Photographer Mathieu Stern adapts 1920s Foth lens for modern 4K cinema on Sony FX3

Photographer and YouTube creator Mathieu Stern has adapted a century-old Foth 50mm f/2.5 lens for use with modern digital cinema equipment. Originally designed in the late 1920s for compact folding cameras, the lens was discovered at a French flea market for just €3. Stern modified the vintage optic to function on a Sony FX3 camera through macro adapters and filtration systems, addressing its lack of focusing mechanism and adjustable aperture. The lens produces a distinctive rendering with sharp centers and blurred edges, offering a nostalgic aesthetic different from contemporary cinema glass. Despite requiring significant adaptation, it maintains usable low-light performance and close-focusing capabilities. Stern's experiment explores whether early optical designs can create a more organic cinematic look than modern high-performance lenses like Canon or Sony G Master models. The project pushes fragile historical optics into demanding 4K workflows, revealing how imperfections can become part of the visual language.