NiSi Athena Prime Rewind Cinema Lenses | PL Mount

NiSi Athena Prime Rewind lenses are full frame cinema primes with two characters in one: wide open they have the soft, warm rendering of film-era glass, and stopped down they become clean, sharp modern lenses. Five focal lengths in PL mount, 14mm T2.4, 25mm T1.9, 35mm T1.9, 50mm T1.9 and 85mm T1.9, to buy one at a time or in the kit with the hard case.

One lens, two cinematic personalities

At T1.9 the Rewind deliberately amplifies aberrations and softness, with halo effects on highlights like vintage glass. Stop down and the character fades: T2.8 is the sweet spot between style and sharpness, and from T5.6 to T8 the lens behaves close to a modern cinema lens. The aperture becomes a creative dial: change the look of every shot without swapping glass or adding filtration.

Bubble bokeh and warm flares

Wide open, out-of-focus highlights turn into bubbles with bright edges and darker centres, most of all on the 35 and 50mm; the effect fades by around T4. Flares are much stronger than on the standard Athena Prime and warm in tone, adding atmosphere to backlit scenes and practicals. Barrel distortion is retained for an organic, analogue look.

The same colour as Athena Prime

For all its vintage character, the Rewind renders colour very close to the standard Athena Prime: intercut both sets on the same project without colour correction in post. Unlike the Tuned version, which shifts towards yellow-green, the Rewind stays neutral. Chromatic aberration is the same as Athena Prime: character, without the fringing.

Built to work as a set

A 46mm image circle for full frame and larger sensors, with matched weight and size across every focal length: swap lenses without rebalancing the gimbal or moving the matte box and follow focus. A 300° focus ring with fluorescent scales, minimal focus breathing and a rear mount for filters and gels.