Panavision is a motion picture equipment company specializing in camera, lens, and grip equipment, along with related accessories. After starting out as a small partnership that created anamorphic attachments for projection lenses, they have slowly but steadily expanded their operations and product lines while maintaining a high level of design and quality, making for a prestigious brand name in the eyes of film crews. Unlike most of their competition, including rival Arri, Panavision operates exclusively as a rental house and owns their entire inventory. (Ironically, their comprehensive offerings of in-house and externally produced camera models means they are also one of Arri's top customers.) The company is currently based in Woodland Hills, California, United States. Any major production that uses Panavision's services is contractually obligated to provide a credit that says "Filmed with Panavision Cameras and Lenses" if using spherical lenses, or "Filmed in Panavision" if using anamorphic lenses.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panavision

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

323: Constantine the Great defeated Licinius. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great)

987: Hugh Capet was crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that ruled France till the French Revolution in 1792. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Capet_of_France)

1608: Quebec City was founded by Samuel de Champlain. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_City)

1863: Pickett's Charge occurred during the final and bloodiest day of fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg, marking a turning point in the American Civil War. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickett%27s_Charge)

1938: The LNER Mallard reached a speed of 203 km/h (126 mph), a world record for a steam railway locomotive. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4468_Mallard)

1964: President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting racial segregation in public places in the United States. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"The splendor of life forever lies in wait about each one of us in all its fullness, but veiled from view, deep down, invisible, far off. It is there, though; not hostile, not reluctant, not deaf. If you summon it by the right word, by its right name, it will come." -- Franz Kafka (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka)