Beginner’s Guide To Cine Lenses

Cinema Lens Guide featured image

Published: October 30, 2019 | Last Updated: June 27, 2024

The world of cine lenses can be pretty complicated. This article will serve as a general guide.

This guide will help you understand cine lenses and why you should use them, consider the considerations necessary in purchasing one, and find the most popular brands at all price points. It will also explain why cine lenses are so useful and what to look for when buying.

After reading this guide, you will understand what your DP friends are talking about when they discuss lenses and be better equipped to determine whether a cine lens is right for you.

What Exactly Is A Cine Lens?

cinema lens 85mm

A cine lens (short for cinema) is designed specifically for film and video production. It is designed to record motion.

Therefore, cine lenses have well-marked focal lengths and aperture markings on two separate rings that the filmmaker can manually adjust while recording.

So, instead of using autofocus and changing your aperture in the camera, you can do so with the gears on your lens.

The lens’s gears have teeth specifically designed to pair with a follow-focus system, allowing for precise control over focus. Though using a cine lens is unnecessary, the following focus helps you get the most out of your lens.

Later in the article, we’ll discuss follow focus and the gears on your lens in more detail.

What’s The Difference Between A Cine Lens And A Still Lens?

In addition to what was just mentioned, there are quite a few differences between cine and still lenses. Cine lenses are specifically designed for film production and have many features especially useful in motion picture production.

Many of these features come down to offering consistency so that you can maintain a similar image between days of shooting or between lenses.

Still Lenses Have F-stops, And Cine Lenses Have T-stops

For example, unlike still lenses using F-Stops, cine lenses use T-Stops.

In still lenses, ‘F’ stands for ‘focal length,’ the F-stop is a theoretical value that designates the relationship between the lens diameter and the length.

F-stops are not as precise as T-stops when describing the amount of light passing through the lens. Also, you’ll often find that a lens with an F-stop of 1.4 only has a T-stop of 1.7.  

That’s because T-stops specifically measure the amount of light passing through the lens. Therefore, if you switch lenses but maintain the same T-Stop, the amount of light will be the same.

Cine Lenses Minimizes Breathing

Many cine lenses also minimize an effect called lens breathing, which is found on still lenses. This happens when you rack focus (switching focus from one object or person to another), and it looks as if the image scale changes sizes.

Here’s an example of a few lenses with significant lens breathing:

Therefore, lens breathing isn’t noticeable with a still lens, but with video, it is. You’ve probably noticed it before (I’ve even seen it in plenty of TV shows), and it can be very distracting.

Cine Lenses Have Fixed Aperture And Are Parfocal

Furthermore, there isn’t a fixed aperture in many still lenses, so when you zoom in, the aperture changes. In cine lenses, the aperture is set and marked (as is the focal length), allowing you to record and match your settings between shots.

Moreover, zoom cine lenses are parfocal, meaning the lens stays focused as the focal length changes. Though many lenses still feature this, it is good to know that zoom cine lenses will keep your subject in focus.

Cine lenses also shouldn’t have vignetting, they have limited wide-angle distortion, and can produce great flares and bokeh. One more thing of note is that one brand’s cinema lenses will have consistent color and contrast.

Ultimately, you get consistency and total control for the price of a cine lens.

Most cinema lenses in an affordable price range will end up being prime, and unless you’re willing to spend a lot more to zoom, you will usually end up looking at building a lens kit with a wide, normal, and telephoto lens.

But, your first purchase is up to personal preference. I love the look of a wide-angle lens; however, if you’re looking for a nice depth of field, you may want to consider a normal length.

Who Uses Cine Lenses?

camera operator cinema camera lens

Cine lenses are found on cinema production’s main stage and are used in Hollywood productions for blockbuster movies. However, if you’re like me and don’t have a $70 million budget for your next project, that doesn’t mean you can’t still use a cine lens.

Filmmakers, videographers, students, and enthusiasts are all using cinema lenses and making great use of them.

If you’re a still photographer, you can take a still photo with a cinema lens. However, the manual adjustments of aperture and focus may be frustrating. Plus, a cine lens is heavy and expensive compared to a still lens counterpart.

That being said, it is possible if you’re filming something and between takes need or want to take a still. It might not be worth all the money to buy a cine lens only for stills.

But I digress. Cine lenses are for everyone. Budget brands like Rokinon sell them for a relatively affordable $500 apiece, and services like lensrentals.com make it possible to get a cine lens for your next shoot at a reasonable price.

When to Use Cine Lenses?

If your project would benefit from greater control and consistency between shots, cine lenses are for you.

