‘Dune Part Two‘ was one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2024 and has been a huge commercial and critical hit; in the first three days of its release it has grossed more than $180m (£141.9m).
Amid the spectacle of Denis Villeneuve’s reimagining of the desert world Arrakis and Frank Herbert’s labyrinthine space opera, vintage lens fans might have noticed the telltale signature of some very sought-after lenses.
The film’s cinematographer Greig Fraser told ARRI Rental that he had chosen and array of lenses – including old Soviet camera lenses like the famous Helios-44.
“I worked closely with Christoph Hoffsten at ARRI Rental in Germany to tune and detune optics,” Fraser said. “The Moviecams [vintage lenses in robust housings] were pleasing and had good depth, as well as a really good range to choose from. They helped create the texture I wanted, and the Soviet glass was especially well suited to what we were doing; we used them all in harmony, effectively.”
The Soviet lenses themselves were classic 35mm still camera design converted for cinema use by a company in Ukraine. The company, IronGlass Adaptors, converts lenses such as the Helios-44, the Mir-20 20mm lens, the Mir-1 37mm wide-angle lens and the Jupiter-9 85mm portrait lens.
IronGlass Adaptors’ Kostiantyn Harkavyi posted on his Facebook: “Almost two years of waiting and finally we can say that the filming process was actively involved by the lenses of IronGlass,” he said on his Facebook page Saturday (2 March), noting that the film was a testing ground for the second version of the company’s cinema lenses, known as Mk IIs.
“The development of this body and the mechanics began in 2021, in early 2022, the next prototypes were produced, and then there was war… Despite the difficult times, the team continued to work, some on the ground, some remotely from the trenches. Really glad we got the pre series irons done for Greig Fraser in time and he took full advantage of them on the ‘Dune’ set,” Harkavyi said.
It’s not known exactly which of the rehoused Soviet lenses was used, but it’s a fair guess that the Helios-44 was one of them, as this post on the Reddit group r/cinematography shows.
The telltale bokeh of the Helios-44 can be seen in the background in the scene with Christopher Walken, which was glimpsed in the ‘Dune Part Two’ trailer last year.
“It pleases me that among thousands of other variants, the MKll from IronGlass was chosen, that they did a great job without complaining about the mechanics and optical composition, that even in difficult times in a war country we can make a world-class quality product and be involved in bright movie events,” Harkavyi said.
Budding cinematographers who feel inspired to try the company’s revitalised Soviet-era glass will need a little patience and deep pockets; the lenses cost $2,900 (£2,320) each and each lens take around 18 months to produce.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
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Kul Wahad! I’m using this in a conversation article I’m working on. Dune 1 was filmed on analog then digitised to give it a more timeless feel.