DZOFilm has officially announced its new Tango 18-90mm T2.9 and 65-280mm T2.9-4 S35 Cine Zooms. Both of these zooms offer great focal ranges and they can also be used with an optional servo zoom.
Both lenses were shown as prototypes at NAB and CineGear this year. You can see our coverage above.
These lenses look like a decent combination for S35 camera owners who want to cover a large focal range with just two lenses. They are heavy and large so they will be better suited to mid to larger sized digital cinema cameras.
The lenses can also be used with an optional servo zoom that I will talk about further down in the article.
The lenses have been designed to accommodate the demands of low-light shooting, all focus ring, zoom ring, and aperture ring markings are coated with luminous paint.
Both lenses have 270-degrees of focus rotation.
DZOFilm Tango 65-280mm T2.9-4
The 65-280mm T2.9-4 Tango S35 Zoom looks to be an interesting lens with a nice focal range. It weighs in at 8.73 lb / 3.96 kg which does make it quite heavy, although that is to be expected for a zoom lens with this focal range and T stop.
Key features
- Super35 Format | Maximum T2.9 Aperture
- Cine-Grade Optics | ENG Functionality
- Swappable PL & Canon EF Mounts Included
- 16-Blade Iris for Alluring Bokeh
- Works with Optional MOVCAM Servo Unit
- Focus, Iris, and Zoom Lens Gears
- Luminous Focus Marks in Feet
- Dual-Sided Focus Marks
I had a quick play with the lens at the NAB 2023 show and it appeared to have the same type of characteristics as other DZOFilm zooms.
The 65-280mm has a minimum focusing distance of 1.1m/3ft7in at 85mm.
DZOFilm Tango 18-90mm T2.9
The DZOFilm Tango 18-90mm T2.9 offers a pretty good focal range that is similar to the popular Fujinon ZK19-90mm T2.9 Cabrio Lens (PL Mount).
Key features
- Super35 Format | Maximum T2.9 Aperture
- Cine-Grade Optics | ENG Functionality
- Swappable PL & Canon EF Mounts Included
- 16-Blade Iris for Alluring Bokeh
- Works with Optional MOVCAM Servo Unit
- Focus, Iris, and Zoom Lens Gears
- Luminous Focus Marks in Feet
- Dual-Sided Focus Marks
The lens weighs 7.78 lb / 3.53 kg. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.7m/2ft3in.
Optional Servo Attachment
At NAB 2023 DZOFilm first showed one of their new prototype Servo Cine Zooms. DZO looks to be following in the footsteps of Canon and Fujinon, by announcing cine servo zooms for S35 lenses.
DZOFilm looks like they are at least exploring the broadcast market and trying to get their lenses into the hands of an even more diverse group of users.
The servo zoom motors are made by Movcam which is no stranger to making similar products. You may well remember that Movcam made detachable servo grips for the Angenieux EZ zooms.
The lenses will be able to be operated by traditional Fujinon or Canon zoom controllers.
If you already own a Catta 18-90mm T2.8 you can also purchase the servo separately.
Now, I must warn you, that these third-party servo zoom attachments are nowhere near as good as the offerings from Fujinon and Canon.
Price & Availability
The lenses are now available to pre-order.
The DZOFilm Tango 65-280mm T2.9-4 Cine Zoom will retail for $10,999 USD.
The DZOFilm Tango 18-90mm T2.9 will retail for $8,599 USD.
You can also buy both lenses in a kit for $17,999 USD.
Competition
The price of $10,999 USD for the Tango 65-280mm T2.9-4 Cine Zoom is reasonable for a lens that only covers S35 sensors. Although, there are other full-frame options on the market for less money.
The CHIOPT XTREME 75-250mm T3.2 Compact Zoom Cine Lens (PL Mount) costs just $3,299 USD. It is lighter, has a constant T stop and it can be used with CHIOPTs 1.7x extender. I previously reviewed this lens on the site and found it to be optically very good for the money.
Other direct competition comes in the form of the recently announced Angenieux EZ-3 45-163mm T2.3-3 S35 & 68-250mm T3.5-4 FF. It retails for $19,300 USD, which does make it almost double the price of the DZOFilm.
The EZ-3 is a 45-165mm T2.3-3 when used as a S35 lens. If you change over the rear optics to full frame it becomes a 68-250mm T3.5-4.5. This can be done by using Angénieux’s IRO (Interchangeable Rear Optics) Technology. All of the EZ series features dedicated rear optical groups customized for both S35 and Full Frame sensors.
You can also couple this lens with the optional Angenieux MSU-1A Single-Motor Cine Zoom Servo ($1,800 USD).
Competition for the DZOFilm Tango 18-90mm T2.9 arguably comes in the form of the Fujinon XK20-120mm T3.5 Cabrio Lens (PL Mount) which costs $12,999 USD, however, you can buy it without the servo zoom for $9,999 USD. I previously reviewed this lens on the site.
Specifications
