The Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm T1 Cine Lens completes a set of four T1 prime lenses sold individually or as a bundle
(Image credit: Mitakon)
F/1.0 lenses are rare enough in lenses for stills cameras, but the more stringent light transmission specifications of cine lens means this level of light-gathering power is pretty extraordinary.
Almost as extraordinary as the price, in fact. The Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm T1 should be on sale as of now, and at a price of just $399 – that’s about £355, or AU$633.
Take a look at Mitakon's sample video here:
Parent company Shenyang Zhongyi will also be selling all four T1 primes as a bundle for an all-in price of $1,399 (about £1,243/AU$2,221). This set includes the previously launched 17mm T1, 25mm T1 and 35mm T1.
If you want to know more, read our article on how cine lenses are different. Pro filmmakers have a different set of needs to regular photographers.
Format: Micro Four Thirds Focal length: 50mm (100mm equivalent) T-range: T1-16 Angle of view: 25° Construction: 9 elements in 6 groups Aperture blades: 9 Minimum focus distance: 0.6m Maximum magnification ratio: 0.1x Focus: Manual Filter thread: 77mm Dimensions: 80 x 102mm Weight: 720g
Other key features of the Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm T1 are its solid construction (720g is heavy for an MFT lens), its cine-style focus and iris gears and a sophisticated glass which includes one extra low dispersion element, one ultra-high refraction element and five elements combining low dispersion and high refraction. It also offers internal focus, which should allow more consistent balance on rigs and gimbals when focusing.
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Mitakon says its new lens is designed for “buttery smooth” and “refined” bokeh, “unique” lens flare and, of course, low light shooting potential. Mitakon claims color contrast and sharpness is maintained even when the lens is used wide open, and that the optics have been designed for “minimal” focus breathing.
The four Mitakon T1 MFT lenses cover a focal range of 34-100mm in full frame terms. (Image credit: Mitakon)
Much has been said and written about the perceived limitations of the Micro Four Thirds format for stills photography, but it’s a strong force in the filmmaking industry with Panasonic fully committed to new MFT hybrid cameras like the Lumix GH6, OM Digital pressing on with new camera launches and, of course, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.
And as camera companies develop ever more advanced and expensive video lenses, it’s heartening to see companies like Mitakon producing professional manual optics like these at a fraction of the price.
The Mitakon MFT cine lenses now cover a focal range of 34-100mm (full frame equivalent), with all four lenses sharing the same extraordinary light transmission and even the same 77mm filter size.
Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com
