Many of you may remember a little site that I began several years ago called LensRescue.com. It’s goal was to be a marketplace for high-end motion picture lenses. But with the growth of Duclos Lenses and the birth of my first daughter, I simply didn’t have the attention or the resources to dedicate to the site and it faded away. Fast-forward several years and I’m thrilled to bring my newest venture to life; LensFinder.com Continue reading LensFinder.com Launches Online Marketplace for Vintage and Pre-Owned Lenses
Author: Matthew Duclos
A connoisseur of fine motion picture lenses, Matthew has spent over half his life servicing, refining, selling, manufacturing, and collecting cinema lenses from around the world. Chief Operating Officer of Duclos Lenses and Founder of TheCineLens.com, Matthew has been contributing to the motion picture industry for over 15 years, and to this site for over 5 years.
The Ultimate Anamorphic Lens Test
Yep. We did it again. Last year the folks at ShareGrid, Old Fast Glass, a brilliant, talented crew, and myself came together to test a wide variety of vintage lenses to give the cinematography world a sort of sampling, flight, if you will, of the various vintage lenses and what sort of characteristics you can expect with when using them. It’s been shared thousands of times and utilized in who knows how many pre-production meetings to determine the visual aesthetics as it pertains to lenses for a specific project.
So what’s next… ANAMORPHIC! The subject that baffles so many with a shroud of mystery. Optics designed to provide a wider field of view when bound by a specific format, fashioned by unsung geniuses from around the world – some a shining beacon of optical engineering superiority, and others a trophy of intentional flaw for the sake of introducing artifacts and characteristics that, to the average viewer, carries a subconscious nostalgia, lending honesty and legitimacy. But most importantly… They’re beautiful! Continue reading The Ultimate Anamorphic Lens Test
Duclos Lens Lab: Zeiss CP.3 eXtended Data Workflow Recap
Duclos Lenses hosted another Duclos Lens Lab at RED Studios Hollywood several weeks ago. This time we focused on Zeiss’ new CP.3 line and the workflow associated with the eXtended Data features, exclusive to the CP.3 XD primes. Continue reading Duclos Lens Lab: Zeiss CP.3 eXtended Data Workflow Recap
The Missing Milvus Link: 35mm f/1.4
Zeiss launched their Milvus line back in September of 2015 and has continued to add focal lengths over the past two years including the still-new 15mm, 18mm, and 135mm. Originally, the Milvus line was Zeiss’ answer to the long-in-the-tooth Classic line of primes which desperately needed an optical design overhaul. The initial line of Milvus primes included a brand new, fast 50mm and 85mm, but lacked a fan favorite; 35mm f/1.4. Until now… Continue reading The Missing Milvus Link: 35mm f/1.4
Leica R Primes Done Right by Cinescope and TLS.
Since the DSLR Revolution the Leica R primes have been the pinnacle of quality hybrid photo-cine prime lenses. Duclos Lenses has applied their Cine-Mod® to thousands of Leica R primes which brought a seamless focus gear, smooth click-less aperture, common 80mm front rings and Canon EF mount. But we had never tackled the PL mount solution. There were a couple of Chinese modifications that brought PL mounts and larger, heavier housings to the R series. But it wasn’t until Cinescope teamed up with TLS in the UK to bring a proper, robust cine-style housing to the Leica R primes. Continue reading Leica R Primes Done Right by Cinescope and TLS.
The Pacific Northwest Lens Summit
That’s right. It’s a lens test. I’ll be joining host Michael Koerner at his facility Koerner Camera Systems in Portland Oregon in just a few weeks. The perfect bridge between NAB and Cine Gear – Koerner will be hosting a range of manufacturers to showcase their latest gear. Less of a shootout and more of a hands-on event, we’ll be pairing up cameras and lenses and giving each a go to see what works best in different situations.
We’ll have lenses and reps from the following:
- Angenieux
- Arri
- Canon
- Cooke
- Fujinon
- IB/E
- Leica
- Lomo Illumina
- PS Technik
- Raptor
- Sigma
- Tokina
- Zeiss
So how about it? Join us! No need to RSVP. You can find the event details over on Koerner’s facebook page. Looks like it’s going to be a good time. Come hang out. Drink. Eat. Mingle. I’ll have some swag on hand to give away. If you’re a lens geek like me and Michael Koerner, you’ll be in good company.
Goodbye CP.2 – Hello CP.3!
Zeiss pulled the veil of their long anticipated update to the Compact Prime line which will officially be called the CP.3 and CP.3 xD. The new line will consist of FF35 primes ranging from 15mm to 135mm in a lightweight, compact cinema housing. The new lenses will feature high performance optics at affordable prices with a couple of features not yet seen in the Sub-$5K market. Let’s take a look at the details of Zeiss’ new cinema primes.
