IIB or not IIB

[Leo Anthony Vale]

While I was looking up some articles in bound back issues of the SMPTE Journal frrom the late 50s at the library, I found an ad for the new Arriflex 35IIB on page 433 of the June 1958 issue.

 

There are no mentions of it in "New Products" or anywhere else in the magazine, only one ad.

 

I have no access to a scanner, so I cannot post the ad.

Here is the text:

 

NEW ARRIFLEX 35 MODEL II B

 

400 FT. COLOR MAGAZINE

(takes 480 ft. of black and white film) with collapsible take-up core, new take-up mechanism, new loop-protector for storing loaded magazine.

 

STRONGER HANDGRIP MOTOR

more power to drive the new, larger 400 ft. magazine.

 

MORE EFFICIENT ADJUSTABLE MATTE BOX

with geared filter stage.

 

 

PLUS

 

FAMOUS RUGGED ARRI RELIABILITY

-

ARRI MIRROR REFLEX THROUGH-THE-LENS FOCUSING AND VIEWING SYSTEM

-

ROCK-STEADY FILM MOVEMENT

-

REASONABLE PRICE

 

 

 

 

Okay, the next year the variable shutter IIB came out and was accompanied by press releases and more than one ad.

so judging by that, the new features listed here and the lack of any press releases it seems safe to assume that the differences between the 35IIA and the 35IIB are the new accessories, and maybe minor cosmetic changes not considered worth mentioning.

 

& it seems that the 35IIA can be upgraded to a 35IIB.

[Hal Smith]

While I was looking up some articles in bound back issues of the SMPTE Journal frrom the late 50s at the library, I found an ad for the new Arriflex 35IIB on page 433 of the June 1958 issue.

 

There are no mentions of it in "New Products" or anywhere else in the magazine, only one ad.

 

so judging by that, the new features listed here and the lack of any press releases it seems safe to assume that the differences between the 35IIA and the 35IIB are the new accessories, and maybe minor cosmetic changes not considered worth mentioning.

 

& it seems that the 35IIA can be upgraded to a 35IIB.

 

There is one significant difference that I've been told happened during the IIB production run. The pulldown cam changed to a considerably different and improved design. The early cams are circular, the later ones are cardiod (heart) shape and drilled for lightness. I'm pretty certain the IIB cardiod cam is the same one that the IIC's have. Whether or not the new cam is an easy retrofit, I don't know. My early IIB was upgraded to the new cam and had a 1.85 GG installed in it when it was a rental camera at Doggiecam.

[Leo Anthony Vale]

There is one significant difference that I've been told happened during the IIB production run. The pulldown cam changed to a considerably different and improved design. The early cams are circular, the later ones are cardiod (heart) shape and drilled for lightness. I'm pretty certain the IIB cardiod cam is the same one that the IIC's have. Whether or not the new cam is an easy retrofit, I don't know. My early IIB was upgraded to the new cam and had a 1.85 GG installed in it when it was a rental camera at Doggiecam.

 

One would think that if the IIB's pulldown cam was new and improved, that would have been mentioned in the ad, if not being the highlight of the ad instead of improved accessories. & there would be press releases.

 

When I was at Sawyer, we had a II which was usually refered to as a IIA. It had the circular cam.

I believe that the reason the II is often refered to as the IIA is because there's no real difference between the IIA and the IIB.

 

According to the 1953 and 1956 editions of the AC Handbook inthe MOTION PICTURE CAMERAS 35mm sections the Model 2 has a "Single claw pull down pressure plate." 1953 p.33, & the Model IIA has "Single claw pull down with registration pin action." 1956 p.36.

 

That seems to indicate that the pull down was changed for the IIA. The purpose of the cardoid cam is to improve the registration.

 

http://www.arri.com/infodown/other/broch/histor_e.pdf

 

Go to the chronology on page 53 of this PDF. The 1953 entry for the IIA lists it as having pull-down claw with registration function. No mention of the IIB until the variable shutter and high speed versions in 1960. The IIC is mentioned in 1964 with its veiwfinder improvements.

 

Again not proof, but an implication from ARRI that there is no major difference beteen the IIA and IIC.

 

I'll have to go to the 1953 and 1954 bound issues of the SMPTE Journals. Since the library has them warehoused & it takes them a couple of weeks for the library to retrieve them, it ain't gonna happen in the next few days.

[John Sprung]

The 1953 entry for the IIA lists it as having pull-down claw with registration function. No mention of the IIB until the variable shutter and high speed versions in 1960. The IIC is mentioned in 1964 with its veiwfinder improvements.

The 1953 entry also says it has a 180 degree shutter, which clinches the matter. The 1937 entry for the Model I says it has a 120 degree shutter. Farther up in the body of the brochure, it says that they had 70 Model II's in production in 1946.

 

In addition to the dwell/registration improvement, the cardioid cam made the pulldown happen fast enough to allow the use of the 180 degree shutter. I have a couple of the Model I's, they do indeed have a 120 degree shutter and the simple eccentric bell crank pulldown. Watching thru the lens port and inching a Model I, it's clear that a 180 degree shutter wouldn't work with the old version pulldown. So, unless there was a third version of the pulldown mechanism, the IIA must have had the first cardioid cam.

 

I asked Bill Russell at Arri a long time ago about a camera I was considering buying, #1483 or 1485. He told me that any Arri with a number under 2000 is a model I, made before the bombing of July 13, 1944, and that no parts were available. The Model II serial numbers begin with 2000, and are basically the same design as the Model I, but some of the details and dimensions were lost, so parts aren't necessarily interchangeable.

 

Do you happen to remember the serial number of the Model II you had at Sawyer's?

 

The latest surviving Model I that I've heard of is #1971, owned by a private collector.

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

[Leo Anthony Vale]

Do you happen to remember the serial number of the Model II you had at Sawyer's?

 

No, that was over 20 years ago.

 

But in turned out that the camera belonged to Billy Wilder & was there on consignment.

 

He came in one day to talk to Cliff Sawyer about items he had there.

 

The camera did have a 50mm Astro-Berlin on it on which the body of the lens could screw out of the rear like an old Eyemo or Mitchell std.mount lens.