Zero Optik

Based in Los Angeles, California, Zero Optik designs fine lens rehousings and tools for cinematography.

04/19/2026

Big things…

03/05/2026

Zero Optik has worked on some truly rare lenses over the years, but these unicorns are almost always remarkable because of their extreme age or cost. This Zenitar 35mm f/1.0 is a completely modern piece of optical engineering, announced in 2018 as part of a partnership between Leica Camera and Russian brand Zenit to bring an affordable rangefinder kit to market, but was only available for a few short years before Russia invaded Ukraine and was shut out of trade with the West for its ongoing violence in the region.

Only a handful of these lenses have come up for sale since and was the first of our clients to see its potential for cinematography. The performance and character are reminiscent of the old f/1.0 Noctilux-M 50mm, despite the vast difference in age, and it features 11” minimum focus once rehoused, making it extremely versatile for all kinds of jobs.

This is a very limited project because of the scarcity of the optics, so we don’t have finished lenses for sale. Depending on when you read this, however, may have one or two spares that can be brought to Zero Optik for rehousing. Anyone interested should contact him directly for more information.

01/16/2026

Zero Optik’s Canon-based 10mm made its debut four years ago as one of the widest rectilinear primes available for full-frame cinematography. With even larger sensors now becoming increasingly accessible to filmmakers, we are happy to announce that our 10mm is now available for use with 65-format bodies!

will be the first to offer these for rental, but existing owners can send their lenses in to be retrofitted quickly for a small fee.

Those traveling to Poland next week for Lens Days will have the opportunity for a special hands-on demo, but if you can’t get to Warsaw, swipe through to get a taste of how this performs on the GFX100ii!

10/24/2025

There are few telephoto lenses more legendary than the Olympus 180mm f/2.0 from the original OM series. Featuring two floating optical groups and unparalleled image quality, it is a feat of engineering few other manufacturers of the era could even attempt to imitate.

Zero Optik has built dozens of OM prime sets over the last five years and we are extremely excited to add this icon to the catalog, joining the other eighteen Olympus focal lengths we already offer.

10/23/2025

Fast stills telephotos have been a staple of cinematography virtually as long as they’ve been available to photographers, but those same lenses have only ever been useable through mount modifications and minor upgrades that still depend heavily on the original stills-lens focus mechanisms. That’s already a liability for focus-pullers trying to hit reliable marks with razor-thin depth of field, but it also means that repairs are almost impossible without replacing the entire lens.

Zero Optik has been steadily designing brand-new, ground-up housings for some of the most vaunted fast telephotos, releasing our version of the Canon 200mm f/1.8 “Eye of Sauron” a few years ago, and now following with the Nikon 200mm f/2.0. We provide the same repeatability and precision you know from our other housings and the repairability that usually only comes with purpose-built cinema glass, meaning your optical investment can be revived and protected for years to come.

Email [email protected] or DM us for more info!

10/22/2025

At Zero Optik, we have always believed that our products should be indistinguishable, in both quality and function, from any purpose-built cinema lenses on the market. We are therefore extremely proud to be offering a new subset of the Cooke Optics i/ Technology system, available in PL and LPL.

The Name Tag mount transmits only identifying information about a lens: focal length, max T-stop, serial number, manufacturer, and product family, leaving the capture of focus and iris positions to enabled remote handsets.

Now you can seamlessly swap lenses on a volume stage or VFX project and the camera will instantly know what you’re using, no matter how vintage the optics may be!

The first sets of Zero Optik lenses with i/ Technology powered Name Tag mounts have already begun to ship and existing owners of Zero Optik lenses can order replacement mounts for speedy delivery, with no need to send the lenses back. Clients with orders in our queue can get in touch about upgrading their undelivered orders.

Email [email protected] or DM us for more details!

(Huge thanks to our friends at for the BTS stills)

10/17/2025

Zero Optik first tackled the storied Minolta Rokkor 58mm f/1.2 several years ago due to popular demand, with one even making it into the kit brought on Dune 2. It’s exciting to announce that we now offer the full range, from 17mm through 135mm, and all in our signature lightweight housings.

Rokkors fit beautifully in the vintage lens ecosystem, somewhere between the expressiveness of Canon FDs and the sheer performance of Nikon’s AI-S primes. They balance unmistakable character and flares with the contrast and resolution one would normally expect from larger, more complex optics.

The first set of Zero Optik Minolta Rokkors is leaving the shop today and heading to to join their carefully-curated lens collection. They will also have a very limited inventory of turnkey sets for sale, so be sure to contact them for tests and availability!

09/29/2025

Zero Optik has had the honor to design and build some very special lenses over the years, but we are particularly proud that entrusted us with a historic set from their own museum collection.

Pulled from the basement of the ASC clubhouse by , these spherical Todd AO primes date to the early 1960’s and represent one of the earliest lens sets ever built for 65mm cinematography. Over the last year, we worked with Steve, , and to bring the lenses up to modern production standards, including the installation of Zero Optik’s i/Data Name Tag mounts, while preserving the unique and beautiful character of the optics themselves. As assembly neared completion, we worked closely with to carefully tailor that character across the set to ensure consistent performance and a sense of cohesion from one focal length to the next.

There are nine lenses altogether, ranging from 18mm to 135mm and they are now available for tests and rentals from .

06/06/2025

has always been one of our favorite trade shows, but we have especially exciting news to share this year!

Much of our existing full-frame lens catalog already work on the new 65-format cameras coming to market, but we have developed a system that now allows us to convert many of your favorite vintage lenses for these larger sensors with minimal impact to light transmission, focal length, or overall character. Swing by our booth to see a selection of Zero Optik Olympus and Canon lenses that have already been converted, including a breathtaking 15mm that redefines what’s possible in large-format cinematography!

On top of that, we are very proud to announce that we are bringing unprecedented metadata capabilities to the world of vintage lenses, making it easier than ever to track and collate even the most unusual glass across large productions.

Be sure to stop by the booth ( #032) to see something else we’ve been cooking up for their new Eterna camera…

Hope to see you this weekend at booth #939 on the Universal Studios backlot!

05/29/2025

Who’s coming to next week? Come visit us at booth 939 if you want to see the next BIG thing in cinema optics…

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Website

http://www.zerooptik.com/

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