Vintage Prime
Ancient Optics / Zero Optik
Tamashii Primes
The “Greatest Hits” of Japanese Optics
- Focal
- 22–110mm
- T-stop
- T1.5–T2.3
- Mount
- PL
Vintage Prime Set
Eastern Enterprises Rehoused
B&L Super Baltar Primes
7 primes 20 – 152mm T2.3 – T3 PL
The lenses that gave The Godfather its famous look.
Low contrast and a warm, flattering glow. Highlights bloom; shadows stay milky rather than deep. Bright sources flare amber with halated halos and the occasional rainbow artifact. Romantic and old-school: instantly 60s–70s cinema, glowing streetlights at night, daylight washed in pastel.
Character profile
How this lens renders.
Painterly. Warm. Low contrast.
Five axes plotting how this set behaves wide-open vs a neutral modern reference. Larger area = more pronounced trait.
Focal lengths
7 focal lengths in this set
- 20mm T2.3
- 25mm T2.3
- 35mm T2.3
- 50mm T2.3
- 75mm T2.3
- 100mm T2.3
- 152mm† T3
| Focal | T-Stop | Close focus | Weight | Front Ø |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20mm | T2.3 | 7" | 1.3kg | 109mm |
| 25mm | T2.3 | 8" | 1.9kg | 109mm |
| 35mm | T2.3 | 9" | 1.0kg | 85mm |
| 50mm | T2.3 | 9" | 1.1kg | 80mm |
| 75mm | T2.3 | 1'3" | 1.2kg | 80mm |
| 100mm | T2.3 | 1'6" | 1.6kg | 95mm |
| 152mm† | T3 | 3' | 2.5kg | 95mm |
† Hired separately, not part of the kit. Add it beside either kit and we'll price it with your quote.
Talking points
Why DPs pick this set
-
The Godfather’s lenses.
Gordon Willis chose them for their painterly quality.
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Very low contrast with milky highlights and soft shadows.
Instant 1960s–70s atmosphere.
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Warm amber flares.
Halation around every light source.
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One of the rarest rehoused sets.
Only a few exist worldwide.
Technical
Full specifications
- Coverage
- Super 35 only on the 20mm and 25mm. Full Frame from 35mm up. The 152mm also covers 65mm.* sources disagree
- Iris
- New 12-blade circular (replacing the original 6-blade hexagonal)
Some figures here are marked *. Our sources disagree on those, so we're checking them against the lenses themselves. Ask us and we'll measure it for you.
Shot on these
Notable credits
-
The Godfather (1972)
DOP Gordon Willis
-
The Birds (1963)
DOP Robert Burks Dir Alfred Hitchcock
Credits reflect productions historically shot on this lens family. Specific units may vary.
Heritage
From Bausch & Lomb to Coppola
Used on Hitchcock's The Birds, many Paramount productions, and famously The Godfather.
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Origin
Made by Bausch & Lomb (USA), introduced in the early 1960s. They succeeded the original B&L Baltars (uncoated, 1930s–50s) and shipped with the Mitchell R-35 reflex camera in 1960. The 152mm in this set is an original Baltar (1930s design, f/2.7) rather than a Super Baltar, slightly slower but covers Full Frame and 65mm with even more vintage character.
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Filmography
Used across countless Paramount productions through the 1960s and into the New Hollywood era.
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Build
Eastern Enterprises (Japan) refurbished and rehoused the complete set for modern cinema use: PL mounts, matched gears, improved close focus across all lenses.
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