NiSi ATHENA Tuned Prime full frame cinema lens kit available next month

Having announced them earlier his year, NiSi has confirmed the price and launch date of the limited edition of its NiSi ATHENA Tuned Prime full frame cinema lens kit.

The new NiSi ATHENA Tuned Primes promise to marry vintage character with modern precision and have been built to emulate the aesthetics of vintage cinema lenses. As such they feature lower contrast and blooming highlights, with specialized coatings create distinctive flares that drip character and deliver what the company says is a classic cinematic look. The lenses are designed with tuned elements and coatings that provide softer bokeh and subtle blue and purple flares. They’ve also been given a silver exterior to distinguish them from the standard black finish ATHENA primes that shipped at the start of the year.

They have also been designed to minimize focus breathing. This means that, regardless of the focal length or aperture setting, the change in field of view when adjusting focus from the minimum focus distance to infinity is extremely small.

Featuring a 46mm image circle for full-frame coverage, focal lengths range from 14mm ultra-wide angle to 135mm, covering super wide angle to portrait focal lengths. Consistent design ensures a consistent field of view during focus adjustments, while seamless lens swapping is possible without the need for gimbal rebalancing.

The PL-mount 25/35/50/85mm all have a maximum aperture of T1.9. The 14mm has a maximum aperture of T2.4. All have soft bokeh for background separation.

Here’s a video that showcases the difference between the normal and the tuned glass.

The kit comprises five prime lenses: 14mm T2.4, 25mm T1.9, 35mm T1.9, 50mm T1.9, and 85mm T1.9. There are only going to be 199 sets of these available globally, so if you are interested best to get in quick. Pricing is, as we previously reported, $6798, adding $1000 onto the standard issue ATHENA set, and NiSi says they will ship before the end of the year.

tl;dr

• NiSi has launched a limited edition of its ATHENA Tuned Prime full frame cinema lens kit, featuring five prime lenses (14mm T2.4, 25mm T1.9, 35mm T1.9, 50mm T1.9, and 85mm T1.9) designed to emulate vintage cinema aesthetics with lower contrast and unique flares.
• The lenses prioritize soft bokeh, minimal focus breathing, and consistent field of view during focus adjustments, allowing for seamless lens swapping without gimbal rebalancing.
• Each lens has a 46mm image circle for full-frame coverage and distinctive silver exterior to differentiate them from the standard ATHENA lenses.
• Only 199 sets will be available globally at a price of $6798, which is $1000 more than the standard ATHENA set, with shipping expected before the end of the year.