ARRI APO Cambrian ACP24IB-PL

The Dulens 24mm T2.0 is a budget PL prime that nails brightness and bokeh but fumbles the optical fundamentals. At around $1700, it's a tempting entry into cine glass, but its weak sharpness and lack of stabilization make it a niche pick. Think of it as a character lens for narrative work, not a general-purpose tool.

The Dulens APO Cambrian 24mm T2.0 is a manual cine prime built for ARRI PL mounts, aimed at indie filmmakers who want that fast, cinematic aperture without the five-figure price tag. At a glance, the T2.0 opening and smooth bokeh sound like a dream for low-light narrative work. But when you dig into our benchmark data, you see a lens that makes some pretty big trade-offs to hit its street price.

This lens lands in a weird spot. It's a cinema tool that actually scores better for portraiture than for its intended video use. Our video score sits at 46 out of 100, dragged down by poor optical measurements and a conspicuous lack of stabilization or weather sealing. If you're expecting a razor-sharp workhorse that puts every zoom to shame, you'll be disappointed. This is a character lens, pure and simple.

Straight out of the gate, the T2.0 aperture is the star here. It sits in the 84th percentile for brightness, so it'll save your bacon on dimly lit sets and give you a nice shallow depth of field. Bokeh quality is another win, landing in the 81st percentile and rendering out-of-focus areas with a pleasing, organic falloff. But that's where the good news stops. Overall optical performance is a letdown at just the 16th percentile. Our measurements show softness creeping in from the center outward, with noticeable chromatic aberration in high-contrast scenes. Build quality is merely mediocre at the 28th percentile, and macro capability is essentially nonexistent. This lens acts more like a fast portrait lens with a PL mount than a true workhorse cinema prime.

Pricing for this lens bounces between $1699 and $2309 depending on the retailer, so shopping around can save you over $600. At the low end, it's one of the most affordable brand-new PL primes you can buy, but you have to ask yourself what you're really getting. A T2.0 aperture and nice bokeh are compelling, but the mediocre optics mean you'll likely spend time fixing softness in post. For the same money, you could pick up a used set of high-quality vintage primes or an adapted modern zoom with image stabilization, both of which would give you more mileage unless you absolutely need a native PL mount. Value hunters should think hard before clicking buy.

It's a little unfair to compare the Dulens to autofocus zooms like the Canon RF-S 18-150mm or the Nikon Z 18-140mm, but that's exactly who it fights for a spot in a budget filmmaker's bag. Those zooms give you massive focal range and decent optical performance in a lighter package for less cash, but they can't touch the T2.0 speed or the organic bokeh this prime delivers. The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 is another budget hero that offers sharper optics and a wider field of view, though it lacks the PL mount mojo. If you're building a rig exclusively around cinema glass and chase character over clinical sharpness, the Dulens makes a case for itself. For everyone else, those versatile zooms or a used Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 will feel like a much smarter daily driver.

Skip the Dulens if you need a lens that can push out tack-sharp images across the entire frame or handle run-and-gun shooting in bad weather. Hybrid shooters who split time between photo and video should get a modern mirrorless zoom with autofocus instead. If you're chasing sharpness tests or need macro capability, this lens will feel like a step backward.

Grab the Dulens APO Cambrian 24mm T2.0 if you're an indie DP who wants to start building a PL lens kit on the cheap and you value bokeh and speed above all else. It's not a lens for perfectionists or anyone who pixel-peeps the edges of the frame. This is a tool for storytelling, not technical benchmarks, and it'll reward you with a lovely vintage feel if you can live without modern conveniences like AF or weather resistance.