7 hours ago
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Today I'll have a look at an exciting new lens option for filmmakers, the Zhongyi Zone T1 cinema lens.
While we all obsess over every new camera that hits the market, throwing around terms like "game changer" or accusing anyone who doesn't upgrade of being unserious about their art, what you will eventually learn over time as a filmmaker is that it's the glass that makes all the difference. That great movie you saw last week or that new ad for sneakers that caught your attention? Stop asking what camera they were using and do a little digging to figure out what lens they had mounted to it.
Of course, another thing you'll know intimately if you have already embarked on your glass journey is that, traditionally, great glass doesn't come cheap. The price of a high-end set of cinema lenses is just about enough to finance a whole film in some cases. And, oftentimes, those dream lenses are simply beyond our financial reach. Thankfully, in recent years, there has been a surge in cinema lenses from new startups around the globe that have rushed in to fill the void of affordable glass with quality.
I've had the pleasure of testing out one such lens over the last couple of months, the Zhongyi Zone T1. The "1" in that title is doing a lot of work, as the super-fast glass opens up to a bright T/1 aperture, allowing for great low-light use and razor-thin shallow depth of field.
As is my custom, I prefer to test products in actual shooting scenarios rather than simply do test charts in a lab. I found both the type of projects I chose to use the T1 on and the test results to be instructive in terms of recommending the type of filmmaker this lens may be for.
There are three lenses in the line: 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm. All lenses in the set are the same size and weight, with matching industry-standard 0.8 MOD gearing. My test model came in a PL mount with a very handy interchangeable EF mount included in the custom hard case. As someone who has a lot of EF-mount lenses, it's massively helpful to be able to personally swap the mount and shim as necessary. It's like getting two lenses in one.
All the lenses in the line open up to T/1. The model I got to test was the 50mm. I'm a big fan of the 50mm focal length as an all-around lens. It's wide enough to include a bit of the environment, and normal enough not to distort faces in closeups. It's the kind of focal length you might choose to be stranded on a desert island with, were you to only have access to primes.
50mm lenses are also traditionally fairly compact. I bring this up because the first thing you should know about the T1 is that it, well, it is not exactly compact. This isn't really a criticism of the lens. In order to make a T/1 lens with minimal focus breathing to cover a full-frame sensor, you simply have no choice but to lean in the direction of bulk. The T1 earns every bit of its girthy frame, though, through image quality. But it is worth noting that this is not a run-and-gun lens.
This is a lens for a proper filmmaking workflow and a rigid camera build. I attached the T1 to multiple cameras during my time with it. Each time, I rigged the camera to 15mm rails so that I could add the proper lens support to reduce stress on my camera mount. In this video, I used the T1 on my RED Komodo to shoot an interview with one of the co-stars from my upcoming film.
This is also a tool best used in a team workflow. T/1 sounds amazing for all of us bokeh lovers out there. But manually focusing a moving subject at T/1 is a job for a dedicated 1st AC (or a solo shooter with way more manual focusing talent than myself). If you have a look at this early test shot I did with this bottle of wine, you can see the super-shallow depth of field that can be achieved with this lens. You can also see the incredibly close minimum focus distance of just 1 foot, 8 inches (with the 50mm). The full-frame lens covers a 46mm image circle, making it a good fit for full-frame and larger-format sensors like VistaVision.
The lens is sharp but not overly sharp, so it doesn't read as clinical. It has a nice texture to it, which I think serves its subjects well. In this second interview of the other co-star of my film, shot with the Nikon ZR and the 50mm, I really love how the lens renders my actor's skin tones and handles the out-of-focus transitions.
You'll notice that many of the examples I've given are from more controlled interview setups. This is mostly a result of logistics. I shot another film during the time I had the 50mm T/1 but opted for a smaller package on that film, because that was going to be a minimal crew without the support I felt was necessary to efficiently utilize the T1's strengths. It should be noted that that project was also in a physically small space and, because I only had the 50mm variant, that unique personal limitation factored into my decision just as much as weight.
I have another project in production that will be a larger team effort and take place in a more spacious location, which will be a better fit for both the lens and the focal length, but casting delays mean that won't be ready in time for this particular review. I realize those aren't tech-spec issues, but I always like to pay attention to when I do or do not reach for a product I'm reviewing, as I think that is as valuable as the baseline specs.
Speaking of baseline specifications, the main ones to keep in mind are, obviously, the impressive T/1 aperture. In terms of weight, the lens comes in at 3,000 g. The front element is the perfect size for my clamp-on matte box at a standard outer diameter. The screw-on filter size is a 110mm thread. Manual focus is also aided by the generous 270-degree focus throw. The lens has focus marks for both meters and feet, depending on your preference. One thing that comes with the added weight is that this lens is built like a tank. It leaves me with little doubt that its build quality will stand up to the rigors of production.
Pros
Bright T/1 aperture
Shallow depth of field
Beautiful texture and color rendering
Standardized front element for matte boxes
Affordable
Sharp but not clinical
Build quality
Includes both EF and PL mounts
Cons
Heavy
Conclusion
The Zhongyi Zone T1 is an excellent cinema lens for a professional filmmaker who works in a team environment and wants a lens that provides smooth texture and highlight rendering with a detailed (but not surgically sharp) image. The lenses, with the 5% off Indiegogo Special, are currently $2,374 for a single lens and $6,649 for the three-lens set, with further discounts if you buy early in the cycle. What do you think? Is T/1 for you?
English (US) ·