalker 16mm & 75mm T1.2 Primes”

Irix Introduces Cine 15mm T2.6 Ultra-Wide

Irix Introduces Cine 15mm T2.6 Ultra-Wide

The newest wide-angle lens from Irix joins the ultra-wide 11mm, standard 45mm, and macro 150mm.  Inspired by their popular Firefly and Blackstone 15mm f/2.4 models, the new cinema lens is lightweight, affordable, and exhibits very little distortion.  Available in EF, E, PL and Micro 4/3 mounts.

Continue reading “Irix Introduces Cine 15mm T2.6 Ultra-Wide”

Vazen Creates Native Anamorphic Prime for Micro 4/3

Vazen Creates Native Anamorphic Prime for Micro 4/3

If you’ve ever browsed forums or joined a Facebook group for budget anamorphic lenses, there’s two things you’ll find in an abundance; Micro 4/3 cameras, and Frankenstein rigs held together with adapters and gaff tape. But now there’s a cure for one of those… The Vazen 1.8x Anamorphic Prime Lens.

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Goodbye CP.2 – Hello CP.3!

Goodbye CP.2 – Hello CP.3!

Zeiss pulled the veil of their long anticipated update to the Compact Prime line which will officially be called the CP.3 and CP.3 xD. The new line will consist of FF35 primes ranging from 15mm to 135mm in a lightweight, compact cinema housing. The new lenses will feature high performance optics at affordable prices with a couple of features not yet seen in the Sub-$5K market. Let’s take a look at the details of Zeiss’ new cinema primes.

Continue reading “Goodbye CP.2 – Hello CP.3!”

Fuji X-Mount for Veydra Mini Primes Coming Soon

Fuji X-Mount for Veydra Mini Primes Coming Soon

The increasing popularity of Fujifilm’s cameras for quick, nimble motion picture work has begun another trend in the mirrorless realm – using legacy legacy lenses for cinematic work. Similar to the popularity of the Sony E-mount ecosystem, the X-mount features a similar shallow flange depth that makes adapting older SLR lenses a breeze with a plethora of cheap, accessible adapters. But what if you wanted an affordable, purpose built cinema lens for the X-mount system without using cheap, flimsy adapters?  Continue reading “Fuji X-Mount for Veydra Mini Primes Coming Soon”

Rokinon adds 16mm T2.6 to Xeen Line

Rokinon adds 16mm T2.6 to Xeen Line

Last week Rokinon announced that the latest addition to their XEEN by Rokinon line, the 16mm T2.6 lens, is available immediately from authorized dealers. This is the first XEEN lens to be released since the 135mm lens began shipping last July, and is the first (but most likely not the last) XEEN of 2017. Continue reading “Rokinon adds 16mm T2.6 to Xeen Line”

Tokina Cinema Introduces New Primes, Refreshed Zoom, and More!

Tokina Cinema Introduces New Primes, Refreshed Zoom, and More!

Tokina entered the cinema lens market several years ago with a few zooms and a macro prime which were all ported over from their still photography line of lenses. Originally, their 11-16mm T3 (a lens that we lovingly began the trend with) lacked a PL mount option which it finally gained just recently, while the other lenses featured the PL mount as a factory option. The 11-16mm was accompanied by two additional zoom lenses – a 16-28mm T3 and a 50-135mm T3 and a lonely 100mm Macro prime lens. Last week, Tokina announced that it will begin manufacturing three brand new prime lenses – a 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm, all T1.5, and refreshing the 16-28mm with a version II. Continue reading “Tokina Cinema Introduces New Primes, Refreshed Zoom, and More!”

Rokinon Announces Two New Mirrorless Primes

rokmirrorlessRokinon 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 and a 50mm f/1.2.  Continue reading “Rokinon Announces Two New Mirrorless Primes”

Micro 4/3 Wide Angle Comparo

wide angle comparo

Here’s a quick one for ya.
Veydra just began shipping the 12mm Mini Prime which completes the full set. I’ve had some time to play with it and I have to say it’s impressive considering it’s wide angle nature and the fact that it’s coming out of China. Like I said in previous posts with the other Veydra Mini Primes, these are probably the only Chinese lenses that I enjoy using. But how does it stack up to a few other options? Continue reading “Micro 4/3 Wide Angle Comparo”

Veydra Debuts New Mount Options For Mini Primes

25mm ImperialVeydra has done very well with their Micro 4/3 mount Mini Primes designed for cameras like the Panasonic GH4 or the Blackmagic Pocket Camera. Until now, the Mini Primes were available only in Micro 4/3 mount. But today they released a short video showcasing the new mount options and the wide range of cameras that these primes will work with. Continue reading “Veydra Debuts New Mount Options For Mini Primes”

Rokinon Takes Aim with New Xeen Cinema Prime Lenses

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Rokinon posted a not-so-subtle hint at their upcoming Xeen product line to their Facebook page earlier today. The photo shows a Xeen branded pirate ship blasting a Zeiss CP.2 and Canon CN-E out of the water. Not much mincing of words there. Continue reading “Rokinon Takes Aim with New Xeen Cinema Prime Lenses”

Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm Shipping and Price Details Revealed

Voitlander Nokton 10.5mm f/0.95
Voitlander Nokton 10.5mm f/0.95

Finally! Voigtlander announced the development of their 10.5mm back in September of 2014 with very little information. Now we have a ship date of June, 2015 and a price of approximately $1,149. Duclos Lenses is taking pre-orders for the lens which it will offer with their Cine-Mod for a price of $1,349. I’ve not yet been able to test the quality of this new ultra-wide prime, but if the other lenses in the Nokton line are any indication, I think we’ll all be very happy to finally have an ultra-wide, ultra-fast prime lens with proper manual controls. Continue reading “Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm Shipping and Price Details Revealed”

With Success of Mini Primes, Veydra Lays Out Plans

Veydra-4-lensThe Veydra Mini Primes were widely debated when they launched their Kickstarter campaign. Cautiously optimistic cinematographers who had been waiting for a pro-level Micro 4/3 cinema lens contributed, and exceeded the modest Kickstarter goal of $50,000 with a whopping $272,000 final pledge. After the first batches of the Mini Primes began arriving at the door steps of generous early adopters, those that didn’t contribute to the Kickstarter were… well, kicking themselves. The Veydra Mini Primes have continued to be the most professional, cinematic choice for Micro 4/3 motion picture projects. So now what…? Clearly Veydra is no one-trick-pony as they’ve just announced several new projects ahead of NAB 2015: Continue reading “With Success of Mini Primes, Veydra Lays Out Plans”

Veydra, First To Offer M4/3 Cinema Primes

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAUntil now, shooting cinema on a Micro 4/3 camera meant you were using still photo lenses or lenses that were adapted or modified for motion picture use. The new Veydra Mini Primes are the first lenses to be built from the ground up as motion picture cinema lenses specifically for the Micro 4/3 platform. Considering the super shallow flange depth and tiny sensor size of Micro 4/3, the options for adapting lenses is almost limitless. But what if you’re using a Blackmagic or Panasonic GH4 in a professional environment and don’t have time to fiddle with adapters or down-time for vintage lens repair? The Veydra Mini Primes seem to be filling a gap that no one else has with a purpose built Micro 4/3 cinema lens. Continue reading “Veydra, First To Offer M4/3 Cinema Primes”