John Jaquish

Here's a great addition to your Arri 16BL. I bought this used for a project and didn't end up using it, since we went with another camera. So, I cannot say first hand how it operates but it appears to be in working order. Cosmetically, it looks fine other than a crack in the plastic calibration ring which has been sealed. It's calibrated for a Schneider Cinegon 10mm lens (not included), but from my understanding can still be used with other lenses.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Arriflex-16BL-Prime-Lens-Blimp-/330615523084?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cfa38870c#ht_500wt_1359

Please let me know if you have any questions.

This is good to know. I suppose I'll have to get the blimp and try it out for myself. Thanks for the information.

As I recall, it is not a fast change at all. With that camera, people seem to stick to a zoom for everything or

shoot MOS with different lenses, or get each lens its own blimp and have it already installed before getting to the set.

Hmm. That's what I figured. I was planning on buying a prime blimp since I have access to a 16BL, but was hoping to be able to use it with multiple prime lenses.

I looked around the forum, but couldn't find this addressed specifically: How is the "on-the-set" adaptability of different prime lenses when using the prime lens blimp for the 16BL (assuming of course they fit in the blimp)? Can it be easily adapted on the set for different lenses, or is the blimp modified for a specific lens and more or less a permanent modification?

Say I wanted to power a 16BL (12v motor) on a Steadicam with 14.4v Anton Bauer batteries. Am I at risk of damaging the camera doing this? Would there be any way to do this safely (e.g. I don't know if it's possible to convert the 14.4v to 12v)?

Looking to purchase an Arriflex 16BL Universal or Prime Lens Blimp. Or hoping someone can point me to where I might be able to acquire one.

Thank you.

You can do nice smooth slow zooms with a fluid drive, especially if you've got a long lever. Although, I suppose it could depend how slow your slow zoom needs to be and how repeatable you need it to be.

Thanks, Brian. How about the fluid drive's effect when using the extent of a longer zoom range, such as the Angenieux 10-150 or 12-240? I imagine it would become more difficult to hold a constant speed in this range.

I'm going to be shooting something soon that will require some slow, smooth zooms. Would a Chrosziel Fluid Zoom (manual device) work sufficiently, or would I really require an electronic motor, such as the Microforce Zoom Control? Incidentally, I'll be shooting in 16mm with an Angenieux zoom. Thanks in advance for any help.

Hello, I'm going to be shooting a project soon, most likely with the Arri 16BL, and will need the use of some controlled zooms. I haven't used the Microforce zoom control before, but am looking to rent one for this project (I'm looking at Duall for now). Before the shoot, I was planning on doing some camera tests with it, but would like to get some general information on setting it up and using it beforehand. I also want to make sure I'm going to be able to set it up with what I have.

Can the Microforce be set up fairly simply on an Angenieux 12-120 lens? And be used on the 16BL (assuming the lens blimp is off of course)? Would there be any additional accessories that I would need or would the gear on the Heden M26T adapt fine to that lens?

Finally, how would it be powered? From the camera/battery?

Thank you in advance for any feedback.

The BL is quieter, has better registration, and far fewer parts fall off while you're shooting. With the NPR, even back in the 1970's, we often had to stretch gaffer's tape very tight from the lens to the magazine to keep the miserable thing working. It's hard to imagine that any of them work anywhere near right 40 years later. But other than the lens and mag falling off, the lids falling off the sides of the mag, and the rubber motor coupling slipping and putting you out of sync, they're a great camera.

 

The BL prime lens blimps were scarce even when they were new, probably near impossible to find today. We used the zooms for sync, and only took them off for MOS. Zeiss had a 10 - 100 that was better than the 12 - 120.

 

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

Thanks, John. After some looking into, I'll probably stick with the BL.

Hello, all. I plan to be shooting a short film soon on regular 16mm. It's going to be sync sound and I need to be able to do some controlled zooms. My options are shooting on either the Arri 16BL or Eclair NPR. Additionally, I'm going to need to go wider than the 12mm at the end of the zoom range of the Angenieux 12-120 that comes with the BL. Now, the BL I have access to does not have a prime lens blimp, only the blimp for the zoom (they did make a separate blimp for primes, didn't they?). So, if I'm using either a zoom control or prime lens, it won't be blimped if using the BL, which I don't think should be too much of a problem since there wouldn't be dialogue in either situation. So, I suppose my lens options would be greater with the NPR (that is, lens/sync sound options), but I'm not sure if the NPR presents any additional disadvantages that I'm unaware of.

So, I guess my question is, would it be worth working with the BL considering these circumstances and the lens blimp, or would I be better off with the NPR?

Finally, on a side note, how available might a prime lens blimp be to rent? Also, I do not have access to a zoom control/motor. Are they generally rented only when renting a lens, or might some places rent a zoom control separately? And is there some sort of universal zoom control/motor or do they apply to specific lenses/manufacturers?

Thank you and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.