GEAR MINI TESTS
IRIX 15MM T2.6 CINE £904/$1195 irixlens.com
RIGHT The Irix 15mm T2.6 cine lens
The Swiss-designed Irix lens brand continues to expand into serious filmmaking with the new 15mm T2.6 cine glass. It’s the fourth in the range - hot on the heels of the 11mm T4.3 super-wide, 150mm T3.0 Macro 1:1 and 45mm T1.5. While the 11mm is pretty much a special-use lens, the 15mm is far more useful, as it gives a very wide field of view on full-frame cameras, and a roughly 20mm equivalent on Super 35 cameras. So if you switch between both, or use a full-frame camera in crop mode, then it offers twice the focal length for your money. A 15mm lens is ideal for cramming in more of the scene, especially in tight locations or inside cars, for example. The wide maximum aperture lets you create a relatively shallow depth-of-field, especially at close distances. And as it’s a super- wide, not a fisheye, straight lines at the edges of the frame don’t bow out. But point it up at buildings and you get the unique perspective only a super-wide can give. Just like the others in the range, the Irix doesn’t look or feel like a budget option. It has lots of design elements built in that filmmakers want, and a stunning build quality that belies its price tag of £904/ $1195. It’s also pretty compact for such a wide lens. Available in a choice of metric or imperial markings, the weatherproof optic comes in Sony E, Canon EF, MFT and PL mounts. We tried a Sony version. Like its siblings, it has a magnetically attached, petal-shaped lens hood, which works reasonably well, but of course you will get
has tactile and easily
controllable control rings
SPECIFICATIONS
“It acts and feels like a top-quality cine lens, designed for 8K shooting”
Mount: Sony E, Canon EF, MFT, PL Aperture range: T2.6-22 Optical construction: 15 elements in 11 groups, 3 HR, 2 ED and 2 ASP lenses Aperture blades: 9 (rounded) Close focus: 25cm/9.84in Maximummagnification: 1:1 Rotation angle: 180° Front diameter: 95mm
significant flare with such a wide lens when the sun is in the shot. There is an 86mm front filter thread, but the front of the lens is the standard 95mm size for easy fitment of amatte box. The bottomof the lens has threaded holes for a lens support. Cinema-style lenses are all about the tactile and easily controllable nature of the control rings and the Irix hits the mark in this respect. The aperture ring is smooth, with just the right amount of damping, while the focus ring is also just right and has a 180° throw. Both have standard 0.8 pitch gears. On some lenses, Irix uses a second focusing ring called the ‘adaptive ring’ for easier handheld use, but the 15mm lens does away with this for a conventional feel. It acts and feels like a top-quality cine lens. In terms of performance, it’s designed for 8K shooting, with minimal vignetting, virtually no focus breathing and the nine-bladed rounded aperture gives a smooth bokeh. Of course, there is some distortion as you’d expect from such a wide lens, but it’s well corrected. The focus breathing is virtually impossible to detect, and the image
Filter size: 86mm Dimension (lxd): 115x95mm/4.5x3.7in Weight: 960g/2.12lb
is surprisingly sharp right across the frame, especially at middle aperture settings. At very wide or small apertures, there is a tiny hint of softness. In the real world, there are no issues at all, even shooting wide open when you actually want a bit of softness in the corners. It’s a great addition to your kit and gives a great new perspective to your shots. And at this money, it’s not going to break the bank. AD PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 Once again we are blown away by the design, build quality and optical quality of such an affordable Irix cine lens. It should deliver for many years Pros: Optical and build quality, the price Cons: No image stabilisation or AF
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PRO MOVIEMAKER SUMMER 2020
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