The NiSi 65 PRIME 16mm T2.9 Large-Format Cinema Lens is engineered for directors of photography and cinematographers who demand expansive coverage, optical precision, and maximum creative flexibility. Designed for modern large-format digital cinema cameras such as the ARRI ALEXA 65/265 and FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55, this ultra-wide prime delivers a sweeping field of view while maintaining exceptional sharpness and controlled aberrations across the entire large image circle.
Optimized for high-end cinematic workflows, the lens provides consistent image quality from center to edge, making it well suited for immersive storytelling, large-scale productions, and visual effects applications where coverage and clarity are critical.
Large Format Coverage
As the first lens in the NiSi 65 PRIME series, the 16mm T2.9 features an imaging circle close to 65mm in diameter, engineered to cover the ARRI ALEXA 65/265 in Open Gate mode. In this configuration it delivers a diagonal field of view exceeding 122°, a horizontal field of view of 117.2°, and a vertical field of view of 74.3°. On the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55 in Open Gate it provides a 118° diagonal field of view. This extraordinary coverage enables dramatic ultra-wide compositions simply not achievable with smaller-format optics.
Optical Performance
The 16mm T2.9 is built around a precision optical formula incorporating advanced aspherical elements that maintain outstanding resolution from centre to edge. Even wide open at T2.9, both axial and lateral chromatic aberrations are kept to a minimum, a level of control rivalling APO-certified optics. The lens is also engineered to suppress barrel and pincushion distortion, making it an ideal choice for architectural cinematography and structured environments where geometric accuracy is essential.
Close Focus and Creative Depth
With a minimum focus distance of just 0.25m (10 inches), the 65 PRIME 16mm T2.9 enables bold near-subject compositions that would be impractical with comparable wide lenses. Combined with the bright T2.9 aperture, the lens provides meaningful subject separation even at close distances, expanding its usefulness across narrative features, documentary, music video, and commercial productions.
Cinema-Ready Build and Handling
The 65 PRIME 16mm T2.9 features the PL (ARRI) mount with industry-standard 0.8 MOD / 32 Pitch focus gearing and a smooth 300° focus rotation angle, ensuring compatibility with standard follow-focus systems and lens motors. Ten aperture blades deliver smooth out-of-focus rendering across its T2.9 to T22 range. Luminescent markings on both focus and aperture rings remain readable in low-light environments, improving efficiency during night shoots and handheld work.
Compact and Lightweight for Large Format
Despite covering a sensor circle close to 65mm in diameter, the 65 PRIME 16mm T2.9 achieves a compact and manageable form factor. At 846g (excluding caps) and measuring 95mm in diameter by 78.53mm in length, it is significantly lighter than many large-format cinema lenses, making it well-suited to handheld operation, gimbal mounting, or drone rigs where weight and balance are critical considerations.
Part of the NiSi 65 PRIME Series
The 16mm T2.9 is the first lens in the NiSi 65 PRIME series, a growing family of large-format prime lenses built around a shared optical philosophy of coverage, consistency, and creative quality. Lenses in the series share matching physical dimensions, focus gearing positions, and colour rendition, allowing for efficient lens changes on set without compromising a matched look.
Professional Creative Confidence
The NiSi 65 PRIME 16mm T2.9 is engineered for cinematographers working at the highest level of large-format digital cinema production. Whether used on a fully rigged studio camera or a compact large-format body, it delivers the optical quality, handling precision, and creative latitude demanded by today’s most ambitious productions, from sweeping architectural vistas to intimate wide-angle close-ups.
