LC-TEC showcases prototype of world’s first Electronically Variable Diffusion Filter

Easily one of the more intriguing exhibits at IBC was LC-Tec's prototype Electronically Variable Diffusion filter for cine lenses.

Designed to be mounted in a matte box, LC-Tec’s Electronically Variable Diffusion Filter enables cinematographers to continuously vary the strength of the diffusion effect.

LC-Tec has previous form here. The company’s electronic variable ND (eND) filters are well known and used by several major camera manufacturers, and this is an intriguing repurposing of its existing expertise in the area.

The EVD prototype consists of a 4" x 5.65" glass filter and a small control box. Vary the voltage and you vary the diffusion effect as the following sequence of pictures shows.

0 volts applied

2.5 volts applied

3 volts applied

4 volts applied

5 volts applied

There are a few really interesting implications for this. Using the EVD, cinematographers will be able to vary the strength of the diffusion during a shot for creative effects, something that the company points out until now has been practically impossible with modern film equipment (well, in-camera anyway). In addition, there is the possibility of remote control where the diffusion can be adjusted when the camera is placed in hard-to-reach places.

Another unique feature is the ability to electronically adjust the diffusion at different strengths in selected parts of the filter. “Localized diffusion can be used to create light effects (blooming) around light sources without affecting skin details or subjects, or conversely to soften skin details while maintaining the rest of the image's properties,” says the company.

LC-Tec says it is working with partners to release the EVD as a product in the second quarter of next year.