Why aren't Achromatic diopters being made for primes?

[PatrickFaith]

This kind of snuck up on me, in that normally master primes are rented, so I just assumed you could get achromatic diopters for them easy.

I found out that both arri and schneider stopped making them, I have no idea why and couldn't find anything obvious. I always thought diopters were real nice, but have never owned one for cinema prime lenses. Also diopters can have so many problems that could effect camera solves and chromatics, that I am not going to buy a used set without physically seeing and testing them (or if i know a ASC type that has tested the exact set). The new master primes are 2.5 feet min focus, so that is perty close compared to the old days where some use to be 6 feet, but diopters should still work to reduce 2.5 feet to 1 foot ... right?

background: what I went to do is i have some macro type shots of paintings and plants i want to do with a master prime anamorphic, and get in real close (under 1 foot) - maybe there's a "new" way of doing this?

 

[Michael Lindsay]

Basically Arri couldn't commit to the volume of master diopter sales for Zeiss to continue producing them (at a realistic price)... I don't understand why they are not more popular.. They are very good!

Schneider is a different story but unfortunately I can't remember it... Sorry;-)

Another question is why nobody has made a small set of modern macro lenses (40,65,100,150mm T2.8 with smallish fronts would be nice)
Arri makes just one lense? And it is too big?..

Also while I am moaning/asking.. Please somebody make a modern Trex type system!

I have a set of master Diopters and the theory is that with a diopter 2 focus at infinity is brought to 0.5meters..and with a 0.5 diopter infinity comes to 2meters.. I have never found this to be super accurate but you get the idea... Obvously if infinity is 0.5meters you can get much closer at min focus...

I also use extention tubes (which are very cheap)... I have never tried with anamorphics lenses but you could try?.

 

[Michael Lindsay]

Maybe people just don't understand Diopters and that is why they never sold....?

After all even Arri wrote this marketing nonsense and I have seen a number of people repeat it as fact.

The Master Primes are accompanied by a set of achromatic close focus diopters that allow the crew to quickly grab an extreme close-up or get a wide angle shot with shallow depth of field, all with unprecedented sharpness and contrast and without the optical aberrations of traditional diopters.

 

[PatrickFaith]

Thanks Michael, that makes a lot of sense. LMAO but the name "diopter" isn't the most marketing friendly term, but they are so useful it's a bummer that there aren't more options.