SURPRISINGLY GOOD Cinema Lenses! DZOFILM Pictor Zoom Review (20-55mm & 50-125mm)

A review of the DZOFILM Pictor Zoom Cinema Zoom Lenses. Are these the best cine zoom lenses on a budget?
🎨 I Color Graded this footage with FilmConvert. Get 10% off FilmConvert Nitrate with code JOE10 when you click this link: www.filmconvert.com/purchase/...
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🎥 CAMERA GEAR I USE:
DZOFILM Pictor 50-125mm T2.8 - geni.us/GXfYzY
DZOFilm Pictor 20-55mm T2.8 - geni.us/oEGgBs
Camera: geni.us/41DbY
Camera Monitor: geni.us/Qb46QiD
Camera Rig: bit.ly/3qAaBre
Camera Batteries: geni.us/4j6C
The Best Run & Gun Tripod: geni.us/N4cjZn
Microphone: geni.us/EPiAXeB
Main Lens: geni.us/PeIZKic
Wide Lens: geni.us/CiXn
Run & Gun Lens: geni.us/cUJJ9G
Matte Box: geni.us/6X5w4lB
ND Filters: geni.us/XU9Jop
Lightweight VND Filter: geni.us/tPJCY
Aputure Lights: geni.us/jlmF8i3
Camera Bag: geni.us/KF6g5y
The Best Bag for Camera Rigs: geni.us/BBwWII
Camera Case: geni.us/GRAhp
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00:00 THE DZOFILM PICTOR CINEMA LENSES
00:17 Z CAM E2-S6 EXAMPLE FOOTAGE SHOT ON DZOFILM
01:17 IF YOU'RE NEW TO THE CHANNEL
01:40 DISCLAIMER STUFF
02:12 DZOFILM PICTOR LENS SPECS
03:59 BUILD QUALITY
06:03 LENS MOUNTS
07:24 PRICING
07:42 LENS CHARACTERISTICS + EXAMPLE FOOTAGE
09:46 PROS & CONS
12:05 PLEASE GET THIS REFERENCE
14:10 MY FINAL THOUGHTS
14:48 RENT THESE LENSES
DISCLAIMERS: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This video was not paid for by outside persons or manufacturers. The content of this video and my opinions were not reviewed or paid for by any outside persons.

[@elazarwitchel3008]

Great review Joe! I'm definitely going to consider these when I'm in the market for a cinema lens

[@joenicklo]

You should!

[@davidleerobertsjr4749]

Thanks for doing this video and making it so straight forward! Great work and clear communication.

[@joenicklo]

Appreciate you watching. Thanks for the feedback.

[@MattFaris]

Great review. Love hearing people's personal experience of using kit in the field! Thanks Joe.

[@joenicklo]

Glad it was helpful

[@Mountainmovingstudios]

I just ordered the 50-125 . Shooting my second feature next month, and may shoot in in it's entirety with just that lens. Excellent and informative review. Subbed.

[@joenicklo]

Congrats on the feature. Such good coverage on these lenses

[@markthomas8018]

how did you get on?

[@Mountainmovingstudios]

@@markthomas8018 Love the lens. Private screening of the feature in two weeks, followed by a year of festivals we hope.

[@joenicklo]

Good luck!!!

[@rj10548]

Nice review! You mention in the 'cons' section and earlier about the 20-55 being too long, esp as compared to a competitive lens. I think the most likely reason it is as long as it is, is due to the 50-125. The latter is as short as possible and therefore the 20-55 is made longer to place the control rings in the same parallel locations. If they'd made the lens shorter, you've been forced to move your motors around instead of simply swapping lenses; so better that the 20-55 is longer.

[@joenicklo]

Appreciate you watching. That’s not the case. Plenty of cinema lenses of varying lengths have matching FIZ ring positions. Take the Sigma high speed Cine zooms and Tokina Cine zooms for example. Different length lenses but their FIZ rings are in the same position.

[@ALLTHINGSCINEMA24]

Sir this is funnny... I used to watch your car reviews a while ago when I was heavy in cars.. but I've always been in film and cinematography and had no idea you were into cameras.. I just happen to see a guy look like you on here and it was you! Great content. I just subscribed.

