Testing $50k of Cinema Lenses to See What's Worth It

[@CineDailies]

So the thing I learned over the years when testing lenses, test the lens to its strength. 1. Bokeh, flare, breathing. 2. Test with dimension in mind. 3. Get weird with test to find something that jumps out at you. When you just have basic setups, the comparison is really pointless. Love your work!

[@BryceDocherty]

Yea I def agree. Of course a test like this would be hard to tell what's what without seeing all those qualities. Love YOUR work my man!

[@CineDailies]

@ man thank you! 🙇🏽🫡

[@LaurenceTFraser]

I was thinking the same watching this. The flares are definitively something to test, because it can really throw off when the sun peaks out in a shot. That alone can make or break a shot.

[@CineDailies]

@@LaurenceTFraser exactly!

[@eifionjones8513]

Totally. Same with microphones, put them all in the same basic setup and eq them to sound similar and they the differences can be small. Play them to their strengths and put them in difficult or uncontrolled scenarios and the differences become way bigger. Same with most things in life tbh.

[@8lec_R]

I feel like this test could have been done better. 1. You should always go in looking for specific things. Be that bokeh, aberration, contrast. Whatever. Make a list and list what exactly do you want. Not just "I want some character" 2. Push the lenses to their limits. High contrast scenes, flares, massive focus racks. See what jumps out to you as not good. And then see if you want to live with it or not depending on the project. 3. Don't be chart averse. They have a role. It's to provide you information. For example: how much warmer is middle grey on this lens vs the other. You can ignore it if you want, but a chart can give you immense amounts of information, if you know how to interpret the data for your own shooting style

[@bigbaddms]

Totally agree. The shots were all lit well and contained little to no movement and a static scene. Nothing that pushed it to show differences. Just in the category of massive focus racks we want to see no breathing/zooming. There was NO focusing at all!

[@irondennis1]

"I'm not gonna zoom in cuz who cares?" ... THANK YOU!!! Finally some sense!

[@avx111]

Everyone is buying DZO, I'm just hoping they flood the market so I can grab a second hand kit.

[@edabbey1798]

I grabbed the dzo pictor set, 20-55mm and 50-125mm , used off BH for a good price. great lenses.

[@Tonellacam]

you can get them right now new for 500-600$ off Black Friday , im buying a 35mm vespid

[@michaelfrymus]

Yeah.. And id love to get the Arles.

[@Tonellacam]

@@michaelfrymus oh yeah , are those not on sale ? I guess just the vespids are , that 35mm arles is out of my price range sadly

[@michaelfrymus]

@@Tonellacam I know :( Same. Id get a set of 4 to start, but its just too much. But ill wait till next year when I save enough and its worth it

[@robvision3888]

This video is very important to working videographers. Thanks! I’ve shot with DZO and Zeiss CP lenses and a rehoused GL Optics Sigma 18-35 T2 PL Mount.. in my opinion the Sigma is sharper than the DZO and Zeiss cinema lenses. However I almost always shoot with an ultracon or blackmagic filter which nullifies the over sharpening of the sigma. My 2 cents… as a beginner cinematographer on a budget I believe you should save your money (and use it for lighting and grip gear and Pelican cases) and go with a rehoused 18-35 Sigma in the PL mount for around $1400 used. Not only is the rehoused Sigma parfocal (after being rehoused) but it’s sharper. You can always removed the over sharpness/digital look by using filters, with Zeiss and DZO they have a good level of sharpness but you cannot make them as sharp as the Sigma.. With the Sigma you start off with the sharpest image and then you tune the image to be less sharp/digital with filters. Also, the rehoused Sigma is a T2 parfocal zoom… much more convenient than a prime for run and gun… the moment your start getting bigger clients/paydays I would go for the Zeiss CP3 due to good value/consistency/performance ratio Edit*** when shooting in 6K raw with the sigma, the sharpness helps a whole bunch when your cropping in post… cropping images on DZO is more noticeable. Just my experiences. I’m not saying sigma is the best I’m just saying for the price it’s great for a videographer’s first 2 years of pro work

[@GetUpTo88]

I think your conclusion that the Athenas are a bit more clinically doesn't correlate to the actual guesses from both of you. I say this because for 2 of the 3 setups, you guessed the Athenas were the Cookes. And since you said you believe the Cookes to have 'character', you saw character in the Athena's and thought they were Cookes. Hank guessed twice the Athena's were DZO. So you both saw the Athenas as having character when you didn't know what they were. Also, on 2 of the 3 you both guessed the DZO's were the Athena's. Athena's you believed to be more clinical yet you guessed that when looking at DZOs. So you saw the DZO's as being clinical. You did both guess the Athena correct once, but that means you got it wrong the majority of the time. I think the assessment/conclusion is backwards.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Great observation.

