The invention relates to an optical system for the projection of digital image data comprising a fixed focal length lens and a pivotable focal length extender. The principal field of application of the invention is digital cinema projection, usually employing the wide-screen format 1.9:1 or the Cinemascope format 2.37:1 (width:height). For format changeover during projection, two different fixed focal lengths are realized by the insertion or removal of the focal length extender (1755) into the lens. The projection lens according to the invention has more favorable optical properties than the conventional zoom lenses, such as a minimal chromatic transverse aberration, high telecentricity, very small distortions and a small volume and weight.