First Look at the Kerlee 35mm f/1.2 Lens

Earlier today we were sent this unofficial (yet well made) video of the upcoming Kerlee 35mm f/1.2 lens made by DZOptics (Dongzheng Optical Technology), an optics manufacturer based in ShenZhen, China.

This lens will be the first 35mm f/1.2 DSLR lens designed for Canon/Nikon (as well as Sony E and Pentax K) mounts. DZOptics have been developing industrial lenses for years but this looks like their first attempt at a commercial lens.

From the hands on review that New Zealand based photographer Richard Wong published (see  here including some test shots all done with a pre production sample of the lens)it seems like a very interesting first (DSLR) lens for DZOptics – the build quality seems good (and should improve with the final version according to DZOptics), image quality is not too far behind the much more expensive Nikon AFS 35 1.4G (which does have an AF compared to the totally manual Kerlee 35mm f/1.2).

The Kerlee 35mm f/1.2

161672_KERLEE-1

The Kerlee 35mm f/1.2 does have something very few lenses seem to have – a 14 blade aperture which translates into some very nice and round bokeh. It also has a way to switch the aperture ring from smooth to clicked  and back (for video).

The official price of the Kerlee 35mm f/1.2 will be set at $629 USD

Here are some of the official specs for the lens:

Focusing Manual focus
Aperture: Manual iris with” CLICK”  aperture lock
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture (Max.) f1.2
Aperture (Min.) F22
FOV(Diagonal) 63.2°
Construction 11 elements/10 groups
Close focus distance 0.3m
Max magnification 0.12 x
Filter diameter: 72mm
Lens Mounts Nikon F, Canon EF , Sony E ,pentax K
Weight 690g

We are in touch with DZOptics and hope to test one of the first production units when they will become available.

If you don’t want to miss any new photography product be sure to check out our product photography section on our photo gear channel.

Iddo Genuth
Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.

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