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Cameraman designs wide-angle lens:

Necessity is the mother of invention. This was definitely the case when Canadian cameraman René J. Collins needed a wide angle shot while working for a TV station in Western Canada. The station was not about to purchase an expensive wide-angle lens for him, and René needing this shot was not about to give up. He discussed the problem with an old friend who used to work in an optics lab and together, through trial and error they produced a wide-angle lens that was to form the basis of today's development of The Red Eye ™ wide angle adapter.

...But that was almost twenty years ago and much has changed since then.

From the inventor of The Red Eye ™ :
René J. Collins

"I had been using the original prototype I had designed for many years. It wasn’t until the 90s when the cut backs started at Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where I worked full time, that the idea manufacturing and selling these adapters occurred to me. Cutbacks in overtime and availability of advancement were becoming limited. I became concerned about the need to generate revenue to support my family and determine my future career plans."

"I wanted to produce something that would conform to the needs of the professional cameraman. It had to be small, easy to use, wide, affordable and able to be used with our existing matte boxes and lens shades, avoiding the need to buy extra accessories. The coating and materials had to be of superior quality to ensure it performed to professional standards."

"Re-designing the lens to perform to the broadcast standards of professional cameramen was not an easy task. I began reading anything and everything there was about lenses and optics. I exhausted the local library to the point that I had to bring books from other parts of the country to fill in my quest for knowledge."

"Once I had a good grasp of the basics of optical physics, I went about finding the right people to help with the manufacturing and to create this innovative product. The result is The Red Eye ™ wide angle adapter we see today".

"What has surprised me is the effect this small, humble, yet effective, wide angle adapter has had on raising the bar for quality for this type of attachment. We now see competitors offering anti reflective coatings, leather pouches or extra accessories so that matt boxes can be used with their product and so on. This was not the case before The Red Eye ™ came to market"

"It's amazingly rewarding for me to know that The Red Eye ™ is making a difference in the way thousands of cameramen around the world make their images! Creating a cost effective and excellent product for my fellow cameramen has always been the main motivating factor for me. There is little in the world as rewarding as the recognition of your peers."