I’ll reserve one of the top spots on the “hardest names to search on the internet list” for this one for sure: OPTICAL – why, oh why would you call a company/brand in the optical industry that? It’s beyond my imagination and even my recent deep dive into another company with a name almost as bad to look up online, “Projection Optics” didn’t cause me the amount of headache this one did.
But here’s how my journey started and as things often do (in my case) they started with a lens: A projection lens unlike any other I’ve ever seen as a matter of fact. It was called Projectar, had a slightly variable focal length of 150-160 mm and a speed of f/1.9, which is quite remarkable for a projection lens that long. In contrast to the slightly shorter and heavier (around 200g more) Zeiss Kipronars of similar focal length, it was relatively lightweight and because it showed some elegant curves design wise, it was relatively hard to guess when it was manufactured. Safe to say, that my interest was piqued however and so I tried to find out more about the company and its lenses and while it can be quite a challenge finding substantial material for any lens maker from several decades back, it was almost impossible finding anything on this one.
History
Thankfully someone from a german-speaking specialists forum helped me out, when I posed the question to some people who might be the most likely to have gotten in contact with that brand: projectionists.
And I was informed that these lenses were manufactured by a company called Benoist Berthiot Iberica S.A.. Benoist Berthiot is of course a notable manufacturer from France, with roots going back to 1836 and responsible for the Cinestar and several other lines of projection lenses and today still very relevant as an important European partner of Nikon. You can read up on the history of the company on their website.
Benoist Berthiot Iberica was a subsidiary, created to produce lenses in Spain, Portugal and parts of France. It’s not clear why that name was chosen and if there have been other Iberican-based manufacturing plants, but there must have been one in Spain for sure, because it’s noted on the lenses (“Fabricado en España”). Perhaps there have been plans to establish manufacturing plants in Portugal as well, but so far no lenses with that inscription have been found.
Interestingly, many of the lenses have been produced in Italy instead. And while Italy is certainly not considered part of the Iberican peninsula, it might have been a good alternative for production at the time, because the optical industry there seems to have been more established and capable than anything in Portugal, where no notable lens maker seems to have originated from all throughout history.
While not being one of the powerhouses of the optical industry, compared to France, the UK or Germany, Italy did have a couple of notable manufacturers, who might have been capable and willing to produce lenses for another brand. Officine Galileo is the most likely candidate in my opinion, though no evidence backing that theory has surfaced so far. In addition to being marked “Made in Italy” (note that it’s in English, in contrast to the lenses made in Spain), they were also named differently: Lenses made in Spain were labeled Proyectar and in certain cases (or for early lenses) also Projectar, while lenses made in Italy got the name Proiectar. So far I haven’t seen any exception to that rule.
In an online enterprise entry Benoist Berthiot Iberica S.A. lists its original corporate purpose as:
Manufacture, sale, export and import of optical glass, objectives and instruments for cinematography, photography and projection, as well as the trade of all the elements cited and the manufacture and trade. (https://www.einforma.com/informacion-empresa/benoist-berthiot-iberica – auto-translated)
So it seems to have been established for producing lenses and accessories, but later apparently switched its production to different products, still including lenses though, but mostly for eyewear, spotting and hunting scopes, loupes etc. In the last decade the company’s activities seem to have been limited to selling and perhaps distributing products, so production is likely completely outsourced. The company seems to only consist of a handful of people today.
According to the company info, it was established at the very end of 1960. From observing the lenses they produced, in terms of construction and optical designs, I’d estimate that their production likely didn’t last very long, perhaps around two decades. Going by the serial numbers, which seem to be sequential, it feels realistic as well: The highest serial number I’ve witnessed so far has been slightly above 100.000 and it looks like the Italy-based manufacturing plant likely produced at least an equal amount of lenses (if not more) than the one in Spain.
Lenses
Optical produced several different lines of lenses, ranging from basic 4 element Petzval derivatives, both with fixed as well as variable focal lengths, to high-quality 6 element in 6 groups designs and high-speed lenses – likely with varying optical constructions. Additionally, they also produced lenses for 16 mm projection and slide-projectors and various anamorphic lenses.
I find it fascinating that Benoist Berthiot Iberica produced a lot of varifocal lenses, while its mother company never seems to have dabbled in that area. It’s possible that there might have been concerns about conflicts with existing patents/brands or perhaps just the appearance of things in France, because Angenieux mainly relied on varifocal lenses, and so it could have been a conscious move by Benoist Berthiot to start developing, manufacturing and selling similar (and likely cheaper) lenses under a different brand associated with being from another country and maker.
