Irix announces 21mm F1.4 lens for Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K mount cameras: Digital Photography Review

Optics manufacturer Irix has announced the release of a stills version of its 21mm prime lens, the 21mm F1.4. As with the other lenses in Irix’s cine and stills lineups, this lens remains optically unchanged from its cine counterpart, with the only difference being the external design and more traditional focus ring.

Illustration of the optical construction of the 21mm F1.4 lens.

This full-frame lens is constructed of 15 elements in 11 groups, including four ultra-low dispersion elements, four high-reflectance elements and two aspherical elements. Irix says the optical construction limits distortion to under 2%, making it an ideal candidate for architectural and real estate photography.

The 21mm F1.4 lens features electronic aperture control, but is a manual focus lens with the usual rubber grip found on Irix’s other stills optics. Other features include an aperture range of F1.4 through F16, an 11-blade aperture diaphragm and a minimum focusing distance of 30cm (11.8″).

The lens is weather-sealed and is chipped to provide full EXIF data transfer and focus confirmation support for compatible cameras. It also features Irix’s focus-lock ring, which helps to prevent accidental bumps on the focus ring. Below is a small sample gallery of images captured with the 21mm F1.4 lens:

The lens is available for Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K mounts, but is also fully compatible with mirrorless cameras via the appropriate adapters. The Irix 21mm F1.4 lens is currently available through Irix’s EU online shop for £675.75 / ~$890.