[@joenicklo]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for subscribing.

[@RyanLogan01]

these lenses are on my wish list. but definitely more down the road due to price haha. another incredible review!!! thanks Joe!

[@joenicklo]

My pleasure! Once they start hitting the used market you can probably snag them for under $4K for the set.

[@stefanovenosta]

Very nice review, thanks. I'm considering to buy them to pair with my Scarlet-W and this video is by far the best I've found.

[@joenicklo]

Thanks for watching. Did you end up getting them?

[@adrienpayet]

I want them, thanks for this amazing review, you're seriously a good reviewer!

[@joenicklo]

I appreciate that!

[@Ed_Scott]

I’d love to see a review on the DZO Vespid primes and if the match the Pictor zooms. Great detailed review sir!!!

[@joenicklo]

Just gotta get DZO to send em' to me. Hit them up on IG and tell em' they need to send me the lenses to review :D They send to bigger youtubers but us small guys do a good job from time to time too ;) I totally get it, they want to send products to youtubers that will get them sales but....hey worth a try.

[@Codywpreston]

Just the video I needed! Great job on this.

[@joenicklo]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@biglovinpanda]

Great stuff. I just watched this video and your review of the Tokina cinema zoom set. I'm considering both right now and I was curious if you could speak to how the DZOs compare to the Tokinas in regard to sharpness, character. I feel like that commentary was a little light in your DZO review. Thanks!

[@joenicklo]

I believe that the Tokina cinema lenses are more consistent overall. Personally, I like both the DZO's and the Tokinas but from a quality standpoint, the Tokina set is superior. I did like the flaring on these DZO's quite a bit though!

[@drxephonic5405]

My next purchase!!! Thanks for the in-depth review.

[@joenicklo]

Thanks for watching. Hopefully you like the lenses when you pick them up.

[@christinebarton4192]

Top filmmaker, Top reviews. Keep them coming Joe!

[@joenicklo]

Thanks 👍

[@davidp158]

Great review. I'm interested in replacing my Rokinon DS cine (EF mount) lens set with a better set of lenses, and these DZOfilm Pictor zooms are interesting. I currently shoot on EVA1 (super 35) and GH5 (MFT), and adapt my lenses via Metabones adapters (smart and speed booster). It's a shame these lenses won't work with the MB speed booster, but will they work with the MB smart adapter? Most of my work is corporate, so zooms are more practical for working quickly than a set of primes. For interviews I prefer my old standby Sigma 18-35 and 50-100 lenses. I also shoot narrative projects, but think these DZO lenses would suffice for the low budget projects. As they are super 35 glass, I wish they were f1.4 or f2. With so many people moving to full frame video cameras, I'm also a bit concerned about investing in super 35 lenses.

[@joenicklo]

Dave, thanks for the comment. I'm really not sure about the smart adapter. I know DZO has something on their website regarding adapters and these lenses. As for full frame, Super 35 and MFT are both alive and well. There's no need to rush out and buy a full frame camera. Panasonic is dedicated to continuing the MFT sensor cameras, see the BGH1 and GH5 Mark II that is rumored to release this week. Z Cam is continuing production of their MFT and Super 35 cameras, as well as their Full Frame F6 model. And to top it off, ARRI is producing a new Super 35 camera. In short, if you buy these lenses...you'll be just fine. If you're concerned you may want to look into the iOS app called Lens Tookit. It will show you coverage of most popular lenses when paired with a bunch of different cameras set to different resolutions. You'd be surprised how much these Super 35 lenses out there cover.

[@jamesshort6856]

Great video once again. These lenses are super intriguing. I love the look of them. If I go s35, these are at the top of my list

[@joenicklo]

Thanks James. Very solid option for sure.

[@mrhobs]

Black looks good, so don’t get me wrong, but I kinda threw caution to the wind and ordered the white ones. A bit weird, but so pretty lol

[@RecordLifeMedia]

Now on my wish list. Thanks for a great product review.

[@joenicklo]

Any time! Did you watch my review on the Tokina ATX Zooms yet?

