Video: Two clever DIY methods to make your own ‘Deakinizer’ lenses: Digital photography review

Cinematographer Roger Deakin, a member of British Association of Cinematographers and to Association of Cinematographers of America, known for her work on films such as A beautiful mind, Hey bro, is this Art Thou?, The Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, Skyfall, Sicario and many others. While his on-screen contributions are for which he is best known to the general public, Deakins is also known in the film world as the creator of what is colloquially known as the Deakinizer lens. . In the video above, Youtuber Chung Dha shares how he created a DIY Deakinizer lens using two different methods.

Screenshot from a scene from the movie The Assassination of Jesse James by Coward Robert Ford, taken with a Deakinizer lens.

For those unfamiliar with ‘Deakinizer’ lenses, that is the name given to a modified lens that Deakins specially created for filming in 2007. The Assassination of Jesse James by Coward Robert Ford. This specialized lens is used to evoke an antique feel to the footage and to give the footage a dreamy, tilt-shift-like effect. In an interview with the Association of Cinematographers of America, Deakins explain how the modified lens works and how it came to be:

‘[The unique look’ was done entirely in camera with lenses that are now called ‘Deakinizers.’ I used to use this gag where I put a small lens element in front of a 50mm to get a similar effect. I went to [camera department] Otto Nemenz and asked how we could create that effect in a better way, with more flexibility and lens length. The lens technician suggested removing the front element from the Kinoptic 9.8 and also fitting the glass from old wide-angle lenses onto the front of some Macro cameras. […] Removing the front element makes the lens faster, and it also gives you great vignetting and slight color diffraction around the edges. We used different lenses, so some lenses have slightly longer or longer auroras than others. Sometimes we used [Kardan] Shift & Tilt the lens to get the same effect. ‘

According to Deakins, Otto Nemenz rents out three of these lenses, but they can’t be found on the company’s website, and even if they do, it’s unlikely they’ll be cheap to get your hands on. Therefore, the second best option is to create your own.

So that’s exactly what YouTuber Chung Dha did in the video above, where he showcases two different ways you can get the same dreamy effect using in-camera methods – maybe create the same effect in post-production, but the physical route creates a more realistic Deakinizer look.

The first method is less than ideal, but will get the job done for less money.

The first method is achieved by using a wide angle lens adapter. Instead of screwing it onto the front of the lens, as you usually do, you flip it around and hold it with the front element of the adapter facing the front element of the lens. While more convenient than the second option, it also has its limitations, as not all adapters provide a one-size-fits-all look and feel for all lenses and side filter thread sizes. before can be difficult to put together and match.

This is how the modified Mir lens looks when attached to the tilt adapter and lens mount.

The second method is more expensive, but provides a more consistent and convenient experience. The first thing you need is Mir 1B 37mm F2.8 . Lens that was modified by inverting the front element. While this may sound daunting, self-proclaimed exotic lens expert Mathieu Stern has created a 90 second video show you how to do this in minutes. In addition to the modified lens, you’ll also need a tilt adapter to put it in, as well as a mount adapter if your tilt adapter isn’t meant for your camera’s lens mount. In total, you should be able to get the setup for $120 or so, a little give or take.

It might not be a style you’ll want to use constantly, as it can get a bit nauseous, but as Dha notes, it’s a great trick for scenes where the subject might be dreaming, drunk. alcohol or disorientation.