The Return of Legendary Optics
Launched in the late 1930’s and continuing through the 1960’s with the release of the “Super” version, Baltar lenses were a mainstay of Hollywood’s golden age. With pre-Computer Age optical design and single layer anti-reflective coatings, Baltar lenses produce gentle rendering and rich, warm color that remains in demand to the present day. The “look” afforded by these lenses simply can’t be reproduced with ultra-sharp modern, multi-coated optics. Manufactured in small numbers, finding original Baltar lenses in serviceable condition is extremely rare.
Caldwell has resurrected these historic lenses using the original Bausch & Lomb blueprints to create the Neo Baltar and Neo Super Baltar lens series. Made with a precision more consistent than the original, the classic look is retained without the drawbacks of having a lens set that does not match.
Glass types and lens coatings have been painstakingly selected to ensure that the Neo Baltars and Neo Super Baltars produce the same classic “look” of the originals. Where “vintage” lenses are often maintained by canabalizing non-functioning donor lenses, Caldwell offers full availability of parts, service and lens coating options.
Caldwell is currently developing four new lenses to comliment the Neo Super Baltar series. The 25mm, 35mm, 50mm & 75mm Ultra Baltar lenses are matched to the unique image quality of the original Super Baltars, and will cover Full Frame, and larger. The existing Neo Super Baltar 100mm 152mm and 229mm cover Full Frame natively.
These lenses will offer cinematographers the romantic texture of classic Hollywood optics with the increased resolution and depth-of-field advantages of the newer, larger format cameras.
Both the Neo Baltar and Neo Super Baltar Lenses are supplied as lens cells with an iris. These require housings that can be customized and branded as desired. Caldwell will work with your lens housing company of choice to facilitate this. Please contact us for a list of suitable lens housing companies, or put us in touch with your own.
Caldwell offers bespoke lens coating options for all our lens cells at an additional fee. The stock Neo and Ultra lens cells offer a color neutral look. We can coat lenses to offer specific color rendition in a matched set. We can also match exiting sets of Baltars (color variations in vintage Baltars are common, even within sets).
Baltars & Super Baltar Credits: The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) / Blood Feast (1963) / The Birds (1963) / Star Trek (1966 - 69) / The Godfather I & II (1972 & 74) / Carrie (1976) / Buffalo 66 (1998) / Birth (2004) /Labor Day (2013) / Rush (2013)