[@RecordLifeMedia]

@@joenicklo not yet, but will be soon. 👍

[@darkatmedia6095]

Great review. What would be your advice on DZOFILM Pictor Zoom 20-55mm vs Xeen Primes?

[@joenicklo]

Can’t really compare a prime to a zoom, but even, based on the type of work I film, I’d probably go with the zooms because I like the versatility.

[@robbietassaro4333]

Great review. Question: How 'snappable' are these lenses? Love a snap zoom. Can you snap zoom from 20mm to 55mm in less than 1/2 a second or is there some resistance there?

[@joenicklo]

It’s been a while since I’ve used these. Didn’t really try a snap zoom but they have a 270 degree focus throw. Hope that helps

[@MrFeulip]

Awesome review! I understand you can’t use them with speedboosters, but can I use it with a regular metabones E-EF adapter?

[@joenicklo]

That's a great question. I've never used their adapters. I have a cheap MFT to EF adapter but I didn't want to risk trying it.

[@soundoffaithministries]

Do you know if this adapter would work MFT to PL Mount Pro from Wooden Camera? Also what zoom controller are you using with this lens?

[@jaceelliott]

Do you like these or the Tokina ATX/ 25-75’s better? I’m split between the too

[@joenicklo]

I do.

[@BanderaFilmsAndMusic]

Great video. What would be the best way to adapt these lenses to my E-Mount Sony FX30?

[@joenicklo]

You’ll want to look into the Catta Ace zooms instead. They’re full frame and come in native E mount. Check out my review on them here on the channel.

[@BanderaFilmsAndMusic]

@@joenicklo Gotcha. I'll watch it right now

[@erikbianco6569]

Hello, and thank you very much for this review. I'm about to buy the 20/55 Super 35 DZO, but I'm wondering if it will go well with my Blackmagic design 4K wich have a 22x11 sensor. Will I have not too much crop with this zoom on this camera ? Thank you in advance for your answer. Best regards. Erik

[@joenicklo]

It’s not recommended (by DZO) to use these with the Pocket 4K & Speedbooster. Look into this one: amzn.to/3AGBdXJ

[@erikbianco6569]

@@joenicklo Allright, thank you for answering.

[@elpmettsol]

Very good presentation! And yes, you definitely are nitpicking! But I subscribed.😊

[@joenicklo]

Thank you, welcome to the club. Be sure to join the Discord server :) discord.gg/AZwHku5

[@Alexa-ck7mq]

what are your thoughts on the less expensive DZO linglung (not exactly sure what they are called) zooms?

[@joenicklo]

I'd love to give them a try. They seem very well priced.

[@Princed2006_]

Excellent review....so my question is if my budget is on a budget and I can only spring for only one of these which one would you suggest?

[@joenicklo]

Well, what type of work do you do? That's the big question.

[@Princed2006_]

@@joenicklo Short films for school projects.Shot in similar style to "The Office."

[@KetoneCharger]

nice review! your channel is awesome

[@joenicklo]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@Tyrell_Corp2019]

Artsy? As opposed to cold and clinical? I’ll take artsy. Thanks for the review. This is the fourth one I’ve watched on these lenses and I’m sold now.

[@joenicklo]

Glad you found the video useful!

[@c8vegas]

Thank you for the review! Can you please elaborate more on the "sharpness" of the lenses. Everyone says they aren't clinically sharp, but are they still sharp?

[@joenicklo]

I’m not sure how much I can say that the example footage doesn’t already say. They’re sharp towards the center of the lens with some falloff in sharpness towards the corners. Take a look at the chart tests throughout the video for a good example of this.

[@icecreaman2010]

supposedly not sharp. I'll probably spend more to get a more sharper lens.

[@c8vegas]

@@icecreaman2010 I was really worried that these lenses wouldn't be sharp enough for me as every single review on YT states they aren't sharp. Even the footage on YT looks soft. Anyways, I bought a set of these about 4 months ago and I can definitely say that they are very sharp! I think all of these KZbinrs doing reviews cant focus properly, cuz they are much sharper than I expected. If you want to see how these lenses really look on set, you can see the latest Buckcherry video I shot called "wasting no more time". All of the narrative scenes were shot with these lenses.

