NOW AVAILABLE: DT Lens Shades for Rodenstock HR Lenses

 

As the largest Phase One dealer in the world and a manufacturer of our own hardware, we’ve already released several exclusive accessories for the Phase One XT system. In our field testing, we discovered that lens flare could be an issue with the otherwise flawless Rodenstock HR lenses, and knew that a precisely-crafted lens shade would help reduce that issue in situations where our compendium solution is too slow or cumbersome to use. With that in mind, we’re excited to announce that we’ve developed exclusive lens shades for each lens, constructed using additive manufacturing with carbon-fiber composite for extreme precision and durability, while maintaining an exceptionally light weight. Each of these shades is available in two configurations — one extremely compact version for using the lens with no movement, and one larger version for usage with the full range of movement of that lens’ image circle on the XT. Read on for more information on how to choose the perfect shade for your needs, and purchase yours today here!

 

DT has developed an exclusive line of custom-designed lens shades specific to each Rodenstock HR lens. These lens shades reduce or eliminate lens flare from bright off-axis light, and also provide some light protection against the intrusion of dust, rain, and mist from reaching the lens. They are lightweight, robust, shaped specifically for the lens with a given amount of movement allowed, and most shades in the series are reversible for easier storage. Each shade is marked with the lens and movement it was designed for, and most will nest within the others, making them easy to keep organized in your kit. As a final organizational cue and aesthetic touch, each shade has a colored ring (pink or blue) that mirrors the colored ring of the lens it was designed for. The shade slips on without having to be screwed in, and stays tightly in place thanks to a precision friction-mount design.

 

The DT Lens Shades for Rodenstock HR lenses are made of a durable carbon-fiber composite material that is light and flexible has been tested down to -20º C (-4º F) for several hours and up to 70º C (160º F).

 

Lens shades must be designed based on how far up/down/left/right the lens can see; because, of course, if the shade intrudes on an area the lens can see, then the shade will vignette or totally block part of the image. Called the Angle of View, this depends on the sensor size, the focal length of the lens, and the amount of movements (if any) such as rise, fall, and shift that will be applied. In short a wider angle lens requires a wider angle on the lens shade, and a shade that accommodates more movement also requires a wider angle/opening.

 

Each DT Lens Shade for Rodenstock HR Lens is designed to accommodate a specified amount of movement for that lens. For example, if you are using the 70HR as a street lens, either on a body without movement (e.g. Alpa TC) or using it on a body that has movement but not availing yourself of that movement, then the lens shade designed for 0mm of movement (the DT 70HR 0mm shade) will move aggressively shade the lens, while simultaneously being smaller and lighter. In contrast, if you’re using the 70HR as an architectural lens, you should opt for the model that allows movement (e.g. the DT 70HR 12mm shade that allows 12mm of movement on the long axis).

 

Notably, there is an inherent trade off between allowing more movement and the effectiveness of the shade in blocking flare, because allowing more movement requires a wider angle opening on the lens shade, which increases the number of lighting scenarios in which the lens can still be flared. That tradeoff could be partially offset by making the lens shade longer, but that also makes it larger and harder to store. Our design for these shades prioritizes weight, size, and ability to nest, and so keep to a moderate length. That is, we wanted shades that were fast, easy to use, and compact to carry. If you are looking for both movement allowance and the most robust flare-busting possible then we would suggest instead the DT Dovetail Compendium Mount with the Cambo WRS 1090 Compendium Shade; you can flex this compendium into nearly any shape to adapt it to any specific movements applied, making it a very robust flare reduction tool. The trade off of the compendium is that it is also more involved to use, requires active fiddling/adjustment, is more expensive, and requires the DT Dovetail Compendium Mount for best usability. In contrast, the DT Lens Shades for Rodenstock HR does its job without any tweaking or additional accessories; just put it on the lens and forget about it.

 

Note that all of our movement calculations assume the use of a full-frame 645 sensor, such as the one found in an IQ4 150mp, IQ180, IQ260, P65+ or numerous other backs. When used with smaller sensors a larger amount of movement is supported, commensurate with the reduction in sensor size; for example, if using a 44×33 sensor then 5mm more movement is possible (since the sensor is 10mm smaller overall, or 5mm smaller per side). The movement allowance is also calculated assuming the orientation of the shade and the orientation of the sensor are the same. With the Phase One XT and the Cambo Wide 1600 this is always the case, since the body itself rotates orientation rather than the digital back, and so the sensor and shade are rotationally linked.

 

For a visual illustration of how the lens and movement combination of our shades relate to the overall image circle of each lens, please see our DT Lens Visualizers.

 

We had to start somewhere, so our first DT Lens Shades for Rodenstock HR lenses are designed for the lenses and movements available on the Phase One XT. Of course, these shades also work perfectly well (within the amount of movement listed) on any other kind of body.

 

We will make additional models based on demand. So if your desired lens+movement combination is not in our initial production set, please fill out the form below and include the focal length of the lens you would like a custom shade for, and the amount of movement you would like it to accommodate. If you have friends that would want the same combination make sure to have them submit the form as well, as we will produce new variations based on the quantity of demand; given the size of this niche, it will only take a few requests for us to make a specific new model, so every request counts!