With a price of $449 for the Mitakon Speedmaster 17mm T/1.0 or $999 for the Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm T/1.0, the new ZY Optics cinema lenses are affordable for any filmmakers.
ZY Optics, the leading ultra-fast aperture lenses manufacturer in China, has announced the launch of four different T1.0 cinema lenses. They are the 17mm and 25mm in Micro Four Thirds mount; 35mm in Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Sony E and Micro Four Thirds mount and most importantly, 50mm in Canon EF and Arri PL Mount.
The company says that the new lenses are relatively compact and lightweight, well built with budget friendly price, professional and affordable for any filmmakers. All 4 focal lengths have a different coverage and are designed for different cameras, making these focal lenghts accessible to a variety of users and needs. Micro Four Thirds users have a very special option available, as there is a Mitakon Speedmaster T/1.0 Cinema Lens Set MFT, with three focal lenghts, 17mm+25mm+35mm) for $1,199.
Even if you decide that the kit is not what you need, the individual 17mm, 25mm and 35mm lenses for Micro Four Thirds mount, priced at $449 each, are a perfect ultra-fast and compact option for Panasonic GH5, Z-Cam E2 and Pocket4K. The Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm T/1.0 Cinema Lens, which has a has a Super35 image circle, is available for Canon RF, Sony E and Fuji X mount.
New ZY Optics lenses: key features
The new 50mm, on the other hand, is designed for full frame EF/PL cinema cameras, making it, ZY Optics claims, the world’s fastest PL-mount cinema lenses covering Arri Alexa LF and Red Monstro sensors. The Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm T/1.0 Cinema lens for Canon EF or PL mount has a price of $999.
Here are some key features of the lenses, according to ZY Optics:
- Buttery smooth & refined bokeh rendering
The ultra-fast T1 aperture and close minimal focusing distance enables the lens to produce buttery smooth and refined bokeh rendering. 9-blade circular aperture mechanism contributes to a pleasing round bokeh when the lenses are used wide-open. Perfectly separating the subject from its background, the lenses enable a creation of a look unparalleled by conventional lenses. - Professional cinema housing
A unified front diameter and gear position of the 17 / 25 / 35mm lenses make the work with focus motor and matte box much easier. Operators are thereby free from frequent re-adjustment of the settings. The internal focus design means the physical size of the lens stay unchanged throughout the entire focus throw. The seamless lens gear and long focus throw with precise scale markings allow accurate control of focus point even with extremely shallow depth of field at T1.0.The 50mm has a relatively bigger form factor with its full frame coverage and longer flange design. It is specially designed to match with professional large format cinema cameras in PL / EF mount. - Minimal focus breathing
The Zhongyi T/1.0 series lenses are designed to suppress the focus breathing to the minimal, allowing focus pull without compositions changed. The ultra-fast T1 aperture also facilitates shooting at low-light condition. - Premier image quality and cinematic look
The colour contrast and sharpness of the images are much more well-defined than other lenses with similar specification and price range. The T1.0 lenses offer pleasant rendering of cinematic look. This series strikes to give natural colours with a hint of vintage vibes. And the color is consistent for different focal lengths. - First ever T1.0 native lens for Red Komodo & Canon C70 users
The 35mm T1.0 in Canon RF mount is the world’s first ultra-fast cinema lens on the market, standing out especially in the limited amount of native RF cine lenses. The Zhong Yi 35mm T1.0 RF perfectly covers the entire sensor of Red Komodo and Canon C70 cinema cameras, making them a handy combo for run-and-gun shooting.
More lenses coming soon
The 17mm, 25mm and 35mm are now ready to ship and order via ZY optics official webstore (https://www.zyoptics.net/) and their authorized resellers. The 50mm will be ready to ship in late June. The lenses now available are part of a series that the company wants to expand in the near future. ZY Optics is currently working to add more focal lengths to the 3 line-ups, meaning Micro Four Thirds, Super 35 and Full Frame filmmakers will be able to expand their collection of fast lenses. The company says that more details will be released soon.