[@Jmob4life]

Great summation.

[@MajorTVOriginal]

Exactly!

[@hautboiz]

Yes the Athenas looked the most interesting to me, and I picked it consistently.

[@ForgeLabs]

I guessed wrong on every single lens test lol. It's crazy how good some of these more budget friendly lenses are. Also - the Burano footage looks great!

[@CreativeBros]

Why didn't you include the DZOfilm Arles set? What's your take on that set in between these lenses?

[@blankcreativellc]

Appreciate this! MARKETING VS. TASTE. You're awesome dude.

[@AdrianSierkowski]

I think the thing you're missing out on the most is lens to lens and set to set matching which is incredibly important especially if you're running four different sets of lenses.

[@analog_astronaut]

We aren't shooting on film and we live in the digital age. It's extremely easy to create color profiles for each lens to correct any small differences across the set. This should never persuade someone not to invest in a set of lenses in 2025.

[@anthonygonzalez4680]

DZO for the WIN! This video made me feel less scared about using manual focus lenses. Thanks LF!

[@kenrknight]

I’m gonna keep saying this. I love that you’re rocking a Hamilton khaki. It’s one of my favorite watches. Affordable, beautiful classic design, and a ton of history.

[@tylermason140]

The Cooke is always easy to spot. If you look at the out of focus area on the first two tests (out the window and the background lamp), the Cooke has noticeably deeper depth of field than the others, in keeping with it narrower aperture. So that's a bit of a cheat. I figured that Option C was the Cooke in the third test since that one missed focus and the others didn't necessarily have notable differences in depth of field. To me, the Sigma and the Cooke look a bit warmer than the Athena and DZO. The Cooke and Sigma also, to me, seem to be noticeably sharper. That's a double edged sword, since although they are indeed technically superior, I do like the aesthetic and "character" of the DZO and Athena. So I think that's project dependent. Finally, the Cooke, to me, looks like it has the best contrast out of all of them. Overall, what this says to me is that, even though I like the color of the Sigma the least, I'm certainly not ditching my Sigma any time soon when it comes to lower budget projects. The four lenses are far too similar to my eye to justify the massive price difference. That's what I'd recommend for anyone in the lower levels of filmmaking. Spend that money lighting, grip, and camera movement instead, since that'll make a much bigger difference. For higher end shoots, I guess it really depends on the ergonomics. If I needed autofocus, I'd go with the Sigma. If not -- and I usually prefer cine style too -- I'd pick the DZO. I felt the image quality was super similar to the Athena, so I'd just make that decision for the ease of operation, since the Athenas do definitely look a bit short for grabbing focus. If money were no object, and if I had all the equipment to make weight less of a factor, and if I knew I'd not need a shallow DOF or be shooting in low light, I'd go for the Cooke. Otherwise, DZO all the way for higher budget stuff and Sigma all the way for lower budget and passion projects. Another awesome video, Luke! I don't know how you did it....but you somehow got me to watch all 40 minutes, haha. You've always got great info and present it in a super engaging way.

[@InvisageStudios]

The DZO Arles have my attention. Not super cheap but not super expensive, and they have a full range of focal lengths.

[@analog_astronaut]

I love the Arles. I don't love their weight.

[@Mors]

0:52 Never knew Ed Sheeran was into lens tests but alright!

[@ma-scalia8629]

I’m building my set of Nisis and love them! Such a beautiful image and a nice clean base but you can build a more characterized look on top of it.

[@michaelwhitlock6301]

What I LOVE about lens tests like these is HOW SMALL the differences are. The very last words you said in the video are what’s really important for the vast majority who are watching this!! (Including me) Because, while in more extreme lighting scenarios there may be more differences - I hate how people make it seem like the lenses are just THE MOST IMPORTANT, when in reality the rest of your filmmaking skill is significantly more so.

