dino vian

Hello I am wondering if anyone is interesting is swapping like for like lenses. I have 4 PL Mounted B&L Super Baltars in 20mm, 35mm, 50mm and 75mm all mint glass and almost mint housing (like very very close to mint housing). I also have an unmounted 25mm that I can throw in. I love the lenses but would like to switch them with Cooke Speed Panchro series iii and ii lenses of similar sizes. The any SP 25mm 18mm must be series iii as the series ii 18mm and 25mm were not as good (which is why they made those two lengths as series iii's). So basically I am looking for 1st choice 25mm Series iii 32mm series ii 50mm series ii 75mm series ii. but I could consider the 18mm instead of 25,, and 40 mm in place of 32. let me know if anyone is interested. I just shot the baltars on a 35mm film and can show the images. Amazing lenses but I am a Cooke guy at heart.

most schools up and until the late 90s and beyond (Like NYU) always had you start on Black and White Reversal like Plus X. Its almost gone now, some stock remains if you can find it. Not only is it the best film to learn on but its also in my opinion far superior to the neg stuff. I always wished I could shoot it in 35mm. If you can expose reversal you will be laughing once you shoot neg. Check with Spectra Film and Video or Pro 8mm.

super baltars on super 16 Fuji Vivid stocks used on all studio shots on this artist film (Cooke Variotel zoom on exteriors).

Actually I spoke directly with Fuji today and they have already closed. The last roll of Fuji Motion Picture Film has been made. They plan to have closed all offices and laid of all staff by march 2013. They still have lots of stock though. If you don't believe me call your local Fuji office.

Hi, no idea of the prices but the Japanese lenses were undercutting the American and European lenses by quite a bit. The Super Baltars may have been Bausch and Lomb glass or certain people have told me it was actually Zeiss glass. Bausch and Lomb were using Zeiss glass in still photography lenses. I don't know for sure but a small chance the American glass was actually German. All the BNCR lenses were the cheap option by the 70s and early 80s. A good source of prices is old American Cinematographers actually. I will also say a very rare Italian made lens for the BNCR in the late 50s is also on pare with the Baltars. Can not forget the brilliant Cooke Speed Panchros as well. They seemed to have lasted a lot longer than the Baltar and Kowas. Unknown to me the IMDB for the Godfather part II lists both Super Baltars and Kowa Cine Prominars. Maybe the Kowa's filled in the focal length gaps like 40mm etc.

To reply to an earlier question. Kowas and canons were cheaper than the super baltars and in the mid 80s the kowas and canons were mostly cheaper to rent than the super baltars. I think the kowas had housing problems at first too. It's hard to generalize as non of them were totally uniform. I used super baltars on super 16 the other day and the result was amazing. With modern film they don't look overly vintage but you sure can get close to that 3 strip Technicolor look using them with the Fuji vivid stocks. Most films shot with a Mitchell in the 60s were super baltars because the cookes hit the mirror in that camera. As for when they were stopped being made I would say late 60s but new stock was still being sold in the 80s.

Kowa Cine Prominar's were used on the first Rocky.

The first and second Godfather were shot with the same set of Super Baltars. I am sure a 20 was used. The 20 was a very good lens, one of the sharpest of the Super Baltar sets (but all are a little different) Some say the 25mm was the worst Super Baltar and some say the 35 was always hard match the color to the others.