GEAR MINI TESTS
IRIX 150MM T3.0 MACRO £TBC/$1195 irixlens.com
style hood, the front of the lens is the standard 95mm size for easy fitting. The bottom of the lens has threaded holes for the included lens support, and the lens markings – available in metric or imperial – have UV reactive paint to make them easier to see when it’s dark. The aperture ring is smooth and has a 75° throw, while the focus ring is also silky smooth and has a long 270° movement. Both have standardised 0.8 pitch cine gears for use on a rig. Next to the focus ring is a second ring, which Irix calls the Adaptive Ring, designed to rotate alongside the smaller geared focus ring so there is more to hold when manually focusing. It has clicked indents as you move it every 15 degrees, and does offer an easier grip. Traditionalists might not like it, but it is a different way of working that soon feels natural. But it’s the focal length and 1:1 macro capability that makes this lens stand out. At 150mm on a full-frame camera it’s a medium telephoto, but on a Super35 cinema camera it’s into the real telephoto end, and the fast T3.0 maximum aperture gives great out-of-focus backgrounds especially when shot wide open. There is no noticeable vignetting and the 11-bladed rounded aperture gives a smooth and attractive bokeh. The macro capability allows you to get in really close, right up to 35cm/13.78in. This is a reasonable distance so the lens doesn’t cast a shadow on your subject, yet allows 1:1 reproduction of the subject on the sensor. It means you can get in really close for detail shots other lenses just can’t get, and
When young lens brand Irix wanted to make the move into manufacturing cine optics, the plan was to offer something different rather than going head-to-head with established players like Zeiss or Sigma. Every lens firmmakes the usual 35mm, 50mm and 85mm offers, so any buyer has a huge range to choose from. The Swiss boffins at Irix HQ therefore went for two full-frame lenses that are far less common. One is an 11mm T4.3 super-wide, but the first to hit the market is this 150mm T3.0 1:1 macro, which is based on its successful photo lens of the same focal length. Eventually, a full range of lenses in more common sizes will hit the market. The plan is that by then, buyers might have been lured into the brand and will stick with the Korean- made lenses. If Irix’s first effort is anything to go by, that could well be a good plan. The lens oozes quality, from its weather proof, solid build to clever accessories like the (included) magnetically-attached lens hood. It’s a photo-style, petal-shaped hood that does a great job in stopping unwanted flare, and you can reverse it for safe storage. But if you want to use a cinema-style matte box and flag-
RIGHT The Irix 150mm T3.0 Macro offers superb value for money
SPECIFICATIONS Mount: Sony E, Canon EF, MFT, PL Aperture range: T3.0-32 Optical construction: 12 elements in 9 groups, 4 HR and 3 ED lenses Aperture blades: 11 rounded Close focus: 35cm/13.78in Maximummagnification: 1 Rotation angle: 270 degrees
Filter size: 86mm Dimension (LxD): 161x97mm/6.34x3.81in Weight: 1175g/2.59lb
it adds a really different look to your footage. At such close distances the depth-of-field can be wafer-thin, opening another creative opportunity, and there is very little focus breathing, even close up. At more normal distances, the lens has no noticeable distortion or aberrations, and produces well- defined, neutral images easily good enough for 8K capture. Although a UK or Euro price hasn’t been confirmed, it’s being advertised in the USA for $1195. That makes it one of the best value cine lenses on the market, with a performance that far outweighs its budget price. AD PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 9/10 If you didn’t know this was at the more affordable end of the market, you’d believe it was a premium quality optic. Great performance and build. Pros: Optical quality, smooth focusing, 1:1 macro Cons: No IS or AF, but you wouldn’t expect that
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PRO MOVIEMAKER WINTER 2019
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