Mike Redding

Leo has it right, the Super Baltars were made for spinning mirror cameras, i.e. Mitchell 35mm and Cinema Products 35mm cameras. The Baltars, no super, were for rack over cameras, the early Mitchells. The two classes of lenses, Super and non-super, are totally different. The non super Baltars you see on eBay are old, but companies like Stonecine can clean them up. The only camera you can use them on are the early RED's. Now they are being refitted in Asia for still based cameras, that can shoot digital. The lenses are totally different so you cannot use the Baltars where you use the Super Baltars. The Super Baltars will fit and work with any BNCR mount. The Baltars will not.

The Super Baltars were made for the spinning mirror cameras, i.e. Mitchell BNCR and Cinema Products XR-35's, CP35's. The Baltars were for rack over earlier cameras w/o mirrors, again Mitchell et al. Yes, the lens of the Super Baltars are better. The Baltars will not work on any film or digital cameras made today except early RED's. Most of these lenses are sent to Asia where they are remounted for still based cameras, non-DSLR's, that shoot in digital.

I'm surprised by the comments. Sorry I missed them years earlier.....If you can install a PL mount on the XR35 that's great news. I had NO idea only 25 were made. My is labeled number 35. I knew Ed as well, eventually buying the remaining FX35 cameras and parts after my own FX35 needed support. About the XR35: I used one for years and did not experience a noisy motor, in fact we had to put our ears up to the blimp body to hear it run. I did go through the 30v batteries quickly. I built a "shore power" 30v DC adapter and 3x12v gel cell battery box replacing batteries as needed. They are cheap compared to other choices. Shot for 20 years with this XR35 and power configuration with no issues. A quite camera beating Arri BL IVs with no problem. I never had smoke coming out of the motor case. In the early 2000's I bought a 2 perf Mitchell conversion kit for a short and had to hone in the 2 perf cams to the Mitchell movement. I worked for days with conversations with CP engineers then at Steadicam and to retired engineers from CP. I was warned don't go to far or it will rattle. It turned fine in hand but the night before the shoot at 2:30am in the morning, I installed it and it ran fine. At 8:00am on location we loaded film and it ran well. A 1000 foot mag at 2 perf lasts 22 minutes. A young director didn't understand "cut". The camera was running out of sync after 4 hours and only 1 mag. Unusual. I opened the motor cover and the motor was hot. I had not honed in the cams to bearings enough. I erred on the side of caution. Lunch was called early and a fan was on the motor. I called cut from then on and we made the shoot in 2 perf with no problems for the next days. Shooting "film" not rolling on and on like video. My XR35 has a 20-120 with a BNCR mount and I agree, no reason to change it. The video tap is in the door and I've been in worse body contortions with video cameras than with the XR35 with it's straight through view finder. I've shot in the US and internationally with number 35; and when a famous NY network weatherman walked on set for a commercial endorsement shoot, saw the camera on the Fisher he said..."Oh, this is serious business". "Shoot film, be serious" Mike