Tim Carroll

The mechanically governed motors are pretty common. As Zac says, look on eBay. The ones with the transistor are a bit more rare. If properly adjusted, both work about the same. Just make sure to stick to 8 volts or you'll burn the motor out. Best, -Tim

Will, I see this is a few weeks old. If the gate from Dom doesn't work out, I have an SR3 Super 16 gate I would consider selling. It is an actual SR3 Super 16 gate, not a re-machined R16 gate. Best, -Tim

Matthew, I've done something like what you originally described when I used to service 16mm motion picture cameras. After everything was CLA'd and FFD checked, and ground glass checked, I would shoot at 6fps, wide open, a focus chart. About five or six feet of black & white film (the old Kodak Plus X) then process it in a Patterson tank with Rodinal, and scan it with a film scanner or inspect it on a light table with a very powerful loupe. That process works well. Best, -Tim

I did what Isaac mentioned. I used to use a Bescor 12 volt battery belt with my 16SR. Strap on the belt, run the cable up your back and straight into the back of the 16SR, works great and takes some of the load off your shoulder, as the onboard battery weighs quite a bit. Best, -Tim

I think anything would be an improvement over the original viewfinder set up on the IIC. I owned one of those cameras for a little over five years and shot thousands of feet of footage with it, and I never got comfortable with focusing that thing. Drove me nuts. I've heard very good things about the Italian door. Wish you luck with it. Best, -Tim

Though I have never tried it, I believe it cannot. The periscope attachment needs to be attached to the viewfinder tube after you remove the eyepiece. Since you cannot remove the eyepiece on the early flat door camera, there is no way to attach the periscopic attachment. Best, -Tim

I've got a really nice ARRI wide angle eyepiece and an equally nice set of ARRI lightweight rods. Where are you located? Best, -Tim

Not worth it. Search the archives, we had a very detailed discussion on this with pictures and diagrams a number of years ago. Best, -Tim

Hi Robert, Rethinking the idea. The response has been quite underwhelming so far. Heard for a total of three people who were interested, which doesn't make the time put into development pay off. So it's on hold for now. We'll see. Best, -Tim

OH NO, THE DREADED TIM MONSTER!!!!! Got a call from Axel Broda yesterday. Needed a Super 16 Arriflex 16SR gate I had in my shop. Seems he's got another camera to convert. I was surprised, as 16mm filmmaking has really seemed to have dried up. But he said he is seeing a resurgence somewhat. I guess folks are getting tired or bored with the look of digital all the time. I am certainly a fan of the Arriflex 16S, it's a great little camera. But I am no fool, if you have access to a Super 16 sync sound camera package, and an Arriflex 16S package, and you want to shoot a sync sound project, don't pick the Arriflex 16S. 16mm film and processing costs the same whether you shoot Regular 16 or Super 16, so if you have the Super 16 camera and lenses, you'll get more image real estate with Super 16. But if all you have access to is an Arriflex 16S camera, and a good set of lenses, then by all means you can still do great 16:9 work with it, it just takes a bit more care and planning. Best, -Tim

Had an XTR and an LTR over the years, as well as an SR, and for me there was a world of difference in the comfort of either Aaton on my shoulder compared to the Arriflex. Any motion picture camera, when loaded with 400ft, lens(especially a zoom) and a matte box, etc., is going to be heavy and somewhat awkward, not exactly cat-like, but I think Aaton did a great job making their 16mm cameras as hand-holdable as possible. Best, -Tim

Adrian is right, something is off, either the FFD or the ground glass. Take a look at this web page. It is for the Arriflex 16S, but the focusing principle on the 16S and the IIa are the same. Look at the section on FFD. Focus Issues with Arriflex Cameras Best, -Tim

Hi Everyone, I am developing a book on the Arriflex 16S camera and I am asking anyone who is interested to drop me an email to let me know what you would like to see in the book. The book will go into great detail about how the camera works, and I will do a step by step disassembly of the camera and then a rebuild, showing how the cameras were built at the factory. There will be many pictures and descriptions of how each assembly works and how the ARRI craftsmen hand made each individual camera. So if there are things that you'd like to make sure the book covers, please drop me an email. Best, -Tim My Email

Hi Everyone, I am developing a book on the Arriflex 16S camera and I am asking anyone who is interested to drop me an email to let me know what you would like to see in the book. The book will go into great detail about how the camera works, and I will do a step by step disassembly of the camera and then a rebuild, showing how the cameras were built at the factory. There will be many pictures and descriptions of how each assembly works and how the ARRI craftsmen hand made each individual camera. So if there are things that you'd like to make sure the book covers, please drop me an email. Best, -Tim My Email

