OLD FAST GLASS - Cinema Lens Rentals

Lightweight, compact, mirrorless cinema lenses don’t need to be boring. In fact, they can be exceptional. We were not satisfied with the current lens options for the Ronin 4D, so we are thrilled to introduce 2 lens sets that will give you amazing results in lightweight, compact housings. The new IronGlass AIR primes and Ancient Optics H1 primes deliver. These AIR primes feature genuine Full Frame vintage Soviet lenses. It’s the same great glass that you find in our IronGlass Soviet MKII cinema lenses, but in a smaller lighter package, that is also compatible with the Ronin 4D. Ancient Optics H1 primes are ambitious... They are full frame, high-speed, high-resolving lenses, with gorgeous vintage character, built into an ultra compact housing. And they are also compatible with the Ronin 4D. The lenses weigh about 1 pound each. Robust, light-weight, reliable cine housings, featuring some of the most beautiful optics available….Finally.

We have the first set of 3 IronGlass AIR primes ready for rental. We have the prototype H1 35mm T1.6 for testing and rentals. More focal lengths are on the way…

NEW GEAR! The AIR primes have landed at OFG! The same legendary Soviet Optics in our IronGlass Soviet MKII Primes are now available in all new, smaller, lighter AIR housings. At just over 1 pound, these primes are small and light enough to fly on the Ronin 4D. They have 80mm fronts, internal focus, and contoured focus and iris gears that are great for focus motors, but comfortable enough to pull focus by hand.

We were not satisfied with the current lens options for the 4D, so we are thrilled to be able to offer you more interesting, more beautiful lenses for this camera system. At the heart of the lens set are the legendary MIR-18, 37mm f2.8, Helios 44-2 58mm f2, and Jupiter-9 85mm f2. For decades these lenses have been coveted by still photographers as well as filmmakers. They are sharp on center, with painterly textured bokeh, and big gorgeous lens flares. Now you can take the beauty of these lenses to new places with ultra-light, reliable housings.

The LONG SHOT is now available to rent in the UK exclusively from and along with their inventories of amazing cinema lenses and 16mm camera systems. This is No Drama’s Long Shot pair with an ARRI SR3, testing for an upcoming project. The Long Shot gives you the character, field of view, and depth of field of Full Frame / Vista Vision format, on Super 16mm film. It’s compatible with all 16mm film cameras, and available now to rent. We are building more as we speak, and shipping them to more rental hoses around the world.

(PART 2 of 2) Continued from yesterday’s post… So, why the 48mm? We are obsessed with lenses, and this one is a special one. The Mamiya 48mm is a bit of a “Goldie Locks” lens. It’s got a lot of character, but it’s also not too extreme. We actually have the same Mamiya 48mm rehoused by Zero Optik in PL mount. We wanted to have the Zero Optik 48mm as an alternative to the Type SK 50mm T1.6. But, for the opposite reason as why we offer it in our TLS set. If you are not familiar with the Type SK primes, they are almost entirely based on 1960s Canon Rangefinder lenses. The 50mm is a classic “fast 50.” It’s quite sharp, and honestly probably the cleanest lens in the set. This new 48mm has more bokeh texture, much bigger lens flares and softer corners. For people that are truly lens obsessed, the 48mm is arguably a better fit to the set. The Type SK 25mm, 35mm, 40mm, 85mm have bit more funk and texture than the standard 50mm.

So… if you are planning to use our TLS Canon Rangefinders, and the 50mm T1.1 “Dream Lens” is too extreme, the 48mm T1.7 will be perfect. On the flip side, if you are using the Type SK primes, and you want a 50mm with a bit more character, then the 48mm T1.7 will be perfect. It really is the Goldie Locks lens: not too crazy, not too clean…just right.

Both are available to add to our TLS Canon Rangefinders and Type SK sets. Because we are obsessed. Because we are never satisfied with the status quo. Because we are always trying to find the absolute best, and most beautiful lenses out there.

(Part 1 of 2) - NEW GEAR! Introducing the TLS Rangefinder-X 48mm T1.7. We added this lens to our ever-expanding set of TLS Canon Rangefinder primes. This lens set was in many ways built around the look of the now legendary Canon Rangefinder 50mm f0.95 “Dream Lens.” ...So...if the set has the most legendary and arguably most beautiful 50mm lenses ever built, then why do you need a 48mm? Well, the 50mm f0.95 (T1.1) is gorgeous. But to really capture its true beauty, you need to shoot it wide open. Shooting f0.95, especially on a FF/VV/LF sensor means extremely shallow depth of field, which does not work in all scenarios. Stopping down to a more reasonable stop increases depth of field, but it does take away some of the character and beauty of the lens. This 48mm is a more tame f1.5/T1.7. Wide open this lens has very similar character to the “Dream Lens” - gorgeous overall, a slight glow to highlights, swirling textured bokeh, sharp center with soft corners, low contrast, and big, golden/amber lens flares that are very similar to the Canon Dream Lens. It really is like having a more manageable “Dream Lens.”

The lens matches the character, contrast, color, and performance of the rest of the set. It has a new circular iris, so bokeh is consistent across the entire 11-lens set. It has a very impressive 12” close focus, and beyond FF coverage.

The lens started out as a Mamiya 48mm f1.5. It was a fixed-lens, permanently mounted to the Mamiya Super Deluxe 35mm rangefinder camera. Because it’s a fixed-lens camera, it’s not really possible to “Cine-Mod” the lens, or even use it with other cameras. Because of that, the lens is one of those rare, hidden gems that are not easy to discover. The camera and lens were produced in the early 1060s by Mamiya, and feature the same gold, single-layer coatings as Canon lenses from that era, and in every way it’s an absolute perfect match for the Canon Rangefinder lenses. The Canon 50mm f0.95 is a truly special lens. But sometimes it’s too “special.” We suggest you check the Mamiya 48mm T1.7 out before your next shoot. It may become your new favorite lens.

In case you have not seen what we are doing over at - we’ve been busy! This week we are shipping out 3 more completed Bolex cameras to their owners, with various modifications including HD Video Assist, Gold Mount/V-Mount battery plates, crystal sync, RS, full cages. These are the same mods and accessories on the cameras you can rent from - and we are now also doing Super 16mm conversions on Bolex H16 cameras. If you have a Bolex, and you want to give it some serious upgrades, reach out: [email protected]

Whether you want every option, or just 1 accessory, we got you. We will be announcing more products this year for more camera models, and our wait times are continuing to improve!

Stunning work from director Ben Lalande and cinematographer Andy Woodward for RIMOWA — “De Passage.” They paired one of our ARRI SR3 kits with Canon 11-165mm T2.5 and Zeiss Zeiss Super Speed 9.5mm T1.3. Film stock was 250D and 50D. The results are some haunting, truly timeless images.

In Ben’s words, “There’s something I love about working with a 16mm camera locked on sticks with a slow zoom. It forces you to think in frames instead of coverage. Each shot becomes intentional, almost photographic, rather than constantly chasing moments with a handheld camera. Ironically, that restraint creates more creativity. When you limit yourself to one simple setup instead of cycling through dollies, gimbals, handheld rigs, and every other tool available, you become far more attentive to composition, movement, light, and timing. The tripod zoom setup also happens to be incredibly nimble for a project like this. It keeps the process stripped back, fast, and instinctive.

RIMOWA — De Passage
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