a blog by Matthew Duclos
product reviews from a technical and practical point of view
Rokinon posted a not-so-subtle hint at their upcoming Xeen product line to their Facebook page earlier today. The photo shows a Xeen branded pirate ship blasting a Zeiss CP.2 and Canon CN-E out of the water. Not much mincing of words there. Continue reading “Rokinon Takes Aim with New Xeen Cinema Prime Lenses”
Back in 2009 we began shipping our Tokina 11-16mm cine conversion. We honestly had no idea it would be so successful. About a week after we initially started shipping our 11-16mm lens, customers began asking what our next project was. You see… We don’t just convert any lens. We look for something different – something unique. At the time we released our 11-16mm lens, there really wasn’t anything else in the same category. There were a few high-end options that were 6x – 8x the price of our lens or some vintage lenses that simply didn’t perform very well when compared to the 11-16mm. These days you can find the 11-16mm with cinema features from any number of companies including lens shops in Germany, China, and even from Tokina themselves. I can confidently say that our cinema conversion is still the best option out there by a large margin. So – the next project… Continue reading “Leica 70-180mm Cinema Conversion from Duclos Lenses”
Rental houses have been the backbone of motion picture acquisition equipment for decades. They paved the way for professionals to get their hands on the gear they needed. The way I see it, there are a few different types: the seasoned professionals who demand nothing but Panavision gear for their projects. That’s fine… Panavision works very hard to meet the needs of their clientele and they deserve the reputation they’ve earned. Then there’s the other working pros who enjoy a slightly more progressive approach with more options. They’ll turn to popular rental houses such as Clairmont Camera, Otto Nemenz, Keslow Camera, The Camera House, and dozens more. The rental house environment has undeniable advantages for working professionals. The gear is properly maintained by qualified technicians, the prep space is an absolute dream at most rental houses, and the overall experience can make your entire production run more efficiently with a good rental house. But what if you’re looking for something a bit more budget friendly? Continue reading “ShareGrid – A New Approach To Equipment Rental”
Canon announced their CN-E Primes back in 2011 with only a 24, 50, and 85mm. They quickly added the 14, 35, and 135mm to the line-up providing cinematographers an set of six lenses from 14 through 135mm. The lenses are plenty sharp and built rather well. Duclos Lenses saw the potential of these primes and took action. In this post, we’re going to dive into what makes the Canon CN-E Primes such great lenses and why Duclos Lenses chose these particular lenses for modification to PL mount. Continue reading “Canon CN-E Primes – An In-Depth Look”
Until now, shooting cinema on a Micro 4/3 camera meant you were using still photo lenses or lenses that were adapted or modified for motion picture use. The new Veydra Mini Primes are the first lenses to be built from the ground up as motion picture cinema lenses specifically for the Micro 4/3 platform. Considering the super shallow flange depth and tiny sensor size of Micro 4/3, the options for adapting lenses is almost limitless. But what if you’re using a Blackmagic or Panasonic GH4 in a professional environment and don’t have time to fiddle with adapters or down-time for vintage lens repair? The Veydra Mini Primes seem to be filling a gap that no one else has with a purpose built Micro 4/3 cinema lens. Continue reading “Veydra, First To Offer M4/3 Cinema Primes”
Micro 4/3 shooters are a great bunch. They realize the value of a lightweight, portable rig while still demanding 4K recording with image quality that rivals much more expensive rigs. The list of viable Micro 4/3 cinema cameras continues to grow and show son sign of slowing down. One of the only drawbacks to shooting Micro 4/3 has been the crop factor when compared to Super 35 format. Micro 4/3 requires wider lenses to achieve a field of view similar to that of a Super 35 format sensor, therefor increasing the depth of field of a given shot. For example, if you wanted to shoot a scene with a 50mm lens on Super 35 format, but with Micro 4/3, you would need to jump to a 25mm lens. This wider focal length is going to increase your depth of field and give you less bokeh. Most shooters struggle to compensate for this by using faster lenses. Continue reading “Planet5D Takes a Closer Look at Voigtlander Noktons”
Rokinon just released their new Cine-DS line of cinema prime lenses with color matched optics and uniform focus and iris gears – but what’s the difference between these new lenses and the older lenses in the lineup and which ones will work well for you? Wether you’re just getting into cinematography or you’re tired of wrestling with your L Series or or crummy kit lens, there’s a better solution available. In this post we’ll take a look at the new DS line of lenses from Rokinon and how they’ll work with a range of different cameras. Continue reading “Are Rokinon Primes Right For You?”
