Arri S mount lenses, what are these?

[Sara Tuikka]

Hello,

I'm looking a bit help with figuring out bit more information and preferably some price estimates for a collection of vintage Arri lenses I acquired long time ago already but haven't had any chance of using. I'm a (film) photographer and I got these close to a decade ago from an old relative of mine, but I haven't really had any use for them so I've just kept them in their storage boxes waiting for inspiration to either dabble in video world to test them out myself or list them for sale, since I'd much prefer film camera equipment I can actually use than a box full of good glass collecting dust. ?

What I have - I think - are all Arri Standard mount 16mm lenses(?) and the userbase and market for these is really niche(?), but after searching for example footage, I discovered that as vintage lenses they do seem to have their own unique look even more than what I'm used to seeing with photographic vintage lenses.

I did look up on adapters and found some recommendations for first adapterizing to Arri PL, then to whatever needed, but since the adapters themselves did seem to cost hundreds, I decided not to go that way for simply trying these out for fun. Furthermore I have absolutely no idea what size of image circle these lenses produce, so I didn't want to spend that money to find out that the image circle would barely cover half of the fullframe sensor.

 

 

So as a list:

Überkochen Opton Di 1:2 f=8mm T* (Distagon, I presume?)
Angenieux-Zoom F. 17.5 - 80mm 1:2.2
Zeiss Planar 1:2 f=50mm
Cooke Kinetal 25mm
Cooke Varokinetal 9-50mm f2.2 T2.5 (with its original metal box and accessories)

Condition-wise I'd see them as fair-to-good. Paintwork certainly has marks on some (mostly the Angenieux) and they're clearly used, but no major scratches, no dents, mechanical functions seem to work all good albeit zoom rings do give me a vibe that CLA wouldn't be a bad thing for smoothest operation. Glass surfaces are all good, except for 8mm which seems to have a very minute mark on the rear element. I'm unsure if that has effect on the image. Otherwise it's just dust, no fungus, no nothing.

Sooo.. Help me out? What I'm looking at here? ? Pile of stuff nobody wants or something that indeed can have a place in cinematographers's camera bag? I know Planar is Planar both in photo and video, and youtube seems to have really nice examples of Cooke image quality. But they don't spell Leica nor Hasselblad so other than that I'm at odds here.

Any info will be appreciated ?

 

Cheers,
Sara

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by Sara Tuikka
typo

[M Joel W]

From what I understand these are worth quite a bit but they are a bit niche and hard to sell potentially. Check eBay for prices, look up what things are selling for and what they have sold for recently.

All these lenses can convert to PL mount easily and affordably with an adapter. All except the kinetal should have helicals inside the lens, meaning you can use a cheap Arri Standard to PL adapter so long as it’s machined well. The Kinetal needs a more expensive adapter to focus I think?

The 8mm is a West German Zeiss Distagon for 16mm (doesn’t cover S16) rebranded for the East German/Soviet Bloc market as Opton. Maybe worth $400?

The Angeniuex I believe is a 16mm lens that does cover S16 and has a great look with good performance and a beautiful "vintage" look to the bokeh and coatings – it just doesn’t go that wide. Maybe worth $1000?

The planar should color S35 or even full frame. I think it’s the same design as on the Contarex SLR lenses. I own one and actually don't like the look as much as much cheaper SLR lenses. Flat field but harsh bokeh. This design may have remained the same optically until the Ultra Primes though? And is the same as the later standard speeds, very commonly used lenses in major movies maybe? Anyway, worth maybe $800?

The Kinetal is a 16mm lens that covers S16 I believe. Maybe worth $500?

The Varokinetal is a 16mm lens that covers 16mm but it’s really nice. You can convert this to S16 (not sure this is still possible) and the S16 version is very desirable. Could be worth $2000 or more already? Not sure.

Could be worth a bit more on eBay but then you have seller’s fees. But check eBay prices and what things have sold for. 

Edited August 27, 2022 by M Joel W

[Eric Eader]

Sara,

There is a way to find out what size image circle each of your lenses throws.  It is very simple but be careful that you don't allow a lens to roll away from you and crash to the floor.

If you have access to a piece of gel that looks closest like ground glass when you look through it that would be really nice.

Otherwise, a piece of white foamcore, poster board, or just plain white paper will do but stiffness helps.

The gel is easiest because you can see the image from behind rather than in front.

Place the lens (set to infinity) on a cushion fashioned in such a way as to cradle (immobilize) the lens near a window that overlooks a bright sunny, distant scene.  (But not interfere with the projected image).

Because it is so small, it may be tedious to do, but draw a centered 16mm and Super 16mm frame on whatever you choose to project the lens image onto.  (16mm camera aperture= .404" x .295."  S16mm = .493" x .292.")

Position the viewing surface (gel, foamcore, paper, etc.), so that the upside down image is centered within whatever size circle is projected. Bring it nearer or farther to obtain a sharp focus. Work out whatever method you want for notating each image circle size for each lens.

To sum up:  every lens projects an image.  Position something behind the lens to help you see that image.  Get it in focus.  Make certain everything is stable then mark the size of each lens' circle.  Because it is 16mm, it is more tedious to accomplish than with a set of lenses for large format still cameras. 16mm format means focus will be quite close to the lens.     (4" x 5"   5" x 7"   8" x 10" are all easier to draw).

Hope this helps,

Eric