Conversion of still or vintage lenses into cinema housings with standardized gear rings, front diameter, and focus throw for professional film production compatibility.
In lens rehousing, the optics of a lens — often a vintage glass or a photo lens with a special character — are transferred into a new, cinema-ready housing. The result: the optical look is preserved, but the lens gains standardized focus gears for follow focus, a uniform front diameter for matte boxes and filters, and a longer focus throw for precise work.
Why Rehousing?
Vintage lenses often have a unique optical character — focus fall-off, bokeh, flare behavior — that modern cinema lenses cannot replicate. However, their original housings are built for still photography: short focus throw, no focus gears, varying front diameters. On set, this is a nightmare for the 1st AC. Rehousing solves this problem.
The Process
Specialized companies like Old Fast Glass, IronGlass, or GL Optics disassemble the original, measure the optics, and construct a new housing — often CNC-milled from aluminum. Critical: the optical axis must be maintained precisely. A millimeter of misalignment ruins image quality.
Practical Tips
- Budget: Rehousing typically costs €800-€3,000 per lens — cheaper than a new cinema set, but not inexpensive.
- Not every lens is worth it: The optical character must be unique enough to justify the effort.
- Always ask the rehousing company for reference footage — reputable companies will show before/after examples.