de-click – The Cine Lens

Individual Grease Packs for DIY Iris De-Clicking

March 31, 2018March 31, 2018by Matthew Duclos2 Comments

With the ever growing popularity of new and vintage photography SLR lenses being used for cinematic projects, the Cine-Mod®, popularized by Duclos Lenses back in the turn of the millennium, has become increasingly attractive to DIY users. Duclos Lenses recognized this trend and decided to bring a new product to market – Individual Grease Packs that can be used on an as-needed basis, at a fraction of the cost of more expensive German or Japanese greases. Designated: Dratsum 35, the new lubricant is the perfect material to give your project that cinematic feel it was missing. Continue reading “Individual Grease Packs for DIY Iris De-Clicking” →

Review, Snaps

Zeiss 85mm Plays Nice With Sony FS100

October 3, 2011October 3, 2011by Matthew Duclos9 Comments

A perfect example of the versatility of the Zeiss ZF.2 series. This 85mm f1/.4 comes in a Nikon mount from the factory. With a few upgrades and modifications, it’s perfectly suited for motion picture use. I performed the standard three part Cine-Mod which includes an 80mm front ring (77mm filter thread), 32-pich (0.8 module) seamless focus gear, and of course the de-clicked, dampened aperture ring. In addition to the standard Cine-Mod, I also added one of our semi-permanent Canon Eos mounts. This mount conversion physically attaches to the body of the lens and essentially takes the place of the original Nikon mount, effectively making the Zeiss ZF.2 a native Canon Eos mount lens. An excellent mount modification for use on a 5D or 7D. I just happened to have received a Canon Eos mount for my FS100 that I thought I would try out with this lens and it worked great. There is a little bit of play between the mounts, but no more motion than I would expect from a Canon lens attached to a Canon camera. The focus and aperture movement on this lens are like soft butter, creamy smooth. With a Super 35mm sized sensor on the FS100, the bokeh from this f/1.4 85mm is simply dreamy. I love it! I’ll be shooting some test footage in the near future with a few different lens makes and models. I just need to find an interesting topic and create some decent content. I’m tired of test charts… 😉

Tutorial

Lens Mod FAQ

November 3, 2010June 17, 2020by Matthew Duclos17 Comments

I receive dozens of emails everyday and I want to respond to them all but sometimes it just isn’t possible. I’m not a trade secret kind of guy. I like to spread knowledge and educate as many people as I can. So here is a quick little FAQ in regards to lens modification and a few other common questions I am asked… Frequently.

EDIT: THIS POST IS OUTDATED AND MAY NO LONGER BE ACCURATE. PLEASE CONTACT DUCLOS LENSES FOR CURRENT INFO

1) What lenses work well for motion picture?

2) I have a bunch of still lenses. Can they be converted to work for cinema?

3) What is a Cine-Mod?

4) Can my lens be Cine-Modded?

5) What lenses are well suited for a Cine-Mod?

6) Can the mount on my lens be changed?

7) I have Nikon lenses. Can the focus be reversed?

8] The focus throw of my still lenses is short, can it be expanded?

9) Can lens breathing be corrected?

10) Can my lens be re-housed for cinema use? What is the cost?

11) Can my lens be converted to PL mount?

Continue reading “Lens Mod FAQ” →