Syndicate

These lenses will be ready and available for rent for special projects beginning 2019. Click the image above to see and download full resolution stills.

More info and test footage will be added to this page over time. Here is some footage shot with these lenses.

Frame grab from 75mm infront of full frame Red Helium.

Cinemascope Lineup002 — Syndicate have gathered the following focal lengths of these historic relics known to many as the original of anamorphics. From left to right: 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm. And also have duplets of 35mm,40mm and 70mm.

IWC_commercial shoot_002 — Unlike most other anamorphic’s, these where designed for the S35 format instead of the smaller academy framing. So they got better coverage than most. As in this image, 100mm infront of a Red scarlet camera capturing at full sensor.

Cinemascope Lineup — With great effort and struggle we have manage to remount them to PL and they have also been sent back and forth to Japan for a total refurbishing at Eastern Enterprises to a state better or at least as good as new.

40mm driveby — Every lens have been dissembled, all elements cleaned and original radioactive coatings preserved. Flare and glare characteristics is in a class of its own.

GRAY75mm — Bauch&Lomb 75mm Cinemascope Baltar.

Cat on chair 40mm Red Monstro Lowlight.

75mm on Red Monstro — The introduction of mirror reflex cinemacameras back in the days put these “mothers of all Anamorphic´s” in the shade as they where designed to work with the early 35mm cameras without the spinning mirror type of viewfinder. Something that is no longer an issue with todays large format digital cinema cameras that got enough space infront of the sensor to house. (So far we only tested on Red Monstro, will test Alexa LF shortly.) When mirror reflex cameras where introduced Panavision and others also modified the designs of these so to get rid of the the characterisitc none uniform squeeze that comes with the design. Something that was extremely difficult to counter steer in post back in the days but with todays digital work flow is not much of an issue.

50mm Helium_Adriana Lima_IWC.

Lima_002 — 100mm Red Scarlet.

100mm on Red Monstro — Blue Line 100mm. A updated version. most likely moded in sometime in the 70´s. An extra set of elements where added to provide “Mumps compensation” however as these lenses would not fit on a mirror reflex camera the effort was not enough to stand the competition from Panavision and others.

40mm testing while getting it´s PL mount on helium — The 40mm mounted to be tested on Helium at the machine shop during the process of getting its PL mount modification. In the background you see two 75 mm standing in line for the same procedure. They still got some sound muffle foam to be peeled off. This was shot before the lenses where sent of for coloration, refurbishing and black anodized.

New focus gears created at Norens Mekaniska outside Stockholm. The blind side of the lens has been fitted with gears that allow modern focus motor control.

Back in the days it was difficult to the cameras to run silent. Camera bodies where muffled with isolation to make the film transport mechanism run more quite. The same was done to the lenses as the noise was transport trough the solid housings of the lens. As this is not a problem with todays digital cameras we decided to remove the dampning. That was actually not the only reason, the foam came with a 70 year old smell, difficult to describe, but something like old socks. The foam was also falling appart and most of the lenses was suffering from having foam particles stuck onto the different elements in the light path.

WARNER BROS — Even though the lenses where gathered from a multiple of supplyers, thanks to Ebay and other internet connections. They pretty much all came with their original cases marked “Warner Bros. Camera Dept.” This indicates their origin and makes it quite likely they been used on some of the most Iconic films ever made. Titles as: “Bridge on the River Kwai”, “Rebel without a Cause”, “How to marry a Milionare”, “The Egyptian” etc where all Warner productions and when these films where made these lenses where in very short supply. So its quite likely these very lenses was used to frame both James Dean and Marilyn Monroe among other famous actors during the 50´s and 60’s.

Better than most focusing gear — At the time of their introduction there where no other lenses that focused both the front element and the back/taking lens at the same time. The single action focusing mechanism on these lenses are quite elaborate hosting one focus knob and highly precise focus dial on each side of the lens. The new moded right side focus nob got gears to run with regular, modern, focus motors. The way the focus mechanism is geared, the knob spins several lapse from infinite to close focus range and does so at very low friction. So so focus can be pushed/pulled even with considerably weak focus motors. In this case a little DJI motor.

33905393770_878d3eab7f_k — Full Frame Helium behind 35mm

50mm on set. Remounted to PL not yet refurbished.

A015_C002_0211GO — First frame I managed to capture with a digital camera / helium. Level of happiness 10. 🙂

75mm test clip.
100mm and some 35mm and 40mm test clip.
40mm test clip.

Stupid amount of background info.