Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens Review
The Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens for Canon EF with geared, manual focus and aperture control rings, is optimized for digital cinematography. The aperture ring has been “de-clicked” for smooth iris pulls, and depth of field markings provide an essential aid to focus pullers. *Optically, this lens is identical to the Rokinon 35mm f/1.4, which is known for its excellent sharpness, contrast and bokeh.
T-Stop Measurements
A T-Stop represents light transmission rather than aperture ratio (ratio of aperture to focal length). F-Stops don’t always transmit 100% light transmission at the corresponding f-stop since lenses absorb some amount of the light passing through them. In cinema, since images are seen in rapid succession, even small amounts of exposure inaccuracy can be pretty problematic. Cinema lenses are tested for actual light transmission and calibrated in T-stops for exact accuracy in exposure. This way, you can swap out fixed focal length lenses without altering your exposure the way photography lenses are effected. Now again, since all lenses absorb some light, the T-Stop of any given aperture on a lens will always be greater (less light transmission) than the F-Stop. The T-Stop corrects exposure for absorption of light.
Aperture
There are no hard clicks when changing apertures on the Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens. Aperture can be manually set to a very specific number not a hard set number f/1.7, f/2.8, etc. as well as the absence of hard clicking on the aperture barrel. This also makes for smoother focus pulls.
Focus Travel
Focusing on a cinema lens typically has a longer and smoother travel, not like the short focus of a photo lens. This equates to more degrees of turning when focusing. The new Rokinon Cine lens has a slightly longer and smoother travel than the f/1.4 Photography lens. Additionally, the focal distance numbers on this Cine Lens are on the side of the lens, rather than on the top, for easier focus pulling.
Internal Focus
With a lens that has internal focus, there is no back and forth movement as you focus in on your subject. In other words, the front lens element does not move. Both the 35mm Cine and Photo lens has internal focus.
Tech Specs
Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens for Canon VDLSR
Rokinon 35mm F/1.4 Manual Focus Lens
Gah! I got the Canon t3i and the Rokinon 35mm just a FEW months before the new t4i and Rokinon cinema lens. This always happens…
Can we see some footage with this lens used on a GH2 if possible? Thanks!
@Brandon I will post some footage examples… I miight be getting another lens for the GH2. I’ll keep you guys posted!
I like the click-less aperture ring, but it looks kinda tough to reach quickly while shooting video. It looks tucked back pretty close to the body. Now, for someone like Olivia that shouldn’t be a problem (small hands). For shooters with larger hands, it may not work out well w/o seeing a bit of shake while adjusting the aperture.
@Steven I hear ya.. my hands are pretty small, however, using a follow focus should remedy that issue if guys find the ring too close to the camera body. One of the guys I shoot with had no problem, personally, but that doesn’t speak for everyone.
If you use a follow focus on the aperture ring…how would you focus? If I ever get a chance to use one before buying, I’ll decide then and there if I’d want one. These are very good and very well priced lenses.
@Steven You can attach two follow focus’ onto this type of lens or choose to only use one. In that case most guys would probably use the focus ring for focus pulling with the FF.
great job!
got any comparison video’s (against 35mm L maybe)
thanks!
@Jigs I won’t be doing any comparisons, however I will be posting some footage and such.
Can I use this lenses on my Canon 60D?
greetings
@Pepe Yes, sir, you can!
Hi Olivia!
Thanks for making the lens review. It is really an interesting lens. I heard that the photo version does have quite some focus breathing, which I thought comes from moving glass elements while focusing.Is that different in the cine version?
@Tobsen I tested that out specifically and found that what Rokinon states, that it is optically the same lens, is true. There is the same amount of lens breathing.
Thanks Olivia!
Hey Olivia,
I’m wondering if you have compared footage with this Rokinon 35mm cinema lens with the Canon 35mm 1.4L (which is one of my favorites of all time). In other words, does half the cost mean half the quality??
@Drew I probably will not do a comparison, however I’ll most likely do some light tests and such with this lens.
