The Zeiss CP.3 21mm T2.9 Compact Cine Lens on the RED Komodo
On the RED Komodo
The nice folks at the Zeiss Cinema Lens Demo Center recently allowed me to test one of their CP.3 compact prime lenses to test on our RED Komodo 6K cine camera. The Komodo has a larger than normal Super 35mm sensor with a crop factor of 1.33 when shooting at 6K 17:9, which the lens covers easily. I tested the 21mm T.2.9 EF from the CP.3 line and mounted it to the Komodo with the Canon RF to EF mount that RED provided with the camera. That makes the lens a full-frame (FF) equivalent of 27.93mm. I also tried it with our Canon RF to EF 0.71x adapter which makes the lens a FF equivalent of close to 20mm and adds a stop of light. Naturally, before using this type of adapter professionally, you should check your copy for sharpness and clarity.
Optics
As far as optics go, I could not find any issues with the CP.3 21mm T.2.9. It is clear, sharp and bright. Distortion, breathing, sharpness, and chromatic aberration are all well controlled. Handling is easy with long, smooth, geared focus and aperture rings. Because the optics of this lens are high-quality, it wouldn’t make a good “vintage look” lens. I for one much rather have clean, high quality optics for capture and add “vintage” in post-production. This is the same company that makes lenses for eyeglasses. Nobody would want a “vintage look” for everyday living (work, play, driving, watching movies, or performing surgery). There are no surprises with this lens.
Build Quality
The build quality is excellent. Solid and heavy, but not too heavy. It is easy to mount and dismount from the camera with just one hand.
Conclusion
Because the CP.3 lenses cover full-frame formats, there is no vignetting and negligible, if any, falloff on the Komodo at 6K. The quality, size, and the reasonable price of the CP.3 for a professional cine prime, makes it ideal for the RED Komodo. Owners will find the CP.3 to be a good investment because it is high resolution, covers the full-frame format, offers multiple mount types, and is durable. It should pair well with most Super 35 and full-frame cinema cameras. Mount types include PL, Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E and MFT.
More about the Zeiss CP.3
The CP.3 cine prime line includes focal lengths of 15mm, 18mm, 21mm, 25mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 100mm and 135mm. You can read all about these lenses on the Zeiss CP.3 web page which includes a specification table and a video where the Zeiss staff attempts to (unsuccessfully) destroy a CP.3 lens.
You can check out any of Zeiss’s cine lenses in-person at the Zeiss Cinema Lens Demo Center in Sherman Oaks, California. They offer the ability to demo a thorough selection of lenses on several camera formats, a 4K HDR theater, and a full editorial suite with DaVinci Resolve and Nuke software.
Martin Lisius is a filmmaker based at Prairie Pictures, Inc. in Arlington, Texas, and is founder and lead cinematographer for StormStock, a boutique stock footage collection specializing in the production and licensing of premium weather content worldwide since 1993.