Here’s a comparison of two lenses with similar specs to illustrate why I think that’s a possibility:
| Model | Optical Cine-Proiectar | Angenieux AX Type 65 |
| Focal length | 110-115 mm | 110-115 mm |
| Speed | f/2 | f/1.9 |
| Design | 4/4 Petzval | 4/2 Petzval |
According to a very knowledgeable projectionist, Angenieux was not really invested into cine projection in general, didn’t advertise and only delivered lenses on request. Perhaps Benoist Berthiot realized there was significantly more demand and decided to offer some direct competition for Angenieux lenses with the help of a new brand.
While most of the Optical lens line up isn’t particularly remarkable in terms of specs, a couple of lenses are indeed very special. It would be interesting to know if their designs originated from the french headquarter, or if they have been unique developments from Spain/Italy. Unfortunately, it seems like there weren’t any patents filed for any of the lenses, which pretty much appears to be true for Benoist Berhiot in general. Ads in magazines seem to have been very scarce as well, so perhaps there was some more direct marketing to projectionists or via sales people… I honestly have no idea how anyone even knew about these lenses, because they don’t seem to appear in any written form.
Among the lenses the company made there are three different spellings:
Projectar (likely only used for the older lenses, presumably made in Spain)
Proyectar (used for lenses made in Spain)
Proiectar (used for lenses made in Italy)
Why the different spellings were used is anybody’s guess. Perhaps they were due to already existing trademarks or product names, perhaps due to differences in the respective languages. But so far I have neither seen a Proyectar which was manufactured in Italy nor a Proiectar that was made in Spain.
I’ve reached out to both BBGR (Benoist Berthiot) in France, as well as BBI (Benoist Berthiot Iberica S.A.) in Oviedo, but so far none of them has responded unfortunately.
Iper-Proyectar (Anamorphic)
It seems like these Anamorphic lenses/attachments were made for both 16 mm prime lenses as well as 35 mm ones. There is a number of them around, which suggests, that were produced and sold regularly, but I’ve never seen any mention of them being exceptional, so I would suspect that they were a tier below the ones from Zeiss, Möller or ISCO.
Proyectar (16 mm)
35/1.5 Proiectar
This lens is a mere assumption, because it’s based on the (likely incorrect) information from an Italian museum, which described it as a projection lens for 35 mm. It doesn’t mention a focal length, but the lens has a speed of f/1.5 and is also measured with 7 cm height and 4 cm diameter. If that’s correct, I doubt it is a projection lens for 35 mm format, but rather suspect that the 35 mm is it’s focal length and that it was made for 16 mm projection (or some smaller format) because then the specs would check out.
35/1.6 Proiectar
As expected this lens doesn’t cover full frame, even close up. It’s usable on APS-C but will still vignette significantly at distance. On M4/3 it might be an interesting choice though and because these lenses are almost completely unknown you may get one like that for next to nothing… that is, if you can find one. Chances are best on the used market in Spain, Italy and perhaps France.
The following shots are cross-view stereo images – here’s a tutorial on how to view them.
45/1.6 Proiectar
50/1.6 Proiectar
Heavy vignetting was a problem on full-frame with this lens as well and I suspected that a significant part of that might have been caused by the deeply recessed glass. After I found some time and tools for the job, I tried shortening the front of the barrel and while vignetting is not gone completely, it has improved visibly. The lens does have a unique and very pronounced field curvature, so it might take some time to adjust to that in terms of focusing, but it does offer unique and interesting opportunities and because its swirl isn’t as pronounced as with many similar 50 mm lenses for 16 mm projection, it offers a nice compromise between the really crazy rendering of an JSCO Kiptar 50 mm f/1.6, which I’ve covered in article ISCO Kiptar projection lenses and a regular 50 mm taking lens.
The following shots are cross-view stereo images – here’s a tutorial on how to view them.
60/1.6 Proiectar
Cine-Proyectar (Varifocal 35/70 mm)
The Cine-Proyectar lenses all seem to have a variable focal length. They’re also all on the longer side in terms of focal lengths and are Petzval derivatives in terms of optical design. At first Bosun Higgs (projection lens expert on dpreview) and I were thinking that they vary between 4/4 and a 4/2 constructions, however on closer inspection it rather seems like most if not all of these lenses are actually 4/4 designs and the 2 elements in the front as well as the 2 elements in the rear of the lens are just so close to each other – though uncemented – that it looks like a 4/2 design in many of them, if you just look at the reflections. Thanks to Bosun Higgs for that discovery!
