KIPON Colibri 24mm T2.5 24mm

The KIPON Colibri 24mm T2.5 is a compact full-frame cine prime with a distinctive star-shaped bokeh trick, consistent 80mm front diameter for set matching, and a smooth 300° focus throw. It's best for video shooters who prioritize creative bokeh effects and rig consistency over speed or autofocus. Cheaper and faster options from Samyang and Meike make more sense unless you need that star look.

Sharpness is solid but not going to threaten the best modern stills glass. Across our database, optical quality sits around the middle of the pack, which for a cine lens that trades some bite for flattering rendering is exactly where you want it. Focus breathing is well controlled, and the 300° rotation gives you precise rack focusing. Close-focus performance is a pleasant surprise. With a 240mm minimum focus, macro-style shots score well above average, so you can get reasonably tight on details. Bokeh quality aside from the star shape is mediocre. It's not the creamiest, and at T2.5 you won't melt backgrounds like an f/1.4 lens. But that star-shaped aperture turns specular highlights into something genuinely different, and if that's your creative goal, it works.

Stacked against the Samyang 24mm T1.5 Cine DS, the KIPON gives up a stop of light and costs more, but the star bokeh and unified 80mm front diameter across the set give it a unique niche. The Meike 25mm T2.2 is another budget challenger, even cheaper, with similar max aperture and a 10-blade iris but no star shape. The Meike also offers near-parfocal like behavior and minimal breathing. If you need faster glass for low light, the SLR Magic 25mm T0.95 opens way up, though it's heavier and larger. The Colibri's main edge is set consistency, if you're building a whole kit the common gear positions and front diameter mean less time tweaking your matte box and follow focus when you swap focal lengths.

At a spread of $1,280 to $1,740, the Colibri lives in a weird spot. It's pricier than popular 24mm cine manual primes like the Samyang 24mm T1.5, which is faster and often half the cost, but cheaper than premium options like the Zeiss CP.3 series. You're paying for the consistent form factor across the Colibri lineup and that star bokeh trick. If those matter to you, it's a fair ask, but check multiple stores because the $460 price gap is real.

The KIPON Colibri 24mm T2.5 is a compact full-frame cine prime for Sony E-mount aimed squarely at video shooters who want consistent handling across a lens set. At 484g and with an 80mm front diameter shared across the Colibri series, it's built for swapping without rebalancing a gimbal or adjusting matte boxes. The headline party trick is a 10-blade iris that can produce a star-shaped bokeh, something you won't find on most other lenses. For the right project, that look can add a ton of character. But this is a manual focus only lens with a stepless T2.5-T16 range, so it's purely for deliberate filmmaking, not run-and-gun hybrid shooting. Prices range from about $1,280 to $1,740 depending on the vendor, so it's worth shopping around if this one grabs you.

Skip this lens if you need any kind of autofocus, because there is none. It's also a pass for low-light specialists since T2.5 is slower than many rivals offering T1.5 or even T0.95. If you're a solo shooter who doesn't need the consistent 80mm front diameter across a set, a Samyang 24mm T1.5 or Meike 25mm T2.2 will save you money and give you faster glass.

I'd only grab this lens if you're already invested in the Colibri series or you specifically have a project that calls for star-shaped bokeh. It's well built, handles nicely, and sharpness is fine for 4K. But there are faster, cheaper 24mm cine primes that do 90% of the job with less cash. If you want a compact, consistent set and can afford it, the Colibri makes sense. Otherwise, the Samyang or Meike lines are smarter buys for most shooters.