18 cine lenses shootout
We recently took the opportunity to compare the most common lenses in use. Ranging from the top notch Angénieux 28-76 Optimo 36K$ and

the Zeiss Ultra Prime 14K$ to the cheapest Canon 17-55 800$. We tested the good old Zeiss Super Speed vs the beautiful new Angénieux EZ 30-90 T2 10K$, and the new Sony CineAlta new prime lens vs new Zeiss Compact Prime CP3, the CP2 and so on.

We used 50mm in all lenses and the same lighting setup. All lenses were set to T-2.8.
We tested flare, resolution, contrast, color and bokeh.
We used the Sony FS7 (the only camera that has PL/ EF/ E mount) in 4K mode, REC 709.

The test included three parts:
A) a full frame shoot of each lens.
B) we used a digital zoom of 78% in post since it’s not that easy to see the difference between each lens if not projected on a big screen.
C) we used a split screen to watch two lenses simultaneously in the same frame.

Is it true that you get what you pay for?
We think that the answer is mostly yes in terms of prime lenses. The Zeiss Ultra Prime, which is the most expensive, demonstrates the best results in all the parameters we checked. It’s better than the Leica Summicron-S, which is better that the CP3, which is better than the CineAlta.
In terms of zoom lenses, the Angénieux EZ 30-90 (10K$ only) is an amazing beautiful lens, almost the same as the Arri Alura and the Angénieux 28-76 Optimo, which cost more than double. The skin tone on this lens looks very gentle but still sharp and pleasant. This lens has an amazing T-2

iris which does not close down when zooming in. They say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and we find that we prefer the Angénieux EZ 30-90 over all the other zoom lenses we have checked. The Angénieux EZ comes in a set of two lenses: 30-90 and 15-40.

*The changes between the lenses are subtle, you better watch on a 4K monitor.

   •    Zeiss Ultra Prime
   •    Leica Summicron-S
   •    Sony CineAlta
   •    Zeiss CP3
   •    Zeiss CP2
   •    Zeiss Hi Speed
   •    Zeiss Otus
   •    Zeiss Milvus
   •    Rokinon
   •    Zeiss Planar EF
   •    Sigma Art 24-70
   •    Canon 24-70 MARK 2
   •    Canon 17-55
   •    Fujinon 18-55
   •    Angénieux EZ 30-90
   •    Angénieux 28-76 Optimo
   •    Fujinon Alura 30-80
   •    Canon 70-200
   •    Zeiss Loxia

Credits: Eliran Knoller, Ben Aviv, Dror Lebendiger, Rami Katzav, Uri Montilia,
UTOPIA camera rental house.