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Full-Frame, Fast, and Modern Periscope Lens System
- Author: Sam Jorgensen
IBE Optics and Cine Visuals Present: IBE Raptor Scope
Cinematic Heritage
In 1992, the brilliant innovator and engineer Klaus Eckerl started work for the optical company ENNA. He quickly became a key team member due to his smart, efficient, and ground-breaking designs. However, later in the ‘90s, ENNA was acquired and the manufacturing site Eckerl worked at in Germany was closed. Instead of finding a new position somewhere else, he decided to take his not yet patented designs and create his own company. Partnering up with other engineers to form a small but potent team, together they founded IB/E Optics in 2001 with the IB/E standing for Ingenieur-Büro Eckerl.
During the 2000s the company made many breakthroughs in scientific optical technology and grew rapidly. By 2009, IB/E Optics began their investment into the cinema-side of the optical world by helping Schneider-Kreuznach’s relaunch into the cine-optics world. During the 2010s, IB/E continued growth and larger lens manufacturers took notice. In collaboration with ARRI, IB/E helped design optics for the Alexa 65 and were key designers to help make the blueprints for the ARRI DNA Primes. By 2015, IB/E released their first in-house branded optics as the IB/E Raptor Macro Primes. These lenses were innovative and impressive. Huge blockbusters such as “Star Wars: Rogue One” utilized these lenses.
When 2020 hit, the entire film industry and all its branches were affected. In past times of hardship for the film industry, some major lens manufacturing turned away from motion pictures and focused their attention on other optical uses. For example, such was the case with both Kowa and Bausch + Lomb. IB/E Optics, having come from a scientific and engineering arena and still having much of its business tied in that world could have done the same. But Klaus Eckerl took the company and was dedicated to bringing high-end optics to every area that needed them. During this time, IB/E partnered with Angénieux as manufacturers and inventors, putting much of the time of COVID into deep R&D.
Inspired by the Periscopes and Frazier System of lenses, IB/E looked to make these systems more efficient and accessible. By 2025, all this learning and devotion to the craft paid off with the release of the IB/E Raptor Scope and new Raptor Scope Macro Primes to accompany it. While both macro and periscope systems have existed previously, the Raptor Scope’s huge innovations bring this design to Full Frame while being convertible to S35mm with a fast aperture for periscopes – a native T5.6 (T4 for S35mm). A very flexible and user-friendly design.
Image Fidelity & Focus
For periscope systems, sharpness is highly ideal. With the intricate designs required for these systems, not only is there a great deal of light loss but also resolution. A key asset of the Raptor Scope and the Raptor Macro Primes are their attention to this issue. The image has crisp edge-to-edge sharpness on each prime that matches across the set. For even the smallest subjects and most difficult positions, the light will transmit in a clean and presentable manner. A great advancement in optical technology.
Famous for its apochromatic performance, the Raptor Scope and its accompanying Raptor Macro Primes hold up to this legacy. With this APO correction, color rendition is extremely accurate and vibrant without overt changes or heavy saturation. Additionally, aberrations are restrained and minimized to allow the subject to be the key participant in the image. Focus falloff is present but just subtle enough to add that cinematic touch with the image overall maintaining sharpness so that any corner of the frame has crisp and excellent resolution. High contrast is embedded in the lenses to create a natural feeling for the image.
Image Circle
One of the key features of the IB/E Raptor Scope is bringing periscope/Frazier lens systems to Full Frame. While not a new design, the Frazier Lens System only covers S35mm, and systems like the Laowa Probe Periscope are an accessible option but compromise in other areas of optical technology. The Raptor Scope brings high-end cinematic periscope technology to Full Frame with a high speed aperture for its type of design. In order to cover Full Frame, typically the image circle needs to be a minimum of 43.3mm. The Raptor Scope’s 44mm image circle fully covers any Full Frame sensor or VistaVision film plane. Although Full Frame is certainly on the rise, S35mm has not gone anywhere in popularity. Many filmmakers use Full Frame glass on S35mm and while the image circle certainly covers the sensor area, the design and character of the lens has much of the edges taken out. Often, this takes out the focus falloff from the center sharpness designed in many cinema lenses for an organic feeling.