[@visionnaireunicef2141]

Very great review. Cheers from France.

[@joenicklo]

Thanks for watching!

[@markthomas8018]

what does the film look like when you mix up these lenses with ordinary still camera lenses like Sigma Art lenses?

[@joenicklo]

These lenses are a little bit softer than sigma art lenses, which are known to be pretty sharp

[@kenny_pollone]

I’m also noticing some grain in the sample footage. It didn’t seem that clear. Was that intentional?

[@joenicklo]

Yes. Added film grain.

[@EricSwain79]

Just picked up a Xeen 24mm but was looking for a comparison to the new Vespid Primes to see if the Vespids were as sharp at wide open 2.8 as the stopped down Xeens at 2.8

[@joenicklo]

Email DZO and tell them they should send me the Vespids :D :D :D I've been talking to them but....when I asked for them to send the lenses, no reply.

[@Afixus0wns]

Subbed for quality content!

[@joenicklo]

Welcome aboard!

[@JBGIMAGINATION]

can you please list all the gear you use? rods, cage, lens support, etc. Thanks.

[@joenicklo]

I'm assuming you mean for the Z Cam. Here you go: kit.co/drivenfilms/my-zcam-rig-builld

[@joenicklo]

What lens (or lenses) do you want me to review next?

[@gdrriley420]

Fuji MK/MKX zooms

[@jamesshort6856]

Would love to see the slr magic lenses and the vespid primes

[@joenicklo]

@@jamesshort6856 SLR Magic APO Hyperprime review will happen soon.

[@joenicklo]

@@gdrriley420 Will try my best to get a hold of them for a gig.

[@elazarwitchel3008]

The Fuji MK zooms definitely. Or MKX with an X-T3/T4.

[@hirokikonno7384]

Nice! Change of total shim thickness(mm) for Zcam E2 S6,F6?

[@joenicklo]

Hi not sure. I rented the lenses from Lensrentals and they came pre-shimmed.

[@JB.Video_Kona]

This is obviously from a long time ago.. but do you remember the shims needed for parfocal adjustment on the 20-55 and e2-s6?

[@joenicklo]

I'm sorry, I do not HOWEVER I did not need to shim them at all when I received them. I had rented them from Lensrentals and they were good to go when they arrived.

[@JB.Video_Kona]

@@joenicklo thanks for the reply!

[@CrewCinema66]

Hi, If money weren't an issue. If you had to choose between the tokina zoom cinema or the DZOfilm for optical quality and better features, which one would you choose?. Thanks

[@joenicklo]

I still haven't decided just yet.

[@werkstattmedia184]

@@joenicklo i am thinking about the same question... any new thoughts? By the way... thanks for your great reviews!

[@joenicklo]

@@werkstattmedia184 Well, if this helps..I just pulled the trigger on a Tokina 50-135 ATX Mark II

[@Wurmhouse]

Thanks great review!!. Just one thing, can I use theese lenses with zcam mft? Do I need a metabones?

[@joenicklo]

Sadly, no. But they make a MFT zoom set

[@Wurmhouse]

Thanks a lot for tour reply!

[@gerthenriksen8818]

Great info, thanks. How will these go with an e mount?

[@joenicklo]

Not sure if they are making an E mount version yet. As far as I know, it’s only EF or PL.

[@gerthenriksen8818]

@@joenicklo Thanks.

[@armchairgeographer2009]

I am a documentary film maker. I like the review, but the thing that keeps me looking at alternatives is the focal length choice. I am not a lens engineer, so I don''t know what goes into this, but would it not be better to have say 20 -75 or 110mm so that the zoom is more meaningful for on the run documentary work, where things are less predictable?

[@witkointhewild]

Fellow documentary filmmaker here... this is one of the biggest struggles! Finding that perfect lens. Wish I had some better advice, but I've been at it for almost 20 years and still the hunt still continues.

[@joenicklo]

Did you ever find a lens that suits your work?

[@JohnJordache]

Here’s a noob’s question : can the DZO Pictor lenses be mounted on an APSC sensor camera like the - Fuji XT4 - ? and if yes, whats your take on that ? Worth or not worth? Much appreciated and awesome content, thank you, God bless!

