Zhongyi Optics officially announced the “Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series” at its headquarters in Shenyang, China. The price is US$2,499 for a single lens and US$6,999 for a set of three. Following the end of the Indiegogo campaign, sales are scheduled to begin sequentially from August 20, 2026, on the official website and through authorized distributors worldwide. Actual sales prices will vary by country, and detailed announcements from the Japanese distributor regarding the timing of the launch and pricing are awaited.

Designed for full-frame and VistaVision PL/EF cinema systems, this series consists of three lenses: 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm, all boasting a bright T1.0 aperture.

The T1 series was built for professional cinematographers who demand overwhelming speed (brightness), dreamy rendering, shallow depth of field, and flexible on-set reliability. These lenses function like a painter’s brush, bringing organic, vintage warmth to the cold canvas of a digital sensor.

Zhongyi Optics Zone T1 Features

The T1’s aperture not only captures light, but actively shapes the emotional mood of a scene. This extreme brightness transforms harsh low-light environments into rich, painterly canvases, softening the inorganic texture of modern digital sensors with organic warmth. Photographers can control the darkness and manipulate a paper-thin depth of field to beautifully and poetically highlight their subjects.

The T1’s optics transform the background into a cinematic effect, rendering out-of-focus areas not as digitally blurred, but with a rich, organic texture. Equipped with 16 aperture blades, it maintains perfectly circular bokeh even when stopped down. This mechanical precision gives the subject a poetic sense of space, infusing every frame with profound visual emotion.

Works With Open Gate Sensors Too

The Zone T1’s optical properties elegantly capture light, creating fantastical, cinematic flares that add a visually poetic quality to highlights without compromising the image.

Designed with VistaVision cinematography in mind, the generous 46mm image circle covers most modern full-frame sensor cameras while imbuing them with a distinctive cinematic character. It delivers exceptional clarity and uniform illumination across the entire screen, perfectly capturing every visual detail of the story.

Even when shooting with the RED V-Raptor X 8K VV Open Gate 17:9 (46.3mm diagonal), only slight soft vignetting occurs in the corners.

By virtually eliminating focus breathing, it achieves extremely smooth and fluid focus shifts. The visual composition perfectly locks in, keeping the audience’s gaze focused on the heart of the story. Furthermore, it boasts exceptional close-up capabilities, and the synergistic effect of T1.0 brightness and painterly bokeh elevates details into powerful visual expression.

To streamline on-site logistics, the entire series features a unified 114mm front diameter, 110mm filter diameter, and standard 0.8 MOD gear, eliminating the need to adjust accessory positions when changing lenses. A dual-measurement scale (meters and feet) and included lens support ensure precise manual focusing and robust stability.

Aiming for ultimate versatility, it employs a system that allows interchangeable native PL and EF mounts. The optimized flat rear lens structure ensures ample clearance, allowing for seamless integration with high-end cinema cameras and mirrorless systems without mechanical limitations.