It's so hard to pick from DZO/NiSi. Please, do a side by side with Vespid Primes, Athenas, Sigma Cine, and even maybe Sony Cinealta Primes (released with F5/55 - all metal ones), it would be the 101 lens review for the people entering the cine lens market!
I have the Vespids and was interested in these Nisi's. After watching the video, I would say they're fairly similar. I wouldn't obsess too much over which ones to get and just make a decision. It's a decent lens for the price point.
We know how bad the banding is on the B-Roll!! I've spent a few hours of trying to figure out how to make it look better, but RU-vid isn't having any of it. I'm sorry, I wish RU-vid compression was better :( Jake EDIT - These will not work with the KipperTie Revolva either. NiSi have noted that some of the Canon / Meike filters may not work with their system!
Dude I feel like its gotten worse, I spent an entire day trying to get a video to have less banding on RU-vid and it never happened. It sucks spending all this time and money on stuff only to have sub par viewing quality on RU-vid. Thanks for the video though I've been eyeing the irix 45mm but this is 200 cheaper so we shall see!
I've seen YT rolling out a paid / premium higher bit rate streaming feature, wondering if that means they've downgraded the existing quality. I've found uploading in Pro res can help and also adding grain - but not ideal for showing off lens image quality
@@EdProsser Are you kidding me!? This platform is getting worse and worse by the day. I already pay for premium but if they add another charge to that then I dunno. Yea I tried everything...grain...ProRes...It was a darker scene with sun shining on the subjects face while they looked out a window but the wall behind was darker and the banding on the wall was just so bad I had go back in and change the exposure to make the wall brighter which honestly kinda ruined the composition of the scene. Like if majority of our content is shared on social media but the platforms down grade quality its almost like unless you are making feature films for the big screen why both paying thousands of dollars for terrible viewing quality. I dunno im pissed now haha
Thank you OP for pointing out with the edit that the KipperTie Revolva will not work with these lenses. Bummed out more thankful to have that information Jake, thanks again for saving me the time and troubles.
Dealbreaker for me is that extending rear element. Dulen is a better buy imo since it has character wide open but more clinical stopped down and they’re smaller/lighter. Plus you can use them with a speedbooster aaaaand they’re EF mount swappable
I've been eyeing on this lens for months now. I've been trying to find NiSi Athena video reviews and finally, a trust-worthy team has released this video. I am very interested which wins between DZO Vespids and these NiSi Athenas.
I actually love that they went for sharp and clean instead of "character"! It's definitely something that was lacking in this price point and was sorely missed.
Love the look of these, and I am SO glad you covered the movement of the rear element on the PL versions. I was just about to buy 3 that won't fit one of my cams... Their website doesn't seem to say anything about this - maybe I missed it? It's kinda important to know. Thanks Jake and team!
Not only am I impressed with how well built they are with details and precision and great looks ' it's the functionality for getting the most bang for your buck out of them ! A powerhouse in each lense at an affordable price ! Aloha from Kauai ! I've been doing alot of research on what I want out of my cinema lenses and there are so many to choose from and I keep coming back to Nisi Athena for my choice along with everything else in their product line is really impressive! I'm planning on joining the Nisi family soon by hopefully going to work with you all in the near future! Thanks for the great video as this covered alot I was looking for !
It makes sense. NiSi is considering future camera sales, so E Mount (Sony Alpha), RF (Canon Mirrorless/ RED), and Panasonic L Mount are the cameras being manufactured now.
How do these compare with the IRIX lenses? I know they both do e-mount and are full frame (l want to attach them to an FX3), these look smaller and lighter though
Seems like the standout feature here is size. These look great for gimbal work. Impressive. If size isn't a priority then another option to consider at this $6k price point would be the Sigma Cine Zooms, which give you an 18-35 and a 50-100 at T2. Their breathing is worse but you'd have more focal length options, the ability to zoom and less time changing lenses. Just thinking out loud. Great review, as always!
Sigma's 18-35 and 50-100 are only S35, thus not exactly comparable to these NiSi Full Frame lenses. I think that the only Sigma Cine Zoom for Full Frame is the 24-35 T2.2.
I currently have a demo kit of these from Nisi. I’ve been shooting a music video with them (actually 4 videos that sit in one short film). Really impressed with their performance. Super easy to use, extremely clean look but doesn’t have the yucky super sharpness that some modern lenses suffer from.