There’s no guarantee that all of these lenses follow that exact design. There could certainly be some exceptions. One lens series which might use a very similar construction is the Askania Askinar, according to Hans Martin Brandt’s book ‘Das Photoobjektiv’:
From my observations, the Cine-Proiectar lenses are the most common type still around from Optical on the used market and also the biggest group. Compared to the ISCO Kiptar lenses which were sold for a long time, particularly in longer focal lengths, the Cine-Proyectar lenses are slightly faster and, with the small, but nevertheless variable focal length range, more versatile.
When I first learned about the Optical lenses with variable focal length, I thought this feature was quite unique, particularly because I had not been familiar with a good number of notable producers of projection lenses. But when I learned more about similar systems by other manufacturers including Projection Optics and Ilex Optical, Angenieux, Emil Busch, Schneider and Meopta, I started to understand that there might have been a real practical reason for lenses of this kind and that the first examples of variable focal length lenses, appeared quite early in the realm of cine projection.
In another one of my articles The Projection Optics Story, I’ve tried to cover the race to the first lens of that kind as a side note. But that happened a couple of decades before Optical even existed and most manufacturers which created lenses of that kind, had abbandoned them already, when the first Projectar named lenses appeared.
Don’t expect these lenses to be like zoom lenses however… the focal length range is VERY limited. But given that you can cover the range of 3 prime lenses in many cases, it might have been useful for projectionists having to make do on a limited budget.
100-105/1.8 Cine-Proiectar
105-110/2 Cine-Proyectar
110-115/2 Cine-Proyectar
This lens is good but overall unremarkable. That’s not to say you can’t get nice-looking shots with it, but I personally feel like slightly shorter lenses are more versatile for the way I’m mostly shooting. If you’re shooting portraits, these lenses offer a nice combination of Petzval-look, acceptable detail but without the sharpness and contrast of modern lenses and a nice combination of focal length plus speed to get a nice out-of-focus look at portrait distance. The lens seems to be a 4 elements in 2 groups design.
120-125/2 Cine-Proiectar
120-125/2.2 Cine-Proiectar
As I was made aware by Bosun Higgs (see below) this lens is yet another example of Optical offering several series with identical focal lengths, but different speed. While it may remind some of the Kiptar/Super-Kiptar relationship, it’s actually more reminiscent of the Angenieux AX Type 65 & 76 lenses, which also do the same, without changing up the optical layout significantly. ISCO also had two lines of Super-Kiptar lenses (f/1.6 and f/2) though and it’s likely that there are several other examples of this.
130-135/2.2 Cine-Proiectar
140-145/2.5 Cine-Proyectar
150-160/2.2 Cine-Proiectar
180-190/2.8 Cine-Proiectar
190-200/2.5 Cine-Proiectar
200-220/3.5 Cine-Proiectar
Curz-Proyectar
From what I was able to find out the Curz-Proyectars are fast 4 elements in 4 groups Petzval- based primes ranging from 75 to 95 mm. I’ve not managed to come up with a consistent theory of what the word “Curz” means, because it doesn’t seem to be a word in the Spanish language. It could be a borrowed word from German, where “Kurz” (with K) means “short” and because these lenses are indeed shorter compared to the Cine-Proyectar line, it’s my only somewhat reasonable explanation so far. It could be something completely different as well though.
75/1.8 Curz-Proiectar
80/1.8 Curz-Proyectar
85/1.8 Curz-Proiectar
90/1.8 Curz-Proiectar
95/1.8 Curz-Proyectar
So far, this is the longest focal length of the Curz-Proyectars. If I had to choose a single word to describe the look of this lens it would be “enchanting”. While it’s not spectacularly sharp, it seems to be able to render just about everything in a nice way (at least for my eyes, which are not opposed to a bit of swirl). But even the swirl is measured and usually not too distracting. I assume the shorter lenses could have a more pronounced look and could be less balanced, but that’s highly speculative. The lens has a nice looking blue coating, but is not multi-coated and thus slightly low in contrast. Some post-processing is recommended, unless you’re really going for a somewhat softer retro-look, which can be nice as well of course. It’s also possible that part of the lower contrast look my sample shows is caused by some scratches it has. Optical lenses seem quite prone to show scratches, which might have to do with the coatings/glass used and in addition the “Made in Italy” samples also have a high risk of showing a certain coating degradation over time, which is documented by projection lens expert Bosun Higgs on the dpreview forum.
The following shots are cross-view stereo images – here’s a tutorial on how to view them.
