INDIE LENS SPECIAL GEAR
TOKINA’S TASTY TRIO T okina has a range of AF lenses for mirrorless cameras, but its high-end cinema line of Vista prime lenses includes the 180mm T1.9 telephoto at the long end, 18mm T1.5 at the wide and ten in between. There is also a 16-28mm T3.0 cinema zoom and 1.6x expander for the largest sensors. For a more vintage, swirly bokeh, Tokina also offers the Vista-P series in 18, 25, 35, 50 and 85mm focal lengths. All the lenses perfectly complement the latest generation of cinema cameras including the Arri Alexa Mini LF, Red V-Raptor and Sony Venice 2. The brand also manufactures lenses for mirrorless, such as the £599/$949 Firin 20mm f/2 FE AF lens. It is a small and versatile autofocus prime for Sony E-mount full-frame cameras that performs incredibly well. It weighs just 464g/1.02lb and is incredibly portable yet still has a high-quality, sophisticated optical design necessary for high-resolving cameras. Images are sharp, with the centre area sharpest, but they also have some degradation of detail at the edges of the frame as you’d expect on a wide lens. The only letdown is that there is no weather sealing. tokinacinema.com
TWO IN ONE The Isco4all set comprises regular prime lenses with an adapter to make them anamorphic
SCHNEIDER’S HIGH-END CHOICE
O ne of the world’s highest-profile lens makers, Schneider-Kreuznach, not only has its well-respected Xenon series of prime lenses but also offers them in Cine Tilt versions. It also has the Isco4all A+ EF lenses – the world’s first set that can be used for both anamorphic and conventional footage. The Isco4all set is three spherical cine primes and an anamorphic front adapter. The lenses can be used as regular primes, but adding the Iscorama 54 CU-1.5x adapter gives a classic anamorphic look. And although it retains the vintage look of the originals, this modern version is upgraded with sharper glass, a reduced close focus distance of 1400mm and a standard 0.8M gear ring. The three compact Iscospherical A+ cine primes have focal lengths of 43, 58 and 85mm and a 2.4 T stop. They are a Schneider-Kreuznach version of the Dulens Mini-Primes, specially made to produce the classic Iscorama style. They have an Iscospherical Amber-Coating (A+) that creates great flares. The conventional Xenon FF-Prime family includes 18mm T2.4, 25mm T2.1, 35mm T2.1, 50mm T2.1, 75mm T2.1 and 100mm T2.1 focal lengths. The circular, 14-bladed aperture delivers perfectly smooth bokeh. Precision focusing design ensures breathing is minimised and, with a 300° barrel rotation, the manual focus markings offer accuracy.
On the Tilt version of these lenses, the focal plane can be shifted by angling the lens relative to the camera body by up to 4° either way from standard by simply turning a dial. This allows the plane of focus to be moved by up to 80°. It’s great for shooting products close-up so they can be kept sharp even when using wide apertures or for producing the ‘small world’ tilt-shift look. The Cine Tilt range is only in E mount and there are 25, 35, 50, 75 and 100mm versions available. schneiderkreuznach.com
“On the Tilt version of the lenses, the focal plane can be shifted by angling the lens by up to 4°”
CHOICE CUTS Tokina has lenses to suit all, from its high-end cinema primes to its compact and affordable AF glass suitable for mirrorless
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