Irix has announced the 150mm T3.0 Tele, the second version of its 150mm T3.0 cinema lens. It does not replace the previous version but rather makes it more accessible to a wider variety of users by enhancing the focus and aperture range and removing the macro designation.

Despite the fact that the Irix Cine 150mm T3.0 Macro 1:1 lens’s first version was released in 2019 and the company claims that it was well accepted, the fact that it was built for macro photography made its focusing range incredibly precise but limited in other situations. Irix decided to create a new version of the lens more suited to that setting as the lens was used in more conventional situations. While it is optically and mechanically very similar to the 2019 version, there are two significant differences:

• The first change is that the focus range begins at 0.67 meters, which, according to Irix, enables much more precise movement of the focus ring from two meters to infinity. The ring can now rotate across its whole 270-degree range.
• Second, the lens’s range of apertures has also been altered; the new Tele version’s maximum value is now T22.

Twelve optical elements, including four HR elements and three ED elements, are grouped in nine groups in the Irix 150mm T3.0 Tele, according to Irix, giving the lens the resolving capability for up to 8K video productions. According to the manufacturer, the 150mm focal length and 11-bladed iris diaphragm produces outstanding bokeh, while the T3.0 aperture allows for good subject isolation.

“The optical construction of the lens ensures excellent image sharpness, but with soft tones and a characteristic, subtle glow – this is what the unique, cinematic Irix look looks like,” Irix says.

The lens features five rubber o-rings at what Irix refers to as crucial places that help weatherproof it. Notably, there are just four o-rings on the PL-mount variant.