GEAR SAMYANGXEENCF LENS SET XEEN IS BELIEVING CLASS GLASS You can afford a full set of cinema primes by opting for this range of Samyang optics
WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
A matched set of prime cine lenses may cost a chunk of change, but consider them a long-term investment in your work. The look of films can be transformed, with consistently excellent performance delivered for decades. While a collection frompremium names like Zeiss or Arri may easily cost as much as a brand-new supercar, there are alternatives that make more financial sense, like these Samyang Xeen CF beauties. At £9682/$10,975 for all five in a protective carry case, the whole shebang is cheaper than a single boutique lens. The Xeen set has 16, 24, 35, 50 and 85mm sizes,
coming in either Canon EF or Arri PLmounts. Buy the set with a 14mm version replacing the 16mm, for something even wider. We used the Xeens on a 4K Sony A7S III and 8K A1, with a Metabones EF to E adapter. With no electronic contacts between lenses and camera, adapters like this are a modest, easy way tomake a lens set work on different cameras. They are a matched set, providing a quicker, more consistent look in post, andmaintain size and control ring placement between different focal lengths. It’s faster and easier to change lenses, as accessories like a follow-focus rig will fit instantly. Each has a fast, large T1.5 maximum aperture, apart from the T2.6 16mm, and iris rings are clickless, with 11 aperture blades to give smooth bokeh. The focus ring throw is long, for precise control and a beautiful, tactile feel when focusing by hand – you can’t get this from a fly-by- wire AF lens. Amechanical internal system is designed tominimise focus breathing; when you rack focus, discrepancies in the angle of view are avoided. The Xeens didn’t fare too well here, with some breathing after large changes. But, in reality, the times you’ll go from close focus to infinity are limited. Samyang now has five different ranges of manual focus cine-style glass, branded as Rokinon in certain countries. The base range is the VDSLRMK2, then comes the original Xeen range. Above that is Xeen CF – a lot more compact, with strong, light carbon fibre to keep weight low and prevent movement between lens elements while focusing. Youmay
MEET YOUR MATCH A whole set of cine primes is a great investment if you’re intent on producing quality footage
SPECIFICATIONS Price: £9682/$10,975 Mount: Canon EF, Arri PL Aperture range: T1.5/2.6-22 Image stabilisation: No Focus: Manual Coverage: Full-frame Aperture blades: 11 Close focus: 250mm/9.84in to 1120mm/44.1in Front size: 95mm Dimensions (wxh): 100x90.5mm/3.94x3.56in Weight: 0.9kg/2lb to 1.1kg/2.4lb
CASE CLOSED The Xeens come in a custom hard
case (below), but are compact enough to be handheld (left)
think CF stands for carbon fibre, but Xeen says it is for compact and flexible, as these little lenses can be used on gimbals, drones, cranes or straight on a camera. Compared to the larger original Xeens, these CF optics have a far more usable 95mm front, ideal for compact matte boxes or other accessories. Apart from the widest lens, the Xeens all have a maximum aperture of T1.5. They let a lot of light through and are perfect when it’s gloomy, or throwing the background out of focus. Bokeh is round and very attractive; shooting wide open
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