[@ManoloAlzamora]

Thypoch Simera-C vs vespid prime, whats ur pick?

[@bullethead2311]

So rad to see my boy Jose in your video! I had no idea he'd worked with you! Small world! Love your work, Luc!

[@deminmax]

Being a very amateur filmmaker I liked Athenas the best. These kind of video comparisons are super fun! Even with youtube compression. :)

[@guitarlimited]

So refreshing to see the lens cork-sniffing put to bed. This made my day.

[@enjinnine3074]

I really appreciate the format of these "blind test shot" videos. I'd love to see a similar blind comparison of a shoot using autofocus versus manual techniques in a dynamic run and gun situation. Are there downsides to committing to manual lenses in a doc situation?

[@richardweddle3408]

Luc Forsyth -- I can't believe you didn't try Zeiss. Zeiss is sharp but not overly and in deference to character and dimensionality. Zeiss also has the best color and contrast.

[@ZagatoZee]

Aren't we also talking approx 5x the price if we compare Zeiss to DZO and ignore T stop and double if we go for nearest equivalents?

[@richardweddle3408]

@@ZagatoZee --no, look at the Zeiss Nano Primes and the Zeiss CP.3's.

[@npmeilleur]

I have the Zeiss Milvus prime set and love them. Would have been cool to see them included

[@dennypilot9856]

​@@richardweddle3408I used CP3s on multiple shoots and they are so uninteresting that I just don't want to use them again

[@josephberkeley]

Love this video because it's made by a film maker who has a gig and is going to make something. Did a job with a DP who shot Sigma primes. They were excellent. As delicious as Cooke. One of the reasons the "Cooke Look" is so beloved is the guys shooting Cooke have world class skills. DZO makes a lot of sense. Like the advice to rent both first. I'm shooting Canon EF and RF on a C70. My conclusion is if the story is great you can shoot it on an iPhone. If the story sucks it doesn't matter what kind of lens you are shooting. If it ain't on the page it ain't on the stage.

[@filmsvanmichiel]

I am so happy I found your channel. Such down to earth valuable content. Thanks man!

[@colemowery]

all of the sigma cine primes are simply rehousings of the stills versions, except the 65mm, which is an original design for cinema, and there's no stills version available.

[@CarrieStalk]

they have different coatings and are tuned better for breathing. But yes same glass.

[@BrokenNotDead]

Very happy to find your channel - only found last week or so. Now in the stage I am in Filmmaking, it is probably the one with the information I need, in the most when I am about to shoot my Capstone project.

[@RandomlySet]

Rather than guessing the lenses, shouldn't you have just ranked in order which you preferred, and then use those reults to go towards your decision making process? It seems like all you was trying to do was guess the lens based on the look rather than pick which you preferred...... I'm currently at 35:30, so not seen if you've made your decision, but I'd go with Athena or DZO... Very close, but for me test 1 and 2 the Athena won it, in the 3rd test (B Cam), they're very close. Athena looks slightly brighter but the DZO looks sharper.

[@joshuarodriguez617]

Absolutely love the Vespids. Will choose them over the others most of the time. Love the Cookes, but 2.8 might be a little too slow. Also I'd strongly recommend against mounting a 600c to the babypin on your combo. You're more than approaching weight capacity.

[@renaissancedigital5730]

The easiest way to spot Cooke is that sort of distortion it has that makes the subjects pop out of the frame more than other lenses. At least for me color is a lot harder to judge by. Oddly the Sigma's look the warmest and the sharpest though the latter was to be expected.

[@RotarySMP]

Would you buy four sets for a six week project, or rent? I guess for the cheaper models, rental exceeds purchase over such a duration. Who owns the lenses and what do you do with them after the project?.

[@elverdaderojavier]

For what he's doing they're going to rent.

[@Maxime-Gregory]

This was a great and actually practical way to test lenses, would love to see more! I get that for the upcoming series you'll be shooting mostly wide and medium but I'd love to see you test line ups close to the telephoto or macro-telephoto range when possible! Would be fun to see you test and Schneider cine Xenar III, I got a set to replace an S4 set that wasn't complete and was surprised by how the images came out... Size and weight were terrible on an ursa 12k. Love that you didn't zoom in and pixel peep

[@mattierosen5427]

I think a lot of the differences are gonna come out in less controlled b-roll situations. There was a shot near the end where you shoot a backlit sunset with the Sigma. Different lenses will flare differently and hold onto contrast in situations like that. In high contrast scenes (trees against a sky is my usual test), you’re gonna see more aberrations on some than others, and they show up differently in different formats. I hope this doesn’t sound critical, because I really love your channel and the practical approach you take to the info that you share.