[@joenicklo]

You would need an adapter to either EF or PL. They're Super35 coverage lenses so they'll cover an APSC. sensor. S35 is a little bit larger than APSC. Thank you for watching.

[@JohnJordache]

@@joenicklo would you say in your experience that is worth to add the 20-55 mm to this camera rig ? ( XT4 ) ? Or am I better kf with the Sigma 18-35mm f.18 ART lens amd just call it a day ? Dunno what to do, such a hard decision 😓🤦🏻‍♂️ Thank you once again ❤️

[@professionalpotato4764]

@@JohnJordache I'm still experimenting with speedboosting the Sigma 18-35 on the XT4. When you use the 1.29x crop fix, it turns the sensor into a m43 sensor (1.29x1.5 = 1.94x). Speedboosters can be adjusted to make the Sigma 18-35 parfocal, and although there is a slight sharpness loss, I think maybe the parfocality is worth it. After speedboosting, the equivalent crop factor is 1.37x so larger than APS-C with roughly 24-50mm f/2.4 equivalent. The DZO looks great since I miss having the extra reach using the Sigma 18-35. Personally, I'm going to wait a bit for the XH2 announcement in May. If Fuji is still worth investing and the XH2 has unlimited no-crop 4k60p, ProRes Raw or BRaw, I might pick up the Fujinon MK 18-55 over the DZO zooms.

[@ReneSebastian]

I got a question though. If you ise the EF mount, why isnt it possible to use a EF to MFT speedbooster? Seems a bit strange to me?

[@bryanchemini6221]

Rear element of the lens sticks out and will hit the glass inside the speedbooster. This prevents it from mounting. You can get an EF To MFT adapter that isn't a booster and it'll work just fine.

[@jwortham9428]

I'm new to all this, I just bought the Z Cam E2, will this Len work on this camera?

[@joenicklo]

I don’t think so.

[@derher11]

I wonder can I use the BMPCC6k and Dzofilm 20-55mm on the RS2?

[@joenicklo]

You’ll probably need some counterweights.

[@darkechoproductionsllc9559]

I have the 20-55, amazing lenses as I highly recommend it to any professional film maker.

[@joenicklo]

I loved the 20-55. Such amazing coverage. Out of the two, I shot on the 20-55 the most.

[@darkechoproductionsllc9559]

@@joenicklo ya down the road ill get the 55-125 till then im happy with this. The rack focus took me 4 tries to get it.

[@timcolletti8012]

Did you shoot this video with them, if not, what lenses did you use? Thanks.

[@joenicklo]

You mean my A-Roll?

[@timcolletti8012]

@@joenicklo Yes.

[@SodaAnt7]

What’s the device next to the plant? A sound recorder?

[@joenicklo]

Zoom F6.

[@joenicklo]

RENT THE DZOFilm Pictor Zoom Cinema Lenses and other #CAMERAGEAR AT LENSRENTALS.COM Get 15% off your entire rental using coupon code: DRIVENFILMS15 when you use this link to book your rental: bit.ly/3d7f7lf

[@gdrriley420]

I still don’t know if I’d go with these over fuji if you’ve got a s35 mirrorless mount cinema camera but for those who need EF or PL they are good choices.

[@joenicklo]

I've never shot on the Fujinons BUT i know they're a bit longer than the DZO's. Not sure how I feel about that. If a shoot calls for it, I will be renting the Fujinons to test and review.

[@gdrriley420]

@@joenicklo given they were mostly built for sony cinema bodies yeah they are going to be long on a little cube

[@joenicklo]

@@gdrriley420 Makes sense. I know a lot of people are using them on the Z Cam and Komodo lately.

[@stayjustful]

I have this lens I just wanted to know when I get a matte box do I need the 95mm ring or just the 86 mm.

[@joenicklo]

Depends on the matte box. Some matte boxes have a 95mm diameter, in which case you'd attach the matte box directly to the lens. Some have 114mm so you'd need a 114mm to 86mm ring.

[@stayjustful]

@@joenicklo I'm getting the smallrig one and they only have the 82 to 114 mm and the 95 to 114mm. They don't have a 86. But I did find a 86mm nd filter, so I may go with that.

