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Lens mount confusion out the wazzoo


Jacob Zuberi

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Hey everyone,

 

So in my hands I have an Arriflex 35 BLII. I know that it takes bayonet lenses and arri standards (which apparently are super hard to find to rent). I guess I have two questions. First, what is a 'B' mount? I've seen rental houses with these, some listed as bayonet 'B' mount lenses, and other places with 'B' mount lenses say they have no lenses for me.

 

My other question is are there any adapters, or anything I can do to be able to toss PL lenses on there?

 

Thanks!

Jacob

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Jacob,

 

The three ARRI lens mounts in chronological order are the ARRI standard mount, the ARRI bayonet mount, and the ARRI PL mount. From your description of the 35 BLII you have, it takes the bayonet mount and standard mount lenses (these were common mounts back then and similar to the stock mount on the Arriflex 16SR camera line).

 

ARRI bayonet mount lenses can be for 16mm cameras and for 35mm cameras, so maybe the rental houses that have "B" mount lenses listed, only have 16mm "B" mount lenses in stock, lenses like the original Zeiss Super Speeds, and the 10-100 Zeiss zooms.

 

Probably much of the 35mm "B" mount lens stock has been upgraded to PL mounts by this time, so "B" mount 35mm lenses may be pretty hard to find.

 

Unfortunately, there isn't an adapter to convert a "B"/standard lens mount on a camera to a PL mount. Now folks like Axel Broda can put a hard PL mount on your Arriflex 35 BLII, but there isn't an adapter to put on a PL mount lens that will make it work on a "B"/standard mount camera.

 

Best,

-Tim

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Hey everyone,

 

So in my hands I have an Arriflex 35 BLII. I know that it takes bayonet lenses and arri standards (which apparently are super hard to find to rent). I guess I have two questions. First, what is a 'B' mount? I've seen rental houses with these, some listed as bayonet 'B' mount lenses, and other places with 'B' mount lenses say they have no lenses for me.

 

My other question is are there any adapters, or anything I can do to be able to toss PL lenses on there?

 

Thanks!

Jacob

 

 

 

Those rental guys are probably confusing the Arriflex bayonet (B) mount with some other video camera bayonet mount.

Many cameras with a 2/3" chip use a known as the B4 mount.

 

Cheers,

Jean-Louis

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Well the rental house that I am looking at (it's the closest) is Denver Film and Video. They have "Zeiss SS 9.5, 12, 16, 25, 50mm "B" mt." listed under 35mm lenses, so I can't say there'd be any confusion there. All the PLs are listed as such, so maybe their website needs to be updated? So a 'B' mount is bayonet then? How much would it be to get the hard front converted? Thanks for the replies.

 

Jacob

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Well the rental house that I am looking at (it's the closest) is Denver Film and Video. They have "Zeiss SS 9.5, 12, 16, 25, 50mm "B" mt." listed under 35mm lenses, so I can't say there'd be any confusion there. All the PLs are listed as such, so maybe their website needs to be updated? So a 'B' mount is bayonet then? How much would it be to get the hard front converted? Thanks for the replies.

 

Jacob

 

Jacob,

 

Yeah, the Zeiss SS 9.5, 12, 16, 25, 50mm lenses are the 16mm versions of ARRI B mount. Those wouldn't work on your BLII.

 

You would have to talk to Axel Broda about the cost of putting a PL mount on your BLII, I don't know how much it would run. He's located just north of LA and can be reached at (661)821-6725.

 

Best,

-Tim

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Jacob,

 

If you're still looking for lenses I have several (including an original set) that I used regularly on my BLII. The cheapest are the original Arriflex Cine Xenon's which originally came with that camera. They aren't as sharp as Zeiss or as pretty as Cooke, but they are cheap and if you're going into telecine or DI and staying in video, I've found a good colorist can get them to match both Zeiss and Cooke lenses almost perfectly. I also have specialty lenses (swing/tilt, macro, etc.) in Arri Standard Mount.

 

I could probably put together a basic set of a 20mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm and 75mm for around $2,000.

 

Otherwise I have Zeiss Distagons (standard speed) also in Arri Standard Mount that are truly amazing if you want something super sharp.

 

Let me know if you are using the blimp and need the "ears" or if you prefer a geared lens.

 

Anyhow, send me an email or message if you're interested.

 

 

 

 

Hey everyone,

 

So in my hands I have an Arriflex 35 BLII. I know that it takes bayonet lenses and arri standards (which apparently are super hard to find to rent). I guess I have two questions. First, what is a 'B' mount? I've seen rental houses with these, some listed as bayonet 'B' mount lenses, and other places with 'B' mount lenses say they have no lenses for me.

 

My other question is are there any adapters, or anything I can do to be able to toss PL lenses on there?

 

Thanks!

Jacob

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Adrian,

 

From the description, it sounds like Tim is talking about an old set of Schneider's, the ones made for the 35mm Arriflex cameras. It includes the 50 and 75 which also are part of the Arriflex 16S set, and then a 28, and I believe an 18 and 35. Have not seen a 20, or a 40. About $2000 is the going rate for those lenses. They're not terribly sharp, and don't have the "feel" of the Speed Panchros, but they're not bad lenses.

 

Best,

-Tim

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