Six-Proyectar
Just like the name implies, the Six-Proyectar line of lenses consists of 6 elements in 6 groups. The interesting detail about them compared to inumerous similar projection lenses from other manufacturers however, is that these six lens elements are simply 6 disks, which are layered upon each other inside of the lens body… no separate glass elements, no spacing rings, no threads, no locking mechanism apart from a single flange ring after the rear element. I’ve never seen anything like that, and I think it’s ingenious, even though it makes it hard getting the order correct, when you doubt it has been assembled correctly in the past… in this case, such a lens can quickly transform into quite a puzzle for someone with limited knowledge like myself.
60/1.8 Six-Proyectar
As hinted at above I’m not sure that I’ve got the order completely right with this one. The lens isn’t as sharp as a six elements in six groups lens probably should be and there’s some glow and other defects which could either hint at a slightly wrong order of the lenses, or just be the result of some wear like tiny scratches or internal reflections due to flocking of internal paint. I really don’t know. I like the results, but they’re certainly not the kind of look the ‘Six’ in the name might make you think of… like the one of famous cine lenses like the Dallmeyer Super-Six. I’m surprised Optical made two 60 mm lenses of that series with different speeds, but it could also have been a change that occured over time.
The following shots are cross-view stereo images – here’s a tutorial on how to view them.
60/2 Six-Proiectar
65/2 Six-Proiectar
User nefoto on flickr, a Lithuania-based photographer and fellow adapted-lens-experimenter has shot a lot of images and videos with that lens and also mentioned really enjoying it.
You can take a look at the wonderfully vintage looking shots he took with that lens in this album on flickr to get an impression.
Projectar (35 mm)
The faster lenses were usually labeled Proyectar, Projectar & Proiectar (some with Cine- in front and some without) but there might be exceptions, because the concepts behind Optical’s naming scheme is quite hard to grasp… This series of lenses likely uses 4 elements in 2 groups designs for the most part, but because they’re rare that’s an assumption for now. The 100/1.7 below certainly features such a construction and has been disassembled by Bosun Higgs, mentioned further down.
95/1.6 Proiectar
100/1.7 Cine-Proiectar
Unfortunately, I don’t own any of the faster Optical lenses in that focal length, but dpreview forum member Bosun Higgs – a knowledgeable and helpful projection lens user from the UK – was kind enough to share his thought, observations as well as a couple of great shots taken with this one. These are stereo 3D (crossview) images but they do give an impression of the rendering in 2D as well.
As someone who has shot with hundreds of projection lenses, Bosun Higgs mentioned this lens being among the top 5 personal favorites at the time, which is quite remarkable. Of course a distinct rendering like this one is always going to be very subjective, but I personally agree, that the shots look spectacular.
Here are his summarized impressions after having used the lens for some time:
“The lens is not sharp.
Best contrast and maximum sharpness foci do not coincide, the usual signs of spherical
abberation. You basically have choice between sharp(ish) and very glowy, or contrasty but
very blurred.
I am thinking that Optical tried to make the fastest lens possible with the f1.7.
The very strange retaining sleeve in the front holder was obviously designed to give
maximum possible aperture.
The rear construction of the lens is identical to the 120-125mm Cine-Proiectar and yet that
lens is a 4:4 whereas this is a 4:2. I think that the two cemented doublets were intended to
increase light throughput, bearing in mind that all of these lenses are uncoated.
The cemented doublets and fixed group positions mean that the sharpness and SA problem
must be caused by the design itself as there is little scope for adjustment. I have tried
increasing the group spacing and this doesn’t improve things at all.
It is a real shame, my 100-105mm Proiectar and the 120-125mm Cine-Proiectar are both very sharp lenses, if the 100mm was as sharp, with its incredible bokeh, it would be a truly remarkable lens.
It can still be impressive, when the images are downsized, such as in my examples here, this
gives a perceived sharpness boost that makes the IF subject ‘sharp enough’.”
(Bosun Higgs on dpreview)
You can also take a look at this post on the dpreview forum.
The following shots are cross-view stereo images – here’s a tutorial on how to view them.
130-135/1.6 Proiectar
The only mention of this lens was on a single forum post from years ago, so it’s possible that it’s just a typo. If it exists however, that’s quite a spectacular combination of focal length and speed, rivaling the Angenieux AX Type 86 132-140/1.7. I somewhat struggle with the math though… because even if this was one of the rare Optical lenses with 82.5 mm diameter, it likely can’t be faster than f/1.7 – so once again, I would advise to take this information with a grain of salt.