[@DiodeFilms]

Brilliant. A lot of gear reviews miss the mark about what actually matters. It's great to actually shoot the things you are going to be shooting to test the lenses, but I would have also thrown in a scene that pushes the lenses a bit more. I'd want to know how they handle situations that might produce busy bokeh, loss of contrast etc. Everything looks good indoors with soft lighting. I'd also have colour and exposure matched them in post, as so often I see lens videos biased towards one particular lens just because it had a 'warm look' or it just happened to have the most neutral white balance in a particular scene so the colours looked more separated. In some of your examples, my favourite images were just the ones with the white balance or exposure I prefered.

[@TasteofTaboo]

The sigma not only look sharp, they also have a nice separation, color and rendering ... and they are dirt cheap. Maybe this is also the reason why they now are always so underestimated, but in the end you grab an sigma art and be happy.

[@J.SebastianPorter]

Luc, I see you left a filter on the Cooke lenses. (Maybe the others) This really affects and detracts from the character of the coatings. I know we have to use filters sometimes, but this is something to be aware of.

[@woutermissiaen4745]

The Sigma lenses are my favorite, they have a softer contrast and a different color rendering. That being said, I am a photographer who is getting into video :)

[@danielmueller5284]

Did you look into the cooke sp3? i havent used them before but have seen some beautiful footage shot on them. they are bit cheaper then the s4s

[@danielmueller5284]

They are also full frame and native to sony

[@benlipford1670]

Yeah, seem like a no-brainer to test out at least.

[@jean-philippegrignom6479]

Why didn't you try the SP3 instead of the S4 mini

[@kunstspielklavier185]

Being S35 and the slower than the SP3s makes them a weird pick. Also I don’t quite get why he would not at least test the Sigma Cine versions.

[@jean-philippegrignom6479]

@kunstspielklavier185 the SP3 are also physicaly Smaller

[@KimchiSandwich00]

@@jean-philippegrignom6479 Was thinking exactly this - SP3s would be more suitable on all fronts. Not a fair test, comparing slow, S35 lenses to fast FF

[@MrAndrewClaycomb]

This is a very interesting comparison. In this test, the DZOs and Nisis are for sure punching way above their price bracket. Two comments: the speed of the Sigmas shouldn’t be ignored. Having an extra stop of light and more background separation are both very valuable in some doc situations, and this series of Cookes may not be the best representative of “The Cooke Look.”

[@sjoerdsiemes]

Would've loved to see something inbetween included like Meike's or Sirui.

[@HeyQuinton]

Curse of knowledge is insane. I guarantee that 95% of the audience wouldn't know the difference and it's made we cater to the small amount of specialists who do.

[@benlipford1670]

Love the video! I wonder how the Cooke SP3’s would perform here, given their E-mount small form factor that seem made for self-focusing with larger focus rings. Thanks!

[@Cinnovations]

They’re beautiful lenses. I’ve shot a few shorts with them. I paid nothing to use them, so my opinion is based purely on results and I can confidently say they render beautiful images. I’ve used Fujinon, Zeiss supremes (also incredible), Zeiss CP2, NIKKOR (these are great too), milvus, g master, etc. and the SP3 and Supreme primes are the standouts. To say there aren’t substantial differences between lenses is incorrect. It’s best to get closer to a subject and analyze skin, falloff, field distortion, highlights falloff, and bokeh. That’s where you really start to see differences.

[@FelixCervantes]

@@CinnovationsI own the SP3s and love the lenses.

[@CreatureFeatures3]

Great vid. But did you overdo the compressor on the audio? Your inhales make you sound like Darth Vader.

[@MoeGunz]

DZO are nice. Wouldve been cool to have the Dulens APO Minis in this too.

[@BryceDocherty]

Nice test! I've been using a Sigma 24 and a 50 Sony-Zeiss with 1/4 black pro mist filters for about 4 years now. I keep thinking about getting cine lenses, but truth is I just don't need them for what I shoot. The lenses I use look excellent. I may try the DZOs. Or just get the Nisis and use filters to soften them up.

