Panavision has been recognized by Millimeter Magazine with three of the 14 top awards for product innovation in 2007.  Millimeter is among the production technology industry’s most prestigious journals.  Its Vanguard Awards were announced in November, 2007.

The magazine awarded 2007 best product innovation kudos to Panavision’s SSR-1 solid state digital recorder designed for use with the Panavision Genesis® Digital Camera System or Sony’s F23 system; the Panavision 2-perf camera; and the Panavision G-series prime anamorphic lenses.

“We are thrilled to receive these awards from Millimeter Magazine,” said Bob  Beitcher, president and CEO of Panavision Inc.  “Product innovation has been at the core of Panavision’s mission since its inception in 1954. At our Panafest event last fall, we demonstrated our confidence in the future of both film and digital technology and the Millimeter Vanguard awards reflect the success of our commitment to both camps.”

In announcing the awards on its website, Millimeter noted, ”Film technology — established as it is — continues to improve. For many directors and cinematographers, shooting film is an aesthetic choice that they will fight for. Can a film-based workflow remain viable this year and into the future?  Some of this year's Vanguard winners will help keep filmmakers working in film.”

The magazine cited Panavision’s winners with the following descriptions:

SSR-1 – “The bantam SSR-1 weighs in at less than 6lbs., which is 7lbs. less than the portable Sony SRW-1 HDCAM-SR tape deck it supplants on top or at the back of a Panavision Genesis or Sony F23. Additional advantages to the 4:4:4 flash- memory recorder include instant start (no preroll), instant playback of takes (no cueing, shuttling), 40 percent more operational time than SRW-1 due to lower power draw, and no noisy cooling fans. A final practical advantage: The SSR-1 has a built-in downconverter for NTSC or PAL monitor output, even when the recorder is mounted on the camera. Recording times are 20 minutes for uncompressed 4:4:4 or 40 minutes for 4:2:2, at frame rates from 1fps to 30fps. ‘If there are any downsides,” says Vanguard’s judge D. W. Leitner, “I can't find them.’”

Panavision 2-perf camera – “Panavision demonstrates its confidence in the future of film by building new lightweight 35mm Millennium XL2 Panaflex camera bodies, but it also refurbishes and updates older camera systems with the latest electronics. Out of this practice has come the new Panavision 2-perf camera, basically a 20-year-old Platinum body with a new 2-perf pulldown. Magazines double their running times, cameras are quieter, film stock costs are halved, and what you get is native 2.40 widescreen without the hassles and inefficiencies of anamorphic lenses. Using fast spherical lenses, tight-grained stocks such as Kodak's Vision 2  5218 (or the just-announced Vision 3), and today's DI process for creating anamorphic-squeezed negatives, a new era of low-budget widescreen filmmaking is poised to take off.

“‘Panavision's 2-perf model represents a major step forward in efficiency and economy,” says Vanguards judge Barry Braverman, “offering filmmakers the option now of shooting 35mm at roughly the price of 16mm.’”

Panavision G Series – “These compact, lightweight anamorphic prime lenses are designed for the first time to meet the needs of handheld and Steadicam work. There are six primes in the series — 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 60mm, 75mm, and 100mm, all T2.6 with close focus less than 3ft. According to the company, the G-series primes are comparable to Panavision E-series anamorphic primes in performance and size, but their lightweight, compact format is similar to Panavision C-series primes. Panavision has also recently released two lightweight anamorphic zooms. The first zoom, the wide-angle AWZ2 — 40mm to 80mm, T3.5 — was introduced in 2006 and is now joined by the new telephoto ATZ — 70mm to 200mm, T3.5. Panavision says these are the first modern zoom lenses with an anamorphic element in the front.”

Panavision SSR-1 Solid State Recorder for Panavision Genesis and Sony F23

Panavision Platinum camera, refurbished and fitted with 2-Perf movement

Panavision New G-Series Anamorphic Lenses