Daniel J. Fox, a creative director at Chat Noir Productions, has an enduring passion for vintage cinema lenses. His fascination with their unique character and history has led him to assemble a remarkable collection of rare and eclectic lenses. When it comes to maintaining and restoring these precious tools, Daniel places his trust in True Lens Services (TLS). Here, he shares his experience of working with TLS and highlights why they are his go-to partner for lens servicing and modifications.

Daniel J. Fox’s Experience with TLS

“While most people send lens optics to TLS for full rehousing, my experience up until now has involved a wide selection of vintage cinema lenses, all requiring some level of servicing and modding," Daniel explains.

His collection showcases an impressive range of historic glass, including:

• Bausch and Lomb Super Baltars,
• Zeiss Standard Speeds,
• Voigtländer Zoomar,
• Angénieux 1950s Arriflex primes,
• Cineovision spherical primes,
• And more recently, rare Todd-AO and BNCR rehousings from the 1970s and 1980s.

Daniel J Fox Vintage Lenses Collection

Daniel elaborates on his journey with the Super Baltars, which arrived from various sources in the US and Europe. Despite their differences in contamination and wear, TLS transformed the set into a cohesive shooting kit. “The worn 75mm with its oil-smeared optics looked and felt as good as the almost mint 20mm by the time TLS technicians had finished,” he recalls.

TLS didn’t just restore the optics. They cleaned housings, refreshed markings, and added new PL mounts, unified frontages, and gears for focus and aperture. Thanks to these efforts, the once-random collection of primes now serves as a solid, reliable shooting kit that Daniel uses weekly for various projects.

Super Baltar Serviced by TLS

Efficiency and Expertise

For Daniel, turnaround time is critical. He notes that TLS usually completes work on his lenses within a month, allowing him to quickly reintegrate them into his workflow. “Being without specific lenses for months would not be ideal, but this has rarely been the case,” he shares. Even on rare occasions where work took longer—such as the eight-month restoration of a Voigtländer Zoomar with a re-cemented rear doublet—TLS delivered exceptional results.

Preserving Rarity and Legacy

Many of Daniel’s lenses are exceptionally rare, with some falling into the category of fewer than 10 ever made. Examples include the Cineovision 40mm (Olympus Pen-F) and the Todd-AO 35mm f/1.5 (Nikkor-N). Servicing these lenses requires unparalleled expertise, as there are no manuals or blueprints to follow.

“TLS has proved time and time again that they can deal with any lens I’ve thrown at them, however rare or random it might be” Daniel affirms.

- Daniel J. Fox

Shot by Cineovision 40mm

Shot by Super Baltar

For Daniel, the ultimate joy lies in unboxing a lens after TLS has worked their magic. “The joy of receiving a lens back from a TLS service is opening the box and seeing the old, tired, and sluggish lens you sent, now almost as clean, bright, and smooth as the day it was made,” he says.

Whether restoring vintage lenses to their original glory or ensuring their reliability for modern filmmaking, TLS has earned Daniel’s unwavering trust and admiration. His experience underscores the dedication and craftsmanship that True Lens Services brings to every lens they handle.

Discover More

You can find out more about Daniel J. Fox on his Instagram page: @daniel.jay.fox

Learn how TLS can help you preserve and enhance your cinema lenses. Contact us on +44 (0) 1455 848 411 or Sales@truelens.co.uk