Cinema Lenses on a Budget

Imagine you're ready to start actualizing your lifelong cinema dreams, only to be dissuaded at the last second by the astonishing (and prohibitive) prices of expensive cinema camera gear. The hefty price tags on cinema camera equipment can be quite discouraging, and it's not uncommon for a lens to cost more than the camera itself, especially if we’re talking cinema glass. However, before you throw your dreams of snagging that Academy Award for Best Cinematography into the proverbial (or literal, depending on how your dreams manifest) trash can, consider some of these economical yet high-quality cinema lens options, which can accommodate just about any budget.

A fan favorite for amateur videographers, as well as filmmakers on a budget, Rokinon is a well-rounded brand with an expansive lens library of wallet-friendly glass options. For those looking at the lower end of the price range, Rokinon’s Cine DS lenses are not slouches when it comes to optical performance, and in the right hands they can produce stunning imagery. While different focal lengths, as well as lens mounts, will lead to slightly different prices, many of these lenses tend to run below the $500.00 and even $400.00 mark, which is quite the deal when you see how clean and crisp the imagery from this lineup can be.

Rokinon offers a wide variety of focal lengths, with mounts for Sony E, Canon EF, Micro Four Thirds, and Nikon F. They all come built with de-clicked aperture rings for those silent iris pulls, which are essential for cinema work, smooth focus rings, and multi-layered coatings to retain contrast and reduce lens flaring. Many of the DS lenses even have a maximum T stop of 1.5, perfect for shallow-depth-of-field shots or working in dark environments. For a convenient setup in one go, Rokinon also offers a bundle of the 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm lenses, covering almost all of the basic focal lengths you’d need to get your cinematic journey started.

If you’re a bokeh fiend in constant search of the fastest lenses on the market, but aren’t fond of the hefty prices tags that are typically attached to speedy lenses, then look no further than the 7artisans Photoelectrics 50mm Vision Cine lens, which has a T stop of just 1.05. Yeah, you read that right―one dot zero five, not 1.5; this means you’ll get creamy, gentle, cinema-goodness bokeh and superb low-light performance. With a 270° focus throw, this lens will allow you to hit your focus marks with precision and ease, which will be much needed if you’re planning on leaving that iris wide open. This lens comes in the Canon RF, FUJIFILM X, L-Mount, Micro Four Thirds, and Sony-E mounts.

7artisans also has 25mm and 35mm options available with the exact same aperture and focus ring positions as the 50mm, meaning you won’t have to worry about repositioning any focus or lens motors on your cine rig if you choose to swap between these lenses. For the price, you’re receiving a surprisingly robust yet sharp solution when it comes to cinema glass. They’re definitely something to have on your radar if you’re in the market. Keep in mind, this lens series is designed exclusively for APS-C shooting, so unless you're utilizing a super35 mode on a full-frame camera, full-frame users will unfortunately not benefit from these lenses unless you enjoy large vignetting.

We live in a glorious time in which budget-friendly anamorphic lenses are a reality and are readily available for independent filmmakers. If you weren’t cobbling together your own out of old projector lenses or shelling out an arm and a leg for a dedicated cine anamorphic, owning one of these lenses was simply not feasible for the common shooter in the past due to their immense price tags. However, the unique features of anamorphic lenses are so attractive to filmmakers who desire a more stylized look that manufacturers have begun to fulfill these desires at prices that are quite easy on the eye and the wallet.

Sirui features a vast range of anamorphic options that will spare your bank account from absolute misery; starting off with its MFT and APS-C lenses, the brand offers a range of options from 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, to 75mm. All  come in MFT mounts with select focal lengths available in Canon EF, Canon RF, FUJIFILM X,  Leica L, Nikon Z, and Sony E mounts. All of these lenses have a 1.33x squeeze and will provide you with the gorgeous anamorphic qualities you could hope for, including distinct lens flares, oval-shaped bokeh, a dramatic increase in horizontal FOV, and characteristic edge distortions. For those who want a little more oomph and are working with full-frame systems, Sirui also has an entire full-frame lineup with a 1.6x squeeze at focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm, as well as a 135mm with an even greater squeeze of 1.8x.

SLR Magic makes some great budget cine lenses that could be the perfect first set for the budding videographer in your life. Their full-frame offerings include a 18mm f/2.8, a 35mm f/1.2, a 50mm f/1.1, and more. All come in Sony E-Mount, while some also have Canon EF and FUJIFILM X-Mount varietals. With most of these choices coming in below the $300 mark, they’re a great way to get your feet wet in the cine world and see if forgoing auto-focus is the right path. All the lenses have ultra-portable sizes and weights, as well as geared clickless focus and iris rings to enable smooth pulls. Their front elements will stay in place so you can experiment with other cine-focused accessories like clip-on matte boxes. Optical quality won’t blow you away, but the slightly soft, dreamy look when wide open might be the ideal fit for certain scripted projects, and the lenses all sharpen when their apertures are closed down. These aren’t the lenses for your next Netflix movie, but they could be a great fit for weekend passion projects or your kid’s film school application.

So far we’ve only been showing love to prime lenses, but what about the folks who want those snazzy crash zooms? If you want to ball out like Tarantino on a budget, DZOFilm is a great company to consider.

The DZOFilm Catta 35-80mm T2.9 E-Mount Cine Lens is an extremely popular choice. And, for wider or longer reach, they also offer 18-35mm and 70-135mm zooms, as well. These are parfocal lenses, meaning that regardless of what focal length you zoom in or out to, the image will maintain its focus. Non-parfocal zoom lenses will lose their focus when their focal length is changed, which can really hamper the speed of production and the usability of zoom shots. Parfocal lenses require more complex construction—unlike a varifocal lens, where the focus and zoom mechanisms move together upon adjustment, they move independently within a parfocal build. Typically, this is also a significantly more expensive lens. However, DZOFilm has been able to whip up these absolute parfocal gems with near-zero lens breathing, all for quite an astonishing price.

Though this list doesn't include your dream ARRI or Cooke lens, you can still get the shots you need with these more budget-conscious optics. The lenses listed in this article are all extremely capable at capturing and producing professional imagery―and, if you’re an amateur filmmaker or a lifelong DP on a budget, you can rely on these tools.

Are any of these lenses for you? Are there others that you’d add to this list or that you’ve worked with that you like? Let us know, down below!