Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted May 20, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted May 20, 2009 Just finished my new baby. I know I am usually thought of as an ARRI guy (do love that German engineering), but I have always had a soft spot for the Aaton LTR/XTR cameras. One of the reasons is that all my Cooke Kinetal glass works fine on the Aaton, and unfortunately doesn't fit on any of the ARRI sync sound cameras (not the 16BL, 16SR, 16SRII or 16SR3) and I do love my Cooke glass. I got the camera about a month and a half ago. Overhauled the camera and the mags. Had one 16 volt battery recelled. Then went about putting together a package with my Cooke glass and Van Diemen matte box. So here are some pics from the proud papa: One of the things that does drive me batty about the Aaton is that with my old LTR and with this newer XTR, I couldn't see the whole Super 16 image area without having to move my eye around in the viewfinder. So I did some experimenting with an ARRI Super Wide Angle Eyepiece and figured out a way to make an adapter piece for the eyepiece elbow. Now I can see the whole Super 16 image area without having to move my eye around in the viewfinder. The whole reason I got the Aaton is to use it with my Cooke Kinetal and Cooke Speed Panchro lenses. Along with the Les Bosher Cooke to PL mount adapter, they all work beautifully with the camera as it came with the PL mount. And I set it up so the focus ears fall on the operator side of the camera (opposite of how they fall on the ARRI cameras), so I can use my right hand to steady the camera and turn it on and off with the wooden grip, and use my left hand to pull focus with the focus ears. The Cooke glass is pretty short compared to modern lenses, so I made a pair of "shorty" rods to use with them and my Van Diemen matte box. And a custom donut was required to fit the tiny face of the Cooke glass. Just finished in the shop about an hour ago and wanted to share my excitement. Have a good evening everyone. Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted May 20, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted May 20, 2009 Congratulations Tim! I've never seen an Aaton man myself, but I have to admit she's a damned good lookin camera. May her and the Cookes treat you well for years to come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Hepburn Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 That looks sweet Tim. Would love to see some images from it when you get some. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted May 20, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted May 20, 2009 Thanks guys. Hope to start a project with her in a few weeks. Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted November 14, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted November 14, 2009 As the old saying goes, "All good things must come to an end." Unfortunately, it seems like the only thing I am shooting these days is timelapse with my Arriflex 35 IIC. And my beautiful Aaton XTR is just sitting on the shelf. It's a beautiful Super 16 camera and it is looking for a new home. Aaton XTR package Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John King Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Hello Mr. Carroll, That is a very nice looking Aaton package you have there, are you wanting to sell it?! Thanks & God Bless! JM King Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted December 1, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted December 1, 2009 Hello Mr. Carroll, That is a very nice looking Aaton package you have there, are you wanting to sell it?! Thanks & God Bless! JM King Hi John, The camera and lenses have already been sold. Best, -Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Glen Alexander Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Why would you build a camera around the Cooke's? Why Cooke? What is their MTF? I'm planning on building a VV camera around Leica's. http://us.leica-camera.com/photography/m_system/lenses/ especially this one http://us.leica-camera.com/photography/m_s...enses/5915.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim Carroll Posted December 2, 2009 Author Premium Member Share Posted December 2, 2009 Why would you build a camera around the Cooke's? Why Cooke? What is their MTF? I'm planning on building a VV camera around Leica's. http://us.leica-camera.com/photography/m_system/lenses/ especially this one http://us.leica-camera.com/photography/m_s...enses/5915.html Glen, You can wrap yourself up in numbers and spec sheets or you can go out and use the equipment and see what works for a particular situation. From personal experience using many different Super 16 and Regular 16 lenses, from old Zeiss and Schneiders, to Angenieux, those Cooke Kinetals, and newer Zeiss Superspeeds, I found that I always liked the look of the Cooke Kinetal lenses. They were made back in the 1950's and I probably couldn't find a spec sheet on them or find their MTF to save my soul. But I couldn't care less, it's the image quality and the quality of the image that made me fall in love with the "look" of them. They are head and shoulders above the Schneider and Angenieux lenses of that period (in my opinion) and they have a higher contrast and warmer look when compared to the newer Zeiss glass (and I didn't get that from reading a spec sheet, I got that from going out and shooting footage with both and comparing the images side by side). If I was still shooting regular 16 or Super 16, I would have definitely hung onto them. But I'm not. I still have my complete set of Cooke Speed Panchros, which give a somewhat similar look in 35mm to what the Kinetals gave in 16mm, but not as high in contrast. They give a very romantic look, warm and gentle. They're great for some projects, and not so great for others. "Horses for Courses." Best, -Tim This still is from a clip shot in regular 16 with the Cooke Kinetal 25mm And here is how the clip looked: http://www.arri16s.com/Cooke25.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Glen Alexander Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 (edited) Tim, I applaud the use of the Cooke for aestetic and artistic reasons. When I ask about MTF, it is because of having to consider eventually you will probably go through a DI at some point in the workflow. To consider the workflow as a complete chain and not as a seperate entities. At the DI point, if the lens MTF is low and scan is high, you will start to grain management issues, blocking, artifacts, etc. I've looked at Hawks, PV but test shot Nikon, Canon and Leica and to me, Leica standards out head and shoulders above all others, it is the HD of all lenses, for long lenses Canon is the best. Nikon is great if you need a cheap solution or limited by the hardware mount on the camera. Artistically, I would rather use all natural light all the time and I want the film itself to capture the images. I don't want the lens to add anything, that's my style. Edited December 2, 2009 by Glen Alexander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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