DULENS

DULENS is a Chinese lens manufacturer operating in the segment below established cine brands—where DZOFilm, 7Artisans, and Viltrox also reside. The company gained recognition with a single series: the APO Mini Primes.

Positioning

For years, the market below €2,000 per lens has been divided into two camps. One sells technical cleanliness at a low price, accepting a characterless image in return. The other sells character, usually as rehoused vintage glass or as deliberately uncorrected new designs, accepting chromatic aberration and soft corners. DULENS attempts to bridge this divide: apochromatic design for color correction, coatings for character.

APO Mini Prime

The series includes 31mm, 43mm, 58mm, and 85mm, all at T2.4, with a 21mm announced. The image circle is 46mm—full-frame with some margin, but not medium format. The mount is interchangeable between PL and EF. Weighing around 500 grams per lens, they are among the lightest cine primes available, making them interesting for gimbal, handheld, and drone work.

Practical Implications

Apochromatic correction means: no chromatic aberration on hard edges, not even in the out-of-focus areas, and not wide open. The character, instead, comes from the coating—skin tones are rendered softer, halation is permitted—and from a pronounced focus fall-off. This is good news for post-production: the vintage feel of the image is designed, not something to clean up.

Limitations

A consistent T2.4 is solid for a character lens, but not super-speed. And the 46mm image circle limits its use: on a medium format sensor like the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55 with a 55mm diagonal, the series does not cover open gate but requires a tighter shooting mode. Those working beyond full-frame should factor this in.