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Arriflex vs Arricam


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Arriflex is the original name of the company. They removed the 'flex' from the name when they started making other products outside of cameras.

 

So there are two modern camera systems. One is quiet for sync sound, one is louder, not for sync sound.

 

The Arricam ST/LT are quiet for sync sound. The Arri 235/435 are louder, not for sync sound.

 

The reason they do this is because the louder cameras, can be lighter weight and smaller since they don't need to have all the sound damping material. The 235 and 435 are also NOT that loud @ 24fps. I wouldn't shoot an entire feature with them, but if you needed to record sound with one, you could quiet them enough using a furniture pad. I had a 235 on my shoulder not long ago helping a friend with her short film and we just wrapped the body in a pad and it worked great. Not completely quiet, but it was fine for exteriors where there are so many other noises.

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"Arriflex" was the name for all their reflex cameras, sound or MOS, so include the last Arriflex sound camera they made under that moniker, the 535, and the sound cameras before that, the Arri-BL3, BL4, etc. So "Arriflex" does not refer to only MOS cameras like the Arri-2C, Arri-III, Arri-435. "Arricam" is sort of a combination of Arri and Moviecam:

 

There is a short Wikipedia entry on the Arricam:

Arricam is a 35mm movie camera line manufactured by Arri. It is Arri's flagship sync-sound camera line, replacing the Arriflex 535 line. The design was developed by Fritz Gabriel Bauer and Walter Trauninger, and is heavily derivative of the cameras Bauer created for his Moviecam company, which was bought out by Arri in the mid-1990s. As such, the Arricam is a fusion of the mechanical and intuitive design innovations of the Moviecam and the interchangeable accessories and complex electronic integration of the Arriflex.

 

You honestly cannot find descriptions, specs, photos of Arri cameras online anywhere?

 

The Arricam ST and LT are a pair, the LT is a bit smaller and lighter for handheld or Steadicam work (probably ST means "studio" and LT means "lightweight"). They are rather similar but the LT has a few less features (I think it only over-cranks to 50 fps instead of 60 fps, for example).

 

The ST/LT replaced the Arri-535A/B, which in turn replaced the Arri-BL4, etc.

 

The Arri-435 is the workhorse MOS camera that replaced the Arri-III and has a lot of features, but is considered too loud for sound shooting.

 

The Arr-235 is a small camera designed for handheld shooting and small spaces, it is technically a MOS camera but is quieter than a 435 and could be used for sound shooting outdoors with a barney or sound blanket over it if necessary, or backed off on a long lens (though then why you'd need a 235 at that point, I don't know.)

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Yes David has it right, as usual.

 

Arri is the company name, Arriflex was the name they gave to all their reflex cameras up until the Arricam range, a name change which reflected the fact that the design derived from Moviecam, which Arri had recognised as a superior system and bought out in the mid 90s. The main change was a new, quieter movement and single compartment magazines, rather than the co-axial mags used in their previous sync sound cameras like the BLs and 535s. The Arricams were also significantly lighter and more compact, particularly the LT.

 

The MOS cameras all derived from the original reflex design that Arri had pioneered in the 30s, amazingly the same mags from that original camera could still be used on the latest 235, as well as the 35-3 and 435. Of course there were significant evolutions in the movement and mirror designs and the features available in something like a 435, but because sync sound wasn't a design parameter, Arri were able to retain the same mag compatibility for 70 odd years, quite a feat in this day and age. This kind of design stability is one of the reasons various Arri standards like PL mounts and rail dimensions are now somewhat universal industry standards.

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The campany's full name is Arnold & Richter Cine Technik Gmbh & Co. Betriebs KG. Their cameras were often referred to an Arri, rather than Arriflex by crews. Guess that's why I forgot it was an Arriflex 35 BL, rather than an Arri 35 BL

 

The Arricam came out the Moviecam, which was bought by Arri and working with its team, used that camera's movement combined with Arri components. so I guess that's why it has "cam" instead of "flex".

Edited by Brian Drysdale
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