NiSi ATHENA PRIME Rewind 85mm T1.9 Full Frame Cinema Lens (PL Mount)

The NiSi ATHENA PRIME Rewind 85mm T1.9 Full Frame Cinema Lens (PL Mount) is a premium telephoto cine lens that combines vintage-inspired character with modern optical precision—ideal for cinematic portraits, close-ups, and emotionally driven storytelling.

Designed for full-frame cameras, the 85mm focal length delivers flattering compression and subject isolation, making it perfect for portrait work, interviews, and dramatic detail shots. Its fast T1.9 to T22 aperture range offers excellent low-light performance and precise depth-of-field control, producing beautifully soft backgrounds and smooth focus falloff.

Part of the Rewind series, this lens features a distinctive dual-look rendering, blending vintage aesthetics—such as bubble bokeh and warm, cinematic flares—with the clarity and consistency of modern lens design. This allows filmmakers to achieve a stylized, filmic look while maintaining reliable image quality.

Built for professional cinema workflows, it includes 0.8 MOD gears and a long 300° focus rotation, enabling smooth and accurate focus pulling. The 80mm front outside diameter ensures compatibility with standard matte boxes and accessories, while color matching with standard ATHENA primes allows seamless integration into a complete lens set.

Optically refined, the lens is engineered for minimal focus breathing and low chromatic aberration, ensuring stable and clean visuals even during focus transitions. A 77mm filter thread provides added flexibility for attaching filters directly when needed.

For global production environments, the lens features dual measurement markings in both feet and meters, supporting a wide range of professional workflows.

With its flattering focal length, fast aperture, and cinematic rendering, the NiSi ATHENA PRIME Rewind 85mm T1.9 is an excellent choice for filmmakers seeking a character-rich telephoto lens with dependable modern performance.

Product Features in Detail

The NiSi ATHENA PRIME Rewind 85mm T1.9
The NiSi ATHENA PRIME Rewind 85mm T1.9 is a full-frame cinema prime lens designed for filmmakers and cinematographers who want the ability to shift between vintage-inspired character and modern optical precision within a single lens. As the portrait-length lens in the Rewind series, the 85mm excels in close-ups, intimate character work, and any scenario where beautiful subject isolation and flattering perspective compression are essential.

Two Cinematic Looks from One Lens
The defining feature of the ATHENA PRIME Rewind 85mm is its ability to deliver two distinct optical personalities. Wide open at T1.9, the lens produces a warm, vintage character with amplified aberrations, softened resolution, and enhanced foreground and background blur complete with halo effects on highlights. As the aperture is stopped down, these characteristics progressively diminish. By T2.8, cinematographers reach a balanced sweet spot between stylisation and sharpness, and by T5.6 to T8, the lens behaves close to a modern, clinically clean cinema lens.

The Portrait Cinematographer’s Lens
At 85mm, the Rewind delivers the flattering perspective compression and natural subject isolation that have made this focal length the standard for portraiture and close-up work in cinema. The combination of T1.9 maximum aperture and the Rewind’s enhanced background blur creates exceptionally shallow depth of field with dreamy, characterful bokeh that separates subjects beautifully from their environment. With full-frame coverage and a 46mm imaging circle, the Rewind 85mm supports all modern large-format cinema cameras while maintaining the organic warmth and analogue feel that define the Rewind series.

Enhanced Bokeh and Warm Flare Character
At wide apertures, the 85mm delivers the Rewind’s enhanced background and foreground blur with halo effects on highlights, creating a richly textured out-of-focus rendering that adds depth and visual interest to every frame. Flare intensity is significantly increased over the standard Athena Prime, delivering warm-toned flares that bring atmosphere and emotion to backlit close-ups and rim-lit portraiture. Despite its vintage character, the Rewind 85mm maintains color rendering highly consistent with the standard ATHENA PRIME set, allowing cinematographers to freely intercut between Rewind and standard Athena lenses.

Professional Build and Workflow
The 85mm features matched weight and physical dimensions with all other Rewind focal lengths, enabling seamless lens changes without gimbal rebalancing or matte box adjustments. The 300-degree focus ring with fluorescent focal scales ensures precise focus pulls in low-light conditions, while the rear filter mount allows for quick gel and creative filter changes. Minimal focus breathing maintains a stable field of view during focus adjustments, and chromatic aberration levels remain unchanged from the standard Athena Prime, ensuring stylistic character without undesirable fringing artifacts.

A Versatile Creative Tool
Whether shooting emotional close-ups, intimate interview setups, beauty and fashion cinematography, or atmospheric portrait sequences, the NiSi ATHENA PRIME Rewind 85mm T1.9 provides filmmakers with the ultimate portrait lens enhanced by the Rewind’s unique dual-personality design. The ability to transition from vintage softness and warmth to modern clarity and precision within a single lens makes it an indispensable tool for productions that demand both character and versatility.

One Lens. Two Cinematic Personalities
The Rewind delivers a film-inspired vintage character wide open, then transforms into a clean, modern cinema lens when stopped down, giving filmmakers two distinct looks from one lens.

Vintage Character with Modern Control
Through deliberate optical design, the Rewind simulates film-era lens characteristics including amplified aberrations, reduced resolution at wide apertures, and enhanced softness for an authentic vintage look without relying on actual old glass.

Classic 85mm Portrait and Close-Up Focal Length
The ideal focal length for flattering portraiture, close-ups, and intimate character work, offering beautiful subject isolation and natural compression with full-frame coverage and a 46mm imaging circle.

Adjustable Stylization via Aperture
Vintage character is strongest at T1.9, progressively diminishes through T2.8 (a balanced sweet spot), and by T5.6–T8 the lens behaves close to a modern cinema lens, providing a creative dial for cinematographers.

Enhanced Subject Isolation with Vintage Bokeh
At wide apertures, the 85mm delivers exceptionally shallow depth of field with the Rewind’s enhanced background blur and halo effects, creating beautifully separated subjects against dreamy, characterful backgrounds.

Warm, Expressive Flares
Flare intensity is significantly increased over the standard Athena Prime with a warm color tone, adding cinematic atmosphere to backlit scenes and practical lighting setups.

Color Consistent with Standard Athena Prime
The Rewind’s color rendering closely matches the standard Athena Prime, making it easy to intercut or mix both lens types on set without post-production color correction.

300° Focus Ring with Fluorescent Scales
Precision focus pulls are made easy with 300 degrees of rotation and fluorescent focal markings for visibility in low-light shooting environments.

Matched Weight and Size Across All Rewind Lenses
Seamless lens swapping without the need for gimbal rebalancing, rig adjustment, or matte box reconfiguration, saving valuable time on set.

Rear Filter Mount for Creative Flexibility
Built-in rear filter slot allows for quick gel and filter changes without disturbing the front of the lens, maintaining a streamlined workflow.

Minimal Focus Breathing
Ensures a consistent field of view during focus adjustments, critical for cinematic pull-focus work and professional video production.

No Added Chromatic Aberration
While aberrations are amplified for the vintage look, chromatic aberration levels remain unchanged from the standard Athena Prime, delivering style without undesirable fringing.