There are a few reasons outside of budget not to use cine lenses, and though I will discuss lens mounts and adapters later on, I will tease that subject by warning you to take caution.

Though they are great when needed, lens adapters can be expensive and may cause issues.

Besides finances, a couple of other reasons to avoid using cine lenses may be the lack of autofocus and zoom capability.

Finally, cine lenses are heavier, so they can be cumbersome if you’re shooting action sports, moving around a lot, or filming something by yourself.

Having no autofocus requires knowing where the subject will be to keep them in focus, and having no zoom capabilities often necessitates blocking to keep them in frame.

If you are a run-and-gun filmmaker or filming outside of a controlled setting alone, it may not be worth it to carry a case of cine lenses with you.

What Can A Cine Lens Do Special?

cinema lens 35mm

What can a cine lens do that my lens currently cannot?

The answer is probably quite a bit, especially if it’s a kit lens. Though I mentioned some of the features Cine lenses have in contrast to other pieces of glass, it is worth digging into the manually adjustable aperture, focus markings, breathing, vignettes, and barrel distortion a bit more.

Cine Lenses And Manually Adjusted Aperture

First, let’s discuss manually adjusted aperture. A clear and manually marked aperture is extremely helpful when looking for consistency. Being able to set your aperture is an absolute must, especially between days of shooting.

Though you can see and set your aperture with still lenses in-camera, you must set it incrementally. Furthermore, many zoom lenses will still have their aperture change as the focal length does. A manual dial with a cine lens allows for minute adjustments and total control.

Cine Lenses And Manual Focus

Cine lenses also require manual focus as there is no electronic connection between the camera and the lens. Therefore, cine lenses have a large, geared focus ring. Though this can be adjusted by hand, and oftentimes will be, it also allows for the inclusion of a follow focus in your rig.

In brief, a follow focus is a geared attachment that allows for more precise control for rack focus (more on follow focus later).

Furthermore, these lenses have hard stops on their focus and aperture rings, so unlike some lenses that focus by wire, making adjustments with cine lenses is much more tactile and easily measured.

I mentioned how cine lenses minimize lens breathing when racking focus. Cheaper brands such as Samyang or Rokinon will, in varying degrees, still have issues with this. However, breathing is often much more of an issue in zoom lenses than in prime lenses, and, as we covered, affordable cine lenses are prime. In contrast, the expensive ones have a lot of engineering to minimize that effect.

Cine Lenses Aim To Minimize Vignetting And Barrel Distortion

Due to their higher quality, cine lenses require extensive work to avoid vignetting. Again, this minimization depends heavily on the quality of the glass. So, while cheaper cine lenses may be better than your kit lens, lower-end pieces will not be entirely free of this problem.

Now it’s time to discuss barrel distortion. This often occurs on wide lenses and results from the field of view of the lens being greater than the image sensor. Fortunately, many cine lenses work to reduce this imperfection. So, if you’re like me and like shooting wide, using a cine lens can be extremely helpful.

Cine Lenses Have Big Aperture Rings With Great Control Over The Light

Additionally, cine lenses offer much more control over light because of their manually adjustable apertures and high speeds. Because their aperture is measured in T-stops as opposed to F-stops, the exact amount of light entering through the lens is the same across the board.

Setting equal T-stops between lenses will result in the same amount of light. Again, this is hugely helpful in maintaining a consistent image.

Cine lenses can also open up and produce very shallow depths of field, which, if desired, can lead to some impressive bokeh (out-of-focus blurring). Of course, what’s in the scene is often much more important than keeping things out of focus, but it’s certainly nice to have the option.

Cine lenses are especially beneficial when presented with difficult lighting conditions. While you shouldn’t expect miracles to happen, the quality of cine lenses will allow you to shoot more in high-contrast environments and low light. Impressively enough, lenses don’t affect just optics, and top-quality glass can help lower contrast so you can capture more.

Finally, as mentioned before, cine lenses offer consistency in sharpness and color. Similar to how certain lenses affect contrast, different lenses impact the tone of your image. Lens coatings from different manufacturers can have different results. For example, an image can appear neutral or have a very slight golden hue.

And while cine lenses across the board will offer quality and consistent images, details can change within the different brands.

Accessories For Your Cine Lenses

All you truly need to shoot with a cine lens is a camera with the correct mount, but some accessories could significantly enhance your cine lens experience. These include a hard-shell case, lens filters, lens adapters, follow-focus, and matte boxes.

A hardshell case

The case. If you rent a cine lens, it will likely come in its own case.

