Available Focal Lengths: 15mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 100mm

(Editor’s note: Anecdotally, I read something about a blind lens test where, among other cine lenses like S4s, Master Primes, Signatures etc, it was revealed that the DPs majority voted for the CP3s as their favorite– much to their surprise. Always worth doing your own tests and being aware of your preconceived notions!)

A successor to the CP.2s with shared optical designs from the Milvus series, the CP.3s have vastly improved focus and iris movement, a lower-profile 95mm front, and a new AR coating for a higher degree of correction and consistency with the other Zeiss cinema lines. The CP.3s represent the best qualities of modern Zeiss lenses– they produce remarkably clean images with high sharpness and high contrast, are hard to flare, cover full-frame and large format sensors, while being generally more compact and lightweight at a price that works for any budget.

A look at Zeiss’s published interviews shows the CP.3s on plenty of projects beyond what you might assume for the price range and market niche of the lenses, and the common threads for why they were chosen are form factor, weight, accessibility, the clean and precise look, and an approach to storytelling and cinematography focused on technique and detail rather than the quirks of the lenses.