Stephen, Thanks for pointing out the situation with this camera. As we all know, many folks attracted to the Red Scarlet are "newbies" in the filmmaking realm. So much of the RED story is very complicated for folks, it's not like buying a camera from Sony, or Panasonic, or Canon, where it is very clear what is needed to get up and running. Best, -Tim

Almost looks like the edge of the shutter blade. Could be something in, on or around the prism block the light must travel through before it gets to the gate. Best, -Tim

Giorgio, There is only one type of Kodak B&W negative film made today, the 7222. 7231 was discontinued a couple of years ago. If you want a "walking" camera then I would definitely recommend the Arriflex 16S with a 100 ft internal load. Great hand held walking camera. If you are really attached to the Bolex, then maybe that is what you should get, as you will be the one using it. I did not like the darkness of the viewfinder on my EBM and did not find it an easy camera for hand held work, though I always shot with the 400 ft mag in place. The Arriflex will probably have a steadier picture as it is a registration pin camera and the side pressure rail in the gate does a really good job at correcting weave. Best, -Tim

Hi Giorgio, As Will was saying, your decision will be based on what you plan on shooting with the camera. I used to own a Bolex EBM, which is the predecessor of the EL and basically about the same camera. It is a very noisy/loud camera and is not suited for shooting situations where you want to record dialog among actors. The Arriflex 16BL is a self blimped camera and works much better for shooting situations where you want to record dialog among actors. It is much quieter than the Bolex EBM or EL. Neither the Bolex EBM/EL nor the Arriflex 16BL is a good camera for hand held shooting, as they are both heavy and awkward. Having used both the Kern Switar 16-100 and the Angenieux 12-120, I can say they can both be good lenses. The image quality from either is going to be mostly dependent on what shape each particular lens is in. They are both thirty to forty year old lenses, and although both were very high quality when they left the factory in the 1970's, how they were taken care of in the years since is going to have a large impact on their ability to make good images now. To sum up, if you want a camera to shoot images only, and are not going to be syncing the images with dialog, then the Bolex EBM/EL would work fine. If you want a camera to shoot images and want to sync those images to dialog, then you would need a quieter camera like the Arriflex 16BL. If you do want a camera to shoot images and are not going to be syncing the images with dialog, you may want to look at the Arriflex 16S which is usually less expensive than the Arriflex 16BL and is a great camera for shooting hand held. You can find out much more information about the Arriflex 16S at the web site below: Arri16S.com One other thing, the Arriflex is a professional motion picture camera and the Bolex is a consumer motion picture camera. The construction of the two is of very different quality. The Arriflex is far more durable. Best, -Tim

I'm in total agreement with Will on this. Mask the viewfinder/ground glass for 16:9 and have them transfer the film 16:9. Do it in transfer to get the most information to work with in post. That will also give you the sharpest images. I never shoot above 200T or 250D film when I plan on going 16:9 on regular 16mm. And I tape the ground glass and shoot a 16:9 framing chart at the head of the first roll, that way the telecinist knows how I was framing when I shot. Best, -Tim

A bit of a hiccup. Everything is available. Working on more information to put up, and will be completing a detailed service guide for the Arriflex 16S, now that no one is really servicing that camera anymore. Best, -Tim

You'll need ARRI Standard Mount lenses for that camera. Those include the Schneider primes like 10mm (don't recommend the 10mm), 16mm, 25mm, 50mm, 75mm, and the Cooke Kinetal primes like 9mm, 12.5mm, 17.5mm, 25mm, 37.5mm, 50mm, 75mm, and the Zeiss primes that came in ARRI standard mount, as well as many of the Angenieux 12-120 zooms came in ARRI standard mount. Best, -Tim

Just read an article about the making of Bruce Brown's classic movie about motorcycle racing, On Any Sunday, which just happened to star the King of Cool, Steve McQueen. Anyway, the picture below was included in the article, and there is a very young Bruce, shouldering an Arriflex 16M. Best, -Tim

He did add the eyepiece to the 16S auction, but with his auction of the 16M, no eyepiece, no magazines, no motor, no power cord, no lenses, and all for $1200. Bought that same camera, with two mags, motor, Angenieux zoom, power cord, battery pack, and eyepiece for $500 six years ago. Would be surprised if he got any bids on that one. Best, -Tim

He's selling two cameras without eyepieces. Is he going to have two separate auctions for eyepieces, one for each camera. To me, when you don't include an essential part of the entire package in the auction, and never mention that you're not including it, then sell that essential part in a separate auction, to me that's dirty dealing. I'm sure others would disagree, but that is never how I would want to do business with people. To me it's ripping people off and taking advantage of them. Best, -Tim

Seems pretty impressive, though I am no expert on HDSLR cameras. And at a good price. Nikon D800 Press Release Best, -Tim