In order to make the Raptor Macro Primes that attach to the Raptor Scope retain their falloff characteristics, the kit comes with a speed booster that converts these Full Frame lenses to S35mm. This speed booster additionally adds another stop of light transmission, bringing the aperture from T5.6 to T4 when attached. This makes the Raptor Scope system extremely versatile. The image, designed for Full Frame, can easily be reworked for S35mm to maintain the lens design and gains a stop of light. If the filmmakers need an even sharper and more crisp image, the native Full Frame system will project the absolute sharpest part of the center of the image onto the S35mm sensor. A truly versatile system through and through.
Handling & Adaptability
IB/E Optics are dedicated to creating a high level of efficiency for filmmakers. Much like the Frazier Lens System or the P+S Technik Skaterscope, the Raptor Scope brings incredible flexibility to filmmakers in a way that would be otherwise difficult or inaccessible. The Raptor Scope is all about versatility. Originally designed for wildlife macro shots, the Frazier Lens System was born. Designed for Full Frame, the Raptor Scope brings that technology up to the modern era with a fast T5.6 (T4 when adapted to S35mm). Fast and Full Frame. Many other periscope type systems are at least a T8, so this brings incredible flexibility in lighting for filmmakers.
Periscope/Frazier Lens Systems allow filmmakers to capture macro shots with natural feeling depth-of-field. Originally, these systems were invented to capture insects without the usage of telephoto lenses or very shallow depth-of-field when an image is at close focus with a lens. The hope was to bring these small creatures’ worlds into a human-like vision, to really capture what their lives might be like. However, the system became even more inventive. With multiple versions of 360º rotation, the Raptor Scope can be adjusted to any position in this rotation both horizontally and vertically, allowing it to reach angles and positions otherwise difficult or impossible for a traditional prime lens. In other words, unlimited pan, tilt, or roll movements. Additionally, the image projection can thus be changed within the lens itself so that the light always hits the sensor in an upright way. Or, for creative and specific use-cases, to alter the projection of the image onto the sensor. The system offers many possibilities. With sleek design, every ring flows like butter making changes or focus pulling easy and precise. Measuring 12.70 inches and weighing 9.70 lbs, the Raptor Scope does need careful management, but with its built-in counterweight system, usage of this system is much more ergonomic than past periscope systems.
The system comes with focal lengths of 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm. For mounting the lenses, the Raptor Scope kit comes with various camera mount options. While in cinema, typically ARRI PL is the standard, many cameras and lenses come in their own proprietary mounts such as Panavision’s PV mount or Canon’s EF mount. As such, the Raptor Scope is designed with its own design of a UMS PL mount. This mount is designed to natively connect to PL, but be easily and readily convertible to LPL, EF, and more. Each lens has a native Leica M mount and the native front mount of the Raptor Scope is also Leica M. However, just as with the rear mount this can be easily switched to PL, LPL, EF and more to make the entire Raptor Scope system compatible with a wide range of prime lenses. With the Raptor Macro primes and innovations in the Raptor Scope itself, the kit brings ultimate choice to cinematographers on how they can capture their image.
Flare & Bokeh
With the APO designs, the Raptor Scope and its accompanying Raptor Macro Primes retain highly controlled flares. This well-sought after design allows cinematographers to bring the necessary light into the image for exposure without worrying about bringing flares that distract from the already difficult to capture macro appearance. When flares are present, they have a gentle highlight that transitions through the frame that brings the most subtle artistic rendition to the image. Smooth, painterly bokeh fills the background when present. Each circle is smooth and organic. Despite the macro nature of the lenses, the bokeh feels natural allowing smaller subjects to live as though photographed by a normal mid-range lens.
These lenses are available for rent at Cine Visuals. For inquiries or testing appointments, email info@cinevisuals.com or call (323) 244-2552.