Duclos Lenses were showing a variety of their beautifully manufactured lens accessories at Cine Gear this year, including PL-mount tele extenders, PL macro tubes and a Zeiss Otus cine mod that makes it more friendly for use when recording moving pictures.
1.4x PL-Mount tele extender
Matthew Duclos describes it as an old concept but a new product: a 1.4x tele extender for PL-mount lenses. What’s particularly interesting about this extender though is that it has adjustable back focus. Ordinarily you might use shims to adjust back focus when using an extender, although that means you’ll end up needing an extender for each lens you want to extend (unless you really like the process of shimming lenses, I guess).
Duclos claims that you’ll retain 95% of the image quality when using the extender, and that if it physically fits on your PL-mount lens, it will do the job it’s supposed to do. If you can afford the $5,000 US asking price, you might possibly even save yourself some money if you can replace several other extenders. Well, it’s possible.
PL-mount macro extension tubes
Duclos see these as a ‘why not’ accessory to have in your bag just in case: macro extension tubes for PL-mount lenses, available in 15, 20 and 35mm lengths. When you attach them you’ll lose infinity focus on your lens but you’ll be able to focus much closer for ‘awesome’ macro shots. Neatly, the adapters are stackable too, so you can get even closer by adding them all together (plus they’ll pack away neatly in your bag…). The PL-mount macro tubes are manufactured from stainless steel and retail for $295 US each.
Zeiss Otus cine mod
Erik calls Duclos the ‘Lens mod kings’ and here they are adapting the Zeiss Otus stills lens for easier use on cameras like the RED Weapon 8K Vista Vision. Duclos add a 114mm front to the lens bayonet and a focus gear with integrated engraved focus scale. Together these will allow you to attach accessories like matte boxes and filters, and make it much easier to use with follow focus units.
The front ring is shipping now and the focus ring is just emerging from field tests. You can either buy the lens pre-modded or send your copy to Duclos to have it changed for you. Exact prices haven’t been fixed yet but you can expect to pay $400-500 for a complete, fitted, kit.
Shot and Edited by Scott Karlins
