Canon V35 Primes by V-35 Project / NWCC / The Keep, Prime Set, available for cinema lens hire at The Front in Sydney
Modern Prime Set

V-35 Project / NWCC / The Keep

Canon V35 Primes

7 primes 14 – 135mm T1.3 – T3.1 PL

Modern Canon CN-E primes, optically re-engineered by the V-35 Project to capture Canon’s legendary K35s.

Internal spacing shifted, components replaced, coatings modified to dial in the K35 aesthetic: lower contrast, reduced saturation, expressive flares, and the focus roll-off that made K35s famous. The vintage look stays consistent across the entire T-stop range, not just wide open. CN-E underneath: modern build, 114mm matched fronts, 300° focus throw, dust/water-resistant, and Full Frame coverage the original K35s could only dream of.

Character profile

How this lens renders.

K35 roll-off. Vintage at every stop.

Five axes plotting how this set behaves wide-open vs a neutral modern reference. Larger area = more pronounced trait.

Focal lengths

7 focal lengths in this set

  • 14mm T3.1
  • 20mm T1.5
  • 24mm T1.5
  • 35mm T1.5
  • 50mm T1.3
  • 85mm T1.3
  • 135mm T2.2
FocalT-StopClose focusWeightFront Ø
14mmT3.18″1.2kg114mm
20mmT1.512″1.23kg114mm
24mmT1.512″1.17kg114mm
35mmT1.512″1.17kg*114mm
50mmT1.318″1.1kg114mm
85mmT1.33′2″1.3kg114mm
135mmT2.23′3″1.4kg114mm

Talking points

Why DPs pick this set

  1. Vintage look holds across the entire T-stop range.

    Stop down to T4 and the character remains

  2. Canon K35 focus roll-off faithfully reproduced.

    The same painterly transition from sharp to soft that defined Aliens and Her

  3. Full Frame coverage where original K35s were Super 35 only.

    K35 character on Alexa LF, Venice, and RAPTOR

  4. Consistent Canon skin tones, warm colour science, and the signature purple-orange K35 flare palette

  5. Modern CN-E build quality: dust and water resistant, temperature-stable focus marks, 114mm matched fronts

Technical

Full specifications

Mount
PL (interchangeable to EF)*
Front Diameter
114mm across the set, verified on the shelf. 105mm filter thread on every lens except the 14mm
Image Circle
45.7mm / 45.9mm / 46.4mm / 48.6mm / 54.7mm / 50.7mm on the 20, 24, 35, 50, 85 and 135mm. The 14mm is 41.7mm: it covers Full Frame, and vignettes very slightly on ALEXA Mini LF open gate
Focus Throw
300° (stepless, both directions marked)
Iris
11-blade: round, consistent bokeh at all stops
Gear Pitch
0.8 module (focus, iris, and zoom rings)*
Barrel Length
~111mm (consistent across 20–85mm; 14mm and 135mm differ)
Metadata
EF mount: Canon electronic lens data · PL mount: manual

Some figures here are marked *. Our sources disagree on those, so we're checking them against the lenses themselves. Ask us and we'll measure it for you.

Heritage

  1. Origin

    The V-35 Project was born from a collaboration between Domenic Barbero (Northwest Camera Co.) and Duclos Lenses in Los Angeles, with initial conversions shipping from January 2022. The concept: since Canon’s CN-E primes share optical DNA with the aspherical FD and K35 lenses of the 1970s–80s, carefully modifying the internal elements and coatings could recreate the K35 aesthetic in a modern, reliable package. Canon K35s won a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award in 1977 and shot classics including Aliens, American Hustle, and Her, but original sets now cost as much as a luxury car. The V35 makes that look accessible. Limited to 50 sets worldwide. The project has since expanded (now developed with The Keep Camera) to tune other lens families (Sigma, Zeiss CP.3, DZO, NiSi Athena, Viltrox EPIC, Tokina, and more) with various vintage emulations.

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