However, I’d strongly recommend the investment if you’re making the purchase yourself. Though they can be expensive, a weather-sealed and durable case (such as a Pelican Case) can be a lifesaver, and considering the investment a set of cine lenses can be, I’d be hard-pressed not to recommend it.

I know that I’ve had my wallet saved courtesy of these cases.

Variable ND-filter

SLR Magic Variable Neutral Density Filter front view
SLR Magic 77mm Variable Neutral Density Filter front view

I also have to recommend lens filters to get the most out of your lens. While there are many different types of filters, the first one I’d recommend is a variable ND filter.

If you want an in-depth explanation of ND filters, I recommend you read our comprehensive guides on ND filters and Variable ND Filters For Video. Remember, since cine lenses often have a big diameter, buying a big variable ND, e.g., 82mm, is recommended.

Now, if you already have an ND filter, purchasing a step-up ring to fit your filters to your new lens is possible. However, it may be a good additional purchase if you do not possess an ND filter for multiple reasons.

Firstly, having a filter on your lens could protect against scratches, and ND filters are much cheaper to replace. Secondly, they will help you use your big purchase to its fullest potential.

Variable ND filters let you adjust the amount of light entering your camera (like sunglasses), so if you want to open up that aperture on your new great lens fully, you’ll need one of these bad boys to do so outside during the day.

Lens adapter

Okay, let’s say you already have cine lenses, but bought a new camera. Or the cine lens you want to buy doesn’t fit your camera mount. That’s where a lens adapter will be helpful.

Perhaps in a hypothetical word, you already had access to some Rokinon EF-mount lenses, but you shoot on a Sony a6500 (e-mount). You can pick up something like the Fotodiox Lens Mount Adapter for Canon EOS or Sony Alpha E-Mount Mirrorless lenses.

Now, with cheap lens adapters, it is good to be careful about things like light leaks that can compromise your footage; however, as cine lenses do not have electronics, you won’t have to worry about more expensive adapters that have to connect electronic signals.

Adapters may be more expensive if you have a cine lens with a PL mount. PL-mounts were developed for 16mm and 35mm cinema cameras and are more secure and precise.

You lose this benefit when adapting to, for example, an EF-mount. However, acquiring an adapter may still be in your best interest if you can support the lens and already have access to the glass.

Follow Focus

follow focus

At this point, you can surely use your cine lens well. You can adjust your aperture, use your ND filter to shoot outside during the day and adapt your lenses to your camera. However, if we want to get fancy, we can also acquire a follow-focus rig.

Essentially a follow focus is a markable gear that attaches to the geared focus ring on the cine lens allows for smooth adjustments.

The ability to mark the follow focus in dry erase also lets you prepare rack focuses and pull them off precisely and perfectly. If you want to pick up your first follow focus, Viltrox and Neewer make affordable options that will work in most situations.

Camera Rods

To use a follow focus rig in tandem with your camera and lens, you also need camera rods (often 15mm) with a baseplate. Again, Neewer makes very affordable systems you can pick up for as low as $25, which should work great. The parts of a follow focus rig then include a rail clamp, an arm, a gear, a focus knob, a white disc (for marking), and a lens gear ring (if the lens doesn’t have built-in gearing).

The following focus slides onto the rails, the gears connect with the lens, and the focus knob is twisted to have a smooth transition. This may seem like a lot, but these systems are extremely helpful in situations where you will be racking focus.

Converting Still Lenses To Have Some Of The Features Of Cinema Lenses

lens gear ring for still follow focus

Follow-focus systems can also be used with still lenses. Though cine lenses have built-in gearing, most follow-focus rigs include a gear ring that can be slipped around still lenses to adapt them to the system. This expands the usability of the whole rig if access to cine lenses is limited.

In fact, many modifications can be made to vintage still lenses to make them function more similarly to cine lenses. In addition to having lens gears, the appropriate mount adapter, and set-up rings to match filters, de-clicking the aperture ring allows for minute control over the aperture. This is quite an involved process and requires taking your lens apart.

Matte Boxes

cinema camera with follow focus and lens

Matte boxes are another accessory that will help you build your cinema rig. A matte box is a set of blinders that attach to the end of a lens. Its benefit is that it blocks stray light, which can cause an unwanted lens flare.

A matte box will be helpful, especially if you’re shooting outside. Blocking harsh light offers even more consistency, and they can hold multiple filters with an easy drop-in system.

If you will use a matte box, research and ensure your filters are the correct size. Some boxes attach to the lens, whereas others require a rod support system similar to a follow-focus.

