Xeen CF vs Xeen Classic Test

Welcome to our Xeen CF vs Xeen Classic test (with our Red Primes for a further comparison).

First off, what I like to do is just put them up on the same camera so these are both mounted on RED Gemini 5K cameras.

Here’s what you need to know:

Color Quality: Xeen CF had a little more red-yellow in it and less green than the Classics.

Breathing: See how when I rack focus, I put that flag at the top of the frame so we can see how many millimeters the lens zooms in to see the flag or lose the flag. So they look to have four to five millimeters of breathing, which is noticeable.

Depth of Field: Taking the lens way down to a 1.5 it looks like the Classics have a shallower depth of field than the CFs.

Flare: The Xeens give you that starburst flare and it’s more of a green, yellow flare in both the CF and the Classic. They seem to flair exactly the same way. You can see them side by side perfectly there and there’s really no difference with the Xeen at a 2.8. I like the sweet spot like between a 2 and a 2.5 myself. Here you can see how the Red Prime flares much differently than the Xeen CF and Classics, as the starburst flares green-yellow where the Red Prime is more of a blue.

Bokeh: Look at the Xeen CF, you are much more solid in the Bokeh where with the Classics, you feel like you can see through the Bokeh. They seem transparent where the CF Bokeh seems to gold out more pure. Both of them do a football-sized bokeh when you go to a full 1.5 but you get a nice round bokeh at a 2.5. I really liked it.