Jump to content

Best Lenses for ARRI 16R3


William Simmons

Recommended Posts

Hello,

 

I am looking at buying a 16SR3 within the next two months and have read all the ARRI downloadable manuals and am stuck on which lens would be best for shooting with relatively low light conditions and still have a sharp image and some flare. What has confused me was that I was always interested in the T1.3 Zeiss Super Speeds, but i have been told that these wont work on this camera. But I thought the T1.4 was for 35mm and T1.3 was 16mm. What about the Zeiss CP2 T1.5 super speeds. One last thing is the Zeiss Ultra 16 lenses, I know they work best with the super 16 416 models, but can they also be used with a 16sr3 if converted to super 16.

 

Thank You!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

The SR3 has a small problem, the newer, larger barrel lenses, hit the viewfinder. This is why Arri made the 416, it uses a 35mm viewfinder system and the gap is large enough to make it work. Also I don't know of any SR3 that's only standard 16. They're all bi-platform, switchable between formats and S16 vs straight 16 makes no difference with modern glass like the SuperSpeeds. Its only with older/wider glass, you'd have vignetting between standard 16 and S16.

 

Aaton LTR/XTR's don't have this issue at all. They have plenty of room between the viewfinder and the lens mount, which is why a lot of filmmakers who shoot on 16 use Aaton's.

 

The Superspeeds are the lenses to get, but they're super expensive to own, might as well buy S35 coverage glass at that point. Some of the modern S35 coverage glass does work on the S16 cameras, but you have to test it as the rear elements are sometimes too large for the mirror on the S16 camera and visa versa.

 

I actually cheapened out and bought Optar's for my S16 package and they work great. I have yet to run into any situation where the glass wasn't warm, beautiful and fast. They're super sharp on the projector, even wide open and they're inexpensive to buy used. You can generally get a complete kit used for around 6k if you can find one. The Zeiss glass is better, but is it more then double the price better? Not in my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

The 16mm Super Speeds should fit the SR3, they are no larger in diameter than the 35mm Mk2 Super Speeds. Maybe some of the wider ones have mirror clearance issues, I don't know.

 

The Ultra 16 lenses are the same barrel size as Ultra Primes, I know for a fact that they will fit an SR3. You may lose a bit of viewfinder orienting movement and not be able to swing it around as freely (it's been years, so forgive me if I can't remember the details), but I've used this combination before. Those are also the sharpest and cleanest lenses by far for the Super 16 format.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can run many 35mm format lenses on an SR3 however its important to consider that because the S16mm format is much smaller than 35mm all of your lenses will be "cropped" . So a 25mm is now giving the prospective close to a 50mm if used on a S16 camera. etc.

Edited by Stephen Marshall
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Hello,

 

I am looking at buying a 16SR3 within the next two months and have read all the ARRI downloadable manuals and am stuck on which lens would be best for shooting with relatively low light conditions and still have a sharp image and some flare. What has confused me was that I was always interested in the T1.3 Zeiss Super Speeds, but i have been told that these wont work on this camera. But I thought the T1.4 was for 35mm and T1.3 was 16mm. What about the Zeiss CP2 T1.5 super speeds. One last thing is the Zeiss Ultra 16 lenses, I know they work best with the super 16 416 models, but can they also be used with a 16sr3 if converted to super 16.

 

Thank You!!

 

Except for the earliest 35mm format series, all Zeiss Super Speeds (both 16 and 35 format) are T1.3. They all fit an SR3 no problem.

 

Lenses with large diameter barrels can interfere with the SR3 viewfinder elbow but most still work if the viewfinder is swivelled to a horizontal or higher position. Standard focal length Ultra Primes and Cooke S4s are OK for example, but Master Primes are too large. S4i lenses may need the data connector removed (2 screws). I'm not sure about CP2s, they may be too large.

 

Aside from the barrel diameter issue, there is no other major problem with using 35mm PL lenses on an SR3. (The only exception being certain digital-era lenses like the Angenieux DP zooms that protrude back too far for any film camera.) There can sometimes be a problem with 16mm lenses hitting the mirror on a 35mm camera, but not the other way round.

 

The best primes for an SR3 would be Zeiss Ultra 16s or Cooke SK4s, but 16mm format Zeiss Super Speeds are still great lenses, and probably the best high speed option available.

 

If you have a specific project in mind, renting lenses for a short period will be a far cheaper option than buying, and you can rent exactly what you want and know it will be working and correctly adjusted rather than waiting for the right set to pop up or cobbling together something. People divert a lot of time and energy into buying gear rather than actually filmmaking. On the other hand, if you have the funds available, you can buy and later sell and probably make most of your money back, as long as you bought wisely.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...