Quick REDUXA R2 update and why it’s now two products
First off, thank you for all the VIP sign-ups. We’ve had loads of messages, and it’s been awesome seeing so many DSMC2 owners keen to get one. Off the back of that, we’ve also had a ton of questions about lens compatibility and coverage on REDUXA R2, so I wanted to clear a few things up and share a significant update we’ve made.
When developing the Reduxa R2, we learnt that designing for maximum lens clearance and also pushing for maximum image quality are two very different optical goals. Yes, we can move the optic back to fit more lenses but that comes with trade-offs in edge performance, vignetting, and focal reduction accuracy.
And because we had so many people message about lens clearance, rather than ship one focal reducer that’s a compromise, we decided to split REDUXA into two purpose-built models: REDUXA R2 and REDUXA R2F.
The standard REDUXA R2 is all about image quality. It’s designed for clean full-frame to Super35 performance in wide formats, with the best possible edges and corners. It includes focal shift calibration, so you can fine-tune the optic position to your specific lenses if you want. In terms of clearance, it supports up to 9mm on EF and 17mm on PL, which comfortably covers the vast majority of EF lenses and most PL conversions.
The REDUXA R2F is only PL mount, but it’s a compatibility monster! This version is built specifically to accommodate lenses with deep rear protrusions, offering up to 24mm (we’re working towards 25mm) of rear clearance on PL, the most ever on a PL focal reducer.
This unlocks lens combinations that simply haven’t been possible before, and right now DSMC2 is the only system that can do this. It performs best for full-frame anamorphic in 6:5 or 4:3, but also works perfectly with Super35 spherical or anamorphic lenses. For wide-format full-frame spherical, a small crop may be needed to clean up softer edges / light fall off.
To make that level of clearance possible, the R2F drops focal shift and electronic communication as there just isn’t room for everything to fit. You still get a properly calibrated optic, just without the focal shift features.
These are genuinely two different tools, with slightly different bodies and very different priorities. We’d much rather offer two great solutions than one that sits awkwardly in the middle. After all, we’re trying to accommodate a range of filmmakers who all have different lenses and different setups.
Mount-wise, the standard R2 ships in EF, with an optional PL mount that bolts on in under a minute. The R2F ships PL-only, already mounted. The PL mount itself is the same part across both, so you can swap it between units or run two if you prefer.
This has delayed us sharing test footage as January turned into an unexpected development month 
. But we’ll be sharing test footage as soon as we can, and also releasing our comparisons to the ABT speedmount very soon.
But in the meantime, I really wanted to share this exciting update with you guys!
As always, we appreciate all the questions and feedback, keep them coming!