f/1.2 is impressive, but what about a fast prime that goes way faster than this? Well, it appears that NiSi may have decided that what photography and filmmaking needs is a huge 26mm lens with a frighteningly wide f/0.7 maximum aperture.
According to Chinese video-production news outlet ProNews, NiSi unveiled the unfathomable lens at the recent Beijing International Radio, Film and Television Exhibition (BIRTV) alongside a 50mm T1 cinema prime, having initially teased it via Chinese social media channel RedNote a week earlier.
With an insanely fast aperture and wide-angle view, the 26mm prime is said to weigh a hefty 102oz (2.9kg). It’s also reported that the lens has currently only been produced for Nikon Z-mount.
Although, this makes sense, seeing as Nikon’s system has a 55mm inner diameter and a 16mm flange distance, which Nikon says enables “extremely large” apertures.
We all know that a 26mm lens gives you an expansive perspective. But, at f/0.7, NiSi is seemingly attempting to combine that wide-angle view with extremely shallow depth of field.
This could give filmmakers in particular unmatched subject-background separation firepower combined with light-gathering ability.
The images teased on RedNote included text that, translated, says “Paying tribute to a legend,” which is surely a reference to director Stanley Kubrick.
Kubrick famously used a Zeiss 50mm f/0.7 during the filming of Barry Lyndon. While the Zeiss lens was the first to bring f/0.7 to cinema, the NiSi prime would take extremely fast glass to near-panoramic levels.
However, at just shy of 105oz (3kg), unlike a nifty fifty, the unveiled prime isn't an everyday lens. It seems like NiSi is instead vying for an optical perspective conventional wide-angle lenses can’t replicate.
The original RedNote post announcing the lens has since disappeared, but according to what local media reported, it didn’t mention anything about a release date.
However, with a reported price tag of $29,500 (approximately £22,000 / AU$40,000), it’d be well out of reach for anyone not shooting for an established studio – even if hiring it from a rental company.
I’ve reached out to NiSi for comment, so hopefully we’ll have more information about this insane lens soon.
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