accessories...?

Phillip George · January 13, 2005

hello,

i am one step away from buying a arri st 16mm camera with a set of 3 prime lenses - so can anyone give me a list of basic accessories that i will also be needing to buy?

thanx

Edited January 13, 2005 by Phillip George

Chris Keth · January 13, 2005

hello,

i am one step away from buying a arri st 16mm camera with a set of 3 prime lenses - so can anyone give me a list of basic accessories that i will also be needing to buy?

thanx

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You'll want cleaning equipment, a tripod, perhaps a french flag and/or a mattebox. You might want at least a basic filter set with a polarizer, a UV, and perhaps a set of diffusion filters. A changing bag is very handy, as is a good lightmeter (which I assume you probably have already).

andrewbuchanan · January 13, 2005

i am one step away from buying a arri st 16mm camera
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Have you thought long and hard about the arri st? I ask because for the price, I think the Eclairs or a CP16 would be a better choice. It is not that the st is a bad camera, just not a flexible one. For starters, the st is difficult to accessorize. Sure, you can get a matte box, but it's a 3x3 and not many rental houses have filters for it. Any follow focus would have to be attached to a custom (read: expensive) rig. It can be made into a super 16 camera, but it's hard and will cost significantly more than a CP or Eclair. Same with PL mounting for modern lenses. Most importantly, the thing isn't blimped, few are crystal sync, and they sound like vaccum cleaners when they are running. So, it would only be useful as an MOS camera. Again, I'm not knocking the camera - I used to have an arri s and it worked very well. I guess I would rather get something that I could do more with. It's always cheaper to upgrade than it is to replace.

Just my opinion...

GeorgeSelinsky · January 14, 2005

The Arri S (that's what we always called it) is a good workhorse MOS camera, we used it in NYU for the intro classes. It's a bit unpleasant with a 400' mag though, the Arri 16 M is better if you are going to shoot a lot of 400' loads (the M is basically a 16mm version of the Arri II, save the motor goes in differently).

If you want to shoot regular 16 and MOS with small 100' loads, it aught to be just fine, sort of like a Bolex.

- G.

Phillip George · January 15, 2005

thank you all very much for your answers. the reasons for choosing this camera is that i want a cheap, reliable, MOS, 16mm only camera, and arri st seems to be fit the bill perfectly. also, i will not be shooting with 400 mags.

anyway, i have few more questions:

You'll want cleaning equipment, a tripod, perhaps a french flag and/or a mattebox. You might want at least a basic filter set with a polarizer, a UV, and perhaps a set of diffusion filters. A changing bag is very handy, as is a good lightmeter (which I assume you probably have already).

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hm, cleaning equipment... can anyone tell me what excatly that includes?

Have you thought long and hard about the arri st? I ask because for the price, I think the Eclairs or a CP16 would be a better choice. It is not that the st is a bad camera, just not a flexible one. For starters, the st is difficult to accessorize. Sure, you can get a matte box, but it's a 3x3 and not many rental houses have filters for it. Any follow focus would have to be attached to a custom (read: expensive) rig. It can be made into a super 16 camera, but it's hard and will cost significantly more than a CP or Eclair. Same with PL mounting for modern lenses. Most importantly, the thing isn't blimped, few are crystal sync, and they sound like vaccum cleaners when they are running. So, it would only be useful as an MOS camera. Again, I'm not knocking the camera - I used to have an arri s and it worked very well. I guess I would rather get something that I could do more with. It's always cheaper to upgrade than it is to replace.

Just my opinion...

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what do you mean follow focus needs special rig? why i need special equipment to follow focus on this camera?

thanks.

Chris Keth · January 16, 2005

hm, cleaning equipment... can anyone tell me what excatly that includes?

what do you mean follow focus needs special rig? why i need special equipment to follow focus on this camera?

thanks.

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Cleaning equipment should include lens tissue and solution, a soft lint-free cloth (I like the orange anti-static ones Ilford makes), a blower bulb, a soft brush, and a can of compressed air.

Whil I'm on it, note that the compressed air isn't to be used with the lens or inner workings of the camera, I keep it around for magazines and use the blower bulb for the lens. If you take care of it, you shouldn't need most of this stuff that often. Usually lenses can just be blown or brushed off lightly and they're good.

By a follow focus I would assume he means the sort that has a knob off to the side (it gears into the focus ring, usually) so the 1st can more easily pull focus from whichever side of the camera that's needed. For most things, you can probably pull without one, but in some situations it's preferred and even necessary.

Phillip George · January 18, 2005

thanks a lot Mr. Bunnies.

does anyone know where one can buy this cleaning equipment? i'm in london, so if anyone knows a place...?

also, how much does the arri st with the 400 mag approx. weight? without a mag it's about 6 kg... i think...

Phillip George · January 23, 2005

does anyone happen to have the arri st manual in english?

Chris Keth · January 23, 2005

thanks a lot Mr. Bunnies.

does anyone know where one can buy this cleaning equipment? i'm in london, so if anyone knows a place...?

also, how much does the arri st with the 400 mag approx. weight? without a mag it's about 6 kg... i think...

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Any photography shop should have those things for cleaning.