NiSi Cine Lens Athena Prime 135mm T2.2 PL-Mount

NiSi Cine Lens Athena Prime 135mm T2.2 PL-Mount – 135mm T2.2 with PL rear filter option for professional cinema use

The NiSi Athena Prime 135mm T2.2 in PL mount is part of the Athena Cine Lenses series designed for cinematographers and videographers who need consistent optics across a matched prime set. This 135mm lens shares design and handling characteristics with the rest of the Athena primes while offering a T2.2 maximum aperture and a rear filter solution specific to the PL mount.

What this lens delivers

This 135mm prime delivers a long-telephoto perspective within the Athena range. You can expect matched focus and iris behavior across the series, consistent exposure characteristics thanks to T-stop ratings, and optical controls aimed at reducing common issues such as chromatic aberration and focus breathing. The lens fits into a wider system that covers ultra-wide to portrait focal lengths, enabling versatile shooting across many scenarios.

Optical characteristics and exposure

• The Athena series uses T-stop ratings to measure actual light transmission, ensuring consistent exposure across focal lengths.
• The 135mm lens has a maximum aperture of T2.2, which is the same maximum aperture as the 18mm in the series.
• Other focal lengths in the series have different maximum apertures: 25, 35, 40, 50 and 85mm are T1.9, and the 14mm is T2.4.
• The series offers ultra-low chromatic aberration and micro-contrast control to help render finer image details.
• Design work in the Athena primes minimizes focus breathing, so the field of view changes very little when you pull focus from minimum focus distance to infinity.

Compatibility: mounts and image circle

The Athena prime series accommodates multiple mounting systems to suit different camera platforms. The 135mm PL-mount lens uses a rear filter, while other mounts provide drop-in options:

• Available mount options across the Athena series: ARRI PL, Canon RF, Sony E, Panasonic/Leica L, and Fuji G.
• The series has an image circle of 46mm, making the lenses suitable for full-frame and large-format sensors.
• The PL-mount specifically uses a rear filter; RF, L and G mounts have a Drop-In filter option, and E-Mount is offered in two versions (with and without Drop-In filter).
• Important: to achieve infinity focus and clear images, you must use the Drop-In clear filter on RF, L, G and E-mount versions and use the rear filter with PL-mount lenses.
• Note: the Sony FX9 camera cannot use the E-Mount with Drop-In filters.

Handling, gears and system matching

NiSi designed the Athena primes to behave like a matched family. This helps you maintain balance and consistent operation when changing lenses on a rig or during a shoot.

• All Athena primes are similar in weight, so you do not need to rebalance a gimbal when switching between Athena lenses.
• All lenses except the 14mm share a 77mm front filter thread.
• Aperture and focus rings are matched across the range for consistent hand feel and follow-focus operation.
• Each lens features a 300° focus rotation and fluorescent focus scales in both metric and imperial units to support precise focus pulls.
• Both focus and iris gears use the standard 0.8 MOD specification, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of follow focus and matte box systems.

Filters and accessories

NiSi provides dedicated filter solutions and accessories for the Athena series.

• The PL-mount lens uses a rear filter; RF, L and G mounts provide Drop-In filter capability; E-Mount is available with or without Drop-In.
• NiSi supplies weather sealing for the Drop-In filter to protect the mounting and filtration area.
• You can use the NiSi 77mm close-up lens (sold separately) to reduce minimum focus distance and create macro effects when needed.

Why choose the Athena 135mm PL for cinematography

If your workflow requires matched primes, consistent exposure, and reliable focus behavior, the Athena 135mm T2.2 in PL mount integrates into that system. You will benefit from minimized focus breathing, matched ring action for repeatable focus pulls, and a filter solution suited to PL-mounted cinema cameras.

FAQ

• Question: Will the PL-mount Athena 135mm work on full-frame and large-format sensors?

  Answer: Yes. The Athena series has a 46mm image circle, making the lenses suitable for full-frame and large-format sensors.

• Question: Do I need special filters to achieve infinity focus?

  Answer: Yes. Use the Drop-In clear filter on RF, L, G and E-mount versions, and use the rear filter with PL-mount lenses to obtain infinity focus and clear images.

• Question: Can I use the E-Mount Drop-In version on a Sony FX9?

  Answer: No. The Sony FX9 cannot use the E-Mount with Drop-In filters, so verify camera compatibility before selecting that version.

• Question: Do the Athena primes require rebalancing on a gimbal?

  Answer: No. All Athena primes are similar in weight, so you normally do not need to rebalance when switching between lenses in the series.

• Question: How does the lens handle focus pulls and follow focus gear compatibility?

  Answer: The lenses feature a 300° focus rotation, matched focus and iris rings across the range, fluorescent scales in both imperial and metric, and standard 0.8 MOD gears for compatibility with most follow focus systems.