Thypoch

Thypoch is a Chinese optical manufacturer specializing in manual focus lenses for photography and cinematography. Established in 2023, the company produces third-party lenses primarily for the Leica M-mount system, with additional native compatibility for mirrorless mounts including Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, and Fujifilm X. Thypoch acts as a sister brand to DZOFILM (Shenzhen DongZheng Optical Technology), a manufacturer known for professional cinema optics [1].

The company name is a portmanteau of the words "Thy" and "Epoch," intended to signify "your era" or a specific moment in time [2]. Thypoch distinguishes itself by integrating mid-20th-century mechanical designs, such as depth-of-field indicators and collapsible barrels, with modern optical formulas utilizing aspherical and high-refractive index glass.

History

Thypoch made its public debut in September 2023 at Photopia Hamburg, an imaging festival in Germany. The brand launched with two initial products, the Simera 35mm f/1.4 and Simera 28mm f/1.4, positioning them as premium manual-focus alternatives to established German and Japanese rangefinder lenses [3].

In 2024, the company expanded its portfolio with the Eureka series, a line dedicated to reviving lost mechanical designs, specifically the collapsible lens barrel. Late 2024 marked the brand's entry into the motion picture industry with the Simera-C series, a line of T1.5 cinema primes developed in collaboration with DZOFILM engineers [4].

By mid-2025, Thypoch had completed its core prime lens lineup with the release of the Simera 75mm f/1.4 and Simera 21mm f/1.4, alongside expanding native support for Nikon Z-mount bodies [5].

Product Series

Thypoch organizes its products into three primary lines, catering to rangefinder photography, historical reenactment, and cinematography.

Simera Series

The Simera line consists of fast prime lenses with a maximum aperture of f/1.4. The series includes focal lengths of 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm.

• Automatic Depth-of-Field Indicator: A distinguishing mechanical feature of this series is the depth-of-field scale. As the focus ring is rotated, visual indicators (red dots) mechanically adjust on the lens barrel to display the current depth of field. This mechanism is derived from the "Visifocus" system found on Alpa Kern Switar lenses from 1951 [6].
• Optical Design: The lenses utilize aspherical elements and High Refractive Index (HRI) glass to correct aberrations while maintaining a specific rendering character.
• Aperture: The M-mount versions feature a de-click switch, allowing users to toggle between clicked stops for photography and smooth rotation for video [7].

Eureka Series

The Eureka line focuses on historical replication. The debut lens, the Eureka 50mm f/2, is a collapsible lens designed to mimic the form factor of classic 1950s rangefinder optics.

• Collapsible Design: The lens barrel can retract into the camera body to reduce physical size for transport.
• Materials: It is manufactured in two variations: a lightweight anodized aluminum version and a heavier solid brass version [8].
• Rendering: Unlike the Simera series, the Eureka is tuned for lower contrast and increased flare susceptibility to replicate the optical signature of vintage glass.

Simera-C Series

Introduced in late 2024, the Simera-C series adapts the optical formulas of the Simera photo lenses into dedicated cinema housings.

• Specifications: These lenses feature a T1.5 light transmission stop, 0.8 MOD industry-standard gears for follow-focus systems, and a 16-blade aperture for circular bokeh.
• Compatibility: While natively available in E-mount and other mirrorless mounts, they are designed for use with digital cinema cameras and are marketed as compact options for gimbal work [9].

Technical Specifications

Thypoch lenses are primarily manual focus (MF) and do not typically feature electronic contacts for autofocus or EXIF data transmission, even on native mirrorless mounts.

Feature	Details
Native Mount	Leica M-Mount
Mirrorless Compatibility	Sony E, Nikon Z, Fujifilm X, Canon RF
Build Material	Aluminum alloy or Brass (depending on model)
Focus Mechanism	Manual helicoid with Infinity Lock (select M-mount models)
Optical Elements	Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) and Lanthanide glass

Reception

Since its introduction, Thypoch has received positive coverage in photographic media for its build quality and price-to-performance ratio. Reviewers have noted that while the lenses exhibit some optical imperfections characteristic of vintage designs, such as vignetting, the mechanical construction, specifically the dampening of the focus ring and the use of metal components, compares favorably to more expensive heritage brands [7]. The implementation of the automatic depth-of-field indicator has been cited as a unique selling point in the modern manual focus market [6].