ZEISS Announces Panoptes 65, a Ten-Lens Cine Series for the Large Format

ZEISS has announced the Panoptes 65, a brand new family of large format cine lenses designed specifically for 65mm sensor cameras. The set launches with ten focal lengths spanning 25mm through 180mm, all sharing a uniform T2.2 maximum aperture. It’s a serious proposition aimed squarely at high-end and commercial productions shooting on large format.

As you could expect from a Zeiss cine lens series, Panoptes 65 is perfectly consistent across the entire range. Every focal length shares the same iris and focus ring positions, and eight of the ten lenses use an identical 95mm front diameter, with the 25mm and 180mm stepping up to 114mm. When it comes to the look, the company describes it as featuring forgiving skin textures, gentle focus fall-off, and silky bokeh.

It’s worth noting that ZEISS hasn’t published close focus distances or weights for the 25mm and 180mm at this stage, and a few specs in the table remain listed as n/a. But I believe we’ll have full specs over the following weeks. At least I hope so. In the meantime, here’s what we know so far:

ZEISS Panoptes 65 Specs

	Aperture	Close Focus	Length	Front diameter	Weight	Horizontal angle of view 65 mm	Horizontal angle of view Full Frame	Horizontal angle of view Super 35
Panoptes 65 25 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	n/a	n/a	114 mm | 4.5″	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Panoptes 65 35 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	0.28 m | 11″	144 mm | 5.7″	95 mm | 3.7″	1.92 kg | 4.23 lbs	72.8°	52.2°	34.1°
Panoptes 65 40 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	0.35 m | 14″	148 mm | 5.8″	95 mm | 3.7″	2.09 kg | 4.61 lbs	66.8°	47.3°	30.6°
Panoptes 65 45 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	0.35 m | 14″	144 mm | 5.7″	95 mm | 3.7″	1.88 kg | 4.14 lbs	59.9°	41.9°	26.9°
Panoptes 65 55 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	0.43 m | 17″	144 mm | 5.7″	95 mm | 3.7″	1.97 kg | 4.34 lbs	52.4°	36.2°	23.1°
Panoptes 65 70 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	0.49 m | 19″	144 mm | 5.7″	95 mm | 3.7″	1.62 kg | 3.57 lbs	42.8°	29.2°	18.5°
Panoptes 65 90 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	0.62 m | 2’3″	148 mm | 5.8″	95 mm | 3.7″	2.12 kg | 4.67 lbs	33.6°	22.7°	14.3°
Panoptes 65 110 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	0.86 m | 3′	144 mm | 5.7″	95 mm | 3.7″	1.80 kg | 3.97 lbs	27.4°	18.4°	11.6°
Panoptes 65 135 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	1.1 m | 3’9″	144 mm | 5.7″	95 mm | 3.7″	2.18 kg | 4.81 lbs	22.8°	15.3°	9.6°
Panoptes 65 180 mm T2.2	T2.2 to T22	n/a	165 mm | 6.5″	114 mm | 4.5″	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Pricing and Availability

The lenses are mostly priced at $20,950, but the 180mm T2.2 and the 25mm T2.2 will set you back $25,500. I know this isn’t a purchase for everyone, but if you have a high-end project on the horizon, there are rental options as well. There’s no word on the shipping date yet, but we’ll update the article once it’s announced.

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