Hey everyone,
I know a lot of you guys really like the idea of Cine-Mods, especially Duclos's and RPLens's mods. However, these ended up looking like 250+ for me for each lens. I figured there has to be a chapter solution! NOTE: The guys I mentioned above are great, especially Duclos (I've used a Duclos moded lens before). They're perfect one-stop shops. However, if you're willing to put a little more time into it, I came up with this cine-mod. This was the pricing for my Contax Zeiss 50mm f/1.7. This one's geared more toward LA shooters but Walter's may be able to service lenses shipped. Ask him, I don't know myself. I always walk in:
1. We need a Matte-Box/77mm thread right? ($44)
http://www.cordvision.com/cine-ring-with-cap-combo/
Great quality and very functional. It's great because you can throw in a nice soft cap (Arriflex style) on top. You can bring your own 77mm caps to save a little more money.
2. We need a nice De-Clicked aperture yeah? Let's throw in a redampened focus ring and some internal dust cleaning. ($75)
http://www.walterscamerarepairs.com/
This is a great little shop near Chinatown. I asked him to stiffen and re-dampen my focus ring on my Contax, de-click the aperture with dampening, and remove all the dust from the internal elements. This is a great deal because for the price of just the De-Clicking elsewhere, you get a complete lens service. Boom! The work is great and his address is saved for work on all my lenses. Obviously, the price here is subject to the lens at hand.
3. We need a nice 360 Degree focus ring? ($79)
http://www.jbkcinequipt.com/product21.htm
Here's a nice focus ring made out of aluminum that's really high quality. Just get the diameters and you're set. For additional savings, go with a Zip tie instead.
http://wideopencamera.com/cheap-lens-gears/ ($20)
Haven't used it myself but it sounds like a good product from what I've read.
So for either $198 with a custom lens gear or $139 for a Zip Tie lens gear, you basically get a completely new, overhauled, cinema ready lens. My 50mm 1.7 is now ready for anything I throw at it for $400. And that $400 lens is basically brand new with cleaned internals, dampened everything, and compatible with all my stuff (Filters, etc.).
Moral of the story: You don't have to spend too much for some cinema ready lenses. If you put the work in, you can get some awesome stuff.
I know a lot of you guys really like the idea of Cine-Mods, especially Duclos's and RPLens's mods. However, these ended up looking like 250+ for me for each lens. I figured there has to be a chapter solution! NOTE: The guys I mentioned above are great, especially Duclos (I've used a Duclos moded lens before). They're perfect one-stop shops. However, if you're willing to put a little more time into it, I came up with this cine-mod. This was the pricing for my Contax Zeiss 50mm f/1.7. This one's geared more toward LA shooters but Walter's may be able to service lenses shipped. Ask him, I don't know myself. I always walk in:
1. We need a Matte-Box/77mm thread right? ($44)
http://www.cordvision.com/cine-ring-with-cap-combo/
Great quality and very functional. It's great because you can throw in a nice soft cap (Arriflex style) on top. You can bring your own 77mm caps to save a little more money.
2. We need a nice De-Clicked aperture yeah? Let's throw in a redampened focus ring and some internal dust cleaning. ($75)
http://www.walterscamerarepairs.com/
This is a great little shop near Chinatown. I asked him to stiffen and re-dampen my focus ring on my Contax, de-click the aperture with dampening, and remove all the dust from the internal elements. This is a great deal because for the price of just the De-Clicking elsewhere, you get a complete lens service. Boom! The work is great and his address is saved for work on all my lenses. Obviously, the price here is subject to the lens at hand.
3. We need a nice 360 Degree focus ring? ($79)
http://www.jbkcinequipt.com/product21.htm
Here's a nice focus ring made out of aluminum that's really high quality. Just get the diameters and you're set. For additional savings, go with a Zip tie instead.
http://wideopencamera.com/cheap-lens-gears/ ($20)
Haven't used it myself but it sounds like a good product from what I've read.
So for either $198 with a custom lens gear or $139 for a Zip Tie lens gear, you basically get a completely new, overhauled, cinema ready lens. My 50mm 1.7 is now ready for anything I throw at it for $400. And that $400 lens is basically brand new with cleaned internals, dampened everything, and compatible with all my stuff (Filters, etc.).
Moral of the story: You don't have to spend too much for some cinema ready lenses. If you put the work in, you can get some awesome stuff.
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