MINI TESTS
CANON CN-E 135MM T2.2 L F LENS £3799/$3700 canon.com
Canon is the only camera manufacturer that can offer not only the widest range of autofocus DSLR and nowmirrorless zooms and primes for full-frame cameras, but also servo cine zooms and top-quality cine prime lenses. There are even the vintage-looking Sumire primes that come in PL mount for serious Hollywood DOPs. But more realistically, the most popular cine lenses come from the CN-E range, which comes in EF mount and varies from 14mm to 135mm in focal length. These offer 4K quality for full-frame or Super 35 sensors, which are used in most of the C-range of Canon cine cameras, as well as on a number of Red, Blackmagic and Panasonic cinema camera models. Canon’s entire CN-E range shares the same physical dimensions, so switching them between cameras is easy, even if they are rigged up with matte boxes and the like. The front is a standard 114mm, which allows for easy changes in the field. And they can be ordered with either metric or imperial distance scales – these are clearly shown on either side of the lens barrel. The focus and iris rings
RIGHT This Canon prime is ideal for full- size cinema cameras, like the Blackmagic Ursa 12K
use standard-sized 0.8M gears and the aperture ring is clickless. Apart from the aperture ring and focus ring, there are no other controls. No image stabilisation, no autofocus, no programmable buttons; it’s fully manual in every way. The beauty of a cine lens is its lack of focus breathing, fast maximum aperture, tactile focusing and ultimate image quality. And the Canon delivers fully in all these areas. As the focus moves from near to far, there is no visible shift in the framing. So extreme focus pulls are very easy and consistent. The fast maximum aperture of T2.2 lets you really throw the background out of focus or use the lens in low-light conditions. Combined with the 135mm focal length and shot wide open, the background is beautifully soft with a very rounded bokeh.
SPECIFICATIONS Mount: Canon EF
Aperture range: T2.2-22 Image stabilisation: None Aperture blades: 11 Front diameter: 114mm Dimension (LxD): 118.4x11.84mm/4.66x4.66in Weight: 1.4kg/3.1lb
The image quality is sublime at all apertures. Across the frame, it’s very sharp, with no obvious distortion or aberrations. Flare is well controlled and any flaring looks very pleasing. And of course, the manual-focus ring has a large throw, making it very precise – especially at close-up distances. Either handheld or on a rig, the focusing makes for a smooth and tactile experience that’s a world apart from fly-by-wire AF lenses. At 1.4kg/3.1lb, it’s no lightweight, but that’s the price you pay for so much top-quality glass and an all- metal construction that feels like it could last for years. And at £3799/ $3700, it has a substantial asking price compared to Canon’s EF primes. But it’s a different sort of lens that is designed to do one job very well, and it does just that. If you compare it to the high-end boutique brands, such as Cooke, Zeiss Supreme Primes or Arri, it’s actually a bit of a bargain. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 If you’re a Canon user, this is about as good as it gets for manual-focus cinema primes until you get into boutique brands. Pros: Optical quality, focus feel Cons: Heavy and pricey
BELOW The distance scales
– in feet and inches – give off an old- school vibe
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PROMOVIEMAKER.NET
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