Check out our comparison including the DZO here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-O4fUvXR2tgI.htmlsi=HVUTqX2aR40tCC9M The NiSi Athena were not out then, but you can compare to this video and hopefully understand the difference a bit better. Jake
Those lenses look very promising. I‘m planning to use them on both the new BMC6K (L) as well as the C500 II (Pl). Do you know if that works considering the rear element moving out so much when focusing? Want to use their own PL adapter for L-mount for the Blackmagic. The native PL mount of the C500 II should work by nature right?
Yes PL to L mount adapters will work fine, it's only Speedboosters and drop-in filter adapters you should worry about! PL on C500 II should work fine. Jake
CVP's videos are all very informative, love them, but wish narrator and pace of video was slowed a bit. Talks / moves too fast to really take in the samples and what he is saying. Also, what is onion skining?
Their marketing it with the line "Micro contrast control" how does that translate into IQ? I would've thought that they actually made something like Arri where you can change the Charakteristik of the lens via a rear filter, but guess not.
Can the RF mount NiSi Lenses be used with the breakthrough RF DFM mount? I know it's strange to have a rear drop in filter on the lens and then put it on a drop in filter mount, but Im using other lenses also that don't have the drop in filter. Just want to make sure there won't be any issues.
I received word back from NiSi that the Athena RF Lenses will NOT work with the Breakthrough Adapters "because there is interference between the back of the lens and the filet in the adapter."
Since you're a shop, perhaps you can test this and let us know: Are there any PL mount adapters that will clear the rear elements in order to use a mount based ND or vND system? EG: Mofage Poco or Kippertie Revolva. EDIT: Okay, in the video you explicitly state that the Poco doesn't work. I really with Nisi would've figured out how to separate the two. Yes, I know the mirrorless versions of these lenses have first party filtration option. I'm specifically looking for solutions for the PL mount version of these lenses.
Hey, how do you know if they will work with the Breakthrough filters DFM mount? Can't find any specifications on how much the rear element protrudes...
Bought the whole set of this lens due to the reviews. Regretted it, the color shift is more than 200-300 pts in terms of white balance, but what's worst is their bokeh, though there's not much onion ringing, their bokeh is so dirty, looks like it has cancer. But really depends on what you're shooting, if you're shooting outdoors with no bokeh balls, then you'll be fine. As always, YMMV.
We have been thinking about grabbing a set of these to go along with our Otus for when we want something smaller and with the rear filtration. I however would still pick the Otus if budget was no option. The NiSi's are much more affordable, unless you are looking at Used Otus. Jake
@@CVPTV Good to know. I own all the Otuses (excluding the 100mm) and Batis, and was considering replacing them, but it seems like the consensus is the Otuses are still superior. Thanks again, love all the work y'all do.
"Affordable" in an economic climate of high inflation. Nice. I love the design and size and various mount options. Unfortunately, for my taste and application, I think they look a bit sterile and clinical. You'll spend some buck trying to give this set some "character" and imperfection. Ultimately, I personally feel the chase for ultra sharp glass coupled with insane resolution is the wrong direction to take the industry, at least in terms of classic narrative. This set is likely perfect for RU-vidrs/Vloggers, and/or in applications where antiquity or reproduction is important
I think there are plenty of optics at this price point that aim to have more character to them, however there aren’t many cinema primes which aim for cleaner images at this price so it’s nice to have these for people who want this look! Jake
@rafael_daguerre Any of the classics, of course, which aren't cheap by any means. Many of us in narrative are chasing that rich, thick, "Cooke look," but at a fraction of the cost. 😃 I've seen some Meike that come close in terms of thickening up the image and resolving a little depth/pop. Of course, nowhere to the degree of Cooke, but definitely less sterile than the lens/set featured in this video review. I'm underwhelmed by them tbh. Too bad, they look affordable, relatively speaking. (Again, inflation market) If you're okay with using modded photography glass, I rock an entire set of Canon FD. "Character" for days in those Canon FD. You have to love and fully commit to insane flaring and lifted shadows, tho. 😆 Again, "character," which is a fancy word for imperfection, which is a fancy word for "visual storytelling," which is a fancy word for suspending disbelief inside a crafted world of illusion. It's not supposed to reproduce reality.
