Product Category >

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses

Bausch-Lomb_Super-_Baltar_20mm_DIMENSIONS-2-scaled

1 / 7

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses strip 1

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses strip 2

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses strip 3

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses strip 4

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses strip 5

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses strip 6

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses strip 7

TLS Super Baltar 20mm T2.3
TLS Super Baltar 25mm T2.3
TLS Super Baltar 35mm T2.3
TLS Super Baltar 50mm T2.3
TLS Super Baltar 75mm T2.3
TLS Super Baltar 100mm T2.3
TLS Super Baltar 152mm T3.0

Matching Items

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses

Prime - Spherical - Super 35

product details

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar lenses, especially in their modern TLS rehoused form, are valued for their iconic rendering and their critical place in film history. TLS-rehoused Bausch & Lomb Super Baltars are more than just vintage curiosities—they are cinematic tools with soul, blending practical, modern housings with one of the most storied optical signatures in Hollywood history. Successors to the original Baltars, they offer improved coatings, higher contrast, and greater consistency across focal lengths. They continue to be chosen not just for nostalgia, but for their ability to imbue modern productions with a textured, organic quality and timeless, human warmth without excessive degradation. A typical rehoused Super Baltar set includes: 20mm T2.3, 25mm T2.3, 35mm T2.3, 50mm T2.3, 75mm T2.3, 100mm T2.3, and 152mm T2.3. Available for rental or sub-rental at Cine Visuals.

Focal Length
T-Stop
Type
Format
Front Diameter
Lens Mount
Metadata
Iris Blades
Image Circle

Era / Generation
Contrast & Tonal Character
Sharpness & Resolution
Focus Fall‑Off / Transition
Iris & Bokeh Quality
Flare & Highlight Behavior
Handling & Ergonomics
Build & Modifications
Cinematic Heritage & Credits

*Refer to Technical Specifications table. Not the same for all focal lengths.

Matching Items

Technical Specs Table

T-Stop

Type

Format

Front Diameter

Lens Mount

Metadata

Close Focus (ft)

Close Focus (m)

Weight (lbs)

Weight (kg)

Length (in)

Length (mm)

Iris Blades

Image Circle

Front Filter

Rear Filter

Horizontal Angle of View (Full Frame)

Horizontal Angle of View (S35)

Focus Rotation

T2.3

Spherical

Super 35

125 mm

–

11"

0.28 m

3.40 lbs

1.50 kg

3.60"

91.40 mm

–

33 mm

–

T2.3

Spherical

Super 35

110 mm

–

0.23 m

4.40 lbs

2.00 kg

5.25"

133.30 mm

–

33 mm

–

T2.3

Spherical

Super 35

110 mm

–

13"

0.33 m

2.80 lbs

1.30 kg

3.80"

96.50 mm

–

33 mm

–

T2.3

Spherical

Super 35

110 mm

–

14"

0.36 m

3.40 lbs

1.50 kg

4.25"

107.90 mm

–

33 mm

–

T2.3

Spherical

Super 35

110 mm

–

20"

0.51 m

3.40 lbs

1.50 kg

4.70"

119.40 mm

–

33 mm

–

T2.3

Spherical

Super 35

110 mm

–

3'3"

0.99 m

4.30 lbs

1.95 kg

5.25"

133.30 mm

–

33 mm

–

T3.0

Spherical

Super 35

110 mm

–

1.52 m

5.00 lbs

2.27 kg

6.65"

169.00 mm

–

33 mm

–

Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar Lenses

Image Fidelity & Focus

Super Baltars are prized for their gentle contrast, smooth roll-off, and organic sharpness. Unlike modern lenses that chase clinical perfection, the Super Baltars offer a subtle softness, particularly at wider apertures, with pleasing skin tone reproduction and painterly transitions between focus and defocus. Sharpness in the center is adequate but never harsh, while edges soften naturally, creating a dimensional falloff that flatters faces. Chromatic aberration exists at wide stops, especially in the 20mm and 25mm, but adds to the vintage charm.

Handling & Adaptability

In their original form, Super Baltars were compact, lightweight, and built for film cameras of the 1960s and 70s. However, they were mechanically inconsistent and fragile for modern production. The TLS rehousing process transforms them into reliable, production-ready tools: consistent front diameters, expanded focus scales, durable housings, and uniform mechanics across the set. Weights vary between 1.6–2.5 kg per lens, making them practical for use on dollies, steadicams, and even handheld rigs. With PL mount rehousing, they adapt easily to modern cinema cameras such as ARRI Alexa, RED, and Sony Venice.

Flare & Bokeh

Due to single coatings, Super Baltars produce veiling glare and rainbow-like flares that can be expressive but not overwhelming. Bokeh is smooth and rounded, with some field curvature contributing to the dreamy quality. Their overall image fidelity has a romantic, nostalgic feel that softens digital sensors and evokes celluloid.

Image Circle

Super Baltars cover Super 35 film formats comfortably, with some focal lengths projecting a slightly larger image circle that can accommodate certain modern digital sensors. TLS rehousing unifies the set with 110mm front diameters, industry-standard 0.8 mod gears, and extended 300° focus rotation.

Cinematic Heritage

The original Baltars date back to the 1930s. Super Baltars emerged in the late 1960s, created to serve the needs of a new era of color cinematography. They quickly became industry standards through the 1970s, famously used on Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy, All the President’s Men, Paper Moon and many others. Their look helped define the cinematic language of the American New Wave: muted contrast, natural tones, and a sense of realism that complemented the gritty stories of the time.