It’s not often that you see a small company challenge the likes of Zeiss. It’s even less common to see one actually beat them in comparative tests. But that’s exactly what Veydra have done in some new tests from the folks at LensRentals. For those unfamiliar with Veydra, it was only just over three years ago that they were seeking funding on Kickstarter for their new line of compact Micro Four Thirds cinema lenses. The prices for Kickstarter backers were very low considering the quality people hoped for. Even now that they’re on general sale, they’re still substantially cheaper than Zeiss CP.2 series lenses. Now also available in Sony APS-C E Mount, these small, less expensive lenses seem to be the way for many video shooters to go.
While lab tests can only really tell you so much, the results are very impressive. But they also seem to be rather popular, according to the LensRentals post – which is why they decided to do these tests in the first place. So, it seems they’re probably quite good in the real world, too. The CP.2 lenses do offer some advantages over the Veydra. There are more mount options and a full frame image circle for a start. But if you’re shooting a GH5/GH5S, Sony A6300/A6500, one of BlackMagic’s Micro Four Thirds mount cameras, or one of the many other video-capable Micro Four Thirds or Sony APS-C cameras that won’t be a big problem. When you combine the increased performance with the low cost, they appear to be very attractive. As to how low that price is, well, you can pick up a complete set of four 25mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm lenses for the price of a single 35mm Zeiss CP.2. With the full line of cinema primes, that price difference could amount to as much as a family car. If you’re thinking about getting some cinema lenses, the test results on LensRentals look very interesting. Veydra lenses may be well worth a look. [via LensRentals]