As expected, Zeiss is following up their very well received 55mm f/1.4 Otus lens with a much anticipated 85mm f/1.4. The new Otus continues with Zeiss’ quest for absolute, superior optical performance with a price tag to reflect. In this article, I’ll go over some of the features of the new 85mm Otus and who this lens is designed for, providing some sample photos (that hardly do the lens justice). Read on for all the crisp, drool inducing details. Continue reading “Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Otus Reviewed”
Duclos Lenses has spent a few years designing and refining their very own Autocollimator Bench for measuring and adjusting back focus of precision cinema optics. Here’s a bit from their press release. Continue reading “The New Duclos Autocollimator Bench”
Fujinon started a trend when they took their professional mid-range cinema zooms and slapped on a servo unit borrowed from their Broadcast Division. The result was the very successful 19-90mm Cabrio zoom, followed shortly by the 85-300mm Cabrio and just recently the 14-35mm Cabrio. During NAB 2014, or as I call it, Spring Christmas, Angenieux, Canon, and Zeiss all announced lenses with servo units in various practical applications. Credit where credit is due, Fujinon started it… Continue reading “2014, Year of the Servo Lenses”
Canon has announced their new 17-120mm T2.95 Cinema Zoom Lens. Usually we have to wait until at least the first or second day of NAB for major new gear announcements. Canon was kind of enough to provide their big news a week ahead of the big show. Canon announced their original Cinema EOS lenses back at NAB 2011 and were ready to ship in 2012. So far the feedback on the Canon cinema lenses, both zoom and primes, has been a bit slow to gaining traction, but they’re running at full steam now and there’s a lot of ground to cover. Continue reading “Canon Announces 17-120mm Cine Zoom Ahead of NAB”
I get asked about shipping products to Australia quite often to which I usually have to respond based on the rules set fourth by a particular manufacturer. Most lens manufacturers have obligations to their dealers to provide a fair market price and service. This means that dealers are equally obligated to obey the rules set by such manufactures in order to respect fellow distributors. Obviously this doesn’t always happen – sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. Duclos Lenses always does their best to accommodate international customers but sometimes the rules set fourth by manufacturers are simply prohibitive. One alternative for most regional restrictions is to simply purchase your gear locally, supporting your regional market, and sending equipment to Duclos Lenses for modifications such as the Cine-Mod or the Multi-Mount. Continue reading “Canon Compact Zoom Multi-Mount Down Under”
The Summicron-C prime lenses from Leica were introduced at NAB 2013. With 2014 right around the corner, Leica is gearing up to deliver their new Summicron-C primes very soon. But how has Leica gone about producing these new lenses in a way that benefits the Leica brand as well as the cinematographer considering them as a prime lens option? There are plenty of questions that this new set of prime lens demands answers to. We’ll take a look at their performance specs, and image characteristics here. Continue reading “Leica’s Summicron-C Primes Are Coming!”
Tired of guessing which lenses will and won’t cover a specific sensor? Stress no more, I’ve revised the Image Circle Database that so many of you have been asking for. It’s an ongoing project that I update periodically as lenses come through the shop (there’s a lot of them). With the rate that manufacturers are designing and releasing new lenses, this database will be updated as a downloadable PDF often. If there is a specific lens you would like researched for image circle, please list it below in the comments. The Database is going to stick to primarily cinema lenses or at least those used for cinema often. Check out the details below. Continue reading “The Image Circle Database Is Back!”
Erik Naso did a nice write-up and video on the Canon CN-E prime lenses that includes a lot of facts and some useful opinions. I agree with pretty much everything he has to say about the Canon CN-E primes so check out his perspective. If this video doesn’t convince you that the Canon cinema primes are a great option, swing by Duclos Lenses to try them for yourself.