Excellent a s always and I appreciate that you do sell lots of lenses but in reviews like this it would be great to reference other lenses as a benchmark. Eg for sharpness most people will know the otus as pretty sharp so plus or minus that would be great just to know the ball park. Likewise contrast and general points like veiling flare. Nice great awesome controlled or any adjective helps dialogue flow but some kind of reference for calibration would really help. Oddly enough why someone might choose a lens might be personal but the specs and the look of a lens is absolutely not. Not least as manufacturers start out with an intention in design and i guess what we want to know is what is that intention specifically and how well do the lenses live up to that ambition. That measurement is usually down to physics and less opinion if they can be referenced to something approaching empirical or a reference we all might know or be able to get hold of easily. The chart work is great but nit easy to interpret practically. Thx so much for all the excellent work.
It's great to see #Nisi has got it right the first time with their new cinema lenses, unlike #Cooke that kinda shames itself with their latest SP3 series that got so many things wrong but still demands the premium price. LOL
Would those lenses be usable on a Ronin 4D ? (I mean with the gimbal on and all the features, with or without the Z-Axis... Obviously I know you can use whatever if the gimbal is locked off and you use a lens support thingy)
The housing/mechanics. Check this video out to properly understand the differences. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-08V6VKUPmhQ.htmlsi=PPWIES6Gz_QMllYV Jake
okay so I looked at the extended rear and it doesn't look like they would work with the poco pl adapter but I saw that you guys were using that exact combo in the new sony cameras video?? so do they work together?
Another great affordable full frame Cine lens option. These are a lovely size and design, much classier looking than some of their competitors. I’d be really interested if they had as many focal lengths as DZO with those nice in between sizes like 40mm and 65mm. Perhaps if all goes well they’ll keep expanding. Thanks for the great video as always!
@@CVPTV so far so good. Using them on my FX9. I’m coming from some older Rokinon Cine lenses, so anything will be better. I was looking for a lens that is sharp, good contrast, and neutral. These fall into that category. I really need to stress about build quality-they seem to have done a great job on this. Lastly, mine came with a case as well, it appears there will be another focal length coming judging by extra molded space in the case. Know anything?
@jamesbridges1107 Ahh awesome, yes these will be a big step up from those haha Glad to hear the lenses are holding up! I think it would be very safe to assume that there will be a 6th lens given the extra hole in the case, but nothing that I can confirm 100% yet! Jake
The lens mount landscape is changing. There's a lot of comotion around the L mount alliance happening right now. We could see the effort to standardize a system as finally being given what many of us have been clamoring for, a quick cash grab investment from multiple large coporations, or something that has a lot of heat map out of the gate only to end up a cold corpse before the finish line. Or, all of the above. The point is that technology is moving forward at an exponential pace. What is relevant today will be rendered an embellished paperweight by tomorrow's time. Technology is such the beast that stokes excitement and fear all at the same time, our credit card be damned. If you went into any modern system under the guise of "long-term investment," you have been duped. That's not a happy word for manufacturers and their digital handlers.
We haven't directly, but the BIG difference between the Meike and the NiSi is the colour difference between the Meike lenses. I suggest watching this (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-O4fUvXR2tgI.htmlsi=HVUTqX2aR40tCC9M Lens Review Playlist - ru-vid.com?) and comparing the results of that video loosely with this. Jake
@@CVPTV Thanks! I attended. Really, the difference between the Meike 85mm and other Meike lenses is strange. A very negative point. The Meike Prime S35. What do you think? Since my camera is the X-H2S, I don't prioritize FF lenses that much, even though I have some. I've been researching this price range and quality: Meike Prime S35, 7artisans Vision and SLR Magic. Have you tried these yet? The first difference between them, in my case, is that the Meike Prime S35 doesn't have an x-mount. Unlike the other two. I've been researching a lot to know which cine lens to choose. The "character" of Meike Prime FF enchanted me. I really liked it. But I have seen criticism and praise. This difference from the 85mm is something I saw on another channel as well. And the Irix looks pretty good too, but with less kit options.
I’ve seen the lenses, and the ones where you can either put drop in filter or screw on at the back, they all already have a clear glass included, so that when you swap them out for a specific filter it doesn’t affect the back focus too much.
