SLR Magic 25mm T/0.95 Hyperprime Cine Lens Review

SLR Magic 25mm T/0.95 Hyperprime Cine Lens Handling and features

This lens sports an all-metal lens barrel and mount, finished in satin black. The build and finish is reminiscent of lenses from a more simple time, when M42 screw fit lenses were king. The lens feels quite weighty for its size, thanks to the heavy-duty construction, but it still only weighs 450g. As a result it feels like a good companion to the Panasonic Lumix G3 camera used for testing.

The focus and aperture rings are well damped and very, very smooth to operate. There is just the right amount of resistance there to prevent accidental movement and fine adjustments are a pleasure to apply. Both rings have a geared grip, which makes the lens compatible with follow focus equipment, commonly used for recording video. A useful hyperfocal scale is etched onto the lens barrel and closest focus is 26cm, which is quite close for any standard lens, never mind one with such a fast aperture.

There are no electronic contacts between the lens and camera, and aperture has no clicks for each stop, which can be especially useful for applying adjustments during video recording, as the aperture can be adjusted seamlessly during recording. The scale on the aperture ring isn't linear, so the ring needs to be turned further at fast apertures than at slower ones to apply the same amount of adjustment. This can take some getting used to, as close attention need to be paid to what aperture values are actually written on the ring, especially as aperture values at the slower end of the scale are so closely bunched together that some values are missing.

The lens accepts 49mm filters, and the filter ring does not rotate during focusing, which will aid the use of graduated and polarising filters. A neat slide out hood is provided, just like what used to be common on many telephoto lenses from years ago.

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