[@inframe-brooklyn993]

Hey Luc, Great video and very timely. I too am about to invest in a new camera set up for the upcoming docs and I going to picking up a C400 and C80 (my version of the Fx6 and FX3). I have been thinking about primes for the new Rig and the NISI lenses have been on my mind a lot. The DZO look nice but the NISI have a native RF mount and you need an adapter for the DZO. I definitely liked the look of the NISI lenses so thanks for doing this test, I am sold!!! Happy Holidays brother!!!

[@MrMoviePhoneEx]

same boat, but for commerical work not doc. That said, you'd still be better off getting the nisi in PL and going with an adapter so you can bring the same look across multiple systems. I have a 400 and 70 combo, native is nice for ease of use, but flexibility and consistency is key when you're working on a look :)

[@inframe-brooklyn993]

@@MrMoviePhoneEx I only shoot Canon so that isn't going to be an issue. Also I don't do commercial work. Just my own Documentaries, I never shoot for other people.

[@ShadelessDen]

These videos are so encouraging. My goal is to do this full-time one day, but stuck in the "in-between-profession-stage". As a husband, father, and one who works full-time/edit's full time, what advice would you give to get to that "next level"? Also, did you decide to go with the Burano? Luh it!

[@kunstspielklavier185]

What is the point of a lens comparison if you try to make everything look the same in post? Also would it not at least be noteworthy what exactly you had to do to achieve this? Isn‘t the point of choosing one lens over another to save time while shooting and in post while achieving the look you are aiming for as efficiently as possible? Doing it this way seems kind of backwards.

[@daltonbrowne7980]

To me, I could always tell which was the Cooke because of the focus roll-off. It always looked smoother to me in the transition than the other 3. Sigma was always the sharpest and I thought that the DZO vs. Athena was very interesting because they performed inconsistently. I went 4/4, 2/4, then 4/4. I think it proved to me that the Cooke is worth it when you have the budget for them, but the Athena and DZO are both faithful attempts at a budget recreation. Ultimately, I've learned that I need a lens with AF capabilities for the work I do. I prefer to buy the G master glass for the best AF performance with my FX3 rig. They definitely come out a bit too sharp for my taste so I just use a pro mist filter.

[@colemowery]

I think you would've seen far more differences between the lenses if you were to film outdoors, with trees in the background - especially if the canopy were a significant part of the background.

[@chrisjenkins9978]

It’s difficult to tell the difference if the lenses are not all the same length. Also, the colors don’t match so you may be swayed by higher saturation of A lens as apposed to the lower saturation of the others.

[@bertiefigueres]

Thank you Luc for you video. Very interesting. I am a stills photographer, and I was curious about cine lenses. They are way more expensive than stills lenses, so I thought that was because they were so much sharper and all round better quality. After all, when photographers spend money on expensive lenses, they are doing so in part to get better quality. It was very interesting to see your video and see that this is not the case for video work. For video work, you are looking for other attributes in your lenses, and stills lenses are actually a little sharper. I never would have guessed. Thanks for that insight.

[@TheForeigner68]

You managed to get me to watch a video about gear that I'll never use or even afford. That says a lot about your videos :) Also, loved the Hamilton Khaki Field 😊

[@imammarc]

The Nisi seems to, according to the footage you provided, get close to that buttery look of the Cook’s but you could by a whole set for the price of one Cook.

[@arhon888]

Sigma all day long. I much prefer a sharper image. I would personally prefer to start sharp and soften in post if desired. I think the image quality was comparable hence how difficult it was to tell the difference aside from sharpness. Definitely for someone starting out, or needing to prioritise their budget, adding value in other areas would make more sense.

[@RandomlySet]

1st test - DZO looks colder, the Athena looks the right amount of warm, and details in the shadows

[@HakimZziwaTips]

Could have the DZO Arles primes on the list many many many moments later in the future cz they have a unique vibe for their price point. This comparison is a tough one, probably out door Golden hour-ish would have helped yield more accurate results. Great insights on the ergonomics 👌.

[@MichaelRempel-xi4yy]

When looking at micro-contrast (color boundaries) in tests, I prefer the Athenas in the budget range. Another way to put it is they seem more 3D. And I am wondering if Cooke wants part of the exploding primes market. The S4s are really good but that price...

