True Lens Services has now added a Zeiss Super 16 rehousing to its precision rehousing range, taking the original Super Speed optics and placing them in new TLS housings built for modern cinema production. The set comprises five lenses, 9.5mm to 50mm, all at a consistent T1.3. This is a rehousing service, not a sale of complete lenses: the customer supplies their own Zeiss Super Speeds, and TLS rehouses them.
The Lenses
The set is built around the Zeiss Super Speeds, a family I know well from the bench. They are recognised for their distinctive optical character and their speed, and TLS says the rehousing preserves the character of the original optics while the mechanical design has been enhanced to improve functionality and reliability.
The original Super Speeds were built for 16mm film cameras, with the small barrels, short focus travel, and bayonet mounts of their era. A modern production expects PL mounts, standardised fronts, consistent gear positions, and mechanics that hold up across a long shoot. What TLS is offering is the optics of the original set with the handling of a current cinema prime.
The five focal lengths are 9.5mm, 12mm, 16mm, 25mm, and 50mm. Every lens in the set is T1.3, which keeps exposure consistent across the range and gives the set its low light capability. All five share a 95mm front diameter, and all five are PL mount.
The Rehousing
I have worked on a wide range of TLS rehoused lenses over the years, and Duclos Lenses is an authorized service facility for TLS lenses. I am proud of that ongoing cooperation, and it means I know what TLS build quality looks like up close. TLS describes its rehousing process as going beyond the exterior: the mechanical design is enhanced while the character of the original Zeiss optics is preserved, and the set is presented as a cohesive one rather than five individual conversions.
A 95mm front across the range means one matte box configuration for the whole set, and T1.3 across the range means no exposure compensation when changing focal lengths. The lenses are compact and light for cinema primes, at roughly 1.0 to 1.2 kilograms each, with lengths from 63mm to 80mm measured from the flange to the front of the lens.
Focus rotation is around 300 degrees, a long throw for a set this compact, and it gives a focus puller room to work with. The iris is the customer’s choice: keep the original iris, or have TLS fit a 16-blade circular iris for £195 per lens. The original iris is a triangular or hexagonal design, and the circular replacement produces rounded bokeh and smoother out-of-focus highlights when stopped down. I love that TLS gives users the choice. I would never claim one option is better than the other. That comes down to artistic preference, and more options is always better.
TLS also says the new mechanics are designed to reduce image shift and eliminate the binding issues associated with the original mechanisms. Close-focus capability is enhanced across the range, with the 50mm benefiting from an improved minimum focus distance. Gear positions are standardised across the set, the 95mm front is fixed and non-telescoping, and the housings are lightweight, which keeps the set compact and compatible with matte boxes.
These are Super 16 lenses. At close focus and T1.3, the image circle runs from 16mm on the 9.5mm to 35mm on the 50mm, so they cover Super 16 cameras and digital sensors in their Super 16 crop modes, not full frame.
A Format With a Second Life
There is definitely a resurgence of 16mm film. At Cannes this year, twenty productions shot on Kodak film screened at the festival, and eight of them were shot on 16mm. Oliver Laxe’s Sirāt, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2025 and is nominated for Best International Film at the 2026 Oscars, was shot on Super 16mm by Mauro Herce. Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl was shot on 16mm by Autumn Durald Arkapaw, in widescreen 2.39:1. Theja Rio’s Angh, filmed entirely on 16mm, won the Platform Prize at Toronto this year.
The format has a long history in documentary, music video, and independent features, and it has found a second life on digital cameras that offer a Super 16 crop, where the smaller image circle of a vintage lens becomes an asset rather than a limitation. A fast, compact prime set with a consistent look across five focal lengths fits that use well.
The Super Speeds are a known quantity to me. I know the look: fast, with the controlled flare and the gentle contrast that made the original lenses a staple on 16mm productions. TLS has not redesigned the optics. The company has made those optics easier to use on a modern set.
Specifications
| Specification | 9.5mm | 12mm | 16mm | 25mm | 50mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | PL | PL | PL | PL | PL |
| T-stop | T1.3 | T1.3 | T1.3 | T1.3 | T1.3 |
| Focus rotation | ~300 deg. | ~300 deg. | ~300 deg. | ~300 deg. | ~300 deg. |
| Min. object distance | 9 in. | 8 in. | 8 in. | 10 in. | 20 in. |
| Image circle, close focus, T1.3 | 16mm | 18mm | 21mm | 22mm | 35mm |
| Image circle, infinity, T1.3 | 16mm | 18mm | 21mm | 22mm | 33mm |
| Front diameter | 95mm | 95mm | 95mm | 95mm | 95mm |
| Total length, flange to front | 76mm | 76mm | 63mm | 63mm | 80mm |
| Weight | 1.22 kg | 1.20 kg | 1.06 kg | 1.02 kg | 1.11 kg |
Pricing and Availability
TLS charges £3,500 per lens for the rehousing, which comes to £17,500 for the full five-lens set. That is the cost of the rehousing work on lenses the customer supplies. The 16-blade circular iris upgrade, where a customer wants it, is a further £195 per lens.
I think £3,500 a lens is a very fair price. TLS has refined their process, and this price reflects that. It is still higher than some of the Asian options, but TLS is known for their quality and durability. This rehousing is for users who already own a set of Zeiss S16 primes and want to breathe some new life into them, or make them more set-friendly in a modern motion picture environment.
The rehousing is available to order now, with a lead time of approximately four to six weeks from the order date, assuming the customer sends their lenses to TLS right away. TLS confirmed these figures directly; the company does not publish a price on its product page, and there is no USD figure, since TLS is a UK-based company. For more information, visit http://www.truelens.co.uk.