At NAB 2025, Nino stopped by the DZOFILM booth to speak with Susanne Wu about the X-tract, an 18–28mm T8 full-frame macro zoom probe lens. Announced earlier this year, this is DZOFILM’s first entry into the probe world of macro cinematography. There are now three versions of the X-tract lens, and all have full-frame coverage and up to 2.1:1 magnification, so there’s quite a bit to unpack. Let’s take a look. DZOFILM offers quite a large line of cinema lenses, such as the Arles set of lenses, which then expanded with the Arles B Set. When asked why DZOFILM decided to expand into the probe zoom lens market, Susanne said they are always eager to push the boundaries and give something new to their users. Versatile design with three versions There are now three versions of the X-tract lens – 0° (direct view), 90° (periscope), and 360° (periscope). The angled 360° version lets you capture both low and overhead shots by rotating the lens a full 360 degrees. Susanne explained that the 360° version works with two prisms to get at all the angles. The X-tract covers full-frame and zooms from 18 to 28mm at a consistent aperture of T8 to T45, which is rare for a probe lens. With up to 2.1:1 magnification and parfocal design, you can move from extreme close-ups to wider framing without needing to refocus or move the camera. The lens includes 0.8 MOD gears for focus, iris, and zoom, and features a 300° focus rotation...
Published By: CineD - Wednesday, 9 April