a blog by Matthew Duclos
For many years now I have used 1.4x and 2x extenders with my still lenses for both photography and video, and I am familiar with their advantages as well as their shortcomings. Since PL mount lenses have really become my gear of choice lately, I was in the market for a good PL mount 2x extender. I am now the happy owner of the Duclos 2x Extender and I wanted to take a minute to share my first impressions of it. Continue reading “Field Test – Duclos 2x Extender”
Back to the weekly grind. It’s Monday. Let’s get it started right with a bit of light reading. Continue reading “Weekly News Roundup #6”
NAB is officially over and we have a ton of news from throughout the show at the links below. Now back to our regular schedule. Start your monday off with a bit of light reading from TheCineLens.com. Continue reading “Weekly News Roundup #5”
And here we are – our last day on the NAB 2016 show floor. We scoped out all the major lens manufacturers’ new gear, go out hands on some brand new tech and soon-to-be-released models. We spoke with some of our favorite lens makers to see what’s coming down the pipe. Overall, we’re less than enthused… Here’s our closing thoughts on the state of the motion picture lens industry as of NAB 2016. Continue reading “NAB 2016 Recap, Final”
After a grueling first day, staying up until 2am to go through photos and data, sorting out what info is public and what is confidential R&D after meeting with so many of our favorite lens manufacturers, we have day two in the can as well. Here’s some more photos from the show floor and some additional product info based on your comments and tweets. Enjoy! Continue reading “NAB 2016 Recap, Day 2”
NAB has officially begun. It looks like just about every lens manufacturer couldn’t keep it in their pants and dropped their news ahead of the actual show, with a few exceptions. This post is a general roundup up the news announced as of Sunday night before the show. We’ll be posting a daily wrap-up with a ton of photos and additional news from the show floor so be sure to subscribe and check back soon. If there’s anything we missed that you found interesting, send a tweet to @MQDuclos and we’ll make him run across the expo to check it out ;-). Let’s get to it! We’ve broken the product announcements up by manufacturer in alphabetical order. Continue reading “NAB 2016 Preview”
Yet another bombshell has landed in the NAB 2016 battleground. This time, it’s Canon who has struck with a brand new product in a whole new segment, perhaps only tapped otherwise by Sony – The 18-80mm T4.4 Compact Servo Zoom Lens which features a truly hybrid stills/motion design approach with some interesting cross-breed features. Continue reading “Canon’s New 18-80mm T4.4 Compact Servo Zoom”
At this rate, we won’t have any products left to announce during NAB. CW Sonderoptic, Leica’s sister company that manufactures their cine lenses, has announced the addition of two new prime lenses that really round out and fill the gaps in the Summicron-C line of lenses. Taking up the wide end we’ll see a nice, fast, 15mm. And then, to prove that they’re really listening to their customers, the coveted 40mm is added right in the middle of the range. A favorite focal length of many cinematographers that gives just a tad more reach than a 35mm, but doesn’t quite punch in to the tight field you would get with a 50mm. Beautiful! Continue reading “Leica’s Summicron-C Line Grows with 15mm and 40mm”
It’s that time again. Start your Monday with a bit of light reading featuring some news, tips, social media, and buying advice from TheCineLens.com. On to the news! Continue reading “Weekly News Roundup #3”
Yet another must have accessory from Duclos Lenses. The 2X Tele-Extender can give your telephoto lenses even more reach. This all new design from Duclos Lenses features a couple of tricks not found in other extenders such as an adjustable back focus that eliminates the need for laborious shimming. The body is made from anodized aluminum and stainless steel for a most robust design. The glass is extremely high quality; sourced from Japan and aims to exceed even the industry’s most respected brands. Continue reading “Duclos Lenses Announces Brand New 2x Extender”
This website, MatthewDuclos.com, has been a great resource for cinematographers since 2009. Originally started as a personal blog to serve as a dumping ground for answers to common questions, it continuously evolved into much more. The content expanded from simple thoughts on the motion picture lens industry, to in-depth tutorials, to featurettes with some of the industry’s biggest lens manufacturers. In order to continue providing relevant, timely content, we’re making a few changes around here. All for the better! Continue reading “Some Housekeeping”
Not even six months ago, Rokinon announced a new line of cinema prime lenses deemed Xeen. This new prime lens set consisted of a 24mm, 50mm, and 85mm – intended to compete with the likes of Zeiss, Schneider, and Canon in terms of tech specs, features, and image quality. But there was no competition when it came to price. The Xeen primes halved the price of any of the aforementioned brands with little to no compromise elsewhere. Rokinon has filled in the obvious gaps with a 35mm T1.5 and a 14mm T3.1. Continue reading “Rokinon Reveals Two New Xeen Primes”
Back in April, at NAB, Cooke teased us all with a silhouette of a new zoom lens – the first zoom from the manufacturer since the workhorse 18-100mm, or if you recall the 15-40mm CXX from 2004… Then at Cine Gear earlier this year Cooke gave us a few more hints including the fact that the lens will be anamorphic. Continue reading “Cooke Unveils Details of New Anamorphic Zoom”
Duclos Lenses has released a new Macro Extension Tube for PL mount lenses. If you’ve never used an extension tube before, head on over to Cambridge in Colour and soak up some knowledge. Continue reading “PL Macro Extension Tube from Duclos Lenses”
Arri published a new video to their YouTube channel in which Zeiss Service Trainer & Technician goes through the step-by-step process of removing the factory front and rear element and replacing them with the new uncoated flare set. The purpose of the flare set is just that, to increase the flares and imperfections, or “character” of the Arri Master Anamorphics. Continue reading “Arri Shows You How To Install Their Flare Set For Master Anamorphics”