DZOFILM Gnosis 24mm VV T2.8 Macro Cine Lens Announced

Lens News

by Jürgen MoorsMarch 9^th, 2023

Chinese lens manufacturer DZOFILM has just introduced a new Gnosis Macro cine prime lens, the 24mm VV T2.8. This wide-angle version joins the existing 32mm, 65mm, and 90mm focal lengths, comes with user-interchangeable LPL, PL, and EF lens mount options and shares the same official retail price of $5.389 of its siblings. So let’s see what this new 24mm focal length has to offer.

Just a few weeks ago, DZOFILM expanded their wide range of cinema lenses to include the new Pictor 12-25mm T2.8 parfocal cinema zoom lens, which joins the 20-55mm T2.8 and 50-125mm T2.8 models, first launched in 2020, plus the 14-30mm T2.8 that joined the Pictor series last spring.

The original DZOFILM Gnosis Macro T2.8 prime lenses with 32mm, 65mm, and 90mm focal lengths were introduced in the summer of last year. By the way, if you need some inspiration on how to use these macro lenses, please check out this high-speed demo video.

DZOFILM Gnosis 24mm Macro Cine Lens – features

The new DZOFILM Gnosis 24mm T2.8 macro lens combines wide angle and macro capabilities. The lens is designed to cover large-format sensors and provides an angle of view of 83.8°, thus allowing to show more of the background when focusing on close subjects.

The Gnosis 24mm has the same dimensions as the other three lenses: it measures 11.2 cm / 4.4″ in length and has a standard front diameter of 114 mm. The lens comes with user-interchangeable ARRI LPL, ARRI PL, and Canon EF mount options. In the hard carrying case, you will also find the lens mounts, a screwdriver, screws, and a set of shims.

The focus scales on the barrel are marked in either feet or meter, based upon your preference. All DZOFILM Gnosis Macro lenses feature an aluminum alloy and their weight ranges between 1280g and 1460g, depending on the chose focal length and lens mount.

Fast T2.8 aperture

The entire series of Gnosis glass comes with a constant aperture of T2.8 to 22, which is acceptable but not super-fast. It would be nice to see even faster macro lens options, but I am afraid these wouldn’t match the price range of the Gnosis series.

The optical design includes a 16-bladed aperture that should deliver a smooth background bokeh, a diaphragm for exposure control, three HRI elements, and two low-dispersion elements. According to the manufacturer, this should keep chromatic aberration under control, while ensuring vibrant color rendering.

Focusing distance

To meet the demand for close-up and macro shots, the Gnosis 24mm lens allows you to shoot videos with a 0,8:1 magnification ratio at a minimum focus distance of 15,5 cm / 6,1 inch. Here is a quick summary of the close-up capabilities of all the Gnosis models:

• 24mm lens, min. focus distance of 15,5 cm / 6,1 in, with a 0,8:1 magnification ratio
• 32mm lens, min. focus distance of 16,7 cm / 6,5 in, with a 1:1 magnification ratio
• 65mm lens, min. focus distance of 23,7 cm / 9,3 in, with a 1,33:1 magnification ratio
• 90mm lens, min. focus distance of 25,8 cm / 10,2 in, with a 1,5:1 magnification ratio

All lenses can also focus to infinity, so they can be used for a variety of “non-macro” shots as well. The 300° focus throw of the manual geared focus ring is the same for all four lenses.

DZOFILM – Make Your Movie

Yes, DZOFILM offers a great variety of different cine lenses in a very fair price range, and their slogan “Make your Movie” is meant to be encouraging and positive. However, some users online suggested that this advertising slogan should only appear on the packaging box, and not on the lens body itself. Essentially, they are asking the company to reconsider whether it really makes sense to print it on a professional cine lens.

Price and availability

The new DZOFILM Gnosis 24mm VV T2.8 Macro Cine Lens can be pre-ordered now for $5.389 or €5.106 and shipping should start in mid-March. Moreover, the company offers a 3-piece lens set (24mm, 32mm and 65mm) for $15,999 or €15.154.

For more information, please visit DZOFILM’s website here.

Do you use some of DZOFILM’s cine lenses for your projects? How do you like the build quality and the look? What do you think about the new DZOFILM Gnosis 24mm VV T2.8 Macro Cine Lens? Please let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.