A Chinese company called CHIOPT has developed its first full-frame cinema zoom lens titled Extremer Compact Zoom 28-85mm/T3.2. CHIOPT says that this lens is a “super cost-effective” FF Cine Zoom, and it’s the first of a series of high-end cinema glass dedicated to the film industry. Let’s take a look.

CHIOPT targets the film industry

CHIOPT was established in 2010 and is headquartered in Changsha, It’s not a small company (more than 700 employees), and currently has more than 200 patents in the fields of optical design, structural design, electronic design, image processing, software algorithm, and lens processing. Now the company has decided to get into the film industry by developing high-end cinema zoom glass, focusing on large format cameras. At a later stage, the company plans to presents a brand new series of Macro lenses, also aimed at filmmakers.

Extremer Compact Zoom 28-85mm/T3.2

According to CHIOPT, the EXTREMER series is a modern multi-zoom cinema lens set, in-house developed for large-format camera systems. “It strictly follows the optical and mechanical structure requirements of the film industry” the company states. The lens has been newly developed and manufactured. 28-85mm is the first focal length in this series. This lens has a T3.2 constant aperture, precise par focal function, well-controlled breathing, soft bokeh, and glare suppression. The lens provides multiple mounts options such as PL, EF, and E.

Made for full-frame cinema cameras

With a field diameter of 46 mm, the lens is suitable for a wide range of large-format camera systems and is compatible with Super 35 as well. Furthermore, the lens has a unique coating for greater hardness and strength and enhanced resistance to handprints and oil stains. Moreover, the lens owns a metric scale on the left side of the focus ring, and the inch scale on the right side, to meet different needs.

Extremer FF Compact Zoom structure

CHIOPT  emphasizes, that during the design process of the lens structure of this series, the protection against sand, dust, and raindrops has been “specially strengthened to ensure normal shooting under severe conditions”. Although the lens is compact and light, it’s made from an “all-metal structure”.

Technical specifications

• Lens Mount: PL/EF/E
• Focal Length: 28-85mm
• Zoom Ratio: 3x
• Minimum T Stop: T3.2(F2.8)
• Aperture Range: T3.2-T22
• Imaging Circle:（Image Diameter): ￠46mm
• Flange Distance: 52mm(PL)/44mm(EF)/ 18mm(E)
• Quantity of Aperture Blades: 11 PCs
• The angle of Aperture Ring Rotation: 84°
• The angle of Zoom Rotation: 96°
• The angle of Focusing Ring Rotation: 288°
• Weight: 2.7（PL）/2.75（EF）/2.8KG（E）

Price and availability

Unfortunately, there’s no info about price nor availability. However, explore the company’s website for a few seconds of sample footage of the Extremer Compact Zoom 28-85mm/T3.2.

Final thoughts

According to CHIOPT: “In 2021 the company intents to expand its accumulated optical development capabilities and product manufacturing experience to the field of film and television equipment, and develop new products-zoom movie lens and fixed focus movie lens group”. The goal is to develop the “ultimate cost-effective exclusive inspiration capture tool-film lens series products” (stated from the company’s website). Furthermore, CHIOPT adds that telephoto zoom and wide-angle zoom lenses are already planned. CHIOPT is going to focus on developing and manufacturing super cost-effective cinema glass for the film industry, which is nice, especially regarding cine zooms that are able to cover the large sensors.