As a documentary cinematographer, I am constantly struggling to decide which lenses I want in my kit for any given project. The options over the years have ranged from minimal to overwhelming. In the beginning, I was mostly restricted to DSLR-style lenses to interface with my EF or Sony E-mount cameras.

Fujinon recently released the native Sony E-mount MK 18-55mm cinema zoom as an “ultra-compact, and 2 lb, 2 oz lightweight design lens that meets the needs of Super35 and APS-C sensor cameras.” The lens features “outstanding optical performance and low distortion with T2.9 speed across the entire zoom range, as well as fully manual lens rings for focus, zoom, and iris.”

Canon’s CN-E Compact Zooms have been a great addition to documentary cinematography since their release five years ago. The image quality is superb and is a great choice for higher-end productions. They offer a comfortable size and weight, with a fast, consistent T2.8 aperture. This pair of lenses offers a great focal length range that will cover you in most shooting situations. Let’s take a deep dive into the look and feel of these two lenses.

Zeiss has had a line of reasonably priced cinema zooms for a few years now, but the introduction of the Zeiss LWZ.3 21-100mm takes things up a notch. The 21-100 covers a much longer focal length range than any of their other lenses, and is more than a pound lighter than its predecessors.

Fujinon released the Cabrio Compact lens series back in 2012 as a lightweight option to their impressive Premier line of cinema lenses. The Cabrio line includes the 14-35mm, 19-90mm, 20-120mm, 25-300mm and 85-300mm. Despite being smaller and lighter, they are still members of the elite “Premier” series of Fujinon lenses, offering exceptional optical performance across the board. Let’s take a closer look at the Fujinon Cabrio 19-90.

The Canon EF-S 17-55mm and Canon EF-L 24-105mm lenses have been a staple in documentary film productions since the advent of DSLR cameras for video. They are compact and light lenses that cover a great range and pack easily into small configurations.

The Sony E PZ 18-110 is a native Sony-E mount lens for Super35 / APS-C sensors designed for cinematographers needing the sharpness and color of a professional 4K lens, while still retaining the electronic characteristics familiar with traditional fixed lens video cameras.

The Canon Cine-Servo 17-120mm made some waves when it was released in 2014. Finally, we had an ENG-style servo lens with a long zoom range for Super 35 sensors shooting in high resolutions. This made a lot of people happy in the documentary and TV world, eliminating the need to carry multiple lenses and bringing us back to broadcast camera / lens design. Let’s take a deeper look at this lens.

Fujinon recently released the Cabrio 20-120, an economical version of their popular Cabrio Compact Lenses. Despite being smaller and lighter, the 20-120 is still a member of the elite “Premier” series of Fujinon lenses, offering exceptional optical performance across the board.