VINTAGE LENSES GEAR
W ith cinema cameras pushing ever higher resolutions and lenses engineered to the point of technical perfection, image capture has never been cleaner, more consistent or more precise. So why do so many cinematographers find themselves hankering after vintage lenses; dusting down decades-old chunks of glass and cajoling them – often via much expense and faff – into use on demanding modern-day productions? The answer, of course, lies in the character and flair (and flare) that these lenses can bring. In an era of ultra-clean images and optically perfect glass, vintage lenses – each with their own unique quirks and idiosyncratic response to light – promise a pleasing unpredictability. Chromatic aberrations, off-beat bokeh, blooms and flares, a softness of texture; all of it combines to bring an instant sense of personality that’s enticing in today’s polished digital age – and difficult to replicate in post. “Many of these optics were calculated and manufactured by hand, long before computers existed,” points out Thanavorakit Kounthawatphinyo, founder and managing director at TK Lenses. “They’re not ‘perfect’ in terms of precision or manufacturing quality, but those very imperfections and production techniques create a unique harmony when paired with modern digital sensors.” He likens the appeal to that of classic cars: “Many of us grew up watching movies shot on film with older lenses, so we naturally try to replicate that look. Ultimately, it remains a niche group of people with a love for the classics, much like classic car collectors who are willing to pay the price for a specific feel.”
The interest in vintage glass is an enduring trend rather than a new craze, but there are microtrends at play too. The Petzval, created by mathematician Joseph Petzval in the 1840s and known for its swirly bokeh and sharp centre, is enjoying a resurgence thanks, in particular, to Robbie Ryan’s cinematography on Poor Things , but also seen in films including Everything Everywhere All At Once , Blonde and The Northman . “It’s very much like a fashionable industry, and sometimes it only needs one big DOP to shoot a certain look or a certain lens, and people will tag on to that for probably two, three years until the next trend comes around,” asserts Stephen Lowe, director of operations at TLS (the company responsible for rehousing Ryan’s glass on that movie). “But there’s always been a steady increase in the amount of interest in vintage lenses overall. So while there have been peaks and troughs of certain
ranges, generally the vintage, more characterful look is in – and has been on the up over the last ten years.” TESTING, TESTING For cinematographer Markus Förderer, the fascination began on the shoot for Hell – a 2011 film set in a post-apocalyptic world where the sun burns so fiercely that daylight has become deadly. “We really overexposed and wanted to create this sensation of a hot, dangerous sun – while shooting in Germany in winter,” he describes. “This opened my eyes to the fact that when you shine a light into a lens to create flare, the light reveals its characteristics.” This sparked an obsession with lenses and their behaviour for Förderer, who went on to create CINEFLARES, a platform allowing users to compare the visual signatures and response to light of a vast range of vintage and modern lenses. “You can search for all kinds of characteristics – say, lenses with an amber flare for a period look, and it’ll give you a list, or you can search by movie name – you could say, ‘show me the lenses that were used to shoot Dune ,’ for example, and then you can select your focal length and T-stop. All of the tests are shot with motion control, and you’re given a side-by-side time- code synced player so you can see just how the lenses react to light when shot under the same conditions.” With 115 lens sets now profiled on the site, CINEFLARES is an amazing resource with the potential to save you hours in prep. By testing lenses under identical
A FLARE FOR THE DRAMATIC Markus Förderer (above) is the founder of CINEFLARES, a platform allowing users to test lens characteristics (far left); TLS specialises in rehousing (left)
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