Celebrating 70 Years of Optical Innovation

The year 2024 has marked Panavision’s 70th anniversary — seven decades of close collaboration with filmmakers to empower their artistry through technical advancements in lenses, cameras and other tools of the cinematography trade. Here, we look back at a number of those advancements, focusing specifically on optical innovations.

Far from a comprehensive list, what follows represents just a small sampling of the lenses Panavision has introduced since its founding in 1954. If we consider all of the custom solutions developed for individual productions over the decades, the innovations are truly countless.

It’s also important to note that, with the exception of the Micro Panatar conversion lens, Ultra Panatar projection lens, and custom “mirage lens,” all of the lens series listed below are still in use within our rental inventory, from the APO Panatar prism anamorphics introduced in the mid-1950s through our newest offering at the time of this writing, the Ultra Panatar IIs.

And this isn’t the end of the story. New innovations, inspired by filmmakers’ creative and technical needs, continue to be developed every day.

Micro Panatar conversion lens 
Introduced in 1954

Panavision’s second product offering, the Micro Panatar conversion lens, allowed film labs to easily create non-anamorphic release prints from anamorphic negatives, 35mm reductions from 65mm, and 70mm blow-ups from 35mm anamorphic.  

Ultra Panatar projection lens 
Introduced c. 1956

Improving on the performance of Panavision’s first product, the Super Panatar projection attachment, the Ultra Panatar projection lens featured a variable prism that projectionists could adjust to support any format from 2.66:1 to 1.33:1 with the turn of a knob. 

APO Panatar prism lens 
Introduced in 1957

Incorporating a patented optical system developed by Panavision partner Walter Wallin, the APO Panatar 1.25x prism anamorphics were developed by Panavision as part of the MGM Camera 65 system, which would later come to be known as Ultra Panavision 70.

Credits include: Raintree County, Ben-Hur, The Hateful Eight 

APO Panatar cylindrical lens 
Introduced in 1958

Decades after being “retired,” the cylindrical APO Panatar 1.25x anamorphic lenses and their prism counterparts were given new life when Robert Richardson, ASC and director Quentin Tarantino opted to film The Hateful Eight in the Ultra Panavision 70 format.

Credits include: Mutiny on the Bounty, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame 

Auto Panatar 
Introduced in 1958 

The original 35mm-format Auto Panatar 2x anamorphic lenses eliminated the distortions created by early CinemaScope optics and quickly became the industry standard for anamorphic production. Before the company was a rental provider, Panavision sold these lenses to studios for use in their own camera departments. 

Credits include: Pillow Talk, The Magnificent Seven, The Apartment, Cimarron, Hud, The Great Escape 

Super Panavision 
Introduced c. 1960 

Panavision’s first spherical lens series, Super Panavision — aka Super Panatar — provided a spherical solution for 65mm film acquisition. The lenses’ optical characteristics include smooth texture, low contrast, distinct focus roll-off, and radiant flares.

Credits include:  West Side Story (1961), Lawrence of Arabia, My Fair Lady, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2001: A Space Odyssey 

Sphero Panatar “mirage lens”
Created c. 1960

An early example of Panavision’s commitment to providing filmmakers with unique solutions to meet their projects’ specific demands, the Sphero Panatar “mirage lens” was made for one specific shot in one specific movie: the long take in which Omar Sharif’s character of Ali appears on camelback from out of the desert haze in director David Lean’s epic Lawrence of Arabia, photographed by Freddie Young, BSC. Here, Panavision optical designer George Kraemer is seen holding the special lens.

C Series 
Introduced in 1967 

Upon their introduction, C Series 2x anamorphic optics quickly became — and have remained — a go-to choice for cinematographers looking for a compact, lightweight anamorphic lens. The very first C Series lens to be manufactured is still in use today.

Credits include: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Jaws, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Superman, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens 

Standard Prime 
Introduced c. 1968

Also referred to as “Normal Speed” lenses, the Standard Prime series was specifically developed for use with the Panavision Silent Reflex (aka PSR) 35mm camera. Standard Primes were Panavision’s first 35mm-format spherical lenses and first series to feature the proprietary Panavision lens mount. 

Credits include: Days of Heaven, Kramer vs. Kramer, Ordinary People 

Super Speed 
Introduced in 1970 

Building on the success of the Standard Primes, Super Speed and Ultra Speed lenses offered higher performance and faster apertures while maintaining the optical qualities of the earlier lens series. Today, the popular PVintage series comprises Super and Ultra Speed optics in modern housings with improved mechanics.  

Credits include: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Mississippi Burning 

Primo 
Introduced in 1988 

Primo optics were the first completely matched family of primes and zooms designed for the motion-picture industry. Still a popular choice today, the lenses set a new standard for spherical lens performance, earning accolades from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Television Academy. 

Credits include: Empire of the Sun, Coming to America, Jurassic Park, Titanic, The Matrix, Australia, The Lobster, Black Panther 

G Series  
Introduced in 2007 

Panavision’s first new anamorphic optics for the 21st century, G Series 2x anamorphic lenses combined the compact convenience of the C Series with the optical innovations of Primo Anamorphic lenses. The wide-angle AWZ2 — aka the “Bailey zoom” after John Bailey, ASC — and telephoto ATZ were developed alongside the G Series. 

Credits include: The Nice Guys, The Founder, Baby Driver, Annihilation, Rocket Man, Lucy in the Sky, In the Heights 

Primo 70 
Introduced in 2014 

Specifically designed for large-format digital cameras, Primo 70 lenses were the first Panavision optics to feature internal motors and full metadata capabilities. Befitting the Primo family, the lenses offer sharp performance but with a gentle, smooth, organic falloff. 

Credits include: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Little Things, Fast Charlie, Hit Man, Here 

T Series 
Introduced in 2016 

Named after legendary Panavision lens designer Tak Miyagishima, T Series 2x anamorphic optics were developed specifically for digital sensors — but are also compatible with film — and incorporated new optical layouts and mechanical advances, delivering increased edge-to-edge performance and closer focusing. 

Credits include: Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Palm Springs, West Side Story (2021), Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, All the Old Knives, Elvis, The Woman King 

Panaspeed
Introduced in 2018

Panaspeeds deliver a look comparable to Primos, and in keeping with the Primo legacy, they have proven to be a popular choice since their introduction in 2018, especially with their super-fast T1.4 wide-open aperture. The lenses deliver large-format coverage and are also compatible with film cameras and Super 35-sized sensors.

Credits include: Hustlers, Spider-Man: No Way Home, God’s Country, Beau Is Afraid, Ferrari

Ultra Panatar II
Introduced in 2023

Panavision’s newest lens series (for now), Ultra Panatar II lenses build on the success of the Ultra Panatar 1.3x anamorphic lenses developed for cinematographer Trent Opaloch on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, delivering a 1.3x anamorphic squeeze and compatibility with Super 35 and large-format camera systems. The first prototype Ultra Panatar IIs were built in 2022 and were used by Alice Brooks, ASC as the primary lenses for Wicked. 

Credits include: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Order, Wicked