Krypton OR Cinema Prime Lenses Coming Soon – A Collaboration with Whitepoint Optics

Lens News

by Francesco Andreola3 days ago

Krypton OR will soon make their debut in the cinema world with a series of 9 rehoused spherical prime lenses, ranging from 21mm up to 135mm. These lenses – produced in partnership with Whitepoint Optics – are based on donor glass dating back to the 70s and 80s, but modified to offer a pretty unique feel.

Every now and then, a new kid shows up in our “filmmaking block.” This time it’s Krypton OR’s turn, a newborn company based in Alexandria, VA (USA) and Milano (Italy), and founded by director and cinematographer Franco Campos-Lopez Benyunes. His curiosity and enthusiasm for vintage lenses eventually led him to venture into this project with the technical support, precision, and expertise of a highly respected lens rehousing specialist, namely Whitepoint Optics, out of Finland.

Krypton OR lenses are built around donor optics dating back to the mid-70s to late-80s. However, Franco didn’t take an ordinary rehousing approach to prioritize consistency across the set. Instead, he has decided to focus on the unique qualities of the lenses he loves – particularly the most modern versions of Konica Hexanon AR and Pentax SMC lenses. He then mixed and matched these attributes across the lenses, changed their iris blades, improved their close focus, and ultimately created a one-of-a-kind set. So, let’s dive in!

Krypton OR Cinema Prime series – specifications

Initially, the Krypton OR cinema prime lens lineup will consist of 9 fast focal lengths with a generous image circle ranging from 42 up to 60mm, thus granting full-frame and, in some cases, even Vista Vision coverage. The list includes:

• 21mm T2.9
• 28mm T1.9
• 35mm T2
• 40mm T1.9
• 50mm T1.5
• 57mm T1.3
• 85mm T1.9
• 100mm T2.9
• 135mm T2.6

Moreover, 14mm T2.9, 24mm T2.9, and 200mm T2.6 will join at a later date. The 24mm is already in production, while the 14mm and 200mm are still undergoing the final prototyping stage.

The lenses will come standard with a PL mount, but LPL and EF mount options are also available for an extra fee. Their vintage glass is paired with modern mechanics, offering 0.8MOD focus and iris gears, plus a long focus throw of 290°.

All lenses have been modified to feature 16 aperture blades, except for the 21mm and 40mm – which have 14 blades. This choice was dictated by the desire to keep the size of these two focal lengths down to a minimum.

The length of the lenses varies between 65mm and 151mm, while the 110mm front diameter is unified across the set to facilitate the use of matte boxes. The lightest lens in the set is the 40mm – tipping the scale at a little over 1kg/2.2lbs. -, while the 135mm comes in at 2,38kg/5.25lbs.

Last but not least, the close-focus capability of all lenses has been significantly improved. The 21mm and 28mm can focus as close as 18cm/7in, but the minimum focus distance is equally excellent on the longer focal lengths (1.1m/3.6ft on the 135mm), including the forthcoming 200mm.

Price and availability

The official launch of Krypton OR lenses will take place in September 2024, but the company is starting to take applications of interest for their set, so make sure to keep an eye on their website here. However, please keep in mind that Krypton OR stated that they’re not interested in mass production. Instead, they will only shake hands with hand-picked DPs and rentals around the globe.

Currently, there’s no official information regarding pricing. However, this will fluctuate depending on whether you already own the donor lenses or not. Moreover, the company will allow some room for customization, which will also play a role in the final cost.

The good news is that the turnaround for Krypton OR lenses will be approximately 6 months from the moment you place your order. That’s pretty impressive, considering other rehousing projects can take over 1 year to be delivered. This is made possible by a dedicated production lane that Whitepoint Optics has reserved exclusively for Krypton OR.

For more information, please visit Krypton OR’s website and Instagram account.

What do you think of this new project by Krypton OR? Have you ever worked with the donor lenses of this set? What’s your take on the company’s rehousing approach? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!