[@kunstspielklavier185]

Other options looking at cine lenses with FF coverage below 7000$ that might me interesting to look at: Sigma Cine Classic. Sigma Cine with altered/removed coatings resulting in a stop of T2.5 while still being a 1.4. Still sharp, similar colors, strong flares and veiling glare. Schneider Xenon FF Primes. Still clean but as far as I remember less cool than CP2s, with a nice fall of and rather pleasing Bokeh. The slightly longer barrel might actually be to your liking. They should be slightly longer than even the DZOs. There were even some E-Mount Shift versions available. I don’t thing they are available new anymore, but can be found used quite affordably. Imagewise I think the Tokina Vista Primes are worth looking at as well. Though they are big and heavy. Off point, we they are not FF and more expensive: If you can, have a look at the Ultra Primes. Rental prices might not that bad and I personally always preferred them over Cooke. The longer focal length can actually cover larger sensor areas than S35.

[@FelixCervantes]

Surprised that you chose the Cooke mini S4 and not the Cooke SP3. The SP3 would have been more appropriate for your budget and also are full frame lenses.

[@-smok5332]

Great video keep it up 🎉

[@petero1068]

4:50 you can actually get used to cook S4i at t2 for 7000 used.

[@TheGoodContent37]

Why not using the DJI auto focusing system for manual focus lenses?

[@robinprobyn1971]

Is this the same shoot where production demanded Arri s35 , but now could be fx6 :) .. Mega6 Intellytech lite clothe V3 for the interviews , MK2 Sigma primes ,all have aperture ring now , you can use AF for those 1.4 interviews on long days , throw in 24-70 or 28-105 ,cheap as chips . Shoot Burano , AF / Vari ND and IBIS , super fast down loading cards ..Sorted !

[@LSH-wk4sq]

A good way to test lences and get feelings and impressions for your movie character.

[@iamakkkshay]

Your videos are 4K but shot on very low bitrate leading to blockings and banding in many places. Please use at least 75 Mbps for 4K bts shots too :)

[@RealWorldReview]

KZbin - “lol sure” I hate the compression that KZbin throws on a video. Even with iPhone videos I notice banding when put on KZbin

[@rossbodenmann]

Sigma definitely flattens out the image. Less curvature. Feels more like green screen.

[@ericsternberger2768]

I think you should have taken the dzo Arles into consoderation, since they are a step up from the vespids and look very much like the cooks

[@GoodRebelCreative]

The only things I really care about are color and the intangible “vibe.” The sigma consistently had my favorite skin tone and the Cooke apparently has the vibe. I’m new to this, so correct me if I’m wrong, but can’t you just get a nice filter and give any lens some character? (I’m thinking Black Pro Mist type stuff).

[@RyanWright-w4m]

I would go Zeiss Super Speeds or Zeiss Standard Speeds personally. Super small and lightweight, tons of cinematic character wide open and clean when closed down, and they're some of the most affordable and readily available lenses to rent.

[@kunstspielklavier185]

Seeing how he disliked the Athena’s form factor, I can‘t imagine him being happy with either. Also both are S35 lenses and coverage on the standards is all over the place as are size and weight.

[@kameya87]

That ending as I look at lenses to buy on credit... I did buy some vintage nikon lenses nikkor af 28mm, 50mm, and 85mm that I've been using without issues. Maybe I should stick to them.

[@Johnmarkin]

Nisi for the win! Have a 6-set of the Athena's and they punch waaay above their price point. The look is interesting on full frame abd wide open

[@Magmafire]

The DZO and Sigma were my least favorite look in all three blind tests. I often mixed up the Athena and Cooke. 2 out of 3, I chose the Cookes.

[@alejosonnenberg]

If you struggle at times to tell a sigma and cooke lens apart for example, then why spend more budget on a potentially imperceptible difference on screen. Could that money go towards more time spent in the grade? It also allows you to pick a lens that handles better in production. Hugs and kisses xoxo

[@skullslammer2172]

is it anyway possible for you to compare the Nisi athenas to the dzo arles. i haven’t been able to find anything directly comparing these two.

