DZOFILM Vespid 16mm T2.8 Cine Prime Ultrawide Lens Announced

Lens News

by Jakub HanDecember 20^th, 2021

DZOFILM Vespid 16mm T2.8 Cine Prime lens expands the wide end of the existing Vespid lineup. It offers 14 elements in 10 groups, coverage for VV sensors, a minimum focus distance of 25cm (10″), and a 270° focus throw. It is available now for $1,699 and the shipping will start on January 20, 2022.

Last year in July, the Chinese lens manufacturer DZOFILM first got a decent amount of attention after releasing the set of affordable Pictor Cine zoom lenses. Available in (user-interchangeable) PL and EF mount, both Pictor zooms – 20-55mm and 50-125mm offer a constant aperture of T2.9 but they only cover Super35 sensors. Since then, however, the company also introduced relatively affordable full-frame cine lens options – the zoom lens set with interchangeable lens mounts called DZOFILM Catta as well as a set of prime lenses called DZOFILM Vespid. Now, the company expands the Vespid series with an ultra-wide-angle option – DZOFILM Vespid 16mm T2.8 lens. Let’s take a short look at the details.

DZOFILM Vespid 16mm Cine Prime lens

Up until now, the Vespid series consisted of the following lenses:

• 25mm T2.1
• 35mm T2.1
• 50mm T2.1
• 75mm T2.1
• 90mm T2.8 Macro
• 100mm T2.1
• 125mm T2.1

The newly announced 16mm T2.8 lens expands the wide-angle end of the Vespid prime set. All lenses in the Vespid line, including the new 16mm, produce a 46.5mm image circle and cover therefore full-frame image sensors and beyond to Vista Vision cinema cameras. With original mount or DZOFILM Octopus adapters, the lenses can be adapted to PL, EF, and LPL mounts as well as E, L, RF, and X mirrorless lens mounts.

When it comes to optical structure, the Vespid 16mm lens consists of one aspherical, three ED, and four high-resolution lenses. In total, there are 14 elements in 10 groups. DZOFILM claims the lens controls distortion and chromatic aberration well and that it offers a consistent look to match with the rest of the Vespid primes line. The 16mm also has minimal focus breathing according to DZOFILM.

The 16mm lens has a 270° focus throw and 50° iris ring throw. The aperture has 16-blades for round bokeh and it is available between T2.8 and T22. The minimum focus distance is 25cm (10″). The lens weighs approximately 930g and it has a front diameter of 80mm which is the same as the rest of the Vespid prime set.

Price and availability

The DZOFILM Vespid 16mm T2.8 Prime lens can be preordered now. The full retail price has been set to $1,799. DZOFILM, however, offers an early bird discount – until January 20, 2022, the price is $1,699. The January 20, 2022 is also the estimated shipping date for the lens. The whole set of DZOFILM Vespid primes costs $10,489, but the discount applies here as well – until January 20, 2022, the set costs $10,298.

Do you have experience working with any of DZOFILM’s lenses? How do you like the performance and the image look? What do you think about the new 16mm Vespid prime? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.