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Panavision
Hollywood's rental-only camera + lens specialist.
manufacturer · Woodland Hills, USA · Est. 1954 · Panavision Group
About
Panavision
Panavision was founded in 1953 in Los Angeles by Robert Gottschalk, originally to manufacture anamorphic projection lenses for the new CinemaScope format. The company moved into camera and taking-lens manufacture in the 1960s and has stayed rental-only ever since — Panavision equipment is leased through the company's own facilities, never sold to end users.
The company's anamorphic-lens lines (C, E, G, H, T, Sphero, Ultra Panatar) and the Primo and Primo 70 spherical sets shape much of how modern Hollywood looks. Panavision also builds rental-only camera bodies (Millennium DXL2, the Genesis, and the historic Panaflex film cameras) and operates LightIron, its post-production grading and finishing arm.
Panavision's ownership has shifted through several private-equity holdings; it currently sits within the Panavision Group alongside LightIron and Direct Digital. The company remains the standard rental partner for many ASC-card cinematographers and is the exclusive global licensee for Ultra Panavision 70 (1.25× anamorphic, used on The Hateful Eight and select since).
Catalog
13 series · 16 items
Cameras
Lenses
Panavision C-Series Anamorphic was the company's primary anamorphic prime set from the early 1970s through the 1990s. The set covers a wide range of focal lengths from 24mm through 180mm, all at T2.3 with a 2× squeeze, in PV mount. C-Series glass remains a recognisable rendering signature — pronounced blue horizontal flares, oval bokeh, swirl at the edges of focus, and noticeable breathing on pulls. The set has been used continuously since launch; recent A-camera work includes parts of The Master, Inherent Vice, and Licorice Pizza (PTA / Wally Pfister, then Mihai Malaimare Jr.).
References
Further reading
- Panavision — Wikipediawikipedia
- Panavision lens referencePanavisionstudio page
- The Hateful Eight: Ultra Panavision 70fxguidefxguide