A final note is that these boxes can be large and cumbersome, adding to the weight of your rig. Though they help further your consistency, a matte box, cine lens, follow focus, and camera rods can become quite heavy, so be sure to know the conditions you will be shooting in.

Now, is everything I just listed necessary to use a cine lens? Not, but they help build a complete rig. I’d recommend the lens filters and the case to ensure you don’t break the lens. Hopefully, most of us will have lenses that fit our camera’s mount, and adjusting the focus manually should be enough for most projects.

Types Of Cine Lenses

You may be wondering about your options and the types of cine lenses available. As we already covered, there are zoom and prime cine lenses, though zoom lenses are expensive and rare. Since most cine lenses are prime, it is common to see packages of lenses with varying focal lengths.

However, you may still be interested in purchasing or renting a zoom cine lens, which is completely understandable. Zoom cine lenses can replace multiple prime lenses, and you won’t have to change the lenses as often, so it’s good to know they exist.

Zoom lenses also tend not to match the image quality of good prime lenses and are often not as fast. Zoom lenses may be the right choice in specific cases, but they are rarely seen.

You will commonly see a kit of prime cine lenses at varying focal lengths. The first kit of cine lenses I used was a set of five Rokinon lenses: 14mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. As you may know, focal lengths under 50mm are wide-angle, and those over are telephoto.

What was nice about this array was having multiple wide-angle options. Considering that something as wide as a 14mm lens has some barrel distortion, which can be a cool effect but is certainly not something you’d want for every shot, swapping the 24mm and 35mm lenses was beneficial.

To get an idea of the price, a Rokinon lens kit costs around $2,000, or $400 per lens. This is certainly on the cheaper end of the spectrum, with some lenses costing significantly more. However, there are many different brands. In addition to Rokinon, some manufacturers include Leica, Canon, Zeiss, and Cooke.

In ordering expectant price points, Rokinon falls into the budget category, as do SLR Magic Lenses, both offering cine lenses that cost a couple of hundred dollars. Tokina makes lenses ranging from about $1500 to $2500 for a mid-range price point.

Now, for the high end, we have Canon making cinema lenses that cost close to $4000 new, Zeiss manufacturing lenses around $4500 up, and, to get an idea of how expensive it can be, Fujinonn offering a 15.5-44mm zoom lens for $99,000. It’s a bit of a range, but to keep things simple, I’ll assume most of us cannot afford that.

How To Choose Your Cine Lens

cinema lenses

The main factor in selecting the brand of your cine lens, or lenses, will be price. As we learned above, the price between lenses varies drastically. Therefore, knowing how much you’re willing to spend on a lens and what you hope to get is essential.

There will be a difference in quality between a $4000 Canon CN lens and a $500 Rokinon lens. A Rokinon lens still has much to offer, but a clearer and sharper image and less lens breathing are expected when paying eight times the price.

The bigger decision will be what focal length lens or lenses to purchase. This often comes down to personal preference, and it can be helpful to ask yourself what focal length you typically shoot with.

Do you prefer a wide-angle look? Or something closer to what the naked eye sees as normal? If you like a standard look, then acquire a 50mm lens. To begin with, it’s hard to go wrong with that focal length. However, a wide-angle could be much more useful when shooting in tight spaces.

If you’re building a kit and don’t have to limit yourself to one lens, you’ll have a couple more options. I’d recommend getting a 50mm first, a wide-angle lens or two, and a telephoto lens last.

Having some variation is always helpful, and to get the most consistent image, it is great to be able to use cine lenses of the same brand throughout the whole project.

Once you know what brand and focal lengths you’ll get, ensure the mount matches the camera you’re using. Then, figure out the diameter of the lens, get a corresponding ND filter, and you should be good to go!

Conclusion

All right, now you should be up to speed on cine lenses! Whether you’re a prospective buyer, just doing research, or already have one, I hope this article helped educate you more on the world of cine lenses.

Furthermore, if you have any experiences with cine lenses or any of the topics mentioned, be sure to comment on how you’ve used cine lenses and what your recommendations are.

I look forward to hearing what you have to say!

Up Next: Affordable Cine Lenses (Budget, Mid-Range, and Professional).

By Cade Taylor

Cade Taylor is a filmmaker and writer based out of Los Angeles. Originally from Seattle, he continues to work as the Outreach Coordinator for the Bigfoot Script Challenge, where he helps connect up-and-coming writers with industry professionals. When he’s not working on his own projects, helping out with Bigfoot, or covering desks, Cade loves to share what he knows with other filmmakers and promote great content.

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