DZOFilm’s Eye-Catching Gold Arles Lustre Cine Primes Cover Large-Format Sensors
DZOFilm has unveiled an expansive new set of full-frame cinema prime lenses. The Arles Lustre Cinema Prime series features 10 lenses with apertures ranging from T1.6 to T2.8, and all of them cover a large-format image sensor.
The new Arles lenses join a series of five full-frame primes released last year, with the latest primes promising Vista Vision coverage. The new Arles Lustre lenses are also designed to deliver a vintage look. After all, “lustre” means “soft glow,” as DZOFilm says. The company says its latest primes are inspired by the iconic golden halation of older movie lenses.
DZOFilm worked closely with over 20 cinematographers and photographers who specialize in fine art films, period dramas, and even fashion advertising when designing its new Arles Lustre lenses. The company says its new primes went through more than “50 rounds of precise adjustments and refinements,” including regular tweaks to optical design and aesthetics.
The Lustre series features a distinct coating formula that delivers amber flaring and soft glow, which DZOfilm says “infuses every frame with a sense of nostalgia and emotion.” From a more objective viewpoint, the lenses are designed not to entirely eliminate flare and ghosting but to embrace it. While lens technology has routinely pursued optical perfection and images free from aberrations, the cinema lens space has gone hard the other way in recent years, with many companies working to make lenses optically worse to achieve what some consider more character.
With that said, DZOFilm’s engineers have worked diligently to ensure that flare is only present when desired and that the lenses are otherwise optically performant. The lenses control focus breathing and promise edge-to-edge sharpness, even when shot at wide open apertures. The company says the lenses are well-suited to high-resolution cameras, including 12K large-format rigs. The 14mm, 21mm, and 25mm lenses specifically feature dual aspherical elements to correct for spherical aberration and coma. The series also promises smooth, soft bokeh without onion ring artifacts.
While there are optical differences between all 10 lenses, the Arles Lustre series features consistent color rendering and 16-bladed apertures. The lenses also feature consistent physical designs, with only minor variations in terms of lens length. The lenses weigh between 1.4 and 1.9 kilograms (3.1 to 4.2 pounds) and include a unified 95mm front diameter. The lenses all accept 86mm filters (except the 14mm prime, which does not accept front filters) and have uniform placement of focus and aperture gear rings.
The series also features a striking “desert gold” finish, which is unique in the space. This finish is available in a limited edition kit — 100 of the 10-lens sets and 50 single-lens options (25/35/50/75mm).
The lenses ship with a native PL mount, work with optional EF and LPL mount kits, and are compatible with DZOFilm’s Koop rear magnetic filters.
The complete specifications breakdown for all 10 lenses is presented below, but the maximum apertures for each are worth noting. The 14mm and 135mm DZOFilm Arles Lustre primes have a T2.2 max aperture, while the 180mm lens is a slower T2.8 prime. The other seven lenses (21, 25, 35, 40, 50, 75, and 100mm) feature a T1.6 aperture.
Pricing and Availability
Like most Vista Vision cinema prime lenses, DZOFilm’s new Arles Lustre primes are not cheap. The 10-lens kit, which ships in a pair of hard cases, is $26,999. A four-lens kit with the 25, 35, 50, and 75mm primes is $10,799. A five-lens set with the 14, 21, 40, 135, and 180mm primes is $13,999. Individual lenses are $2,999 each. All DZOFilm Arles Lustre lenses are available to purchase now.
Image credits: DZOFilm