[@FishVisions]

Have you tried the Zeiss Otus lenses? Still photo, but the look is spectacular

[@MrMoviePhoneEx]

Surprised how nice the athenas look in the bind test... I love DZO, but I've been looking at the nisi's for a while now because of how clean they are with great contrast. Would be interesting to see them with some other cameras though - I'm a canon cine shooter and I primarily see these paired with sony cams.

[@abrworld]

Great video as always 😊

[@WatermanSurin]

what are your thoughts on the Sirui primes?

[@KerrCreatives]

Anyone think of the Arles are worth it? Looking at the 25 and 100 mm.

[@keithbedford1692]

What PL mount adapter are you using for Sony?

[@scottievee330]

Very cool. I guess Arri didn't make the cut and you're going with Sony? I was going by what I liked the best to least. Don't know particulars of each enough. I like the Athena's consistently.

[@aaronwalterscheid4496]

I know you can’t test everything, but I’m curious how the Meike full frame primes would’ve compared.

[@adamzhang3028]

Why use frozen frames of a mostly static scene when comparing cine lenses?

[@erwinretamales7211]

hello! Is it possible to share the frames of each shot in tiff or png? trying to make the visual comparison through youtube makes no sense

[@barrywallisable]

DZO Arles!! Have you tested them? shame you didn't add them into this test.

[@csilt]

DZO was the clear winner for me. It looks the most "cinematic" and professional. Sharp but not too sharp and balanced. It just looks professional and "serious"

[@emmanuelnkwocha1275]

Try the arles man what a beautiful set! Or if you want to test irix lenses are beautiful and they have great character

[@habocky]

lovin this new longer vids

[@General_Guthmir]

I love your work. Its very cool

[@RikiB-f4c]

Luc, I like how you approach your work a lot. What I do not like is your lighting and I think you need to seriously need to concentrate more on your lighting and various options to get various looks, the effect of various styles on the overall look, and how to alter a look in a "found" situation. You seem to approach things as if they were all studio situations (starting in blackness) and that is simply impractical and limits the look(s) you are achieving. You seem to depend a lot on the camera and lens to make your shot "happen" for you and to me it is the lighting that is the primary tool with the rest of the gear chosen to "technically" stay out of the way for the most part, not to compensate for inherently substandard lighting. You also seem to come at your photography as if everyone were watching your images on 50" 8K 20-stop TV and you need to think the other way around. In this case, the bulk of your audience is going to see a black profile shape with a bunch of bright spots in the background. With all due respect, you might want to take an art course on the Masters as that seems to be the look you like to shoot but (again) your sense of the light is where you fall down and is holding you back. Where I come from it is about getting it in the camera not fixing it in the mix. Again I mean this all with great respect.

[@michelduran5945]

Hello great video! thank to your content i started documentary a year ago, now i have the chance to film a docu about the local music scene in my city, so im going to shoot diferent spaces, bands and several interviews. So what microphones can u recomend for this docu, considering i have to record some of the instruments? Thanks a lot

[@ItsMidasProductions]

Definitely over on the velcro straps! Aputure easily sells over 500k units globally and most of their products come with 2+ velcro straps

[@alexanderdavidyuk5027]

That's really funny game. I didn't try to win, just answered which look I liked more. And every time 1st place was different lens. Differencies are so tiny i bet client never notice them. Miss flare test, usually lenses work very different in such circuimstances. Could you please in future add fullscreen versions for all lenses bc too difficult to judge from 1/4 screen after youtube compression, especially focus fall-off and sharpness.

[@gofilmyourself7919]

Gotta try the Dulens set. They’re fantastic.

[@getfmlr]

I'm guessing based on him mentioning he prefers the bigger build size of the Vespids...he's won't like how small the Dulens are.

[@Ouo3396]

A high-level review

[@ZagatoZee]

I called the Sigma in every shot - didn't have a clue for the other 3. So, if it was me...... image qual is close enough to not care, so.... what feels better to use?

[@mark12345697]

I’m not really a fan of this type of “lens” testing. Yes I do agree that lens characteristic’s are more nuanced. Obviously there is the technical aspect such as focus breathing, focus throw and the built. However what I would define as a high quality cine lens is the fact that it has a much smoother in and out of focus transition. (Some people call it focus falloff) As opposed to Photo lenses that is just sharp across the whole image.

[@thejackoss]

Honest question, but seems like your plan for this shoot is to buy the lens kits? Why not just rent them?