Found an Arrilex on Craigslist

Dallas Heinlein · January 16, 2007

I found this listing for a 16mm Arrilex camera on Craigslist. I was wondering if it's something worthwhile to purchase for a small independant filming projects.

Nate Downes · January 16, 2007

I found this listing for a 16mm Arrilex camera on Craigslist. I was wondering if it's something worthwhile to purchase for a small independant filming projects.

Not bad, depending on it's shape and which lenses are included. The Arriflex 16S is a workhorse.

Tim Carroll · January 16, 2007

Dallas,

For me it looks overpriced. I am not a huge fan of the Angenieux 10-150 lens, and have never used the wide angle lens they list. The body looks to be in pretty good shape and it is an S/B, though it is missing its eyecup. If you could pick it up for half of what they are asking, I would think it would be a good deal.

Just my opinion.

-Tim

Annie Wengenroth · January 16, 2007

I agree with Tim. If he were also selling mags and battery + charger with it, then it might be worth it, but I think 2700 is too much. When I had an Arriflex S, I kinda bought it in bits and pieces and ended up saving a fair amount of money. I had everything I needed for about $1500. Then it got stolen. It did not get stolen in bits and pieces though, it got stolen all at once. But thank god for homeowner's insurance...and at the very least, it makes a hell of an interesting story as to how I got my 12" Powerbook!

Anyway. If you buy the camera body, one mag and torque motor, and then maybe one zoom or a set of primes, as well as a battery and charger setup, and you try to get all this for under $2000, I think then you'll have a little room left to get some cool stuff if you hunt around. Maybe the craigslist guy will cut you a deal.

Good luck...I'm jealous, I miss my Arriflex! I hope you get the camera you want!

Jonathan Bowerbank · January 16, 2007

So long as you plan on shooting mostly MOS projects (possibly with a lot of foley and ADR), then this camera is perfect for you.

I love the Arri S/B...but yeah, try and get that price down.

Keith Mottram · January 16, 2007

love the fact that although he hasn't used it for several years he paid $5000 for it a few years ago. i smell amateur seller...

Jim Keller · January 16, 2007

I think I concur that this is overpriced. I've been seeing a lot of theoretially production-ready Arri 16's on eBay for half that, and not selling. I just sold mine -- which I think is in comparable condition though I wasn't willing to certify it production-ready since it hasn't been used or serviced since I bought it -- and I only got $1200. While this is a great camera, the advent of affordable HD has rendered it a lot less popular and by the law of supply and demand, that means they're depreciating, not appreciating in price.

Dallas Heinlein · January 16, 2007

So long as you plan on shooting mostly MOS projects (possibly with a lot of foley and ADR), then this camera is perfect for you.

Is that because it's timing mechanism is sporadic and has problems with syncing up with a DAT machine?

Jim Keller · January 17, 2007

Is that because it's timing mechanism is sporadic and has problems with syncing up with a DAT machine?

The motor that's on this camera isn't intended for sync sound work. Though its 24fps should be accurate enough that you won't visually perceive any timing issues, if you record sound simultaneously you'll find that your sound recording device and the camera motor actually run at slightly different rates, which will cause the sound to go out of sync. Even a one-frame difference is enough for an audience to perceive a sync problem.

You'll need a crystal sync motor (which will easily cost you another $1000) to get the accuracy you need, and even then you need to be careful about using a DAT for the recording because the speeds can still vary slightly, especially if you're editing on video.

One thing you could try, and I recommend doing so with a much smaller camera (you can pick up a cheap hand-crank camera on eBay for less than $100) first, is what the old "Spaghetti westerns" did: shoot MOS and have the actors come in to record the dialogue afterwards. This isn't particularly easy to do (especially for novice actors), and you want to keep dialogue to a minimum (especially in closeups), but it's an option that has worked for some very famous films.

Tim Carroll · January 17, 2007

You'll need a crystal sync motor (which will easily cost you another $1000) to get the accuracy you need, and even then you need to be careful about using a DAT for the recording because the speeds can still vary slightly, especially if you're editing on video.

I would respectfully have to disagree. You can pick up a Tobin Crystal Sync motor for the Arriflex 16S for usually about $500 and it will be in perfect sync with a DAT or MiniDisc or HardDrive recorder. The motors Clive Tobin makes are very accurate.

The reason the Arriflex 16S and S/B are considered MOS cameras is because they are very noisy. In other words, the camera noise is picked up by whatever recording device you use on the shoot.

Now I have barney'd and blanketed an Arriflex 16S and then removed any remaining camera noise from the dialog with a combination of Bias Sound Soap and Apple's Soundtrack Pro in post, but it is a fairly difficult way to work.

-Tim

Clive Tobin · January 17, 2007

... You can pick up a Tobin Crystal Sync motor for the Arriflex 16S for usually about $500 and it will be in perfect sync with a DAT or MiniDisc or HardDrive recorder. The motors Clive Tobin makes are very accurate....

Thanks for the plug. Sorry to disappoint anyone but our new Arri S/M crystal and variable motors are discontinued and we have none left. The bottom started dropping out of the market a couple of years ago and we calculated that if we made up another batch of 50 or even 25 we would never, ever sell them all.

Tim Carroll · January 17, 2007

Thanks for the plug. Sorry to disappoint anyone but our new Arri S/M crystal and variable motors are discontinued and we have none left. The bottom started dropping out of the market a couple of years ago and we calculated that if we made up another batch of 50 or even 25 we would never, ever sell them all.

I'm still holding out hope that twenty five Arriflex 16S owners will contact you requesting the motors, so it will be worth making another batch. :D

In the meantime, you can find them occasionally on eBay, and through shops like Visual Products, Alan Gordon, TCS in New York, and a few other places.

-Tim

Annie Wengenroth · January 17, 2007

I suppose all good things must come to an end.

:sniffles and wipes eyes:

I still have the battery belt too!

In fact, it's an old Cine 60 which needs re-celling and makes a great doorstop. Make me an offer. :-D

Keneu Luca · January 17, 2007

Sorry to disappoint anyone but our new Arri S/M crystal and variable motors are discontinued and we have none left.

Yeah..sorry bout that. :P

Edited January 17, 2007 by Keneu

Dallas Heinlein · January 18, 2007

So I sent an e-mail to the guy asking that he cuts the price in half because of the missing eye cup and no medium range lens. He denied by "bid" immediately.