ORIGINAL ARRIFLEX 16BL MOTION PICTURE 16MM FILM CAMERA.



Introduced in 1965, the 16 BL is ARRI's first silent 16mm camera. This model was originally designated the 16Q (Q for Quiet), and was renamed before it became available for purchase in early 1965.


16 BL ADVANTAGES:

The 16BL is one of the least expensive silent 16mm cameras available. It is built with the same quality that ARRI instills in all their cameras, which generally makes it superior to the competition (other silent camera's in its price range). It is compatible with ARRI standard and bayonet mount lenses. The 16BL was priced at about $4000 at its introduction in 1965. Prices are dropping rapidly today due to the lack of spare parts and service availability.


SUPER 16 CONVERSION:

Arandafilm in Australia has developed a Super 16 conversion for the 16BL. Also, the factory is rumored to have produced less than 20 "Super 16BL" cameras. We at CinemaTechnic do not believe that the possilibity of converting the 16BL's to Super 16 make up for the obvious drawbacks of this camera design, mentioned above. We have no intention of developing such a conversion ourselves.


ARRI:

The Arri Group has been the largest world wide supplier of high quality motion picture film equipment since 1917. Arri, named after founders August Arnold and Robert Richter is a leader in film camera (16, 35, and 65/70 mm) and cinematic lighting equipment. In recent years they have expanded into post-production equipment with the Arrilaser, and in 2000 purchased Moviecam to refine their new camera platform Arricam.

In 1937 the Arri Group introduced the world's first reflex mirror shutter in the Arriflex-35 camera, an invention of their longtime engineer Erich Kaestner. This technology employs a rotating mirror that allows a continuous motor to operate the camera while providing parallax-free reflex viewing to the operator, and the ability to focus the image by eye through the viewfinder, much like an SLR camera for still photography. This technology is still employed today in almost every motion picture camera. Arri also specialized in manufacturing light-weight and portable cameras for both news and war photography, as well as feature film production in the 1960's which saw an increase in shooting on location rather than in a studio.

The introduction of the Arriflex-16ST camera revolutionized the 16 mm format as a cheaper news-gathering and television medium, and the Arriflex-35BL provided a lightweight alternative to the rather heavy and cumbersome blimped cameras of the time.

While Arri manufactures and designs its own motion picture cameras, lenses are supplied by the Carl Zeiss group, unlike its rival Panavision which manufactures both its own cameras and lenses for exclusive use with each other. Arri's relationship with Panavision is somewhat unique, as Panavision is both Arri's largest rival (as an equipment manufacturer) and largest customer (as a camera rental house).

Arri has recently developed the Arriflex D-20 high definition camera. The camera uses a 35 mm CMOS sensor (instead of CCD) to allow cinematographers to utilize standard 35 mm lenses. Other recent products of note include the Arriflex 235, a compact 35 mm camera; the Master Prime lens series; the Ultra 8R, an 8 mm rectilinear lens; Arrimax, an HMI light which can use 18 kW or 12 kW bulbs; and the Arriflex 416, a 16 mm camera optimized for high-end production.


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