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Abbreviations

Specification

Sources of data

• Century Tele-Athenar Lenses booklet.
• Century Telephoto Series for 35mm booklet (December 1980).

Manufacturer description #1

From the booklet "Century TELEPHOTO SERIES FOR 35MM" (12/1980):

Century means precision - a standard of quality which has produced the sharpest of lenses for over 30 years. Specifically designed for the professional's demanding requirements, Century's Telephoto series for 35mm still photography produces critically sharp images from technology developed for the motion picture industry. Widely used by award winning photographers throughout the world, Century Tele-Athenar II lenses are relied upon by NASA, National Geographic, Disney Productions, Surfing Magazine, Surfer Magazine and many wild life specialists for top quality performance.

All Century lenses are American made; constructed of the finest materials available. All optics are precision mounted in critically machined, aircraft aluminum alloy (not cast) housings. Each individual lens is optically bench-tested prior to shipment. The result is a lens with optimum performance characteristics that is lightweight, easy to handle, yet rugged enough to withstand the rigors of location shooting.

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300mm, f/3.2 Century Tele-Athenar II

Century's high speed telephoto design achieves a resolving power greater than that of slower imported f/5.6 lenses. Its superb optical system provides excellent sharpness that will get you six times closer to your subject. Imagine the exciting wildlife, concert, and sports scenes you can capture in low light!

Manufacturer description #2

From the booklet "Century Tele-Athenar Lenses":

Century Tele-Athenar lenses are specifically designed for professional motion picture, video and still photography.

Acclaimed worldwide, Century telephoto lenses offer exceptional light transmission, superb color correction and critical sharpness unmatched in the industry.

All Century lenses are constructed in the U.S. of the finest materials available, then precision mounted in specially machined alloy - not cast - housings. To insure quality control, each lens is optically bench-tested prior to shipment. The result is a lens with reliable optimum performance characteristics. Lightweight and easy to handle, Tele-Athenars are rugged enough to withstand the rigors of location shooting.

Leading professional photographers choose Century Tele-Athenars for even their most critical works. National Geographic Films, Marty Stouffer Productions, MacGillivray/Freeman, NASA, MGM, NFL Films, Don Meir (Wild Kingdom) Productions, Walt Disney Productions, American Sportsman, ABC-TV, Survival Anglia, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and hundreds of others regularly use Tele-Athenar lenses for their prize footage.

Tele-Athenar and Tele-Athenar II

Standard Series Tele-Athenars feature a rotating focusing mechanism and are available in fixed mounts to fit most motion picture and video cameras. The Century Tele-Athenar II Series provides fast-acting, non-rotating focusing and an interchangeable mount system which allows a single Tele-Athenar II to be used on a wide variety of film and video cameras, including formats up to 35mm double frame still.

All Tele-Athenar lenses come complete with sunshade/filter adapters. In addition, built-in gelatin filter slots are standard on most models except the 150mm f/2.8.

Tele-Athenar II interchangeable camera mounts

A complete series of Interchangeable Camera Mounts is available to fit the Century Tele-Athenar II telephoto lenses. These unique adapters allow a single Tele-Athenar II to be used on almost any film or video camera.

Most Interchangeable Camera Mounts will accept 40.5mm screw-in filters.

Adapters are currently available to fit the following cameras: Aaton, Arriflex, Bolex, "C" Mount, Canon, Cinema Products, Eclair, Hitachi, Ikegami, JVC, Konica, Leica, Minolta, Mitchell, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Panavision, Pentax, Photosonics, RCA, Sharp, Sony, Thomson, Toshiba, Yashica.

Others are available on a special order basis.

Tele-Extenders

Extenders are an effective way to increase the versatility of Tele-Athenar II telephoto lenses. 1.4X and 2.0X modern ultra-high performance extenders have been carefully manufactured to complement our superior lenses.

Extenders, in Century's neutral mount, fit between the lens and the camera adapter, thus permitting the same extender to be used with a wide variety of video and film cameras.

Differing opto-mechanical requirements of various video and film cameras preclude universal compatibility. Please ask for information on specific combinations.

From the Official Bulletin of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Machine Operators of the United States and Canada (1977)

Century Precision Cine/Optics takes great pleasure in introducing the Tele-Athenar II Series of lenses. This series ranges in focal length from 230mm f2.8 to 1200mm f6.8. The Tele-Athenar II's have been designed to fit virtually all motion picture, television, and 35mm SLR cameras currently on the market, via a unique interchangeable mount system. The lenses are manufactured in a neutral mount and a complete series of adapters are available to fit the various cameras. This enables a single lens to be used on a wide variety of cameras and formats. These lenses feature a new improved, faster acting focusing mount and decreased close-focus distance in most cases. The Tele-Athenar II comes complete with a built-in gelatin filter holder and long lens shade. Most models also accept standard screw-in or drop-in glass filters.

From the editor

Weight and dimensions taken from the booklet "Century Telephoto Series for 35mm" (December 1980).

Lenses with similar focal length