Korean lens maker Samyang have just added two new cine lenses to their XEEN lineup. The XEEN 14mm T3.1 and 35mm T1.5 complement the existing 24mm T1.5, 50mm T1.5 and 85mm T1.5 lenses and create a versatile five lens kit.
All five lenses cover full-frame sensors and come in PL, EF, F, E, and MFT mounts. You can also choose between metric and imperial focus scales.
Like other entry level cinema lenses these designs are improved versions of their stills counterparts. It comes as little surprise that the XEENs follow the maximum apertures of the sister Samyang VDSLR range of less expensive plastic-bodied lenses. This limits the 14mm to a slower maximum aperture than the other lenses in the lineup – something that may disappoint users who had been hoping for a new optical design so that the XEENs would be a constant T1.5 set.
In our previous tests of the other XEEN lenses we found that they resolve very well and should be well suited to higher resolution cameras like the RED Weapon and Scarlet-W. How the new lenses compare will be interesting given their lineage.
Samyang have also stated that there will be two more XEEN lenses announced in the second half of 2016.
The 14mm and 35mm lenses will be available in March. The UK price is set at £1599 including VAT each.
