The Lensrentals Podcast Episode #1 – How Matt Duclos Modifies Lenses

Each week Roger Cicala, founder of Lensrentals.com, hosts conversations about the art and science of capturing images. From photography to videography, film, history, and technology, the show covers a wide range of topics to educate and inspire creators of all kinds.

 

In-depth Discussion with Matthew Duclos of Duclos Lenses:
In the opening episode of the Lensrentals Podcast, Founder Roger Cicala sits down with Matthew Duclos, Chief Operating Officer at Duclos Lenses. Duclos Lenses is a full-service cinema lens repair, retail, and modification company based in Los Angeles, CA. Co-founder of Duclos Lenses along with his father and sister, Matthew’s career as a lens tech spans decades and includes factory training from some of the most recognizable names in lens manufacturing. As the COO of Duclos Lenses, Matthew spends most of his time evaluating, testing, tuning, and de-tuning motion picture lenses. Matthew also manages all of the product design, engineering, and manufacturing at Duclos Lenses. An avid cinema and photo enthusiast, Matthew also serves as an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers and the Society of Camera Operators.

Founded in 2002, Duclos Lenses started by Paul and Matt Duclos as a repair center but quickly started adding custom accessories for video production. From there, Duclos Lenses continued to grow and started specializing in lens mount conversions for local cinematographers in the Los Angeles area. As of today, Duclos Lenses has become on the of world’s leading full-service cinema lens repair, retail, and modification center – servicing both the Southern California area, as well as the rest of the United States. In addition to being the COO of Duclos Lenses, Matthew Duclos also manages his own blog, The Cine Lens, where he often discusses new products within the cinematography world.

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Spotlight on Mary Hobbs
Mary Hobbs is a repair coordinator at Lensrentals.com. Mary works with 3rd party repair centers to help get our broken equipment back in perfect order. Mary also runs two different YouTube accounts, her primary channel is A Merry Life, On A Budget which focuses on budgeting and getting out of debt while still enjoying life. Mid-South Bride is her second channel which focuses on weddings and DIY projects.
01:01 – Roger and Matthew discuss the differences that photographers and cinematographers look for when deciding on a lens.

03:14 – Roger discusses with Matthew about the photo — cinema conversions done at Duclos.

05:30 – Why do cinema lenses cost so much?

09:20 – Roger and Matthew discuss Matthew’s favorite modifications they’ve done to different lenses.

15:27 – Matthew and Roger discuss recommendations for those who are shooting video on predominately photography lenses and cameras.

19:17 – Discussing how some lesser-known lenses has been intercut into major motion pictures

20:28 – Discussing continual refocusing lenses in video productions.

22:36 – What is parfocal and how does it apply to video productions?

24:40 – How cinema lenses achieve parfocal

30:07 – Discussing repairs and common breaks within cinema lenses.

33:59 – When should you send in your lenses for servicing?

36:00 – Spotlight on Mary Hobbs

39:18 – Discussing larger and more expensive repairs on cinema lenses.

43:29 – Finding lens repair technicians and discussing the expertise of those working at Duclos.

47:51 – Roger and Matthew upcoming discuss trends within the cinema lens market.

51:19 – Is shooting different formats more expensive than others?

 

The Lensrentals Podcast is hosted by Roger Cicala. Our sound engineers are Ryan Hill and Julian Harper. Our other regular contributors include: Sarah McAlexander, Joey Miller, John Tucker, Drew Cicala, and SJ Smith. Our theme song was composed by Jacques Granger. You can find more of his work here and here.

Let’s keep this conversation going! Leave a comment on our voicemail at 901-609-LENS or shoot us a question at: podcast@lensrentals.com

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