Simmod Lens has launched a range of LPL lens mounts and camera mount adapters that allow you to adapt vintage glass to a wide range of cameras.
Before the Simmod Lens SIMple LPL conversions, if someone wanted to modify vintage stills lenses to be universally adaptable for use with top-end cinema cameras, professional cameras and mirrorless cameras the option was PL mount. In a lot of cases, this meant most vintage stills lenses would require an expensive full cine re-housing or a costly bespoke mount-only PL conversion. Now users can get all the benefits of positive locking and greater compatibility, all without unnecessary expense by fitting a Simmod SIMple LPL mount themselves.
You can now adapt your vintage Canon FD/nFD, Leica R, Nikon F (Al/AIS), Olympus OM, Mamiya Sekor C 645 or Contax/Yashica lens to LPL mount using a SIMple replacement mount kit from Simmod Lens.
Also available is an LPL to RF, LPL to Sony E, or LPL to L-mount, as well as an LPL to PL lens-to-body adapter for your mirrorless mount camera to create a stronger and more secure LPL lens mounting solution.
The whole concept behind the LPL lens mounts and camera mount adapters is that you can take the same lens and mount it on an ARRI Alexa Mini LF or Alexa 35, or a Sony A7S III, Sony FX6, Canon R5, and many other cameras.
The Simmod Lens LPL mounts feature a positive locking rotating collar on the camera side creating a rock-solid physical connection between the camera and lens so there won’t be any wobble. Each SIMple LPL mount is made entirely of brass and is fully shimmable by using the included shims.
Installing a SIMple LPL conversion is relatively easy and can be performed by the user. It requires the removal of a few native screws and mounting the LPL conversion directly on top of the native mount.
A SIMple Fit follow focus gear, front cine ring with the 80 or 85mm outside diameter, plus a cine lens cap can also be fitted. In the case of Canon FD lenses, users can also fit a re-engineered Edmika Dampened Controlled Gear (DCG) aperture ring for more precise de-clicked iris control.
LPL
The ARRI LPL or “Large Positive Lock” mount is an innovative universal lens mount designed specifically for digital capture. It is the first mount of its kind and was created to address the limitations of the PL mount. The LPL mount is designed to work with larger sensors and has a wider diameter than the PL mount (62mm vs 55mm for PL). It can be found on the ARRI Alexa LF, Mini LF, Alexa 65 and Alexa 35. The Sony Venice/Venice 2 and most RED DSMC2 and DSMC3 cameras can also be fitted with LPL mounts.
With ARRI pushing LPL, it is set to become the standard lens mount of choice in the future. The availability of inexpensive Simmod LPL options now gives users far more choices than before and will speed up the adoption of the standard. Rental houses and others who are looking to fully rehouse their vintage still lenses often face a two to three-year wait to get the work done on their lenses. Now, instead of having the lenses sit there gathering dust in the meantime, they can be Simmod Lens converted to LPL and rented out or used until their place in line for rehousing comes up. Nothing in the Simmod Lens SIMple conversion kit changes the optics or the capacity to have a lens fully rehoused at a later date.
LPL adapters
Once a vintage lens is converted to LPL, you will need an LPL adapter to connect to your camera. The high price of LPL adapters currently on the market is prohibitive for most end users, so Simmod Lens solved this problem by coming out with its own range of professional-grade LPL adapters that sell at a much lower price point than the current alternatives. Available for LPL to Sony E, LPL to RF, LPL to L-mount, and LPL to PL each adapter is robustly constructed of solid brass and stainless steel.
The LPL adapters are anodized in a non-reflective, non-ghosting black finish, and come complete with shims. Each adapter has removable ‘ears’ that give additional leverage when rotating the locking collar. If additional clearance is required for particular lenses these tabs can even be reversed.
Price & Availability
The Simmod Lens SIMple fit LPL mount adapters are available now from the company’s website starting at $189 USD.
The LPL camera adapters are also available now for $399 USD.
