CHIOPT has introduced the XTREME ZOOM 16-35mm T3.2, the wide-angle piece that was missing from its full-frame cine zoom range. With it, the line-up is complete: 16-35, 28-85 and 75-250, all at a constant T3.2, all with the same rendering. Three lenses covering 16 to 250mm, which is what 90% of the productions we work on actually need.

The specs, straight from the official page

  • 46mm image circle: covers full frame and, by extension, Super 35
  • Constant T3.2 across the zoom range, described by the maker as parfocal
  • Close focus of 0.34m from the hood, equal to 0.57m from the sensor plane
  • Weight 2.5kg in PL, 2.55kg in EF, 2.6kg in E
  • Length 229.2mm in PL and EF, 254.5mm in the E-mount version
  • 114mm front diameter, 288° focus throw, 84° iris throw, 9-blade aperture
  • Mounts available: PL, EF and E

The price is the real story

CHIOPT opened with promotional pricing: the 16-35 alone drops from $3,299 to $2,639, the pair with the 28-85 costs $4,649 instead of $6,198, the pair with the 75-250 lands at $5,278, and the full trilogy falls from $9,497 to $6,980. Those numbers are worth remembering: under seven thousand dollars, before tax and customs, buys you parfocal 16-250mm coverage at a constant T stop. A single ARRI or Fujinon zoom of similar range costs three times as much.

There is no shipping date yet. The site shows the full spec sheet and the prices, but no delivery month: anyone ordering now does so without knowing when it lands.

What it actually changes on set

In our view the interesting part is not the wide angle itself, but the fact that three bodies with identical front diameter, throw and gearing let you swap lenses without touching the mattebox, the follow focus or the balance. On a documentary or a two-day commercial, that is worth more than half a stop of light.

The 114mm front slots into a 114mm mattebox with a standard reduction ring, so no surprises there. The 2.5kg is another matter: on a compact body like the RED KOMODO 6K or the Sony BURANO you need a lens support and a proper fluid head, otherwise the centre of gravity ends up entirely at the front. On an ARRI ALEXA Mini with a bridge plate it is a non-issue.

And the constant T3.2 should be called what it is: this is not a fast lens. Indoors or at night you need to put watts on set. With an Aputure LS 600x Pro two metres away you are fine; handheld in low light you are not. If you are chasing extreme bokeh and T1.5 rendering, look elsewhere: these are working zooms, not portrait glass.

Buy or rent

The maths never changes. Seven thousand dollars plus VAT and shipping means roughly eight thousand euros really spent in Italy. Amortising that takes dozens of days a year with that specific set on the camera. If you shoot two commercials and one short film a year, it does not add up: the same money buys a lot of rental days with glass that is serviced, collimated and insured, and with the freedom to switch lens families project by project.

Buying makes sense in the opposite case: a production company shooting all year on the same body with the same look. For everyone else, the CHIOPT set is a strong candidate to test on rental before signing a cheque. We will be watching it: if the first European units live up to the spec sheet, it is a set worth stocking. In the meantime, our equipment catalogue already holds the alternatives to compare it against.

Official source: CHIOPT XTREME ZOOM 16-35mm T3.2 product page. Industry verification: CineD.