The Tuner by Module 8 is now available for PL mount lenses, offering new users the chance to use the popular cinema lens equipment.
The Module 8 Tuner, released by photography equipment company Moment, earlier this year, brings a film aesthetic to digital mirrorless cameras. Module 8 claims the Tuner is the first variable-look cinematic lens system, notable for its ability to adjust how much of a specific vintage lens effect comes through.
The Tuner system is designed by Module 8, a company founded by award-winning optical expert Iain Neill and Mike Thomas, the technical founder behind Moment’s lenses. Neill spent the last five years working on the Tuners, carefully recreating the look and feel of vintage cinema lenses using modern optical engineering. He also studies old patents, performs extensive laboratory testing, and fine-tunes each Tuner to ensure it achieves the perfect look.
The three lenses each have their own looks. Starting with the L1 Tuner, users can get mimic the look of the the Super Baltar lenses, producing a “soft glow and dreamy halos,” a Moment describes. It’s the most dramatic look of the Module 8 Tuners, according to the company.
The L2 Tuner is “inspired by the design of the rare Canon K-35 lenses” and is the most subtle of the three.
Finally, there is the L3. “Iain Neil original, inspired by classic anamorphic lenses — we call it Retro-cope,” the website describes.
The Module 8 Tuner originally began as a Kickstarter project earlier this year, but the gear has already come to retail after the successful crowdfunding endeavor. A total of 176 backers pledged $239,770, according to the product’s Kickstarter page.
When the trio of Module 8 Tuners launched earlier this year in EF to RF and EF to E versions, the tuners were $1,299 each. These versions remain priced at $1,300, but the new PL to E and PL to RF versions include a hefty price jump to $2,500 per tuner.
It is not surprising to see new mount versions for the Module 8 Tuners. When PetaPixel chatted with Moment earlier this year, the company said that it was actively developing additional mount options. Undoubtedly, more are on the way.
Image credits: Module 8