I’ve first seen the IRIX cine 45mm at PPE last year, when tradeshows were still a thing. On paper, it looked incredibly impressive for $1,200 so I was really hoping to take it for a spin. A few weeks ago, I got my hands on one and took it for a ride. TL;DR – The IRIX 45mm cine in an amazing deal for its price, with some nice features and a look that reminds me of the Zeiss CP.2 signature look.
My thoughts
The IRIX cine 45mm is what I think the first affordable lens to combine both aspects of a good cine lens: production features and cinematic look.
Creating a good cine lens is hard, its a balance between several qualities. First, the glass you need for a good “cinematic look” is both heavy and expensive. Then, you want cine features like gear, long focus pull, and lens-family similarity. It’s not easy. The IRIX 45mm cine is the first lens I know of to provide both qualities for an affordable price. (Well, affordable compared to a $16,000 Summicron).
Most “cheap” cine lenses provide one of those aspects – cine features or cine look. Canon FD lenses, for example, have a great vintage cine look, but lack on the “production” side. The Samyang cines, on the other hand, have great features, but lack on the cine look.
The Irix has a nice and long focus pull, and the gear to attach it to any system. It also has a small form factor that is easy to handle. On the flip side, it has a very appealing bokeh and “look” which usually lack from cheaper lenses. I guess cramming all those features into the lens came with the price of weight – the lens comes in at 1.1 Kilos which you’ll feel if you are going handheld.
A clever move from Irix was to provide the lens with a nice selection of mounts from Sony, to Canon to MFT (sorry Nikonians). Most importantly, it has a PL flavor which means that it can go on traditional cine cameras.
There are two newish features on the lens, one that I like and one that I don’t. I love that the marks are all over the lens and are super-clear. They are mirrored on both sides, so you’ll have an easy time no matter how you mount your rig. And it comes in both inch and cm variants. I am not a big fan of the magnetic hood mount. It falls when bumped (common on a set), and you don’t want to pick up the lens from the hood.
The Specs
| Focal Length | 45mm |
| Lens Mount | Sony E |
| Format | Full Frame |
| Image Circle | 43.3 mm |
| Maximum T-Stop | T22 |
| Minimum T-Stop | T1.5 |
| Minimum Focus Distance from Image Plane | 1.15' / 0.35 m |
| Optical Design | 11 Elements in 9 Groups |
| Iris Blades | 9 |
| Gear MOD & Pitch | Focus: 0.8 MOD / 32 Pitch Iris: 0.8 MOD / 32 Pitch |
| Front Diameter | 95 mm |
| Filter Thread | 86 mm |
| Focus Scales | Imperial |
| Focus Rotation | 180° |
| Iris Rotation | 75° |
| Electronic Communication | No |
| Lens Support | Lens Support Foot with 1/4"-20 Mounting Thread |
| Weight | 2.43 lb / 1.1 kg |
Pricing and availability
The IRIX 45mm is available now for $1,195.00 for Sony, Canon MFT an PL ($1,295.00) mounts.
P.S. Here is our interview from PPE 2019 with the Irix crew:
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