
Despite offering premium image quality and professional design, not all cine lenses demand a premium cost. In fact, if you know where to look and what you’re looking for, you can snag some truly solid optics at a relatively affordable price. Today, we’ll be looking at some of the best budget-friendly wide-angle cine lenses on the market.
Rokinon 14mm T3.1 Cine DS Lens
In recent years, Rokinon has solidified itself as an excellent solution for anyone looking for budget-friendly cine lenses that offer professional and reliable optics. The 14mm T3.1 manufactured by Rokinon is available with a T-stop of 3.1 and coverage for full-frame sensors. Thanks to the two extra low dispersion elements, as well as individual hybrid aspherical element, images come out of this with well-controlled chromatic aberration and minimal distortions. This lens becomes exceptionally useful when running a cinema rig that requires you to switch between focal lengths, particularly when you are using other lenses in the Rokinon DS series. This is because the focus and iris gearings are all identical throughout the series, meaning you won’t have to adjust your rig’s gearing to compensate for a change in ring positions.
7artisans Photoelectric 12mm T2.9 Vision Cine Lens
Coming in as an extremely compact and robust wide-angle lens for APS-C format sensors is the 7artisans Photoelectric 12mm T2.9. This nifty little lens is built with a 270° focus throw, allowing for easy and accurate focus pulls. There is a variety of mounting options available, ranging from Canon RF, Sony E, FUJIFILM X, Leica L, and MFT. It has a fairly short close focusing distance falling right around 5.5', so for all those shots where you need to get close in someone's face, this is certainly a decent option.
Rokinon 8mm T3.8 Cine UMC Fisheye CS II Lens
Another fantastically wide option for APS-C formats us the Rokinon 8mm T3.8. It’s a 12.8mm equivalent and, because of its fisheye design, provides an incredibly stylistic look that’s popular for more extreme imagery. Unlike many of the lenses on this list with a dome-shaped front element that have built-in lens hoods, this lens features a removable petal-type lens hood. I recommend this lens for anyone who wants that retro VHS skateboard video feel.
Meike 12mm T2.2 Manual Focus Wide Angle Cinema Lens
Excellent for scenarios with low light is the Meike 12mm, thanks to its fast aperture of T/2.2. This will also allow for incredibly smooth and circular bokeh that is pleasing to the eye. It is smaller than most conventional 12mm lenses, thanks to it being intended for MFT use, thus allowing it to perform exceptionally well―all while retaining a small and lightweight form factor. It features 270° focus rotation, 77mm filter thread, and scale markings on both sides for quick and digestible references.
Rokinon 12mm T3.1 ED AS IF NCS UMC Cine DS Fisheye Lens
Coming in hot as our second fisheye on the list is the 12mm T3.1 from Rokinon. With its full 180° angle of view on full-frame cameras, visuals on this lens are nothing less than striking. Like the previous fisheye lens on the list, I’d recommend this for high-action visuals, from skateboarding to getting up close to athletes for a gnarly training montage. Its stylized look will certainly make an impact wherever it is showcased.
DZOFilm DZO 10-24mm T2.9 MFT Parfocal Cine Lens
One of the more unique additions to this list is the DZOfilm 10-24mm T2.9. Designed for MFT mounts, this variable zoom lens allows you to zoom seamlessly from a range of 10mm to 24mm without ever losing focus on your subject, thanks to its parfocal design. This also allows it to maintain minimal breathing for extremely visually satisfying focus pulls. It comes in a solid metal housing, as well as three clickless rings (aperture, zoom, focus), all of which move with silky smooth action. The iris features 70° of rotation, 100° for the zoom, and 270° for the focus. While not exactly as budget friendly as the other lenses on this list, considering the lens’s capabilities and versatility, this presents rather good bang for your buck, especially considering that this is a zooming parfocal cine lens.
While the market of cinema lenses may seem overwhelmingly expensive at first glance, you can be assured that there is light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to manufacturers like these that are looking out for the little guy by providing high-quality optics, solid designs, all at budget-friendly prices. Let us know what you think of these lens choices below and if there is any lens you’d add to this list.
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