The 7Artisans Sprite 24-96mm T2.9 Cine Zoom Lens is being touted as a budget friendly cine zoom designed for S35 sensors.
It almost seems like every day a new lens is getting announced. The market is getting saturated with low cost options, and in the last few years we have seen quite a few affordable cine zooms being released.
According to 7Artisans, the 24-96mm T2.9 features a parfocal design, an all mental structure, and it weighs in at 2.4kg / 5.29 lb.
The breathing is claimed to be well controlled and the lens has a minimum focusing distance of 1m / 3.3′. There will also be a 1.5x tele convertor available that you can combine with the lens to turn it into a 36-144mm.
The lens Weill be available in PL/EF mounts, and there will be 4 additional mount options – Sony E, Leica L, CanonRF, and Nikon Z mount.
Price & Availability
The lens will available on Kickstarter soon. You can sign up to join a waitlist where you can save $400 USD when the lens is officially launched.
7Artisans doesn’t list a price for Sprite 24-96mm T2.9, but it it appears that it will be priced below $2,000 USD.
Competition
The nearest competitor for the 7Artisans Sprite 24-96mm T2.9 would be the Laowa Ranger 28-75mm T2.9 Cine Zoom Lens which retails for $2,999 USD and covers full frame.
That lens weighs 3.1 lb / 1.4 kg and it has a 49cm / 19.3″ minimum focusing distance.
What I find odd, is that 7Artisans lists competing lenses, without even mentioning the Laowa Rangers.
Thoughts
The 7Artisans Sprite 24-96mm T2.9 certainly looks like an interesting lens, but there is currently only one zoom available. You are going to struggle to convince potential customers to buy a zoom if there is only one available, especially with no longer option available.
At 2.4kg, the 7Artisans Sprite 24-96mm T2.9 is also pretty heavy for a lens that only covers S35 sensors, however, maybe the extra reach it has over the 28-75mm T2.9 will negate the weight for some potential customers.
