Samyang XEEN - new line of cinema lenses announced

I looked into that when I was Jonesn' for a set but didn't want to drop the extra coin. It's $1850 per lens for the conversion.

I will say the Canons make pretty pictures.
 
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If the Xeen series holds up to be equal to CP.2 or CN-E, then they can probably be considered a bargain for PL mount lenses.
 
I'm not going to comment on the above review, but here is a little confirmation about what I have said about these lenses.

Illya Friedman of Hot Rod Cameras writes... " To end the speculation, and offer to some a quick confirmation- Xeen lenses do not use new optical assemblies. It is "DS" glass but with new coatings and new mechanics (all metal, new iris and with expanded focus scales.) If you ever cursed the build quality of the plastic "cine" dslr lenses, you will be beyond pleasantly surprised by the mechanics of the Xeen."

Matthew Duclos of Duclos Lenses writes... " Let’s get this out of the way right now. Yes – these are the same optical design as the Rokinon Cine DS lenses. Yes, the Rokinon Cine DS lenses share their optical design with the older “non-DS”. Yes, Samyang is the OEM for Rokinon. Yes, Samyang used to offer the same still photo lenses under a variety of brands."
 
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Bubble said:
ah ha..got it. Already bought the 135 CN-E. Looking for more CN-E now. Thanks for your input.
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Yes, I would have purchased an entire set of the Canon primes if the lens mounts were user changeable.

I bought a set of Canon K35 primes & zoom new around 1979 if memory serves. I really miss those lenses.
 
Just saw that the XEEN lenses are officially available. I find them listed at $2495 usd at B&H .

Given that there are a lot of budget conscious shooters wanting higher build quality in their prime lenses, these lenses may be the answer. I am not expecting those to be on par with the Canon CN-E.

XEEN lenses will be available on 13th August. Hope some of you will soon get the production version of these lenses and share your impressions here.
 
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Bubble said:
ah ha..got it. Already bought the 135 CN-E. Looking for more CN-E now. Thanks for your input.
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Don't expect the other CN-Es to be as good as the 135 (they are pretty too great too) This one is a hidden gem in the camera industry, stills and cinema. Sharpest, most pleasing looking lens I've ever shot with.

The 24mm CN-E I had for a week and was totally impressed how it looks compared to the stills version, much better color tone (warmer and skin looks creamier) and out-of-focus rendition was miles better, and even slightly sharper wide open, no breathing too. I wasn't very impressed with the 50 though, not on the same level of the 24 and 135 in terms of wide open optical performance, but it is a T1.3 in its defense so handy at night to be able to open that far.
 
As a bottom end option for cine glass these new Xeen lenses look well priced. But they need to be way better optically than the horrible Rokinons. Otherwise even for only $2,500 they will not be a good buy.
 
If it really is the same glass, new coatings and decent mechanics don't justify the ridiculous price bump. Greedy greedy Samyang.
 
Apparently they will offer it in the future along with shims for them, but service center only mount swap. User lens mount change will void the warranty.
 
if they're using the same optic of the DS lens, how come the glass on the Xeen seem to be smaller compare to the DS line?

xeen2.jpg

xeen3.jpg
 
If you measure the 'glass' diameters from the picture, they're about the same . (I think it's just an optical illusion!)
I own a full set of the Rokinon Cine primes and I think they are great for the money. Love 'em!
But I'm not wholly convinced that the Xeens are such a good deal if they are sporting the same optics. 1 Xeen costs more than my set of 5 Cine's?!? That must be some housing!
I recently saw a side by side comparison of the Rok Cine's to the Veydras. At Fstop 2.2 the Rokinons were visibly softer across the range of lenses.
http://noamkroll.com/veydra-mft-cinema-lens-kit-review-rokinon-cine-lens-comparison/
If these were outfitted with all new glass; then maybe they would be a good deal,
But, when you get down to it, these basically have stills lens' DNA...
 
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But there are a lot of really fantastic stills lenses that people are converting to, so it can be a good thing with a good design.

And yes I was going to ask if it was an optical illusion generated by the size of the surround.
 
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