Simmod Lens launches with new tray-mounted and screw-in Diopter ranges

Diopters are an increasingly important part of the modern cinematographer’s toolkit. They allow any lens to focus closer while maintaining its character and can be particularly useful when shooting close-ups that require a shallow depth of field. Diopters are especially useful with anamorphic lenses, which usually have limited close focus abilities, but can also be used with spherical lenses to great effect.

Front-mounted diopters are a cost-effective way to get close-up shots compared to a dedicated macro lens, and can also be a timesaver on fast-paced shoots by eliminating the need to switch lenses.

With the new Diopters from Simmod Lens, cinematographers now have exciting new options to capture high quality close-up shots with great detail and clarity.

Always leading innovation, Simmod Lens has created a set of high grade diopters that are mounted in a custom aluminum 4 x 5.65 frame for use in popular matte boxes. They allow for incredibly quick changes on-set and unlike others on the market are precisely cut to fit into the frame with the diopter extending to each corner. Rivals install a round diopter into a frame, which adds unwanted weight, bulk and has other potential side-effects.

The Simmod 4 x 5.65 Diopters are available in +0.5, +1.0 and +2.0 strengths; they each have 14 layers of advanced Nano and Anti-reflective coatings on each side. For ease of operation a clever red anodised handle can be mounted on top, or on the side of the tray when using a side-loading matte box.

Designed to be used with industry-standard matte boxes like the ARRI LMB or Bright Tangerine Misfit Kick each diopter will occupy 2 filter slots due to the bulbous nature of the elements. If you have enough slots on your mattebox you can stack Simmod 4 x 5.65 with other filters.

To achieve consistent performance between the differing diopter strengths the +2.0 uses an achromatic design. This maintains quality which would otherwise reduce with the increased glass thickness.

Available now, the +0.5 and +1.0 versions cost $489 US each and the +2.0 is $589 US.

The Simmod Lens 95mm screw-in +0.5, +1 and +2 strength diopters are manufactured to the highest tolerances using premium grade Schott BK7 glass with an index similar to cine lens elements. Each side of the lens is coated with 14 layers of Multi-Resistant Nano Coating (MRC) which in combination with high-grade glass results in a diopter with exceptional performance.

Each diopter is built for professional use with the ring constructed of electroplated brass. This reduces the likelihood of the ring getting jammed onto the lens. Inferior filter rings often use aluminum, which being softer than brass can deform, is more likely to pick up dirt, and can result in galling or binding with the lens thread.

The diopters are 95mm threaded front and back, which allows for the addition of further filters, or stacking for transport. They are easily adapted to smaller thread sizes using step-down rings, or can be mounted to a Simmod Lens’ patented SIMTray Filter Adapter for use in a standard 4 x 5.65 holder or matte box. The SIMTray is made of 4mm thick aluminum and has a 95mm threaded cutout that allows a filter, or in this case a diopter, to be mounted.

This versatility in mounting, combined with relatively light weight, makes the Simmod Lens 95mm Diopters perfectly suited to mid to small sized Cine lenses, as well as the vast majority of photo lenses.

The last impressive feature of the Simmod Lens 95mm Diopters is the price: the +0.5 and +1 cost $149 US and the +2 costs $189 US. See the Simmod Lens website to order.

The thought going into Simmod Lens products doesn’t end there. Whether you go for the 4 x 5.65 tray mount or the 95mm screw-in range, each Simmod diopter comes in a felt case with an velcro-backed aluminum ID tag with the filter value clearly displayed. No longer will the camera assistant have to use gaffer tape or improvise a way to distinguish one diopter from another.