Ottoblad Lens Series Introduced – Rehoused Hasselblad Lenses with Optical Tuner

Lens News

by Julian MitchellMarch 17^th, 2023

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A reimagining of the Zeiss Hasselblad T* C, CF & F series lenses featuring an optical tuner has been designed and rehoused by P+S Technik, creating the Ottoblad lens series. First launched at this year’s BSC Expo 2023 in London these lenses are now exclusively available through Otto Nemenz. But what’s so special about these lenses? Let’s have a look!

Significant characteristics include high contrast and superior resolution combined with ultra-low distortion over the total image area. Multiple formats are covered, starting with the Alexa 65 camera – they were originally designed for medium format cameras. From there, you can cover anything down to Super 35. 

P+S Technik MD Gerhard Baier said about the lenses: “They’re sharp where it is needed, soft where it is wished for. The Zeiss/Hasselblad offers a pleasing rendition of skin tones, out-of-focus details, and a smooth bokeh.” 

With the rehousing by P+S Technik, filmmakers can use a minimized close focus distance; it’s half the original distance. In most cases, the original f-number of the lenses can be kept as a real T-stop with the Hasselblads. 

“The legendary Zeiss/Hasselblad lenses gave us a new perspective on how to look at our world with the Apollo missions,” added Baier. “As we have this high performance with the lenses, there is a lot of information delivered that we can play with. Here we start with the optical tuning module that fundamentally changes a Zeiss/ Hasselblad lens into an Ottoblad lens.“

OTTOBLAD – dial in the de-tuning effect 

The OT (Optical Tuning) is a module that offers the ability to start with a pristine image (sharp overall), and adjust the field resolution to portrait lens quality (soft at the edges, the center stays sharp). See the examples below. 

“What makes them different is that they have a rear optical module that allows the user to dial in focus fall–off to edges of the frame in different degrees. I am using them now in my current movie. Beautiful glass,” said ASC Gregory Irwin about his use of the new glass. 

The Ottoblad lens series is currently only available through Otto Nemenz. Focal lengths (Ottoblad and Hasselblad) are currently available from 30mm up to 500mm. 

“The development will continue with a speed booster, and there’s more to come,” concluded Baier. 

As tuneable lenses become more of a requirement for cinematographers seeking new looks, would you be interested in such a feature for your project? Let us know below.