Panavision specs

[Zak Ray]

I'm working on a lens database app, and I'd like to include what year each lens series came out. Hoping someone here might be able to chime in. Doesn't have to be exact, even the right decade would be helpful.

Here's what I'm missing:

-Primo classics

-Close focus / macro panatar

-Primo anamorphic

-Super high speed anamorphics

-Various spherical zooms (LWZs, STZ, Z5S/Z6S)

-Various anamorphic zooms (AWZ, ATZ, ALZ)

 

I'm also coming up short on what the anamorphic squeeze is for the following:

-B Series

-Close focus / macro panatar

-Primo anamorphic

-Super high speed anamorphics

-T series

-Various zooms (AWZ, ATZ, ALZ)

 

P.S. I'm also looking for weight and length specs on a lot of pana lenses... if you have any tips (beyond the Motion Picture Lens Database) let me know!

 

[David Sekanina]

I recently bought the book "Digital Cinematography" second edition by David Stump ASC. It has the most comprehensive List of Panavision lenses of the books on my shelf:

Primo L-Series

Primo close focus lenses

Primo Classic Series

Primo Zooms

Macro Zoom

PWZ

PNZT

Primo 70 Series

Primo Artiste

Panaspeed

Sphero 65

Super Panavision 70

Panavision System 65

Ultra Panavision 70

Panavision 65 Vintage

Standard Primes SP

Super Speed Z series

Ultra Speed USZ Series

Primo X lenses

Panavision Fraziers Lens System FLS

Flare Lenses

G Series Anamorphic Primes

E Series Anamorphic Primes

C Series Anamorphic Primes

Panavision AL Primo Anamorphic

T Series Anamorphic Lenses

T Series Anamorphic Zooms

Front Anamorphic Zooms AWZ2 and ATZ

Ultra Vista Lenses

Super High Speed Anamorphics

 

But you probably have to get in touch with Panavision themselves for datapoints like weight.

Edited February 20, 2022 by David Sekanina

[Dom Jaeger]

A simple trip to the Panavision website will give you plenty of information about focal lengths and some of their attributes - usually T stops, front diameters and close focus, often weight as well. There is usually also a description and sometimes a history of the different lens lines. For example, for Primo Standards, Close Focus and Primo Classics:

https://uk.panavision.com/products/uk/primo®-prime-lenses

Just click on specifications at the bottom.

Sometimes the UK site has more descriptive information than the US one.

Most of the anamorphics are 2x. The only unusual squeeze factors are for large format: the Ultra Panatars and Auto Panatars in System 65 mount are 1.3x squeeze, while the Ultra Vistas also in System 65 mount are 1.65x.

As far as dating goes, it can be confusing as many lens lines have been updated or added to over the years. But for anamorphics, basically the earliest lenses are the Auto Panatars, and their modern incarnation Ultra Panatars which date to the 50s and 60s in design if not housings. The B and C series date to the 60s and 70s although there have been multiple refurbishments, the E series date to the 80s, the Primos from the 90s, the G series from mid 2000s, the T series from the mid 2010s.

If you do some research on announcements made at various trade shows you’ll dig up more dates I’m sure. 

[Dom Jaeger]

11 hours ago, Zak Ray said:

Here's what I'm missing:

-Primo classics

-Close focus / macro panatar

-Primo anamorphic

-Super high speed anamorphics

-Various spherical zooms (LWZs, STZ, Z5S/Z6S)

-Various anamorphic zooms (AWZ, ATZ, ALZ)

 

Mostly educated guesswork here. I think the Primo classics are probably within the last ten years, same as Macro Panatars, although there have been close focus anamorphics developed before including close focus Primos. The Primo anamorphics are 90s. High speed anamorphics I’m not sure. I would say the STZ and first LWZ zooms might be 90s same as Primos. The Z5S/Z6S are Panavised early Cooke and Angenieux zooms, 70s or 80s. Those anamorphic zooms like ATZ and AWZ are mid 2000s.

 

[Zak Ray]

Thanks to you both!

And yes I've already been through the Panavision site and also David Stump's book. I also tried calling Panavision directly but they got cagey pretty quick ?

[Ignacio Aguilar]

Super High Speed Anamorphics are from the mid 70's, they were mentioned by Vilmos Zsigmond in the AC article about his photography for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (and you can certainly see them in action in the opening air traffic controllers scene). I've seen them in at least one pic on the set of John Carpenter's "Halloween" and I bet they were used by Richard H. Kline for  many scenes of the 1976 remake of "King Kong".

These lenses use Nikon glass and it's said they predate the E Series, which are Nikon as well, in design.

What I don't really know is if the lenses are still around. I'd say most if not all of "Escape From New York" (1981) used them, and the night exteriors from "Die Hard" (1988) and some shots in Michael Mann's "Heat" (1995) did as well. I think Wally Pfister carried them on some of the "Batman" movies too.

[Shawn Martin]

Robert Richardson used the Super High Speeds for some of "Bringing Out the Dead". Greig Fraser used them on "Let Me In", "Snow White and the Huntsman" and "Killing Them Softly" (a custom 50mm was used for that crazy shot of Brad Pitt walking through the fireworks).

Gary Kibbe used them on Carpenter's "They Live" and Jack Green did on "The Rookie" for Eastwood. Pfister also used them on a couple of Nolan's non-Batman movies, and on his own "Transcendence".

I've read contradictory info (some from Panavision itself) about the ATZ and AWZ2 coming out in 2004, 2006 and 2007. The AC article for "I Heart Huckabees" (2004) mentions Peter Deming using a prototype of the AWZ2, which didn't have a name at the time IIRC.