DZOfilm has announced the Pictor 12-25mm T2.8, a wide-angle, parfocal cinema lens designed for use with Super35 cameras that costs less than $3,000.

The lens is the newest member of the company’s Pictor line, joining the 14-30mm, 20-55mm, and 50-125mm T2.8 optics. DZOFilm positions the lenses as not only versatile thanks to reasonably wide zoom ranges but also because they have a very close minimum focusing distance.

The Pictor 12-25mm T2.8 has a minimum focusing distance of 0.4 meters (15.75 inches) at the wide end which allows relatively close focusing especially considering the crop factor of Super35 cameras.

The 12-25mm lens is constructed of 21 elements arranged into 15 groups and features an aperture range of T2.8 through T22 via a 16-bladed aperture diaphragm. The lens body is made of aluminum alloy and the optic weighs 1,600 grams.

The lens also features a parfocal design, which means that a subject remains in focus even if the focal length changes, allowing filmmakers to zoom in or out on a subject without refocusing. Parfocal lenses are highly desired among filmmakers because of this capability and they usually cost significantly more than non-parfocal lenses.

DZOFilm claims the lens has excellent control of field curvature and optical distortion which allows it to provide edge-to-edge sharpness across the zoom range. The company also claims “negligible” focus breathing for smooth transitions through all manner of scenes shot either zooming-in or zooming-out. The lens is manual focus only but does come pre-installed with focus pulling gears.

The lens can be purchased for either PL or Canon EF mounts but is interchangeable between them. Additionally, the 12-25mm T2.8 — like all of DZOFilm’s Pictor lenses — can be adapted to E, RF, L, X, or Z mounts via the company’s line of Octopus adapters. Beyond that, the DZOFilm Marlin 1.6x extenders can expand the coverage of the lens to cover full-frame sensors.

Learn more

All photos provided by DZOFilm