Angenieux 25-250 or Fujinon MK50-135mm or Sony FE PZ 28-135mm

Old Angenieux 25-250 PL mounts usually sell from 1000-3200

 

Fujinon MK50-135mm sell for 4000

 

Sony FE PZ 28-135mm sell for 1500-2000

 

Both the Angenieux and Fujinon I assume can only cover super 35mm sensors. While the Sony is full frame.

I've heard people say it's not worth buying an old Angenieux because they are too old to be as sharp as they once were and need maintenance. I've also seen people criticize the Sony FE PZ 28-135mm for breaking really easily and the mount pieces being made of plastic that snaps.

 

I have a Sony A7Sii and I want to buy a cine lens with zoom capability. But it seems I have no good options

The Sony's only problem is that its zoom is servo only. Apart from that, it retains very good image quality, is parfocal, and has minimal breathing. It would be arguably better built than an AF SLR zoom. But at the price, it seems very, very good value.

 

Of course I don't own one so I am not speaking from experience. But you can search cinematography.com for opinions, or you can even rent one for a week and see how you go.

 

Fuji also produces amazingly good zooms for E mount - but of course they are not cheap. But they are the best in the business and more highly regarded than Zeiss. In addition to that, you can get CLA'd Angenieux lenses and couple them with a 1.4x TC - but that's probably a bit fiddly.

Careful with the old Angenieux: If it's old enough, it may not cover Super35, only Academy (20.3mmx15.2mm) aperture. Test.

The Sony PZ 28-135/4 has separate rings for manual focus, aperture and zoom. Focus and zoom can also be servo-controlled. The manual rings are knurled for good grip, and for compatibility with mechanical couplings (pull focus, etc.). According to reviews, it is relatively free from focus shifts (zoom or aperture) and low distortion. While you can tolerate distortion in still images, it is very noticeable in video scene changes, and is costly to correct in post. Professional full-frame zoom lenses, including Fujinon and Zeiss, start at about $5000, with no end in sight (>$100K).

 

I don't have that lens, but it seems to have all the features you want/need for video control. You can use any lens for video, but if you touch it to make adjustments you will cause jitter in the results. Plus you are limited to 29 minute clips (in order to avoid the 15% US tariff on video cameras). That said, I use a Sony A7 for B-roll on occasions, where there are no adjustments, or changes can be hidden by switching streams. I don't even need a fluid head, which saves a lot of space and weight.

 

The Sony lens is designed specifically for FF or Super-35 cameras, and is the only way you get all the features unique to Sony cameras (and lenses). They also work on the new Sony PXW-SF5 video cameras, which have cinematic quality at prosumer prices, including dual cards with serial writing and hot-swapping.