 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Movie camera rental Motion picture equipment |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Founder | Robert Gottschalk Richard Moore |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Kimberly Snyder (CEO) |
| Products | Panaflex cameras Genesis HD camera Grip equipment Lee Filters Millennium DXL |
250,000,000 (2008)  | |
| Owner | Investors led by Cerberus Capital Management |
Number of employees | 1,211 (as of December 31, 2005) |
| Website | panavision.com |
Panavision Inc. is an American motion picture equipment company founded in 1954 specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during the widescreen boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product lines to meet the demands of modern filmmakers. The company introduced its first products in 1954. Originally a provider of CinemaScope accessories, the company's line of anamorphic widescreen lenses soon became the industry leader. In 1972, Panavision helped revolutionize filmmaking with the lightweight Panaflex 35 mm movie camera. The company has introduced other cameras such as the Millennium XL (1999) and the digital video Genesis (2004).
Panavision operates exclusively as a rental facility—the company owns its entire inventory, unlike most of its competitors.