Hi Olivia,
I’ve been questioning on Youtube regarding my camera setup. I have GH2 with Canon FD lens 50mm f/1.4 is my favourite, it’s very sharp at f/2.5 and gorgeous looking. This particular one doesn’t have much color fringing if any either so it’s a gold to me. I want to take my camera on holidays but these manual lenses produce loads of shake and I am looking for something to stabilise it. I will be asked to do some short videos indoors and outdoors so am thinking I definitely need a mic and some sort of stabiliser. I don’t have much money and am just wondering what could do a reasonable job. Obviously I don’t need pro production looking footage. Any tips? Stabiliser seems the way to go but.. what do I do with manual focus then?
Thanks a bunch for any info in advance. Love your videos by the way
@Ed Great questions, I think a lot of shooters can benefit from this. Check out this CheesyCam post on an affordable shotgun mic.
Also, in regards to your question about a stabilizer, in order to achieve focus, you need to be sure you are not shooting at a shallow depth of field. By closing down your iris, more of your shot will be in focus. As for affordable stabilizers, check out Lensse’s DSLR Pro
I think what we’re all saying is we’d really like to see some lens comparisons. Also, when you show the footage, I’d love to see an example of just exactly how much it breathes! Thanks for this review! This is the first one I’ve seen for the Rokinon cine lenses?
@D I will have some test shots with examples and what not. I’ll see what I can do as far as comparisons!
Hi Olivia,
Thanks for your time to review this. Don’t know if this has been answered yet, had a quick look through but could not see. Does the lens have hard stops for focus, for minimum and infinite ends on the ring?
Best,
Phil
@Phil Hello, yes it does have hard stops at minimum and infinite focus ends on both rings.
So can I use this lense for still photography? does it read the aperture settings? I use mostly Nikon for stills so if i get this lense with a nikon mount will my camera be able to change aperture and read exposure? or will just show just two dashes – - for the aperture?
@JG This lens can work for photography as well. You cannot adjust the aperture through the camera electronically, so you will need to dial T stops in manually. There is no auto focus either, as this lens is geared towards cinematography.
Did I miss it, or is there any actual video available using this lens?
@Dave We shot some tests and they just didn’t show anything that the photo lens hasn’t already showcased. They are optically the exact same lens. For example footage, your best best is to YouTube Rokinon 35mm 1.4. It is the same.
I hate to be “that guy” but this video isn’t a review. You explained the specs that we can read on a B&H product page. What about using it? How did it feel? How is the focus throw? What’s the build quality like? Image quality?
Sorry, but a review should be everything a spec sheet can’t list.
@Josh Hey, thanks for your input, I hear you. This lens is pretty much the same as their 35mm 1.4 lens, optically. The housing is designed for video shooting with features geared towards cinema tools and practices. I did conduct technical tests with this lens but they really showed nothing new or stand-out in terms of what a buyer can expect. I do use this lens often, I’ve shot both video and photo with it and I love it. For the price, if you’re a video shooter and want the added gear ring, T-Stop measurements and de-clicked iris pulls, this is a great lens. If feels sturdy, the images are sharp, I did expereience some lens breathing, but overall, I use and really enjoy this lens. I also did a comparison of the Sigma to the Rokinon 35mm, if you’d like to see that, HERE IS A LINK. Again, it’s important to understand that the new Cine Lens is the SAME optically as the original Rokinon 35mm lens. I’ve listed the differences in the blog post.
Oliva, when using the canon 5D Mark II can you adjust any of the lens settings (aperture) from the camera dial or do you have adjust everything on the lens? I’ve heard that the camera won’t read the lens.
-michael
@Michael You must manually adjust the T stops ( behaves as adjusting aperture would ) on this lens. The Rokinon 35mm T1.5 Cine Lens is a manual lens.
Are the de-clicked aperture ring and built-in focus ring gear on the T1.5 worth the extra $100 compared to the f/1.4?
@Arthur If you’re shooting film, these are both pretty handy features. You could get by without them.. I guess it depends on what you choose to invest the extra money on.