“Upon receiving a preproduction set of the new Xeen Cine lenses, we decided to put them through the test – the test of what these lenses are really made for : shooting cinematic footage. Though the price tag on these lenses is small to a degree that was previously unthinkable, their performance is most definitely not. Right of the bat, it is obvious these are finely crafted workhorses, with a solid construction and a smooth operation of focus and iris with just the right amount of resistance to give feedback and confidence to the operator. Their size is also what one would expect from a cinema lens, but surprisingly, their weight is kept to a minimum. This is a huge advantage in my opinion as the weight of cameras goes down as well and the use of lightweight jibs and 3 axis gimbals goes up day by day.
It goes without saying that the performance needs to be up to snuff to compete in a world filled with competitors that are considerably higher priced. Image quality is very high indeed, a nicely rendered image with very high definition – the camera will most likely be the limiting factor as far as definition goes when combined with these lenses. Chromatic abberations are kept nicely at bay – it is all rather good… I was also pleasantly surprised to see that the level of blooming is nicely controlled, outperforming quite some (considerably higher priced) lenses I’ve used over the years. Note that the Xeen lenses are all T1.5, making it an even more impressive feat. There is some breathing, but no unexpected amount. Especially considering the MOD is rather short, focusing all the way down to 25cm on the 24mm T1.5 lens. The 11-blade iris does what it is expected to do : limiting the difference in appearance of the bokeh between wide open and closed down. 11 blades seems to be a sweet spot, to keep the shape of the bokeh as smooth as possible. It might not be as smooth as an 18 blade iris, but it is a gigantic improvement over 6 or 9 blades. Especially at this price point, it is a blessing.
In conclusion,
all we can say is that we were highly impressed with the performance, construction quality and overall feel of the lenses. At a price point previously deemed impossible for cinema lenses. The price tag might be rock buttom, the performance most definitely is not in our experience…”
© Werner Sas, Delimex NV, www.delimex.be
It goes without saying that the performance needs to be up to snuff to compete in a world filled with competitors that are considerably higher priced. Image quality is very high indeed, a nicely rendered image with very high definition – the camera will most likely be the limiting factor as far as definition goes when combined with these lenses. Chromatic abberations are kept nicely at bay – it is all rather good… I was also pleasantly surprised to see that the level of blooming is nicely controlled, outperforming quite some (considerably higher priced) lenses I’ve used over the years. Note that the Xeen lenses are all T1.5, making it an even more impressive feat. There is some breathing, but no unexpected amount. Especially considering the MOD is rather short, focusing all the way down to 25cm on the 24mm T1.5 lens. The 11-blade iris does what it is expected to do : limiting the difference in appearance of the bokeh between wide open and closed down. 11 blades seems to be a sweet spot, to keep the shape of the bokeh as smooth as possible. It might not be as smooth as an 18 blade iris, but it is a gigantic improvement over 6 or 9 blades. Especially at this price point, it is a blessing.
In conclusion,
all we can say is that we were highly impressed with the performance, construction quality and overall feel of the lenses. At a price point previously deemed impossible for cinema lenses. The price tag might be rock buttom, the performance most definitely is not in our experience…”
© Werner Sas, Delimex NV, www.delimex.be
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