[@mbaeta64]

So 4/3rds metabones isnt available but a PL adaptor on GH series would work - Im hoping.

[@joenicklo]

Worth a shot. Let us know what you find out.

[@MegaBull10]

Whats the brand of the audio recorder in front of the plant ?

[@joenicklo]

That is the Zoom F6: geni.us/Y4yga

[@treyedwards9265]

Are rod a must with the 20-55 on S6?

[@joenicklo]

With the locking EF mount, you can get away with not using a lens support but, I’d use one anyway. If it’s an active lock mount like on a BMPCC or most other cameras...I would definitely use a lens support

[@jacksonyoung8285]

What about the Fx9? Are they capatible?

[@joenicklo]

Fx9 is full frame. You’ll want to look at the DZO Catta zooms instead. I did a review on those recently lz

[@abinlal]

Can i use this with Sony alpha series

[@joenicklo]

If you get an EF mount adapter

[@alejandroortiz4565]

I want this for my red komodo they are so great.

[@joenicklo]

Very good option for the Komodo. Have you watched my review on the Tokina zooms yet? Also a really good option.

[@alejandroortiz4565]

@@joenicklo i gonna watch now thanks

[@kotaibaalseh9965]

Can these lens use on sony a7c?

[@joenicklo]

These come in EF or PL mount. The a7c is E mount.

[@docrakidocraki8067]

Can you use this on a bmpcc 4K?

[@joenicklo]

No

[@JOAOAUGUSTODIASABREU]

Can they be used on a Full frame?

[@joenicklo]

There will be some vignetting on a full frame sensor camera. Check out the CVP lens coverage tool, or download the "Lens Toolkit" iOS app. cvp.com/tools/cameralens

[@JOAOAUGUSTODIASABREU]

@@joenicklo thanks! Really appreciate it 🙏

[@kurtnelle]

It uses the shims to adjust the back focus or else it gets the whip again.

[@joenicklo]

The rental didn’t come with shims.

[@kurtnelle]

@@joenicklo Well that really sucks. I'd bring that up with them.

[@Ansonandco]

These look dope!

[@joenicklo]

I’m certainly happy with them

[@dadknowsbest3329]

They look good 👍

[@joenicklo]

Indeed!

[@benugdsen75]

I solved the lens cap problem by putting the lense inside a sock. 😂 Tied it off with a rubber strap.

[@joenicklo]

There you go!

[@zantanimus3721]

Dammit Joe, stop making me want to buy things!

[@joenicklo]

ok. dont buy things!

[@leicaman2213]

it's just good for the price

[@joenicklo]

Agreed

[@chunmattlai3058]

0:47 what?

[@joenicklo]

what what?

[@chunmattlai3058]

@@joenicklo top right corner

[@Alexa-ck7mq]

last

[@joenicklo]

pole position.

[@saminekunis8680]

I sorry for saying this but these 2 cinema lenses are not significantly cheaper than the Canon EF Cinema lenses

[@joenicklo]

Elaborate. Which "Canon EF Cinema Lenses" are you referring to? The Cinema Prime CN-E's which are PRIMES not zooms and are $3700 on sale? Or are you referring to something entirely different?

[@carlos_garcia]

whom is willing to lend me 10k$ to become a great cinematographer?

[@joenicklo]

Better get out there and hustle my friend.

[@SergeGolikov]

These are clearly not anamorphics. Your test footage is all cropped to 2.35. Very misleading when not clearly stated. Compliments to the model!

[@joenicklo]

No one ever said these were anamorphic. And there was no cropping, the footage was shot at 2.39:1 aspect ratio...in camera. That’s an aspect ratio to record at on the Z Cam

[@glennparker8247]

Would these work on the pocket 4k with a speed booster?

[@bryanchemini6221]

Sadly no, you'll need an EF to MFT adapter WITHOUT the glass inside. The rear element of the lens protrudes out a little bit and will hit the lens inside the booster, keeping it from mounting properly.

[@joenicklo]

This.

[@kotaibaalseh9965]

Can these lens use on sony a7c?

[@joenicklo]

No