A Closer Look at Rokinon’s New ‘Special Performance’ Line of Primes
I know… Another Rokinon post. What can I say? They’re in high gear and don’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. Samyang, the magicians behind the Rokinon line of photo and cinema lenses have another new line of primes. Several months ago they announced their native E-mount auto-focus lenses which I completely ignored since they don’t really interest me (google it if auto-focus E-mount primes interest you), but Rokinon has just begun shipping two primes in a new line they’re calling “Speical Performance” or “SP” for short. Currently, these two lenses consist of a 14mm f/2.4 and an 85mm f/1.2. I spent a few weeks with the new 85mm so let’s give that a closer look Continue reading A Closer Look at Rokinon’s New ‘Special Performance’ Line of Primes
Sigma Fills Out Nicely with 14mm and 135mm Cine Primes
Sigma has just announced the development of a 14mm T2 and 135mm T2 prime lens. Based on the Sigma ART line of optics, these two new primes will join the already impressive 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm . This news comes as no surprise to anyone who follows Sigma. The photo version of these lenses which were released earlier this year, seem like they were designed specifically to join the Sigma Cine family. They’re a welcome addition and render the Sigma Cine Primes a powerful option for cinematographers. Continue reading Sigma Fills Out Nicely with 14mm and 135mm Cine Primes
Canon Expands Compact-Servo Line with 70-200mm Tele-Zoom
A favorite focal length of still photographers, and naturally of hybrid cinematographers bridging the gap between the worlds of still photography and motion picture, the new 70-200mm Compact-Servo is sure to be an ideal choice for the ultra-light documentary shooter. Canon’s 18-80mm Compact-Servo was announced about the same time last year, just ahead of NAB 2016. If you’re unfamiliar with the Compact-Servo line, imagine all the camera operators in the world using Canon’s L series still lenses. Now imagine half of them called Canon and complained that their L series lens doesn’t hold focus through the zoom and it doesn’t have integrated gears, and the focus isn’t reliable or repeatable… Then imagine Canon going to their engineers and explaining this – and that’s where we get the Compact-Servo zooms. Continue reading Canon Expands Compact-Servo Line with 70-200mm Tele-Zoom
Angenieux Adds 48-130mm to Optimo Style Line
Ahead of NAB 2017, Angenieux has announced another addition to the Optimo Style line of zooms – a 48-130mm T3. The 48-130mm features a 2.7x zoom range along with the other lightweight Optimo Style zooms, the 16-40mm and 30-76mm. It weighs 4.3 lbs and Angenieux states it is idea for hand held, steadicam and drones productions. Continue reading Angenieux Adds 48-130mm to Optimo Style Line
S7/i Full Frame Plus: Cooke’s Answer to Vista Vision
It’s no surprise that Cooke is joining the Full Frame revolution. They’ve cornered the market on stylized, romantic cinema glass and now they’re taking aim at the Vista Vision crowd to ensure the Cooke Look is carried over to just about any format out there. The new S7/i primes will cover an image circle up to 46.31mm which is slightly larger than standard Full Frame (hence the “PLUS” in the product name). Just ahead of NAB 2017, let’s take a look at the next big addition to the Vista Vision lens market from Cooke. Continue reading S7/i Full Frame Plus: Cooke’s Answer to Vista Vision
Fuji X-Mount for Veydra Mini Primes Coming Soon
The increasing popularity of Fujifilm’s cameras for quick, nimble motion picture work has begun another trend in the mirrorless realm – using legacy legacy lenses for cinematic work. Similar to the popularity of the Sony E-mount ecosystem, the X-mount features a similar shallow flange depth that makes adapting older SLR lenses a breeze with a plethora of cheap, accessible adapters. But what if you wanted an affordable, purpose built cinema lens for the X-mount system without using cheap, flimsy adapters? Continue reading Fuji X-Mount for Veydra Mini Primes Coming Soon
Top 25 Lens Lovers of Instagram
Instagram has spread through the film industry faster than Benedict Cumberbatch – and it’s a great fit. It allows Behind the Scenes photos to be shared instantly across the globe providing a glimpse into the people, tools, and techniques that go into making our favorite creative projects come to life. Naturally, we curated a list of our favorite lens-centric Instagrammers. Check out our list and the descriptions, follow, share, and enjoy! Continue reading Top 25 Lens Lovers of Instagram
Leica Announces New Thalia Line Ahead of NAB
Here’s something a bit different from everyone’s favorite German lens manufacturer – Leica’s new Thalia prime lenses which tout a massive 60mm image circle. More than enough to cover any current digital cinema sensors. The new Thalia line takes aim at cinematographers looking for a more character-rich image. Continue reading Leica Announces New Thalia Line Ahead of NAB