140-145/1.8 Proiectar
This lens certainly makes a lot more sense, with its combination of focal length and speed and it is indeed real – I’ve seen images of it including the inscription. It likely is another “Made in Italy” variant with a diameter of 82.5 mm. It’s the same as the equivalent Angenieux AX Type 86 lens in terms of speed, which is once more a testament to the commitment to the cause of creating outstanding projection lenses by the mother company Benoist Berthiot.
150-160/1.9 Projectar
Apart from Angenieux and Zeiss there haven’t been many manufacturers of projection lenses which have offered a focal length of 150 mm and up with a speed of f/1.9. Benoist Berthiot – the parent company of Optical (BBI) seemingly didn’t as well. It might have been an unnecessarily small niche to care for in terms of projection needs, but from today’s point of view it is a rather intruiguing lens. Of course it can’t be small, if you consider the necessary diameter for that amount of light at this focal length, but it is pretty lightweight: 680g, compared to a Visionar of that focal length, which weights in at around 2000g. It surely isn’t nearly as sharp and contrasty as a 6 element Visionar and likely not even as the comparable Angenieux AX series lenses. However the smooth rendering it has does make it interesting, if it’s something you’re after. I certainly am, at least from time to time, and I don’t think I can list more than a handful of lenses which are similar in that regard.
So, I can absolutely recommend it if you’re a.) fine with some necessary post-processing in terms of contrast and b.) like a softer look with lots of blur and some glow, however… I don’t know where these lenses are to be honest. They just don’t seem to appear regularly or they are significantly overpriced. If you find one though, and it is one of the faster ones (the slower equivalents are not bad at all, just less unique) give it a try. You might like it and the interesting possibilities it offers.
The following shots are cross-view stereo images – here’s a tutorial on how to view them.
160-170/2.1(?) Projectar
Mega-Proiectar
For some time I wasn’t able to confirm the existence of this lens series. And so I suspected that it might be a similar misunderstanding, like I’ve witnessed with other projection lenses (as mentioned in my article on the Kiptar lenses by ISCO) where someone likely just misremembered a superlative and called the Super-Kiptar lenses Ultra-Kiptars… and before you know it a rumor is created. The added Mega- made me think of lenses for for 70 mm projection.
However I was able to find a listing of such a lens and am now convinced, that it is a 16 mm projection lens series instead. Where they differ from regular 16 mm Proiectars is not quite clear yet, but I’ll add that information once I have a better overview.
50/1.2 Mega-Proiectar
120/2 Mega-Proiectar
Dia-Projectar
As the name implies, this should be a slide projection lens. The focal length is impressive for a projection lens, but the speed really isn’t, so I guess there are more interesting projection lenses with superior speed out there (particularly from Episcopes and some specialty projectors) which should be more effective and unique for large format experiments.
275/5(?) Dia-Proyectar
This is another assumed lens only mentioned in an old forum entry. It could also be a Cine-Proiectar of that focal length, because no aperture value is stated.
400/7 Dia-Proyectar
There’s no measurement given, but because of the images online, as well as the calculated diameter via the aperture given, it seems like this lens (as well as the other Dia-Proiectars) do have a 62.5 mm barrel.
Aldebar
Given the speed of f/2.8 as well as the small diameter of 4 cm, the “Aldebar” most likely is another slide projection lens series. So far I’ve only seen one focal length, but given that Optical decided to give it a name, I’d assume several could have been made.
The bottom line
I’m of course somewhat hesitant to admit it, but even though I was able to find out a couple of things about this secretive lens maker – perhaps the only one ever to operate out of Spain – there are still more open questions than answers at this point. There’s seemingly not a single reference to the brand in an extensive amount of magazines, a number of books about optics and only a handful of mentions in online forums. And yet, these lenses are out there on the used marked… not in big numbers, but significant enough to assume that there must have been some form of communication about them, when they were first launched (most likely) in the 1960s.
With the amount of different lenses, their family structure etc. I’m still hopeful that there must have been some kind of information material about these lenses. So if you happen to stumble upon any spec sheet, advertisement, a mention in an article or are able to get a quote from a projectionist or cine affiliate who has experience with these lenses, please reach out and help filling in the many gaps in this write-up.
A big Thank You to…
Bosun Higgs for his excellent observations, drawings, images and for sharing his vast knowledge on the topic.
Some helpful members – particularly preston sturges and Film Mechaniker – on the excellent german filmvorführer forum.
What a tremendous article, and beautiful samples. I need to read it again after I get some sleep 🙂