Angénieux has published a short video that shows its achievements over the years, from 1935 to 2019 with the announcement of the Optimo Primes. The video titled “History and Breakthrough Technologies” covers 84 years in 75 seconds. Let’s have a look.
Angénieux: Made for cinema productions
Angenieux has a long history making some of the most respected lenses in the motion picture industry with roots dating back to some of the earliest cinema zoom lenses. Purposely built for cinematic production, Angenieux lenses comprise five lines: Optimo Primes, EZ Series, Optimo Spherical, Optimo Anamorphic, and the Optimo Style Spherical. All cine lenses offer a fast T-stop throughout the entire zoom range, a large focus scale rotation angle that enables precise manual focusing, and retain superb image quality even under extreme environmental conditions. Angenieux states that the pristine optical performance and seamless blend between contrast and resolution create a distinct and unique cinematic look. The Angenieux glass has been used by the skilled hands of the world’s top Cinematographers to capture anything from blockbuster features, high ranking TV series, to independent content, either shot in spherical or anamorphic.
Angénieux lenses in major filmmaking events
Angénieux has been maintaining a strong presence among other respected brands like ARRI, Cooke, Panavision, and Zeiss. For instance, Angénieux lenses were used extensively to shoot Oscars 2020’s Best Picture and Best Cinematography nominees, that utilized its Optimo line. In Sundance 2020, the Angénieux X12 Zoom was one of the most used glasses among independent production that pursued high-end zooms. However, the brand was hardly used in shooting the selected film of Sundance 2021. Also, surprisingly no Angénieux lenses were used to shoot the 93rd Academy Awards nominated films (for Best Picture and Cinematography).
History and Breakthrough Technologies
Today, Angénieux has published a short video that shows the company’s achievements over the years. Discover the history and breakthrough technologies of Angénieux as we travel through the past 86 years:
- 1935: Angénieux is founded in Paris
- 1938: Invention of the pictograph
- 1950: Invention of the retro focus
- 1951: First 16mm and 35mm fixed cine lenses
- 1957: First 4x zoom (17- 68mm) for cinema
- 1969: The Apollo 11 mission is a success. On board, 6×25 Angénieux zoom lenses
- 1985: Zoom 25-250 f/3,2
- 2001 – 2004: Innovation on zoom with the Optimo 24-290 and the Optimo 17-80
- 2006-2009: Innovation on the compact zoom lenses
- 2010: Angénieux celebrates its 75th birthday
- 2017: Optimo Ultra 12x for S35mm, U35mm, and Full Format
- 2019: Optimo Prime Series, full frame primes
Check it out below:
Final thoughts
The contribution of Angénieux glass to the creation of motion pictures is dramatic. Even independent productions that are eager for an impressive zoom lens that is built for high-end needs, pick up this brand. Solid metal finish, no plastic, robustness, reliability, and precise optics that produce stunning imagery are the mutual characteristics of all Angénieux glass.
Have you shot with Angénieux before? Share with us your experience in the comments section below.
