everything. The SmallRig cage and follow focus we shot with on the Sony worked flawlessly. Our trio of optics each have a fast T1.5 maximum aperture and the iris rings are clickless. While AF lenses have f/stops based on a mathematical formula, T stops are an actual measure of light transmission to guarantee consistency. Yet another benefit is the 11 aperture blades that make for silky smooth bokeh.
“Turning up on a shoot with a case full of Xeen primes might not have the same cred as a Cooke or Zeiss set, but they don’t cost anywhere near as much”
Focus ring throw is long, for precise control and a responsive feel by hand or follow focus. And the internal system is designed to minimise focus breathing, so when you rack focus, you don’t get a large change in the angle of view. This is an area where the Xeen lenses don’t perform as well as more expensive brands, but that’s to be expected. Xeen’s CF range is more compact than its original cine prime series, and has some carbon fibre in the construction to cut weight and stop movement between lens elements while focusing. Optics are small enough to go on gimbals, drones or cranes, but it’s hard to focus them this way without adding extras like electronic focus motors. Each has a maximum aperture of T1.5 – ideal for low light and throwing the background out of focus. Make sure you’ve nailed focus shooting wide open; a camera monitor often isn’t accurate enough, even with focus peaking activated. Use a larger, external monitor; we paired up an Atomos Ninja V.
Footage is sharp right across the frame, and colours are consistent and slightly warm. As you would expect, filming wide open causes some vignetting and softening, but it’s easy to get rid of this and sharpen results in post – if you want a pristine look. Flare is pleasant, but you need to try hard to make it happen – that’s only testament to Xeen’s good design and build quality. A strong point light source will produce a starburst flare, which looks great. Turning up on a shoot with a case full of Xeen primes might not have the same cred as a Cooke or Zeiss set, but they don’t cost anywhere near as much. CFs are smaller than original cines, better for more compact cameras such as mirrorless, and have excellent performance. They all handle excellently, thanks to the smooth focus and iris rings. Results speak for themselves, with seriously impressive image quality – and that’s what it’s really all about. samyanglens.com
ONE SIZE FITS ALL All the Xeen CF cine primes are the same size, with consistent control ring placement
HIGH-FIBRE DIET The CF range has some carbon-fibre components to make the lenses even lighter
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