Panavision cameras
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of Panavision
's various cameras and camera systems.
Panaflex-X (1974):
Panaflex Lightweight (1975): The Panaflex Lightweight is a sync-sound
35 mm motion picture camera, stripped of all components not essential for work with 'floating camera' systems such as the Steadicam. Contemporaneous cameras such as the Panavision Gold II can weigh as much as 60 lb (27.2 kg) depending on configuration. The Panaflex Lightweight II (1993) is crystal controlled at one-frame increments between 4 and 36 frames per second, and has a fixed focal-plane shutter. 200°, 180°, 172.8° or 144° can be installed by Panavision prior to rental per the customer's order. This camera is still available through Panavision.
Panaflex Gold (1976):
Panaflex Gold II (1987): The Panaflex Gold II is a sync-sound 35 mm motion picture camera. It is capable of crystal sync at 24 and 25 or 29.97 frame/s, and the non-sync speed is variable from 4-34 frame/s (34 frame/s is the figure provided by Panavision; the Gold II can safely run up to 40 frame/s, crystal controlled with a special board which can be fitted on request). It has a focal-plane shutter which can be adjusted from 50-200° while the camera is running, either by an external control unit or manually turning a knob. Improvements over the Panavision Gold include a brighter viewfinder. While the movement remains essentially the same as the original Panaflex movement introduced in 1972, the Gold II's dual registration pins are "full-fitting" according to Panavision, implying a more precise grip on the film during exposure and thus greater sharpness. This camera is still available through Panavision.
Panastar II (1987): The Panastar II is an MOS 35 mm motion picture camera. It is capable of 4-120 frame/s both forward and reverse, though reverse running requires a reversing magazine, with camera timing crystal-controlled at one-frame increments. It has a focal-plane shutter which can be adjusted between 45° and 180° while the camera is running, either by using an external remote control or manually turning a knob. Improvements over the original Panastar include a weight reduction of 5 lb (2.3 kg), a more accurate digital shutter angle readout, the inclusion of the Panaglow ground glass illuminator, and the ability to adjust the speed of the camera in single-frame increments without need for an external speed control, rather that being tied to the pre-set running speeds of the first Panastar. At high speeds, the Panastar II is incredibly loud, often leading those unfamiliar with its operation to question whether it is functioning properly.
Millennium XL (1999): The Millennium XL was the first panavision camera to win a Primetime Emmy and Academy Award within the first year of release. The Perfect Storm
was filmed with this camera.
Millennium XL2 (2004): The major motion picture Just Like Heaven was filmed on this camera.
Panavision
Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during the widescreen boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product...
's various cameras and camera systems.
Panaflex and Panaflex Gold
Panaflex (1972):Panaflex-X (1974):
Panaflex Lightweight (1975): The Panaflex Lightweight is a sync-sound
Sync sound
Sync sound refers to sound recorded at the time of the filming of movies, and has been widely used in movies since the birth of sound movies.-History:...
35 mm motion picture camera, stripped of all components not essential for work with 'floating camera' systems such as the Steadicam. Contemporaneous cameras such as the Panavision Gold II can weigh as much as 60 lb (27.2 kg) depending on configuration. The Panaflex Lightweight II (1993) is crystal controlled at one-frame increments between 4 and 36 frames per second, and has a fixed focal-plane shutter. 200°, 180°, 172.8° or 144° can be installed by Panavision prior to rental per the customer's order. This camera is still available through Panavision.
Panaflex Gold (1976):
Panaflex Gold II (1987): The Panaflex Gold II is a sync-sound 35 mm motion picture camera. It is capable of crystal sync at 24 and 25 or 29.97 frame/s, and the non-sync speed is variable from 4-34 frame/s (34 frame/s is the figure provided by Panavision; the Gold II can safely run up to 40 frame/s, crystal controlled with a special board which can be fitted on request). It has a focal-plane shutter which can be adjusted from 50-200° while the camera is running, either by an external control unit or manually turning a knob. Improvements over the Panavision Gold include a brighter viewfinder. While the movement remains essentially the same as the original Panaflex movement introduced in 1972, the Gold II's dual registration pins are "full-fitting" according to Panavision, implying a more precise grip on the film during exposure and thus greater sharpness. This camera is still available through Panavision.
Panastar
Panastar (1977):Panastar II (1987): The Panastar II is an MOS 35 mm motion picture camera. It is capable of 4-120 frame/s both forward and reverse, though reverse running requires a reversing magazine, with camera timing crystal-controlled at one-frame increments. It has a focal-plane shutter which can be adjusted between 45° and 180° while the camera is running, either by using an external remote control or manually turning a knob. Improvements over the original Panastar include a weight reduction of 5 lb (2.3 kg), a more accurate digital shutter angle readout, the inclusion of the Panaglow ground glass illuminator, and the ability to adjust the speed of the camera in single-frame increments without need for an external speed control, rather that being tied to the pre-set running speeds of the first Panastar. At high speeds, the Panastar II is incredibly loud, often leading those unfamiliar with its operation to question whether it is functioning properly.
Panaflex Platinum
- Platinum (1986) - The Panaflex Platinum is a sync-sound 35 mm motion picture camera, intended as the replacement for the Gold and Gold II series of cameras. It is capable of 4-36frame/s forward and reverse in 1/10-frame increments, and is crystal-controlled at all speeds. It has a focal-plane shutter which can be adjusted from 50-200° while the camera is running, either by an external control unit or manually turning a knob. While the movement remains essentially the same as the original Panaflex movement introduced in 1972, the Platinum's dual registration pins are "full-fitting" according to Panavision, implying a more precise grip on the film during exposure and thus greater sharpness.
Panaflex Millennium
Millennium (1997): The Panaflex Millennium is a sync-sound 35 mm motion picture camera. Where the Panavision Platinum was mostly an evolution and refinement of the original 1972 Panaflex, the Millennium is a totally new design, incorporating a new twin sprocket drum movement, major electronics revisions, and a general weight reduction from 24 to 17 lb (7.7 kg). The Millennium is capable of 3-50frame/s forward and reverse, though reverse running requires a reversing magazine, and it has a focal-plane shutter, the aperture angle of which can be adjusted electronically while the camera is running between 11.2° and 180° allowing for four stops of exposure ramping within a shot with no iris adjustment. All of the focus, iris, and zoom motor controls have been moved to the camera's internal circuitry, removing the need for cumbersome external circuit boxes, and it has an integrated camera built into the lens light, allowing the 1st AC to see witness marks without having to physically look at the lens. It also has a brighter viewfinder than the Platinum, multiple run switches, and footage counters on either side of the camera for easier readings.Millennium XL (1999): The Millennium XL was the first panavision camera to win a Primetime Emmy and Academy Award within the first year of release. The Perfect Storm
The Perfect Storm (film)
The Perfect Storm is a 2000 dramatic disaster film directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It is an adaptation of the 1997 non-fiction book of the same title by Sebastian Junger about the crew of the Andrea Gail that got caught in the Perfect Storm of 1991. The film stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg,...
was filmed with this camera.
Millennium XL2 (2004): The major motion picture Just Like Heaven was filmed on this camera.
Digital Video
- Sony HDW-900 CineAlta (2002)
- Panavision GenesisGenesis (Panavision)The Genesis is Panavision's high-end digital movie camera, which uses a proprietary, full frame 35mm-width, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, 12.4-megapixel, RGB filtered CCD. It was first used by a feature crew to shoot Bryan Singer's Superman Returns and was shortly followed up thereafter by the World War I...
(2005)