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
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.
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