During IBC 2024 we had a chance to visit the NiSi booth and check out the limited edition NiSi Athena Tuned line of lenses with a unique vintage-like look.
Nisi Athena Tuned Special Edition Cine line
The NiSi Athena line of lenses has received numerous accolades since it was announced in NAB 2023. NiSi decided to release a (very) limited edition version of the Athena called the Athena Tuned that has a “twist” when compared to the original series.
The Athena Tuned line will include only the original focal lengths of the series – 14/25/35/50/85mm (so no 18mm, 40mm, and 135mm). Another difference is the mount – unlike the original Athena the tuned line will only be available in a PL mount (hinting at the target audience). Maybe most importantly – only 200 units are going to be available (at a cost of 15-20 percent over the Athena original price of around $1200 depending on the focal length).
So what is different between the tuned and the existing Athena lenses? the answer is that NiSi changed a few optical elements but maybe even more importantly it changed some of the coatings of the new lenses.
The result is a slightly lower contrast as well as a different flare characteristic with a little blue color as well as a softer Bokeh. At IBC this year we had a chance to play with the 35mm and 50mm prototypes of the “tuned” line and see them in action (you can see a short demo in the video above).
We don’t have an exact release date for the tuned series but if you are interested in this limited edition be on the lookout as they will likely be snatched very quickly.
The NiSi Athena Tuned 50mm T1.9 prototype at IBC 2024
Check out the full LensVid coverage of IBC 2024 on this link—special thanks to our sponsors for IBC 2024 – SmallRig and Hollyland.
Iddo Genuth 
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