There are countless brands putting out budget-friendly cinema lenses at the moment, but DZOFilm has separated itself from the pack with quality and consistency. Now the brand is making its biggest play yet at the professional space with the DZOFilm Arles series, T1.4 cinema lenses that cover full-frame and Vista Vision sensors. The look of the Arles attempts to bridge the gap between more clinical lenses like the Arri Signature Primes and more character-first options like the Cooke S4s, with a price tag that sits at a fraction of those flagship offerings. Still, the Arles aren’t exactly cheap, and they come in at about double the weight of DZO’s popular Vespid T2.1 primes. So which production situations are the Arles ideal for, and when should you stick to Vespids? We covered the A set of Arles lenses, a 25, 35, 50, 75, and 100mm, in our video review, so today I’m taking a look at the B set, a 14, 21, 40, 135, and 180mm. Read on for my thoughts!
Fast and Filmic
The most important thing about a lens is the image it produces, and this is the area where the Arles shine the brightest. The lenses have a slightly soft, low contrast look akin to Cookes, but in-focus parts of the image are still sharp as a tack, and color rendering is extremely true to life. Corner sharpness is noticeably improved as the lenses are stopped down, and the final image is almost always the right level of punchy – not as bloom-y as a diffusion filter but not as crisp as a photo lens. The fact that the Arles are so fast also makes them perfect for lower light and nighttime shooting, where their slight dreamy effect and minor corner swirl pops a little more. Describing the character of a lens is a difficult task, so I’d urge potential purchasers to look at online test videos and projects that utilize the lenses.
The A set covers most of your classic focal lengths, so things really get interesting with the B set, where DZO stretches both the wide and long ends of the line-up with the 14mm and the 180mm. It would be hard to use the B set by itself, as the gap between the 40mm and the 135mm is so large, but add on an extra lens like the 75mm (or the entire A set), and suddenly you have yourself a jack-of-all-trades lens system capable of stylized Lubezki-esque looks at 14mm and super-compressed 1970’s auteur shots at 180mm. Now, the issue with adding a lens to the B set is that the very nice included hard case can only hold five lenses, but I’d feel safe leaving the 135mm at home unless I know I’m shooting inserts. The B set does have some irregularities – the 14mm has no filter thread and is T1.9 instead of T1.4, while the 135mm is T1.8 and the 180mm is T2.4 – but those are relatively small concessions.
Professional BuildDZOFilm Arles Cine Lenses Focal Lengths
If the Arles pack an amazing image into a somewhat affordable package, what’s the catch? Well, the first one you’ll notice is their size and weight. They’re not huge, at around 5” long, 4” in diameter, and 3.5 lb each, but that’s still a decent step up from compact cine lens offerings like the Vespids that are often paired with mirrorless bodies or small cinema cameras. Put an Arles on a camera like the Sony FX3 or Canon R6 Mark II and get ready for extreme front heaviness. Throw it on large or mid-size cameras like the FX6 or C400, and suddenly you have yourself a balanced rig. The Arles aren’t really built for gimbals, drones, or run-and-gun, as further evidenced by their strange 86mm filter threads. Good luck finding a decent set of 86mm ND filters, your best bet here is using internal camera NDs, PL adapters with drop-in filters, or a matte box on the front of the lens, as the Arles’ 95mm front diameter works with virtually every popular matte box on the market.
The 46.5mm image circle should cover all but the very largest of sensors, and the housing also feels noticeable sturdier than the construction on many past DZO offerings. From the standardized 0.8 MOD gearing to the generous 270 degree focus throw, these lenses were clearly designed for professional use, and they prove DZO can make high-level lenses. But can they live up to the quality control and reliability of their much higher-priced competitors? That remains to be seen. Color consistency was strong on my B set, but I wasn’t able to do super detailed comparisons, and I was nervous to put my loaners through the rigors of real on-set conditions, so I stayed local for my test shoot. Yes, they felt extremely well-built for their price point, but it’s hard to imagine them going through quite the same level of meticulous construction and QA as premium offerings from brands like Arri, Zeiss, and Cooke.
Which Set Is Right for You?
If you’d mainly be using these lenses in controlled conditions (think studio or scripted), or with a full crew, you’re in a good spot. If you’re trying to throw them in a backpack and go shoot some on-the-fly solo footage, prepare for a tired back, weary arms, and quite possibly some frustration as you try to nail the precise focus pulls needed when using the Arles at their lower apertures. I’m primarily a documentary shooter who uses small cameras, pulls my own focus, and rarely carries a tripod, so the compact Vespids make more sense for most of my productions. If I’m working on a client gig or in-studio production that could benefit from an elevated look, the Arles will certainly be on my list for consideration. The A set is perfect for more traditional shooting styles, while the B set can definitely shine in more creative shooting scenarios. If you’re an owner-operator or a small production company looking for a lens set that can produce beautiful images on a wide swath of potential projects, give the Arles a look. They are a fantastic set of lenses that prove DZOFilm has a bright future offering high-level tools at a manageable price point.
What are your use cases for the Arles lenses? Do you have a favorite focal length? Drop us a line below, and we’ll do our best to answer all your comments and questions.
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