Since Veydra released their line of Mini-Prime MFT cine lenses, I’ve received a lot of emails from readers asking me to review them. So, for those of you who have been waiting, this article is for you.
I used these lenses for the first time on a professional shoot a few weeks ago and I was impressed to say the least… so instead of simply reviewing them, I wanted to compare them to the Rokinon line (my budget Movie Kit) to compare the choices so far) to see how they would stack up.
If you’re not familiar with Veydra lenses, they are very high quality cine lenses designed for use with MFT mount cameras such as the GH4 or Blackmagic Pocket Camera. While most other cine lenses can be adapted to the MFT mount (including PL and EF lenses), these lenses are the only native MFT cine lenses on the market, which means you get the most bang for your buck. Since these lenses are physically smaller (in the long run) than PL or EF lenses, their overall cost is kept to a minimum, while the quality is top notch.
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Sometimes, when reviewing lenses, I’ll simply shoot a bunch of test shots with the entire kit to test sharpness, color accuracy, distortion, and other important factors. These types of tests are certainly helpful, but they don’t always accurately reflect a lens’s capabilities in the real world. I find by far the best way to test a lens is to actually test it on set and let the results speak for themselves. That’s what I decided to do with the Vedra people.
Thankfully, at the time I was using these lenses, I was working on a project where I was directing/DPing and I was able to use these lenses. This is a book trailer from a well-known author, and while the editing isn’t complete yet, I did take some screenshots that I’ll share below.
I had never used a Veydra lens myself before setting foot on the set for the book trailer. I’ve heard some good things about them but haven’t had any hands-on experience yet, so naturally I didn’t know what to expect. That said, even with no previous experience with these lenses, I felt right at home when I started using them.
The first thing I noticed is that these lenses feel and operate like real film lenses. Unlike plastic-encapsulated Rokinon lenses, Veydras lenses are all made of metal and have the same quality quality as movie lenses, but are several times the price. The aperture and focus rings are very smooth, and the focusing distance is nearly perfect, making it suitable for manual focus or follow focus.
I’ve shot with many of the best cine lenses and the fact that the Veydra Mini-Primes feel so similar to use and operate is pretty astounding, especially considering the price point.
But at the end of the day, build quality isn’t everything. A lens is only as good as the image it produces, and most of us would choose a sharper, more accurate lens over a softer one, even if the latter is much better made. Thankfully, in the case of Veydra, it’s the best of both worlds.
When I started shooting with these lenses, I immediately noticed the clarity on the onboard monitor of the camera (which is an MFT Blackmagic cinema camera, by the way). When using a new lens, I can usually trust my eyes and immediately feel that the clarity and detail are truly incredible. This was especially noticeable when I shot with the widest lens in the kit (16mm). Wide-angle lenses often reveal the softness of the lens, but in this case everything looks really good.
Throughout the shoot I used every lens in the kit – 16mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm. For an MFT camera, these focal lengths are ideal because these lenses cover a very wide range of focal lengths once the 2x (approximate) crop factor is taken into account. If I were to buy this kit, I would also invest in their widest lens – the 12mm – as this will provide the equivalent of a 24mm wide angle lens on most MFT cameras.
All in all, the shoot went very smoothly and working with the lenses was an absolute joy…but it wasn’t until I got into the editing room and was able to look at some of the shots up close that I really saw what these lenses were made of.
What impressed me most about the editing suite was not only the sharpness/detail (as I expected), but also the color and consistency of the shots. The archive above has been slightly color graded, but I was able to actually use every shot directly from the camera by simply adding Blackmagic Film to the Rec. 709 LUT on them. Not just because the colors are so accurate and pleasing, but also because all the shots match up so well. There are no noticeable color or contrast changes between shots, which makes the little color work I do on the files very easy and fast.
Here are some uncolored screenshots we took:
Typically, the first step I take when colorizing a project is to match each shot before any creative work is done. This step will actually be eliminated in my color process this time since the shots are already perfectly matched due to the consistency of the Veydras.
This is an area where these lenses do seem to have the Rokinon’s edge. While I’m a fan of Rokinon cine lenses, they’re certainly not known for their consistency. Some of their lenses have lower contrast than others, some aren’t as sharp, etc.
While I wasn’t able to shoot with both the Rokinon and the Veydras at the same time, I was able to take some test shots afterwards to compare sharpness and detail.
In my tests I used the Veydra 25mm, 35mm and 50mm and compared them with the Rokinon 24mm, 35mm and 50mm. Unfortunately, I don’t have a Rokinon 16mm to compare with the Veydra 16mm, nor an 85mm Veydra to stack with my 85mm Rokinon. Regardless, even comparing just these three lenses is telling.
Let’s take a look at some shots. These were taken with the Blackmagic Pocket Camera in my home with no lights:
Vidra 25mm
Rokinon 24mm
Veydra 25mm vs. Rokinon 24mm @ 300%
Widra 35 mm
Rokinon 35mm
Veydra 35mm vs. Rokinon 35mm @ 300%
Widra 50 mm
Rokinon 50mm
Veydra 50mm comparison. Rokinon 50mm @ 300%
It’s obvious from these photos that the Veydra has a huge advantage over the Rokinon in terms of sharpness. The Rokinon’s barrel is much softer, especially the 24mm, and will definitely need some sharpening in post to be closer to the Veydra’s barrel. I expected the Rokinon to be softer wide open, but these results are still surprising considering the Rokinon’s aperture has been dropped to T2.2 and therefore theoretically softer wide open at T1.5.
Vydra VS. Rokinon: Verdict
We clearly see that in most aspects the Veydra lenses outperform the Rokinon lenses. They are better built, have higher optical quality and produce very good quality images. That said, there are other factors that come into play when you’re considering investing in a lens kit, and Rokinon lenses still have some merit.
First, the Rokinon lens is faster at T1.5 (for these focal length equivalents), while the Veydra’s maximum speed is T2.2. In fact, this isn’t a big factor for me when I’m choosing between these two lens kits, as I usually stop down the aperture slightly on the Rokinon to improve sharpness. That said, the Rokinon is the faster lens for those who absolutely need the extra light.
Of course another consideration is price. In my opinion, the Veydra lenses are very reasonably priced (the kit I used was about $3700), while a similar Rokinon kit is less than $2000. That’s a pretty big price difference, so if you need to keep costs to a minimum, Rokinon’s offers a great budget-friendly option. That said, you get what you pay for, and in my opinion, the Veydras are worth far more than their $3,700 price tag.
The final advantage of the Rokinon is that they use an EF mount and can cover Super 35mm (or full frame in some cases) sensors. For many shooters, this may not matter, but for others, it’s something worth considering. Even if you primarily shoot with MFT cameras, there’s something to be said for using EF lenses, as they can be more universally used on other cameras (if you rent or buy a camera with a different mount in the future), and they can also work with your current The MFT is used together with the accelerator on the camera.
Veydra MFT Cinema Lens Kit: 16mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm – $3699 at B & H
Regardless, there are always pros and cons when comparing any two lens kits. That said, for MFT shooters, the Veydra primes offer great value and image quality that rivals some of the more expensive cine lenses, and I highly recommend them.
To learn more about Veydra, you can visit them online at: http://www.veydra.com
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