Good Small Prime Lenses on a Budget? ATHENA Review and Mini-Documentary
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 лип 2024
- When the NiSi ATHENA lenses landed on our table, we were eager to put them through their paces. After all, these small full-frame primes are promising a lot for the price. Let's take a closer look.
NiSi ATHENA Sony E drop-in filter 5 lenses set
► Order on B&H*: cined.co/NiSi-ATHENA-5-Lenses...
► Order on CVP*: cined.co/NiSi-ATHENA-5-Lenses...
Many thanks to Naoyuki-san who opened the doors to his Italian restaurant Cadota for us:
► / cadota_tokyo
Music by Epidemic Sound - Royalty-free music and sound effects. Get your plan here: cined.co/epidemicsound
Read more: www.CineD.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Links marked with a “*” are affiliate links - which means, CineD receives a percentage of the revenue made from purchasing products through this link.
It won’t cost you any more to use these links.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TIMETABLE
00:00 - Jump to chapters
0:33 - Introduction
0:54 - Mounts
2:10 - Mini-documentary
10:35 - Mounts
11:07 - Drop-in filter
11:41 - Advantages
14:13 - Carrying case
14:36 - What to improve
15:28 - Final thoughts
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOLLOW US:
🎥 www.CineD.com - unbiased filmmaking tech reviews & news
➡ Subscribe to CineD on UA-cam | / cined
➡ Follow us on Instagram | / cinednews
➡ Follow us on Facebook | / cinednews
➡ Follow us on X (Twitter) | / cinednews - Наука та технологія
Guys, what do you think of this NiSi ATHENA set of lenses? Do you have experience working with them?
Great film!!! I completely forgot I was watching a review.
I love the spirit of Naoyuki-san. He made me smile many times during your great little documentary. Thank you :)
Hi Joshua_S. Naoyuki-san is simply a cool guy. Thank you for taking the time to watch this mini-doc!
My goal over the next year is to put enough money aside to be able to afford this set. I actually rely a lot on autofocus right now but I’d like to get away from that and start incorporating more manual focus in my work. Additionally, with the new LiDAR systems coming out, you can essentially make these autofocus. I’m using a Canon C70 and R5c and the ability to have their lenses matched and use the drop-in ND for the R5c with the internal ND on the C70 would be so great. I already use their Swift variable ND system and I find it VERY easy to match the colors between their ND and the C70’s internal ND when shooting with both cameras. This would be a dream set for me, personally. But… as budget friendly as it is, it’s still almost $6,000 so I’ll need to do some serious saving.
I've arranged for a special deal on these lenses with Nisi!! 20 sets avail at a BIG percentage off!!!
Already got the RF set and I love them. Amazing bang for your buck.
Nothing beats the satisfaction of a happy customer!
When l mount it will be available in Europe?
Can u use this lens with BMPCC G2 by using a Pl adaptar since BMPC comes with EF mount thx
Was this filmed on the fx3/fx6 or what camera?
Beautiful doc, I just find myself so distracted with the color grade.
Considering. Not sure if to go with the RF or PL mount since I own the Red Raptor. I'm not a fan of the filter tray. Thoughts?
Caleb Pike said that the 35mm is not as good as the others, are you agree ?
I've tested a set and was disappointed that it's not color matched. It easily corrects in post but I expected it to be color matched at least. Not sure if it's just the sample piece that I tried. Another thing I also noticed as someone who uses the DZO Vespid a lot is that, the "vintage" type look gave me a visual confirmation of the "look" in camera while shooting, while the NiSi felt like I'm shooting with a photography lens and have to "imagine" how it looks like after post production. Tested with Tiffen Black Satin filter, and it's not bad, but like I said, it's feel more like a photography lens, I much rather shoot with a G-Master that has autofocus. Lastly, the "micro-contrast", I would like to call out NiSi for their bullshit. There's not much microcontrast in this lens versus similar lens at the same price point. I think they over-marketed it. It's decent, but nothing that particularly stands out like the way they marketed it. Initially, I thought this lens will be better than the Cooke SP3 (I know there's a huge price difference), but after trying them side by side, I understand why the Cooke is charging more and why they are renowned. In conclusion, for my next upgrade, I'm probably going with the Cooke SP3 even though I can only buy them 1 lens at a time instead of the whole set of NiSi. However, I feel the Cooke SP3 is a more "worth it" lens to add to your collection. As with everything in life, YMMV.
Thank you Slipsch for sharing your observation! We hope to test the Cooke SP3 soon.
I received my PL set a couple of weeks ago with the aim of adapting them to my full frame BMCC…and the size, weight, build quality, and consistent image quality seem about perfect for the pairing. I’ve also done some testing with them adapted to an FX6. If you want in-built character then there are other (more expensive) options, but then you need another set for clean corporate work. Where with these you can dirty the look in many different ways as needed, while also having a basic look for bread and butter jobs. Highly recommended.
Hi waveland. Indeed. The same observation as ours. Those lenses are extremely "clean" and for getting a "look", filters or a front lens adapter is recommended.
I heard the Nisi rep say that the sixth lenses would be a 105mm
Nice! Any additional lens for that set is good for them and of course, users.
..and an 18mm as well! :)
Nice Docu! But the lenses looking like I feel on Monday, morning 6am: dead! Absolutely zero character!
Just 3 min in and.. this looks great!
Thank you bostonmuktuk.
Beautiful documentary! I hope to eat there one day. Loced the McDonald's cosplay.
Thank you Brown-Bird for taking the time to watch the film and commenting!
I’m looking to get a set for my classroom. The drop in filter is the major buy in for me. I want to keep my students “focused” on the creation processes, not the gears. 😁👍
If it’s for educational purposes then get them the PL version. It’s better to give your students a wider set of skills than teach them to use niche products. PL is by far the most popular mount in cinema and these lenses have such a long rear element that your students will quickly learn that you can’t use any lens with any mount (such as the Red eVND mount).
Also RIP to your students futures. Rough time to be getting into the industry with all this AI nonsense and the market already beyond saturated 😢🙏
@@frannyfranman , thanks for the heads up. I’ll look into PL mounts. 😁👍
Solid lens advice and a sensible observation of what's ahead of us.
I have seen tons of videos of the NISI Athena's and not a single one of them show any of the flattering characteristics of Micro-Contrast!
What they do show is Sharpness and good contrast but (in my opinion) absolutely zero micro-contrast? Color quality is also very muted, stale.
Can someone do a side by side of the NISI's with simpler optical ZEIS/LEICA lenses? Everyone will then be able to see that NISI will look flat and 2-dimensional.
Basically NISI looks like Sigma but a little less sharp.
Please NISI, remove the word "micro-contrast" from your marketing. Do you even know what it means?
PS: Thanks for the great vid CineD! :D