The American Society of Cinematographers has introduced a restored set of Todd-AO prime lenses that were recently rediscovered in the ASC’s Hollywood clubhouse.
It's amazing what you can find hidden away at the back of a cupboard somewhere; even more so if you are the The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and your Hollywood clubhouse has seen some of the great and the good from the past century of filmmaking use your facilities.
All the same, finding a set of Todd-AO prime lenses lying around is impressive.
As rental house Keslow Camera explains, originally built in the early 1950s, the legendary Todd-AO 65mm Primes helped create such classics as Oklahoma!, Around the World in 80 Days, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Cleopatra, The Alamo, Hello, Dolly! and Patton. After decades in disrepair, they were eventually donated to the American Society of Cinematographers, and forgotten in the ASC Clubhouse basement.
Until now, that is, when they have been refurbished in collaboration with Zero Optik for use in contemporary large-format production.
The set consists of nine primes covering focal lengths from 18mm to 135mm, each with distinct T-stop and close-focus specifications. Examples include an 18mm T5.3 (close focus: 1'1") and a 60mm T2.1 (close focus: 1'7"). All but the 18mm share a 95 mm front diameter, with the 18mm using a 114mm front. The lenses feature uniform focus and iris gear placement across the set.
The housings are newly built and support PV, PL, and LPL mounts, which can be interchanged to fit different production requirements.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS, who tested the set, described the lenses as producing subtle rendering, smooth fall-off, and natural skin tones, with a sense of resolution that avoids excessive sharpness.
“Whenever I get my hands on vintage glass, I’m always kind of surprised,” he says. “These lenses revealed themselves to be quite beautiful and subtle. They fell off in such a natural way, and I especially appreciated how they rendered skin tone. We worked to create an element of resolution and sharpness without ever feeling ‘sharp,’ and were able to draw out more of a three-dimensional feel.”
The refurbished lenses will be available through a rotating selection of premier rental houses, starting with Keslow Camera.
Keslow notes that "With their historical provenance, and with only one complete rehoused set in existence, the ASC Todd-AO 65mm Primes may very well be among the rarest cinema lenses on earth."
It would therefore probably be wise to expect them to be a) not cheap and b) rapidly booked up.