Australian company C.R.Kennedy Imaging who are a ZEISS distributor have posted up a video with test footage from the new Nano primes as well as an in-depth look at how they are made and manufactured.
If you are not familiar with the ZEISS Nano Prime Cinema Lenses, they were specifically designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras, but initially they will only be available for Sony E-mount. According to ZEISS, the Nano Primes offer the highest performance and cinematic look in a compact and lightweight package.
The ZEISS Nano series will be available in the following focal lengths:
- 18mm T1.5
- 24mm T1.5
- 35mm T1.5
- 50mm T1.5
- 75mm T1.5
- 100mm T1.5
The Nano series cover full frame sensors and they are manual focus only cinema lenses. All of the focal lengths are T1.5
The lenses will be available with feet or meter markings, and you can purchase them in individually or in a 6-lens set.
Key features
- Covers Full-Frame Sensors
- T1.5 to T16 Aperture Range
- 12-Blade Rounded Iris
- Native Lens Data Communication
- ZIESS eXtended Data
- 95mm Front Diameter
Size & Weight
The ZEISS Nano Primes range in weight from 870g / 1.92 lbs for the 35mm T1.5 up to 1.19 kg / 2.62 lbs for the 18mm T1.5. This does make them quite lightweight for full frame lenses with a T1.5 aperture.
The Nano Primes are around half the weight and size of the much more expensive Supreme Primes. Now, ZEISS claims that the Nano primes maintain the image quality and speed of the Supreme Primes. ZEISS managed to keep the size and weight of the Nano primes to a minimum by reducing the flange focal distance and designing them for mirrorless camera systems such as E-mount.
As a weight comparison, the NiSi ATHENA Primes, which are all T1.9 except for the 14mm, all have the same weight of 800g / 1.76 lbs, and the Cooke SP3 Primes weigh between 500g / 1.10 lbs and 690g / 1.52 lbs.
Main Features
ZEISS states that the Nano Primes provide a versatile and subtle sharpness reminiscent of Supreme Primes, and that they make an excellent choice for B-Cam and C-Cam, or as a cost-effective alternative. The lenses feature a cine lens housing, 0.8 pitch gears, and an interchangeable mount. The ZEISS IMS (Interchangeable Mount System) features user-adjustable back focus through shims, this guarantees precise scales, even with entry-level cameras that typically exhibit higher mount mechanics tolerances.
The Nano series primes have a 12-blade iris, a 95mm front diameter, 86mm screw-in filter thread. The uniform positioning of focus and iris rings simplifies lens changes. The focus rotation is 280° and the iris rotation is 90°.
All the lenses utilize the ZEISS eXtended Data system. If you are not familiar with the ZEISS eXtended Data system it was introduced way back in 2017 with the announcement of the CP.3 XD prime series.
Zeiss eXtended Data is a way of recording frame accurate metadata about the lens. It’s based on the open standard Cooke /i technology that’s supported by a range of cameras and accessories. The eXtended Data system logs:
- Lens name, type and focal length
- Calibrated focusing distance
- Calibrated T-stop value
- Real time depth-of-field data and hyperfocal distance
- Horizontal field of view
- Entrance pupil position
In addition the specific metadata implementation by Zeiss provides information about:
- Lens distortion characteristics based on the focal point
- Lens shading characteristics based on focal point and effective T-stop
This means that if your NLE or color correction software has the correct profile available, you can correct for these qualities in post with one click. This data is provided by ZEISS plugin software.
It works within the ZEISS CinCraft ecosystem making the information provaluable for post-production (CinCraft Mapper) and it is compatible with the newly introduced CinCraft Scenario camera tracking system.
The Zeiss eXtended Data can be passed electronically through the mount to compatible cameras. If your camera isn’t compatible with /i technology you can connect via an external LEMO port to send the data to an external box like the Ambient timecode transceiver.
Focal Length Specifications
18mm T1.5
| Aperture | T1.5 to T16 |
| Close Focus | 25cm / 9.8″ |
| Length | 112 mm / 4.4″ |
| Front Diameter | 95 mm / 3.7″ |
| Weight | 1.19 kg / 2.62 lbs |
| Rotation Angle of Focus Scale | 280° |
| Horizontal Angle of View | 90.3° |
24mm T1.5
| Aperture | T1.5 to T16 |
| Close Focus | 35cm / 13.8‘” |
| Length | 89 mm / 3.5″ |
| Front Diameter | 95 mm / 3.7″ |
| Weight | 0.88 kg / 1.93 lbs |
| Rotation Angle of Focus Scale | 280° |
| Horizontal Angle of View | 74.2° |
35mm T1.5
| Aperture | T1.5 to T16 |
| Close Focus | 45cm / 17.7″ |
| Length | 89 mm / 3.5″ |
| Front Diameter | 95 mm / 3.7″ |
| Weight | 0.87 kg / 1.92 lbs |
| Rotation Angle of Focus Scale | 280° |
| Horizontal Angle of View | 53.8° |
50mm T1.5
| Aperture | T1.5 to T16 |
| Close Focus | 50cm / 19.7″ |
| Length | 89 mm / 3.5″ |
| Front Diameter | 95 mm / 3.7″ |
| Weight | 0.92 kg / 2.04 lbs |
| Rotation Angle of Focus Scale | 280° |
| Horizontal Angle of View | 40.4° |
75mm T1.5
| Aperture | T1.5 to T16 |
| Close Focus | 75cm / 29.5″ |
| Length | 112 mm / 4.4″ |
| Front Diameter | 95 mm / 3.7″ |
| Weight | 1.13 kg / 2.48 lbs |
| Rotation Angle of Focus Scale | 280° |
| Horizontal Angle of View | 27.7° |
100mm T1.5
| Aperture | T1.5 to T16 |
| Close Focus | 1.0 m / 39.4″ |
| Length | 112 mm / 4.4″ |
| Front Diameter | 95 mm / 3.7″ |
| Weight | 1.13 kg / 2.48 lbs |
| Rotation Angle of Focus Scale | 280° |
| Horizontal Angle of View | 20.7° |
Price & Availability
The ZEISS Nano Prime Cinema Lenses for E-mount are now available to pre-order for $4,490 USD each, except the 18mm T1.5 and 100mm T1.5 are $4,990 USD each. The lenses are scheduled to start shipping in late May.
The lenses are manufactured by ZEISS’ long-standing partner company in Japan.
You can also buy a 6-lens set for $25,950 USD.
